As much as we all enjoy visiting national parks for relaxation and to see amazing landscapes and wildlife, they also are a source for news: new species, flooding, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. And you should be able to have a daily, reliable source for that news, as you're an owner of the park system.

National Parks Traveler has established itself as the only website that works to keep you informed on the National Park System every day of the year. In recent days we've launched an in-depth series on the maintenance backlog in the National Park System, a series that will run through the summer, and told you about plans to rebuild Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park.

There was a story about an effort to pull 55,000 acre-feet of water from the Green River upstream of Dinosaur National Monument, and what impact that could have on national parks downstream, and another about efforts to build a management plan for elk and bison at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

And we've provided stories on road openings in Yellowstone National Park, peregrine falcons returning to nest at Acadia National Park, and fire danger at Big Bend National Park. Not earth-shattering news, but information that you might benefit from in your park travels. We've also had to file Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain documents and information the National Park Service hesitates to provide in detail. 

And we do it all with just one full-time staffer, who is supported by a handful of wonderful volunteers who love the parks as much as you do and are committed to supporting a national park news source. 

While other media are paring staff, the Traveler is a growing and evolving news magazine, one with a broad, ambitious vision -- exploring the wonders, mysteries and, yes, conflicts, revolving around the world's national parks and protected areas -- that won't be achieved overnight and can't be achieved without your help. These stories need to be told, deserve to be told, and greater audiences need to learn about them.

That's why we haven't put a paywall in the way, and that's why we need your financial support. The more folks who can read about national parks, the greater support the parks will have.

But ... if no one supports the Traveler with a donation, whether you deduct it from your taxes or do it out of love for these incredible places, where will you turn to find a website that provides year-round daily coverage of national parks and protected areas?

It's up to you to ensure that our daily parks coverage not only continues, but grows to bring you more and more robust content from the parks. Because if you won't donate, who will?

Please, donate $25, $50, or $500 online at this page, or send a check to National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, UT, 84098.

You can find more information on Traveler's 501(c)(3) nonprofit media status and financial information at this site.