Warming Pacific waters that are impacting whales that summer at Glacier Bay National Park and a worrisome mixture of climate change and urban sprawl that is weighing on Saguaro National Park are just two examples of how outside influences are creating problems inside national parks.

The origin story of America’s national parks goes like this: during the Lincoln administration, fearing that the recently “discovered” wonders of Yosemite Valley would be defiled as Niagara Falls had been, and the “Mariposa Big Tree Grove” logged, federal legislation created what would eventually become Yosemite National Park, though as author Dennis Drabelle notes, the word “park” never appeared in the law.

No need to leave home to enjoy a burning Yule log this holiday season. Enjoy the one from Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Planning is underway at Valles Caldera National Preserve to improve the visitor experience and resume an entrance fee collection program to generate revenues to address deferred maintenance in the park.