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Sound Advice For Backcountry Travelers in the National Parks

One of my favorite writers is Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times. He has an incredibly deft ability for crafting an article both informative and entertaining in a surprisingly few number of paragraphs. The other day he wrote on the joys and wonders of hiking in the backcountry, and he made some points well worth sharing.

Climate Change and National Parks: A Survival Guide for a Warming World -- Northern Flying Squirrel and other Threatened Mammals

The climate is not static. Ice ages come and go, pushing rivers of ice south and then pulling them back north across continents as temperatures and snowfalls rise and fall. Animal and plant species either stay ahead of these icy incursions and adapt, or perish.

Update: Tropical Storm Claudette Arrived at Gulf Islands National Seashore on Short Notice, But the Park Service Was Ready

Tropical Storm Claudette strengthened with surprising speed before making landfall in the Florida Panhandle, but the Park Service was ready to protect Gulf Island National Seashore visitors on very short notice. With Bill and Ana gathering strength over warm tropical waters, more powerful storms could soon arrive.

Traveler's Checklist: Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park

Touring a Civil War battlefield can be both a somber experience and one that opens doors into incredible history, one that gives you a better appreciation for the growing pains the United States experienced in the past. At Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, four battlefields await your visit.

Our National Parks: "For the Benefit And Enjoyment Of The People" (If You Don't Mind the Entrance Fee)

While the three "entrance-fee-free" weekends in the National Park System are now behind us, the debate over the propriety of park entrance fees no doubt will go forward, if not heighten, in the wake of some impressive visitor numbers logged by some parks. One organization that you won't hear lobbying for a permanent waiving of the fees, though, is the American Recreation Coalition, which was a strong voice for them more than a decade ago and continues that stance today.