Though there are only a handful of names on the Traveler's masthead, giving you a year's worth of news, features, and commentary really takes a group effort. With that in mind, we'd like to extend a heart-felt thanks to those who have contributed to that effort with their prose and photos.

After all, this web-zine is an all-volunteer operation with a small staff of fervent park advocates. The more than two dozen other individuals listed here -- some who regularly grace the pages, some only occasionally -- contributed material posted in the Traveler during 2011. Their contributions provided a wealth of information and helped craft a portrait of the diverse park system. For that we are much indebted.

While the bulk of the content is supplied by myself and Contributing Writers Jim Burnett, Danny Bernstein, Bob Janiskee, Randy Johnson, and Todd Wilkinson, there's a wide cast of others who keep the Traveler humming.

David and Kay Scott are well-known for their guidebooks to national park lodgings, and they've gone above and beyond our expectations in terms of keeping readers abreast not only of those lodgings, but also of their travels through the National Park System. Remember their summer-long odyssey through the national parks to update their latest guidebook, due out this coming spring?

Behind the scenes, Chris Miller and Wilbur Ince have provided their technical expertise, and Aaron Deschane has been our highly valued podcast producer.

An unsung hero, to me at least, is Gary Vogt, who lurks behind the scenes proofreading copy to catch most of my errant key strokes and questionable grammatical leaps of faith.

Here are the rest of the writers who broadened our reach in 2011, and some of the photographers who helped bring the parks alive with their images. To them, and anyone we might have inadvertently omitted, we extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation:

Any omissions are entirely my fault, and not intended as a slight to anyone.

Kirby Adams -- Birder extraordinarire, Kirby didn't let a little blood loss get in his way as he let us in on where to look for what birds in which parks.

Aimee Beal -- The communications coordinator for Friends of Acadia, Aimee shared a wonderful piece on the gate lodges of Acadia National Park.

Greg Breining -- Greg provided some of his sparkling prose -- on paddling the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway -- for our Summer Special.

William Britten -- Bill shared some of his secret places, and photos of them, from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Lee Dalton -- Lee checked in with his thoughts after visiting Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and reviewed a number of books.

Lynn Fantom -- Lynn shared some of her favorite trails in Acadia National Park for our Summer Special.

Susan Flader -- A recently retired history professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Susan contributed a two-part article on the troubles facing the managers of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Joan Frankevich -- The Alaska program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, Joan updated us all on efforts to develop a sound air management plan for Denali National Park and Preserve.

David Graves -- David, who works in the National Parks Conservation Association's Northwest office, shared his thoughts about the decision to remove the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams at Olympic National Park.

Meghan Hicks -- Meghan, an adventure racer and general outdoors enthusiast, opened the door to trail running in Death Valley National Park and peered into some black bear research at Big Bend National Park.

Owen Hoffman -- While in the background Owen would suggest stories from time to time, he also crafted the Traveler's Checklist for Crater Lake National Park.

Randy Johnson -- Randy, a prolific guidebook writer from east of the Continental Divide and former editor of Hemispheres magazine (the United inflight) has dropped in pieces as diverse as how to navigate Asheville, North Carolina, to a thorough review of efforts to revise the Blue Ridge Parkway's management plan.

Michael Lanza -- The Northwest editor for Backpacker magazine, Michael has taken us along with him and his family to see national parks before climate change alters their landscapes.

Nicky Leach -- Nicky graced the Traveler with a piece that explored how the National Park Service preserves and interprets an ancestral Pueblo homeland at Bandelier National Monument for the Summer Special.

QT Luong -- Tuan's invaluable contributions to the Traveler normally come in the form of photos from around the park system, but he also contributed a column on photographing Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

RL Miller -- Looked at the coal mine near Bryce Canyon National Park and questioned the wisdom of a proposal to enlarge it.

Jeff Pappas -- A history professor during the off-season, and a Yosemite ranger during the summer, Jeff provided some book reviews for your consideration.

Bob Pahre -- Another professor, Bob took a look at how the National Park Service interprets Native American history in the parks.

Beth Pratt -- Once a resident of Yellowstone National Park, Beth has returned home to California, where she files occasional dispatches from Yosemite National Park.

Richard West Sellers -- A retired Park Service historian, Dick took an indepth look at how the Park Service handles Native American history at Fort Laramie National Historic Site.

Bruce and Sara Schundler--Seasonal rangers who contribute their thoughts from time to time on a range of issues.

Bill Sherwonit -- An Alaska-based writer, Bill provided a thought-provoking article on hunting brown bears in Katmai National Preserve.

Rick Smith -- A Park Service veteran with a broad and deep resume, Rick provided an insider's perspective to Billy Malone and the National Park Service Investigation at Hubbell Trading Post, a book that cast a troubling light on the Park Service.

Julie Trevelyan -- When she's not guiding visitors around southern Utah, Julie managed to find time to do some gear reviews for us and write about Capitol Reef National Park.

Stephen Vanderpool -- Stephen gave us a thorough look at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio and explained how to enjoy it.

Claire M. Walter -- Claire, who in the past has written about floating the Rio Grande through Big Bend National Park, traveled to Hawaii in June and filed dispatches from there.

Todd Wilkinson -- An insightful writer who long has studied national park issues, Todd contributed thoughtful pieces ranging from the value of wildlife to the joys of driving through Yellowstone at day's end.