Spring migration is winding down across much of North America, and it’s time for birders to relax and reflect. I’ve been contemplating happy thoughts such as where I would go if given an all-expenses paid birding trip to any U.S. National Park in the next 12 months. No one has offered this to me yet, but I made up a list in my head.

America’s national parks are a great place for kids to spend their free time during their summer vacation. Many parks offer educational programs, summer camps and special tours, and present an opportunity for parents to instill a love of nature and history into their children. This is a small sampling of some of these programs:

A package of legislation that sponsors call the Conservation and Economic Growth Act and which critics maintain would severely cripple the nation's environmental laws and pose a threat to the National Park System is expected to come up for a vote in the House of Representatives this week.

If you're planning a visit to southeastern Utah's national parks, be aware that the Southwest's hot, dry conditions have led National Park Service officials to issue restrictions on open fires in Arches and Canyonlands national parks as well as Natural Bridges and Hovenweep national monuments.