When was the last time you thanked a national park ranger?

Were you born on the landscape now covered by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or where you perhaps a member of a Civil Conservation Corps group that worked in the park? Or were you in attendance when President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the park in 1940? If you fall into any of those groups, park officials want to hear from you.

When Dick Proenneke fled to Alaska in 1967, he headed to a remote, rugged, and incredibly beautiful wilderness. Today that setting -- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve -- continues to be remote, rugged, and incredibly beautiful. While an analysis of impacts to the park and its resources shows it's in excellent condition, overall, the prospect of mining just outside the park poses a significant threat to Lake Clark's resources.

Ever been to the visitor center atop Logan Pass in Glacier National Park? Then you know it's not the Hilton, and that the restrooms long have needed improvements. Well, the work is being scheduled.