Four years after an oil company began to search portions of Big Cypress National Preserve for recoverable oil deposits, but before restoration work on damaged wetlands could be completed, the National Park Service is now proposing to alter the restoration requirements.

After 20 months of closures, the Boquillas Port of Entry within Big Bend National Park is scheduled to reopen on November 17. When the port of entry reopens, you'll be able to travel from the United States to the village of Boquillas, Coahuila, Mexico, as well as the Maderas del Carmen and Ocampo protected areas.

From improved roads and bridges and greater wildlife connectivity to healthier watersheds and climate-change mitigation projects, the $1 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress figures to reach into many corners of the National Park System.

The bear literature is rich, but with threats to bears proliferating today, writers and photographers are shining their lights on the plight of these charismatic megafauna. Several excellent books about bears have appeared that deserve our attention. Thankfully the news is not all bad, but as I’ve read through these recent publications, a sense of urgency grows – their prospects are not good.