Debate over the country's energy needs, environmental conditions, and the resulting quality of life is not new. It's unending, ongoing, and downright rancorous at times. But does it need to be? With hazy views across spectacular parks in the Southwest, how can we turn that debate into solutions?

Snowcoach traffic to Yellowstone National Park rose slightly this past winter from the year before, while snowmoible visitors declined slightly, according to numbers released by the park.

Should we care that grizzly bears are hunted in British Columbia? The Natural Resources Defense Council and the David Suzuki Foundation think so, saying those hunts could end up harming grizzly populations on this side of the US-Canadian border.

While it's hard to say whether the folks at Denali National Park and Preserve are trendsetters without first exploring all the other websites in the National Park System, their site for planning a backcountry trek should be a model, if it's not already.