A glance around the National Park System seems to show wine sales can benefit the parks, more and more user fees are being approved despite a five-year-old "moratorium" against them, and Point Reyes National Seashore has had a bumper crop of seals this year.

A report from the National Trust for Historic Preservation challenges the National Park Service to be more aggressive in leasing out historic properties in the name of preserving those properties, even if it restricts public access to those properties.

More than a dozen sites around the country should be considered for inclusion in the National Park System, according to legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

If Congress and the Obama administration fail to avert a budget impasse next week, the National Park Service will move to furlough more than 21,000 employees in the process of closing down the National Park System.