One of the popular backcountry winter treks in Yosemite National Park is the 10-mile ski to Ostrander Lake. If that interests you, and you'd like to spend some time near the lake, now's the time to enter the lottery for a night at the Ostrander Ski Hut.

Almost any job can be demanding at times, but if your work with the National Park Service involves cultural resources, you don't usually need to wear body armor. Earlier this year two NPS employees made a trip to Afghanistan to help document two rare and ancient brick towers, and the project offered plenty of challenges in addition to the need for body armor.

Coming to your computer on November 18 -- an on-line auction intended to raise money for the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park to help with its work of preserving and protecting the park's resources while also educating visitors.

International good will is scheduled to roll into Steamtown National Historic Site late this month when a Canadian Pacific Railway "Holiday Train" comes to visit as part of a food bank drive.