With all the current attention on the Winter Olympics, we have a two-part question for this week's Reader Participation Day. In an earlier era, a U. S. National Park was one of three finalists vying for the right to host the 1932 Winter Olympics. Do you know which park was in contention then...and should a NPS site ever be considered for some events for a future Winter Games?

It's not unusual for major public events to have an Honorary Chair, someone with local name recognition to aid in promotion of the activity. Rocky Mountain National Park will begin its Centennial Celebration on September 4, 2014, but the selection of Senator Mark Udall as Honorary Chair for the Anniversary Celebration has an interesting personal and historical connection.

Much of the northern half of the country is locked into winter now, which makes it a perfect time to plan your birding trips for the rest of the year.

If you're lucky enough to have Monday off in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, treat yourself with a visit to your nearest national park. Monday is the first of nine days this year when entrance fees to the parks will be waived.