Vandalism in its many forms, seems to be continuing unabated in the national parks. The Leave No Trace Seven Principals don’t appear to apply to those who wish to let others know they were there in the form of acrylic paint on 180-million year old sandstone and gouges into rock and living trees in places like Zion, Joshua Tree, Olympic, and Redwood national parks? Is modern graffiti on protected lands considered art and future history for archeologists, much like the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs now safeguarded within the boundaries of natural parks, national memorials, and other park units? Or is it a despoiling of protected National Park Service lands by a selfish few who apparently learned no respect for keeping the landscape unblemished for the enjoyment of present and future generations? Contributing editor and photographer Rebecca Latson offers her own thoughts on the subject.

Photographing birds help flesh out the story of a national park or protected land you visit. Those photos also teach you something about bird life and their environment. You don’t have to be a hardcore birder or an expert in avian photography to photograph birds. Photographer Rebecca Latson provides tips and examples of birds she’s captured on the fly (pun intended) in this month’s photography column, with the aim of helping you and your camera capture your own cool national park bird shots.

The case of a California woman who was reported missing in Zion National Park earlier this month is being looked into by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.