Recent National Park Service actions involving natural resources have some worrying that the agency has lost sight of its conservation mission.

Removing statues and memorials honoring Confederate officers and troops from the Civil War would do a disservice to the role of interpreting history in national parks.

The following column was written by George Wuerthner and Lee Whittlesey in rebuttle to a recent Smithsonian Magazine article titled, "The Lost history of Yellowstone," which features the work and opinions of archaeologist Doug MacDonald. MacDonald is the author of Before Yellowstone: Native American Archaeology in the National Park.

Vandalism in its many forms, seems to be continuing unabated in the national parks. The Leave No Trace Seven Principals don’t appear to apply to those who wish to let others know they were there in the form of acrylic paint on 180-million year old sandstone and gouges into rock and living trees in places like Zion, Joshua Tree, Olympic, and Redwood national parks? Is modern graffiti on protected lands considered art and future history for archeologists, much like the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs now safeguarded within the boundaries of natural parks, national memorials, and other park units? Or is it a despoiling of protected National Park Service lands by a selfish few who apparently learned no respect for keeping the landscape unblemished for the enjoyment of present and future generations? Contributing editor and photographer Rebecca Latson offers her own thoughts on the subject.