Wanna see a bear? Odds are good that if you hang out in one of Yosemite National Park's parking lots -- particularly the one near legendary Camp 4 -- you'll see one before too long. Just hope you don't spot a bruin breaking into your car.

When rattlesnakes that endanger humans are moved elsewhere, translocation reduces survival rates. Snakes moved long distances fare worst. At Great Basin National Park, wildlife biologists are studying translocated snakes to establish what translocation distance is “far enough.”

Perhaps one of the least publicly intriguing issues when you're talking about national parks is that of the general management plans used to guide a park's growth and use. But when these documents come up for revision, the opportunity is ripe for you to have your two cents considered. For instance, should the lighthouses at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore be turned into bed-and-breakfasts?

Gnarly waves are rolling ashore at Cape Hatteras National Seashore thanks to the passing of Hurricane Bill, dude, but that has park officials urging folks to be careful out there.