As the partial shutdown of the federal government moved past its third day, the National Park System remained closed, but news surrounding the parks didn't end. A glance around the system shows hard times for lodging concessions, a particularly outspoken congressman, and ongoing energy production in some parks.

Webcams provide us with windows on the world. They allow armchair travelers to follow activity outside a Dublin pub, monitor traffic on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, and check on what’s happening at the International Space Station. Webcams also provide windows on nature, some of the best of which comes by way of cameras stationed in our national parks.

Eight national park lodges have joined Historic Hotels of America, a program affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The odds of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest are dismally low, especially if the crisis occurs in a remote location. A visitor to Crater Lake National Park last month beat those odds, thanks to a combination of good staff training and modern medical care. It was a situation where every link in the "chain of response and treatment" worked to perfection.