Though it's been a mostly quiet winter on the coast of North Carolina, things might get a bit testy in the coming weeks as Cape Hatteras National Seashore releases its pre-nesting closure plans to protect piping plovers, a threatened species.

What would you think if logging were permitted in Yellowstone National Park, or if a rock quarry were allowed in Yosemite National Park, or if uranium mining was under way in Grand Canyon National Park?

When the Confederate Army needed artillery, ammunition, or other weaponry, it turned to the Tredegar Ironworks in the heart of Richmond, Virginia. While many of the original buildings were lost to war and time, some remain. One, in fact, serves as a visitor center at the Richmond National Battlefield Park

Much of the debate over the rule change that allows national park visitors to arm themselves has been filled with vitriol. But no one, it seems, has considered the wildlife's point of view.