The Latest News & Views

Cheat Fest? Been there. Gauley Fest? Done that. Second Annual New River Festival? Got it on the calendar for June 7-9.

Having replaced the entire water and sewer system of the Furnace Creek Campground, added a new bathroom, and expanded electrical service for RVs, Death Valley National Park officials are now proposing an increase in camping fees to help cover the costs of providing electricity to the campground.

There was both good and bad news from Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where 14 adult quagga mussels have been found attached to moored vessels and dock structures in Lake Powell. The word that the invasive pests have turned up in the big lake isn't good, but all is not yet lost in the battle to keep the invades out of the lake. None of the mussels were close enough together for successful reproduction.

It's National Park Week, so hopefully you're finding some time to get out into the parks. If you do, you can reflect your visit with a photo album from Shutterfly.

Audio tours at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, potential political tinkering with the Antiquities Act, and reviving the organ at Scotty's Castle in Death Valley are among the items in this week's roundup from around the parks.