Though only about the size of a dime, nonnative shellfish from the other side of the world have infested Lake Powell at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where they are impairing beaches, encrusting some boats, and threatening the hydropower operations of the Glen Canyon dam. They also pose a threat to one of the National Park System's top economic drivers.

National Park Service officials missed the mark with their proposed off-road vehicle regulations for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah, according to the National Parks Conservation Association, which was critical of where ORVs could travel under the proposal.

From pest control to pollination, so important are bats to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that the park in Arizona and Utah hosts an annual festival to celebrate the flying mammals.