The Western Banded Gecko, or Coleonyx variegatus, is no stranger to beating the heat. Their nocturnal lifestyle is ideal for the sizzling desert climate. You are more likely to encounter them on a night stroll under the stars than in the mid-day sun. Though many confuse the Western Banded Gecko with young Gila monsters, they are much smaller and lack venomous characteristics.

As big as Yellowstone National Park is -- 63 miles north to south and 54 miles east to west -- perhaps it's not too surprising that someone not interested in driving to a trailhead in the park decided to make their own on the edge of the park. But by this fall, that trail should be erased as park crews finish the second of two years' work in removing signs of the illegal trail.

In a move to protect hikers from themselves, officials at Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada have temporarily closed the Goldstrike Canyon and Arizona Hot Springs trails because it's too hot for most people.

"Union made" will soon be a phrase you can utter at Assateague Island National Seashore, as a conservation corps team will be working there later this year under supervision of an organization related to the AFL-CIO.