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Browse Through the Traveler Content

High-Tech Meets The Past Via Animated Fly-Through Tours Of Historic Locations

Submitted by Jim Burnett on April 28, 2013 - 2:03am
There are some historic features in the National Park System we just can't walk through in person, such as the remains of the Civil War gunboat USS Cairo at Vicksburg National Military Park. Now, thanks to some high-tech wizardry, anyone can take an animated "fly-through" and explore the interior of the ship—or five other historic locations around the country.

Birding In The National Parks: A Book To Help You Bird In The Southwest's Parks

Submitted by Kirby Adams on February 26, 2013 - 2:53am
Birding the Southwestern National Parks (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series)
Just in case I wasn’t aware that I very badly need to do more birding in the Southwest, a copy of Birding the Southwestern National Parks by former Park Service employee Roland Wauer arrived in my mailbox. Now I find myself checking plane fare to Las Vegas, El Paso, and Los Angeles. This may be one of the most expensive book reviews I’ve ever written.

Exploring The National Park System's Underbelly

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on January 25, 2013 - 2:30am
While white-nose syndrome continues to plague bats in the country's cave systems, there nevertheless are quite a few underground tours you can take in the National Park System, tours that not only will show off these unique resources but also provide education on the disease.

Parks Offer Opportunities To Watch Venus Transit On Tuesday

Submitted by NPT Staff on June 4, 2012 - 1:39am
If you're out in the parks this week, check to see if the park you're in is offering a viewing of the "Venus transit" that will occur Tuesday afternoon. Units from Arches to Voyageurs national parks will be offering special viewing of the celestial event.

Going Underground At Carlsbad Caverns National Park To Learn How To Explore the Stars

Submitted by NPT Staff on November 3, 2011 - 1:55am
Teams of scientists have headed into the Utah desert in years past to better understand life on other planets, so why not go underground to do the same? A recent workshop at Carlsbad Caverns National Park was intended to help scientists envision exploring caves on other worlds.

Where Can You See Wildlife Right Now: Bats At Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 30, 2011 - 1:33am
Stop by Carlsbad Caverns National Park these days around sunset and you'll be able to see not just one or two bats, but possibly as many as 400,000 as they exit the cave en masse for their nightly meal.

Updated: Wildfire Leads To Closure and Close Escape at Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on June 15, 2011 - 8:41am
A fast-moving wildlife that started on June 13 at Carlsbad Caverns National Park led to a closure and evacuation of the park. The fire burned over the park's developed area, but quick action by personnel from the park and surrounding area resulted in a near-miraculous save for both structures and people.

By the Numbers: Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on February 11, 2011 - 3:59am
New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns National Park preserves some of the world's finest publicly accessible caves.

Wildlife Experts Joining Calls Of Alarm Over White-Nose Syndrome In Bats

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 4, 2011 - 2:23am
With traces of white-nose syndrome in bat colonies being found further and further west of the Northeast where it was first documented, more and more concern is being raised over the disease's potential to decimate bat species.

National Park Service Establishing Protocols For Dealing With White-Nose Syndrome in Bat Populations

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 14, 2010 - 2:20am
It looks somewhat like a dusting of confectioner's sugar, but the white coating that is showing up on more and more noses and wings of bats is the signature of a dire fungal disease that threatens to decimate bat colonies across the country.

Proposal For State-Federal Collaboration on Combating White-Nose Syndrome in Bats Out for Public Review

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on October 28, 2010 - 1:00am
While state and federal authorities are developing a plan of attack for dealing with white-nose syndrome in bat populations, a non-profit organization is criticizing the federal government for moving too slowly on this growing problem.

Traveler's Checklist: Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on October 18, 2010 - 1:59am
You can't properly visit this park without seeing the main cave and its Big Room, but there are other delights to sample as well.

In Race To Halt Spread of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats, USFWS Grants $1.6 Million For Research

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on October 7, 2010 - 1:24am
In a race to contain, if not outright halt, the spread of white-nose syndrome in bats the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded roughly $1.6 million for research into the cause of the disease.

Combating Oil and Antifreeze with Sustainable Design at Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Submitted by Jim Burnett on August 10, 2010 - 12:44am
Pollutants such as antifreeze and motor oil found in surface runoff from parking areas are a big concern for caves, and a project at Carlsbad Caverns National Park is tackling the problem in a way that's attracting positive attention. The effort has been selected as one of the first in the world in a pilot program called SITES (Sustainable Sites Initiative).

Kentucky's Sen. Bunning Singlehandedly Idles Road Construction Projects Nationally, Including Many in National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 1, 2010 - 5:31pm
Jim Bunning, Kentucky's contrary U.S. senator, singlehandedly has shut down road construction projects across the nation, including many in national parks, because he doesn't want to help middle-class families weather the economic storm, U.S. Department of Transportation officials said Monday.

Updated: Federal Government Urged To Close Caves Inhabited by Bats on Public Lands to Stop Spread of White-Nose Syndrome

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on January 22, 2010 - 3:27am
A conservation group is petitioning the federal government with a request that it close all caves and mines inhabited by bats on public lands in a bid to stop the spread of white-nosed syndrome among bats. At the same time, the Center for Biological Diversity wants the Eastern small-footed bat and the Northern long-eared bat to be listed as endangered species.

Speleologists from All Over the World Tour and Study National Park Caves

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on July 25, 2009 - 11:55am
The Park Service co-sponsored this year’s International Congress of Speleology (ICS), which has been going on all week in Kerrville, Texas. Many of the 1,300 participants signed up for field trips that included guided tours of developed and wild caves within NPS units.

52nd Annual Bat Flight Breakfast at Carlsbad Caverns National Park on July 18, 2009

Submitted by Jim Burnett on July 16, 2009 - 2:21am
A fascinating natural event will be combined with a tasty breakfast in a premier outdoor setting on Saturday, July 18. It's time for the 52nd annual Bat Flight Breakfast at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Upon Further Review - Wacky Question of the Week

Submitted by Jim Burnett on May 15, 2009 - 3:05am
Another summer is almost here, and with it, the opportunity for those who work in parks to field some excellent questions from visitors. Along the way, those rangers and volunteers will also undoubtedly encounter a few new candidates for the wacky question of the week.

The Underground Ansel Adams – Famous Photographer's Cave Photos Now Available for Public Viewing

Submitted by Jim Burnett on October 24, 2008 - 3:00am
The work of photographer Ansel Adams is recognized and admired throughout the world, but the place most commonly associated with Adams is Yosemite National Park. A new exhibit opening at Carlsbad Caverns National Park this weekend will give the public its first look at a different part of the natural world through the eyes of this master of photographic art.

Park History: Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 14, 2008 - 4:00am
How times have changed. These days when you drop down into the underworld that is Carlsbad Caverns National Park you do it via stairs, not old guano buckets as was the custom early on in the park's history.

Park History: National Parks Built Around Caves and Caverns

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 15, 2007 - 3:12pm
One of the most intriguing interpretive tours I’ve joined across the national park system was the “wild cave tour” offered at Mammoth Cave National Park. For six or more hours in sections of the cave off-limits to the more traditional tours we scooted through tight places on our bellies when not able to get by on hands and knees.

Cool Cave Photography

Submitted by jersu on September 16, 2006 - 2:01am