The fiddle, a key instrument for entertainment on the American frontier of the mid-1800s, will be featured in May when the 2012 Monumental Fiddling Championships are held at Homestead National Monument of America in southeastern Nebraska.

Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island was a flourishing town and fort in the 1700s. Here the British defeated the Spanish in two battles and British rule in Georgia was assured.

It has been a week since two parties on Mount Rainier failed to return from their backcountry trips as planned, and high winds, deep snow, and towering drifts continue to hamper efforts to find them.

Much time has been spent discussing ways to engage youth with the national parks. At Acadia National Park, staff worked with Friends of Acadia to bring a team of teenagers into the park last summer to work on how technology could enhance a visitor's experience in the park, without replacing any of the traditional interpretation methods.