Of course, the big birthday in the National Park System being notched this year is at Yellowstone National Park, which turns 150th. But there are 11 units of the system that turn 50 this year.

Low numbers of steelhead trout entering river systems in Olympic National Park have led to a closure of those rivers to fishing through the month of May.

While two river guides, armed with a UV flashlight, searched the beach for scorpions, I wandered in the other direction down the shoreline of the Colorado River to stare into the night sky at the Milky Way and its surrounding twinkling diamonds of light.

The National Park Foundation has launched its ParkVentures initiative within the organization’s Outdoor Exploration program. ParkVentures supports programs and activities that help people create and strengthen life-long relationships with national parks, with a focus on communities that have been historically excluded from parks and may not feel a sense of belonging in the outdoors.