A monthslong search for rare cigar orchids in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida has turned up just 85 of the plants.

On April 27, a tornado touched down south of Veterans Lake in Chickasaw National Recreation Area. It traveled northeast for 1.4 miles and was .5 miles wide. Most trees in the tornado’s path were uprooted or had their canopies sheared off. Very few were left unscathed.

Just months after it looked like the National Parks Traveler would cease after 18 years due to insufficient funding, readers, listeners, sponsors, and underwriters have provided enough financial support to keep the news organization in operation.

A tribal camp in the Everglades that could be impacted by efforts to restore the "river of grass" will be protected by the National Park Service.