Politics stalked the national park system throughout 2007. From snowmobiles in Yellowstone to off-road vehicles in Big Cypress, it seemed natural resources and careful stewardship were trumped too often.

Judging from the lobbying that revolves around the national parks, it's easy to see that local interests view the parks as local treasures, not the national jewels that they are. At the Association of National Park Rangers, President-elect Scott McElveen would like to see that change.

2007 is just about history. 2008, though, is still unvarnished, full of hope and promise. With that in mind, what will the new year bring to the national park system? Here's some wishful thinking....

More than six decades after promising to build a road along the north shore of Fontana Lake in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Park Service has signed off on a deal to settle the matter with a cash payout of $52 million. Today's action brings an end to the long saga of the so-called "road to nowhere."