Vandalism in its many forms, seems to be continuing unabated in the national parks. The Leave No Trace Seven Principals don’t appear to apply to those who wish to let others know they were there in the form of acrylic paint on 180-million year old sandstone and gouges into rock and living trees in places like Zion, Joshua Tree, Olympic, and Redwood national parks? Is modern graffiti on protected lands considered art and future history for archeologists, much like the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs now safeguarded within the boundaries of natural parks, national memorials, and other park units? Or is it a despoiling of protected National Park Service lands by a selfish few who apparently learned no respect for keeping the landscape unblemished for the enjoyment of present and future generations? Contributing editor and photographer Rebecca Latson offers her own thoughts on the subject.

Some views along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Virginia have been preserved thanks to the National Park Trust.

In a 7-2 ruling Monday the U.S. Supreme Court said an energy company could run a gas pipeline across the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Virginia, holding that the National Park Service controls just an easement to the land traversed by the iconic foot path without authority to block the project.