Conservation groups are cheering a federal judge's ruling that could provide more definite protection of the air over Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Glacier National Park includes just over a million acres of superlative Rocky Mountain terrain, and the park offers an interesting combination of front-country access and backcountry solitude in what has been called "the core of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem." Glacier will celebrate its centennial on May 11, 2010, and some supporters are saying it's time to finally formalize wilderness designation for key portions of the park.

Wright Brothers National Memorial marks its 55th anniversary as a National Memorial on December 4, and a recently completed restoration project has made the occasion even more worth celebrating. The park’s single most prominent feature, the Wright Monument, has received a badly needed facelift.