It’s conceivable that the National Park Service might eventually have to take drastic measures to reduce peak-season crowding in our most popular national parks. Overcrowding and overuse lead to congested roads and trails, excessive air pollution, accelerated erosion, and many other problems that reduce recreational pleasure and damage park resources.

If you've been to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon during the high season, which anymore runs nearly eight months a year, you know just how hard it is to find a parking space or to simply navigate the area around Grand Canyon Village in your rig. Now, following nearly two years of work, the National Park Service has released its preferred solution to the rim's transportation woes.

Where do America's national parks figure in the minds of the presidential candidates? It's a good question, but one that so far hasn't elicited much more than a sound bite.

The other day I told you about the diminished role of paleontologists at Dinosaur National Monument. Now I'll touch on the motivation behind that decision.