The nearly 400 units of our National Park System include the names of some famous men and women, along with those of natural features and historical events, but the origin of one of those monikers is a bit more obscure.
Let's hope the skies over Cape Hatteras National Seashore are cloud-free this weekend. That's because a full moon is scheduled and the national seashore plans to offer full moon tours of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse this Saturday night.
It could be argued that the two most important jobs along the Eastern seaboard during the 19th century were that of lighthouse keeper and life-saver. The former worked hard to warn ships off shoals, while the latter worked to save those who ships foundered.
Hordes of day-trippers are once again converging on the Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola. Though still recovering from severe storm damage, this popular sun-sea-sand destination is very much back in business.
Is this how low the bar has dropped for inclusion into the National Park System? Is it really so low that a gas station once owned by the beer-swilling brother of President Jimmy Carter should be managed as a national historical park by the National Park Service?
The National Trails System has grown by 525 miles thanks to the recent designation of 22 National Recreation Trails by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The trails, which range from boardwalks through coastal forests to corridors along rivers, can be found in 13 states.
Saving the endangered mission blue butterfly is a lupine-focused mission. The mission blues, which now survive only in a few places near San Francisco Bay, can’t reproduce in habitats that lack certain kinds of lupine.