No matter how many times you’ve seen the giant sequoias in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove, it’s hard not to wonder at their size and tenacity. Sequoias can grow for millennia, reaching heights of nearly 300 feet. More than 150 years ago, they helped inspire the Yosemite Grant Act, which set aside the grove as one of the nation’s first protected landscapes.

Flames ignited by a lighting strike more than a month ago have cost nearly $12 million to battle and have destroyed 13 residences, according to fire bosses who have indicated it likely will be cold and snow, not their efforts, that douse the Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier National Park.

For his efforts to initiate a wildlife shepherding program, dark sky conservation, and mountain goat research, Mark Biel, the natural resources manager at Glacier National Park, has earned the 2017 National Park Service Director’s Award for Professional Excellence in Natural Resource Stewardship.

Grand Canyon National Park has received confirmation that a bat collected at Phantom Ranch on August 31 tested positive for rabies. The-rabies positive bat did not come in contact with any visitors. Recently, park users have reported an increase in human-bat interactions, including seeing them more often near the river.