One of the biggest preservation stories of 2012 was the Civil War Trust’s purchase of 235 acres of the Gaines' Mill battlefield in Richmond, Virginia. The Trust builds such achievements on inspiring history hikes where experts introduce potential donors to unprotected “hallowed ground.” This video follows one of those hikes.

A scattering of bones from a Woolly Mammoth that died more than 12,000 years ago are leading researchers to better understand how the landscape now within Bering Land Bridge National Preserve once appeared. Additional studies could indicate whether the animal died naturally, or was hunted.

A proposal to establish a campsite reservation system at Voyageurs National Park will be the topic up for discussion next week in Minnesota.

That rare bird you spotted on your last trip to Channel Islands National Park may be a good bit rarer than you thought. The Island Scrub-jay (Aphelocome insularis) is now estimated to be one-fifth of what had been previously believed, according to a study by the Smithsonian Institution’s Migratory Bird Center.