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Francis Beidler’s Long-Ago Decision Saved the Forest that Became Congaree National Park

In an action unusual for its time, timber tycoon and early conservationist Francis Beidler put his vast holdings of South Carolina forestland in timber reserve status in the early 1900s. Six decades later, Congaree Swamp National Monument, now Congaree National Park, was created from the remnants. The park celebrates its 32nd birthday today, October 18.

Beach Cleanup is Focus for National Parks America Tour Stop at Padre Island National Seashore

The Unilever-sponsored National Parks America Tour, a volunteer program with over 25 scheduled stops in the national parks this year, has organized a beach cleanup at Padre Island National Seashore for Saturday, October 18. The huge volume of storm debris left by last month’s Hurricane Ike has been very difficult to deal with and continues to wash ashore daily.

Rockfalls Down Upon Curry Camp in Yosemite National Park Are Not Unusual

The most recent rockfalls from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park are not the first to shower Curry Camp and certainly won't be the last. With that in mind, geologists are taking a close look at Glacier Point to try to determine just how safe, or unsafe, its rock face is.
Image icon YOSE Rockfalls-USGS.pdf

"Talking" Buoys Deployed Along Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

It'd be impractical for the National Park Service to station interpretive rangers at various points along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. But that hasn't stopped the agency from providing that interpretation to boaters in the Chesapeake Bay.

Conservation Groups Sue to Cut Air Pollution Over Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Whenever talk turns to air pollution and impacts on national parks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the first parks mentioned. A coalition of conservation groups went to court today with hopes of preventing the park's pollution problems from growing.

Damage from Tropical Storm Hanna Created Expensive Repair Problems at Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

It’s unusual for a national park in the Mid-Atlantic region to suffer tropical storm damage, but that’s what happened last month to Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park near Washington, DC. Flooding due to torrential rains from Tropical Storm Hanna breached the towpath wall, necessitating repairs that could well be in excess of $1 million.

Visit Savannah’s Fort Pulaski National Monument and See Why Brick Masonry Forts Became Obsolete in April 1862

Savannah’s Fort Pulaski National Monument celebrates its 84th birthday today, October 15. Brick masonry harbor forts like Fort Pulaski were thought to be impregnable until an astonishing thing happened on April 11, 1862. After that day it would never again make sense to build a harbor fort of brick masonry.