Your support of the Traveler keeps you informed on national park issues and wonders.

My oldest son once asked me how long the National Parks Traveler might continue? He wondered how many different stories from the National Park System we could generate.

"A lot," was my answer.

All you have to do is skim through the Traveler to see proof of that. There are articles about increasing fees to visit and enjoy the parks, wildlife stories, stories about searches for lost hikers, articles about endangered species, pieces about park maintenance and improvements, articles about new parks.

But we don't just cover "breaking news" from the National Park System. We present feature content that ranges from in-depth looks at issues affecting parks and how to enjoy and explore parks to science and history pieces. We've told you about humpback whales at Kenai Fjords National Park that use "bubble nets" to catch their meals, and explained why streams in Alaska turned orange. We've delved into maritime history and some of the wrecks submerged in national park waters, checked in on active volcanoes in parks, and told you about the Royal Road of Interior Lands in the Southwest.

That is barely scratching the surface, and there is no end in sight. There are stories from the parks about history, archaeology, paleontology, culture, and even sociology. There are summits to climb, rivers to paddle, forests to roam. All year long we keep an eye out for those stories — and we welcome your suggestions! — so we can continue to point you to interesting parks across the National Park System and ensure you know how they're being managed.

You won’t find this sort of dedicated coverage of the National Park System anywhere else. And that’s why your support of the Traveler is so important.

Thanks to NewsMatch, a nationwide campaign to raise charitable dollars for public-service journalism outlets such as ours, your contribution can go twice as far as it usually would. New donations to the Traveler during November and December are being matched up to $1,000 per individual, and if you sign up to make recurring months donations NewsMatch will match it 12 times, up to $1,000.

Keeping the public informed every day of the year on all things national parks — from how they're being managed and funded to how to make the most out of visiting these wondrous places — requires a groundswell of support. Will you give us a vote of confidence by contributing what you can as part of that groundswell?

With gratitude,

Kurt Repanshek

Founder, editor-in-chief

P.S. — If you prefer to send a check donation, you can reach us at P.O. Box 980452, Park City, UT 84098.

P.P.S. — Please help us spread the word! Forward this article to friends and colleagues who you know are passionate about these essential places and would be interested in supporting our work.