Public input is being taken through the end of the month by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service on a plan to resurface more than 17 miles of the Generals Highway which connects Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks in California.

Two significant mergers have been formalized in recent days, each with the aim of building a stronger ally for national parks. In Wyoming/Montana, the Yellowstone Park Foundation has merged with the Yellowstone Association, while in California the Sequoia Natural History Association and Sequoia Parks Foundation have joined forces to form the Sequoia Parks Conservancy. The goal, of course, is to eliminate redundancies, streamline administrations, and generate more for the parks they serve.

A dual birthday party is being marked this weekend in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, with activities ranging from cave tours and learning how the giant sequoias are enduring California's drought to all-you-can-eat barbecues.

The Rough Fire is closing in on Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, the Reynolds Creek Fire closed a portion of Glacier National Park's famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, and clouds of wood smoke from the Tenaya Fire have been a looming backdrop to Yosemite National Park's famous valley. And yet, recent fire history overall in the West has not matched historical trends in terms of fire frequency or severity, according to a new analysis.