If you had to select a national park in the United States where solar power could reduce consumption of electricity from traditional energy sources, which one would you choose? In one Western park a major system is already up and running.

When we hear the term "Colonial America," locations west of the Mississippi aren't often the first to come to mind. Long before the Liberty Bell became a symbol of the United States, however, a story involving a European power other than Great Britain was already well underway in another part of our country.

The National Parks and Recreation Act of November 10, 1978, heavily impacted the National Park System by establishing 15 new national parks, designating 1.9 million acres of parkland wilderness, and providing funds to address the land acquisition, facilities improvement, and other needs of existing parks.

A decision by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to open thousands of acres of public lands abutting national park properties in Utah could be halted by President-elect Barack Obama once he takes office, according to his transition team.