I’ve written a few times about the national parks I consider the best for birding, but several readers have asked which would be the best to visit to maximize the diversity of birds seen. When we talk about number of different birds seen, I always think about a big year. During a big year, a birder tries to see as many birds as possible in one calendar year within a certain geographic range, or under certain conditions.

Two of the greatest backcountry trips I had this year involved float trips in Dinosaur National Monument and Canyonlands National Park. Why? The solitude. Outside of our own small groups, it was as if we had the parks to ourselves.

Officials at Point Reyes National Seashore in California are taking a look at how accessible their park is to all visitors, a study that will help address accessibility issues across the National Park System.

Point Reyes National Seashore, in partnership with the veteran-based organization Team Rubicon, is hosting firefighter training for 75-80 veterans this coming weekend. Successful completion of the training will enable veterans to be deployed around the country to bolster capacity to fight wildland fire.