It's been quite a year in the National Park System, and on the web pages of the National Parks Traveler.

There are too many stories about Yellowstone and Grand Teton national park visitors getting in troubling situations with wildlife.

Forests littered with trees that once soared high but now are stacked in disarray like gigantic Pick Up Stix. Rising seas eroding shorelines and squeezing wildlife. A venerable footpath facing many threats. Prices threatening to make a mockery out of the contention that a national park vacation is inexpensive

The sale of 640 acres within Grand Teton National Park from the state of Wyoming to the Interior Department was finalized Monday, ensuring permanent protection for the parcel that is key for migratory wildlife and erasing concerns that the property might have been sold for development.