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Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Show Citizens Can Make a Big Difference for Parks

In the National Park Service, the acronym "VIP" usually stands for "Volunteers in Parks," but recent awards confirm an alternative meaning could be "Very Impressive Performance." The recipients of the 2009 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service were honored at a recent ceremony, and their work was impressive indeed.

By The Numbers: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

When you start looking at the numbers associated with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the "national park" that boasts the greatest visitation year after year after year, it's easy to get numbed. From the millions of dollars this park receives, and generates in tourism, to the number of visitors each year, Great Smoky is an over-achiever.

An Idea in Trouble: Thoughts about the Future of Traditional National Parks in the United States

Historians point out that ideas, and the organizations associated with them, sometimes age and lose their relevance. Today, as the National Park Service (NPS) approaches the centennial of its establishment, the agency faces huge potential problems with its founding mission and subsequent land management policies.