Once again, Yellowstone National Park was forced to close its South Entrance on Sunday due to increased activity of the Berry Fire, which is burning 20,801 acres in Grand Teton National Park.

As biologists from around the globe convene in Hawaii for the quadrennial World Conservation Congress, a distinguished group of scientists from across America has issued a warning that current conservation efforts in the United States, while perhaps successful in the short term, are insufficient to prevent widespread extinctions of the nation’s plants and animals.

Applications will be accepted starting Thursday for those interested in obtaining a permit for a non-commercially guided snowmobile trip into Yellowstone National Park during the 2016-2017 winter season. A permit is required for all non-commercially guided snowmobile groups to enter the park.

Wildfires in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks continued Monday to complicate visitors' lives, as the South Entrance to Yellowstone remained closed to traffic and smoke was creating health and driving hazards.