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Best National Parks for Admiring "Rock Art"

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 14, 2010 - 1:23am
There are a handful of places in the National Park System where you can view petroglyphs or pictographs. Some are walk-up panels that you can ponder for hours, others require a float down a river or a long hike. Here's a quick look at some of those units and what you can expect to find.

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.

Traveler's Checklist: Virgin Islands National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 21, 2009 - 3:44am
Ahhh, the sun-kissed Caribbean. Is there a better place for a mid-winter's getaway than one with sugar-sand beaches lined by palms and washed by warm turquoise waters that provide habitat for turtles the size of trunks, colorful fishes like blue tang and parrotfish, and menacing barracuda? If you don't think so, then Virgin Islands National Park is your destination.

Endangered Species Coalition Lists 10 Species Endangered By Climate Change

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on December 3, 2009 - 4:15am
A small turtle from the eastern U.S. A species of trout native to Glacier and North Cascades national parks. Grizzly bears. A prairie orchard. A coral. These are among the ten plant, fish, animal, and bird species listed in a new report as being the "hottest" species imperiled by climate change.

National Park Mystery Photo 14 Revealed: A Brainy Block

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on October 8, 2009 - 4:10am
During the colonial days of the West Indies, building supplies were much in demand. Ingenious builders looked to the sea for some of their construction materials, and came away with a particularly good item, one that started out pliable but soon turned to rock. Or at least rock-like.

Reader Participation Day: Are You An East Coast, West Coast, or Gulf Coast National Seashore Person?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on September 16, 2009 - 4:43am
Quick, pick an ocean setting for next summer's national park vacation. Are you heading to the Northeast, the Northwest, or looking South or somewhere else for your destination?

To Protect Rare Virgin Islands Plants, an Environmental NGO Holds Government Feet to the Fire

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on August 24, 2009 - 3:01am
The Center for Environmental Diversity has goaded the Fish & Wildlife Service into honoring its obligation to responsibly manage two rare and imperiled plants in the Virgin Islands.

Climate Change and National Parks: A Survival Guide for a Warming World -- Coral Reefs

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on August 11, 2009 - 2:21am
Neon-hued parrotfish. Graceful angelfish the size of dinner platters. Delicate sponges that sway in the currents. Coral communities teeming with colorful marine life. Our fascination with the oceans and their denizens has led Congress to include within the National Park System some of the nation’s most incredible and beautiful marine ecosystems. Ninety-five percent of Biscayne National Park, for instance, is underwater.

National Park Mystery Plant 2: There’s Good Reason They Call This Thing "the Death Apple”

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on April 24, 2009 - 4:00am
This tree, which can be found growing in a few of our national parks, is one you’ll want to treat with respect. Its various parts are full of toxins that can irritate your skin, temporarily blind you, make you very sick, or even kill you.

Creature Feature: Feral Burros are "Equina Non Grata" in the National Parks

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on April 18, 2009 - 2:30am
Guys who holler “watch this!” just before they do something incredibly stupid aren’t the only jackasses in our national parks. We’ve got the real kind too, and where there are feral burros the habitat is degraded and native wildlife suffer. Cute though they may be, burros are unwelcome in our national parks.