Who really does manage most national park lodgings? For the big operations in places such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Shenandoah, corporations. Not surprisingly, while many of the 500 management contracts administered by the National Park Service, such as providing firewood or operating a bicycle rental operation, are relatively straightforward, those for large commercial facilities such as lodging in Yosemite or Yellowstone are extremely complicated. David and Kay Scott bring some clarity to this issue in their latest article pertaining to lodging in the National Park System.

Shenandoah National Park, which protects more than 200,000 acres in the mountains of Virginia, is famous for its recreation opportunities, scenic vistas, and wildlife viewing. The park is also home to one of the longest continuous monitoring studies in the National Park System, a research initiative interrupted by the government shutdown. No sampling has been undertaken in more than three weeks - the longest data gap in the entire project.

Garbage at Big Bend National Park is serving as chum for black bears as the park lacks maintenance crews to haul away the trash during the government shutdown, while in Shenandoah National Park some areas were closed Thursday due to unspecified resource and public safety concerns.