A hiring freeze implemented by the Trump administration that has been slow to thaw has forced Zion National Park officials in Utah to delay the usual extension of operating hours for the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and Human History Museum until month's end.

There should be little doubt that the National Park Service's Find Your Park campaign for its centennial in 2016 was a resounding success, with overall visitation up nearly 8 percent to 331 million, setting a record for the third consecutive year. But those visitation levels are having adverse impacts on both park resources and the national park experience in some corners of the National Park System.

Climbing routes on cliffs used by nesting Peregrine Falcons in Zion National Park in Utah have been temporarily closed to protect these birds, which are in recovery from “endangered species” status.

Public comments on a proposal for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to put up for auction oil and gas leases near Zion National Park will be accepted for an additional month, through March 9, at the request of the National Park Service and other interested parties.