Is the National Park Service's Centennial Initiative as "audacious" as Director Mary Bomar claims it to be? Will it truly prepare the agency for its second century, or is it lacking in its current form some critical aspects that are necessary for the Park Service to attain greatness as protector of arguably the world's best park system?

In the past year, three bicyclists have died in Haleakala National Park while descending from the park's summit. The latest death, that of a 65-year-old Ohio woman, occurred earlier this week when she ran into a bicycle company's van.

Well, it's "Public Lands Day," which means you can get into your favorite national park for free. Newspapers across the country are heralding this rare event, but I find it hard to jump on the bandwagon. Frankly, I wish they'd focus on the substantial issues the national park system is facing.

With Fall officially under way, it won't be too long before the season's most spectacular colors are daubed, stroked, and splashed across the national park system. The good news is that you haven't missed the peak yet. The bad news is that if you don't already have a room reservation, you probably won't find a vacancy in any of the well-known fall foliage parks.