Images taken by National Park Service crews assessing damage from Tropical Storm Helene along the Blue Ridge Parkway illustrate just how devastating the storm was.
The National Park Service is reclaiming seven oil and gas well sites within the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisisana.
Overhead, turkey vultures and hawks circle looking for prey. Underfoot, snakes, salamanders and turtle hatchlings do their best to stay hidden. All around, young trees — thousands of them — dot the landscape of what was once a rock quarry and is now part of a project to plant two billion trees across Canada.
For going on 20 years now, the National Parks Traveler has covered both the expected, and the unexpected, stories involving national parks and protected places.