News from the parks in 2013 offered some fine opportunities for reporters, but for those inclined toward dramatic headlines, few stories could match the release of an updated study on the "Yellowstone Super-Volcano." Depending upon the source, readers might conclude that the end is near...or it's no big deal.
If you’re looking for some ideas and inspiration for 2014, here are my 10 favorite family adventures at The Big Outside (another list that will keep growing and evolving), as well as a bonus 11th trip that made this list last year but saw its spot usurped this year.
A debate over whether the wolverine needs Endangered Species Act protection has prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend its deadline for making the decision on that question.
Yellowstone National Park is a fully functioning ecosystem, one constantly in motion as wildlife populations ebb and flow, climate slowly changes, and geologic processes continue. Details of some of those changes are reflected in the park's 2013 Natural Resource Vital Signs report.
Among the functions performed by the National Park Service, few can top "fire management" in terms of costs, public safety, and impacts on both park and adjacent property and activities. That said, you may wish to take advantage of the opportunity to review and comment on the agency's new Wildland Fire Strategic Plan: 2014-2019.
These chickadees were captured on canvas by Marsha Karle, a former National Park Service employee who now concentrates on painting. She draws almost all of her inspiration for her wildlife paintings from the national parks. You can learn more of her story, and of other painters in the parks, in Traveler's Essential Guide, Winter.
Winter in the National Park System often brings to mind frosty snowscapes, places where you can skim on skinny skis, or clomp along in snowshoes that, though a bit cumbersome, help you go places you might not venture without them.