I must admit that the only paddling I've done south of the Mason-Dixon Line was on the white-water rivers of West Virginia. The thought of paddling the watery tendrils of Everglades National Park conjures thoughts of swarms of insects that'd keep me swatting the air more than paddling the water. But a recent report by the park on paddling the Nobel Hammock Trail has given me a change of heart.

Well, the intention is good, but Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's request that there be a ban on importing or transporting pythons and other constricting snakes might be coming just a bit too late to help Everglades National Park.

We posted Traveler’s Checklists for 19 different national parks in 2009. Check ‘em out. You’re sure to find helpful advice and useful tips a-plenty.

Florida’s new “Don’t Let It Loose” Billboard Campaign is further evidence that the National Park Service and other federal and state land management agencies are getting real serious about using public education as a tool to combat the spread of harmful nonnative plant and animal species.