Home to the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic coast, the first national park east of the Mississippi River celebrates an anniversary today. It's had three different names during its 93-year history—and the taxpayers got a real bargain when this area was added to the National Park System.

Most areas of the National Park System are closed to hunting, a long-standing policy which is the subject of ongoing debate. A recently released study offers compelling reasons to continue that policy—and it includes some startling information about the impacts of humans as the "Super-Predators" in today's world.

A basic principle of national parks is that they're just that—national, rather than local sites—so a family from Houston has the same opportunity to enjoy the Great Smoky Mountains as one from Gatlinburg. Officially, there's no preferential treatment in national parks for local residents, but it's only human nature for some people who live near a park and use it on a regular basis to develop a sense of "ownership" of the area.

The Obama administration's nominee for Interior secretary, U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, today sailed through his confirmation hearing. Along the way he spoke of supporting an economic stimulus package for the national parks.