These days if you hear the terms "snake" and "Everglades National Park" in the same news story, you might logically expect the subject to be Burmese Pythons. The pythons can be very large snakes, but they aren't venomous. A bite from an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake is a much different story, as one ranger at the park can readily confirm from his recent harrowing experience.

A 40-acre parcel of valuable wildlife habitat has been acquired near the northern boundary of Joshua Tree National Park by the Mojave Desert Land Trust.

Anyone planning to attend the Fur Trade Encampment at Bent's Old Fort National Historicl Site this coming weekend can look for something else to do. The encampment has fallen victim to the ongoing government shutdown.

Though the loss of birding opportunities due to the closure of national parks pales to the economic hardships dealt by the closure, the timing of the government shutdown -- during the fall migration -- will lead to a loss in data.