A funny thing seems to have happened to U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Mike Crapo on their way to fighting to keep public lands in the public's hands: They overlooked the 84 million acres of the national park system.

In an effort to encourage the presidential candidates to pay attention to national park issues, the National Parks Conservation Association has launched its own candidate, Teddy Mather, a bear named for national parks champion President Teddy Roosevelt, and Stephen Mather, first director of the National Park Service.

Rocky Mountain National Park officials have decided to use a variety of adaptive management tools, including "lethal reduction" and birth control, to manage elk inside their park. The plan could take effect as soon as January.

This month's roll-out of holiday ornaments from around the national park system spurred one reader to ask where he could buy some of the ornaments.