The absence of human sounds was mesmerizing. Insects buzzed, and birds sang, their sounds rising and falling as they drew near and flew off. One sound we didn't hear was the tell-tale drumming on tree bark of Ivory-billed woodpeckers, though some think the birds thought extinct might exist deep within Congaree National Park in South Carolina.

Where will the next generation of national park stewards and advocates come from? Obviously, from today's growing youth who are able to make a connection, or connections, with the parks. One way to enable that connection is through the Youth Leadership Adventures offered through the North Cascades Institute.

Eight years after the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded, after a year's study, that environmental laws were not hampering Border Patrol efforts, a House of Representatives subcommittee plans to revisit the matter.

National Parks Traveler runs stories week-in and week-out about seasonal operations in the National Park System: campground openings, trail conditions, fee information. It’s that sort of reader service material that draws much of our traffic; people looking for the latest news that might impact their national park vacation. But that’s just the chum, if you will, to get you to explore Traveler’s other content and educate and keep yourself up to date on what else is going on in the parks.