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The NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division partnered with New River Gorge National Park and Preserve to study how bats use cliff habitats that overlap with climbing routes, aiming to understand whether recreation might unintentionally disturb sensitive wildlife.

At Lava Beds National Monument, a species inventory helps park managers understand the rich diversity of lichens in the park, allowing them to craft management strategies to preserve lichens. Located in a semi-arid zone of northern California, cave lichens represent a unique floral component for the region and include many rare or little-known species.

Dylan's passion for ecosystem restoration and indigenous land management made him a valuable asset to the Puʻukoholā Heiau pili grasslands project. Learn more from our interview with him.

During the suppression of a wildland fire, cultural resources may be accidentally or intentionally exposed to a fire chemical. This document serves as an instructional guide for individuals who are responsible for the management and preservation of cultural resources. The information presented here is based on research executed by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT).

This document serves as an introduction to the ways in which chemicals used in wildland fire suppression can affect heritage properties. Much of the information provided here comes from the NCPTT study on fire chemicals and cultural resources. Included in this study were three building materials and four fire chemicals.

In recent years, something new and concerning caught the attention of staff at Great Sand Dunes National Park. Elk were using the sandsheet wetlands more and more. Monitoring from 2016 to 2019 by the NPS Rocky Mountain Inventory and Monitoring Network and park staff revealed that heavy use by ungulates (hoofed mammals) was degrading many wetland sites. This article summarizes a report of baseline ungulate use and wetland conditions in the park and potential management tools.

In November 1920, D.H. Day donated 32 acres of land on Glen Arbor Bay to the state for use as a state park. Day built a one room large log cabin 1923-24 on the park campgrounds as a space for events. It has a front and back porch. Today it is used for educational programs and other special events.

The overlook at Uēkahuna offers great views into Halemaʻumaʻu crater and surrounding areas from the summit of Kīlauea volcano. Located at the end of Crater Rim Drive West, a 2.8 mile (7 minute) drive from the entrance station. Family-friendly location with ranger's on-site for information. More available parking compared to other locations.

Escape the crowds and experience the eruption in solitude. This vantage point offers stunning wide-angle views of the caldera, being the furthest overlook from the eruption. Located at the end of Crater Rim Drive West, a 0.3 miles (2 minute) drive from the entrance station. Parking available near the closed Kīlauea Visitor Center. Hike 0.5 miles (20 minutes) towards Volcano House hotel and southeast on Crater Rim Trail.

Eruption viewing from the overlooks near Keanakākoʻi offers close-up views but requires planning. Parking is extremely limited between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., so it's best to visit outside these hours. Have a Plan B if parking is full. The site requires a 2-mile round-trip hike (about 1 hour) from Devastation parking area. Additional parking at Puʻupuaʻi Overlook an additional 0.5 miles.

Experience the heat from nearby steam vents as you take in the breathtaking views of the eruption, with unobstructed, panoramic views of the entire cinder cone. Located on Crater Rim Drive West, 1 mile (4 minutes) from entrance station. A popular, but congested spot due to being the first overlook you encounter upon entering the park.

Kīlauea Overlook offers unobstructed views of the bottom of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater during an eruption. Located 2.5 miles (7 minutes) from the entrance station. Family-friendly location with great views. A short 0.4 miles walk from the overlook at Uēkahuna.

Jim Beckwourth, the African-American mountain man, scion of British nobility, great medicine and warrior chief in the Crow Indian Nation, US Army scout and courier, and discoverer of Beckwourth Pass and trail, settled here on his road for 7 years. He created several things we still have: Beckwourth Pass and Trail, located by Trails West markers, this cabin, and a national best seller biography, The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth, 1856.

2025 Update! Horses at Assateague Island National Seashore are managed as a wildlife population. Regular monitoring of population dynamics is necessary to support the long-term fertility control program that was initiated in 1994 to reduce the numbers of the Maryland herd, and now, management of the population close to the goal range of 80-100 individuals.

Forests in Cuyahoga Valley National Park are responding positively to nearly a decade of white-tailed deer management. Although native, at high densities white-tailed deer can negatively impact forest vegetation. A recent study using data from the park’s long-term monitoring program found a reduction of woody browse, forest regeneration, and decreases in browse on the indicator species trillium.

This large, one-and-a-half-story, shingle-style house was constructed in 1895 or 1896 for Mrs. William Shepard and her daughter Katherine, who was popularly known on the island as "Miss Katie." The house was allegedly designed in the style of the Shepards' residence in New Orleans. A detached kitchen and dining room was located behind the house. After the Cottage Row dining room closed around 1900, Katie Shepard converted her cottage into a summer hotel.

North Kaibab Trail is the least visited and most difficult of the major inner canyon corridor trails. It is challenging for day hikers as well as rim-to-rim hikers. Water at the North Kaibab TRAILHEAD water has been shut off for the winter and is expected to be turned back on May 15, when the roads open. Always carry a way to filter or treat creek water, in the event the water stations at Manzanita and Cottonwood Campground are not working.

At Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area, long-term vegetation monitoring provides park managers with useful information for decision making on topics including changes in climate, grazing, and fire management. A recent report summarizes monitoring from 2011 to 2022 of vegetation and soil conditions provides management recommendations for their conservation.

In 1842, freedom seekers George and Rebecca Latimer arrived in Boston after escaping slavery in Virginia. Though Bostonians quickly secured George’s freedom, the Latimer case provided antislavery activists the political capital to usher in a statewide Personal Liberty Law, known as the "Latimer Law." Though largely remembered for the law that bears their name, the Latimers’ story also provides a powerful lesson of family resilience, community protest, and social change.