Precipitation in the Rockies has been below normal, temperatures have been above normal. Those two conditions alone are creating very dangerous fire conditions in the national parks. In Yellowstone and Grand Teton, for example, officials have rated the fire danger at "extreme."

We have had requests to share more 'good news' about the national parks. How about this: 30 years after the last ferret was seen at Wind Cave, the park has returned seven to their native habitat.

How unusual is the decision by Gateway National Recreation Area officials to constantly give a developer more time to come up with the financing to restore and commercialize buildings at Fort Hancock? Apparently pretty unusual according to a survey by the Asbury Park Press.

More and more, modern technology allows us to save us from ourselves. A perfect example occurred earlier this week in the Grand Canyon, where hikers beaten down by the heat used a “personal locator beacon” to save themselves. The help, incidentally, came from across the country in Florida.