Areas near Olympic National Park have been in the news in recent months for some pretty bizarre reasons. First it was those mythical vampires in nearby Forks, Washington, inspired by the best-selling Twilight books and movie. Now there's the following news headline: "Science Finds Swirling Vortex of Poison off Washington Coast."
Think you've got a great winter shot of Yellowstone National Park? Then plan on heading to West Yellowstone on March 11 for the park's Winter Photo Festival.
For many Lower 48ers, the state of Alaska is perceived as a big, raw chunk of wilderness, complete with booming wildlife populations. And perhaps it is, but there's a growing concern that Alaska's wildlife managers are getting carried away with their bag limits on national park landscapes.
President Obama's proposed 2010 budget carries $12 billion for the Interior Department, though exactly how much will trickle down to the National Park Service is hard to say at this point.
The number's a step in the right direction, the needs are many, but don't expect any immediate word on exactly how the National Park Service will spend its share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.
Hopefully the folks at Mount Rainier National Park aren't tempting fate this Saturday when they test their Geohazard Warning Siren at the Nisqually Entrance.
Say what you will about corporate altruism, whether it's self-serving or truly benevolent, but in the case of Grand Teton National Park without it the park would be a shell of its present form.
Completion of the Parks Highway in 1971 quite literally paved the way to Mount McKinley National Park, tripling its visitation within two years. The park now named Denali celebrates its 92nd birthday today, and the Parks Highway remains its only automobile-friendly link to the world.