National Parks Traveler

A more welcoming atmosphere combined with the National Park Service’s centennial celebration could pay short- and long-term dividends in national parks, as campers were drawn to more parks in 2016 and say they intend to increase their frequency of camping this year – with national parks again as the top planned destination.

After deciding last November to close all park waters to boating to prevent the spread of non-native mussels, Glacier National Park officials have decided that non-motorized boats that are not brought into the park on trailers will be allowed back in the water this summer.

The National Park Service is embarking on a study to determine how best to protect shorebirds, sea turtles and beach mice from the threat of predators at park units in the Southeast Region. The Coastal Species of Concern Predator Management Plan Programmatic Environmental Assessment will evaluate the best available predator management options and analyze relevant environmental issues.

Just months after celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service, the mood is decidedly more somber as the national parks movement in the United States has hit a stumbling block or two, from the prospect of a significant budget cut to the possible loss of the Antiquities Act as a tool for presidents to use to set aside wondrous landscapes as part of the National Park System.

Delicate trilliums, glorious columbines, and flamboyant redbuds are some of the harbingers of spring found across the National Park System. This is a favorite season for birds, bees, and photographers. Wildlife is more easily seen in the spring in many parks, too, making the coming three months idyllic for exploring the parks.

National Park Service officials do not have in place a sound process for reviewing how funds donated to park cooperating agencies across the country are managed and spent, according to the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General.

Concern over the possible spread of invasive mussels from Montana waters to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada has led to a ban on poweboats and trailer-launched watercraft in the national park.

The National Park Service is removing hazardous trees and invasive plants to widen the clear zone along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. A wider clear zone will improve road and environmental conditions and increase visibility and safety for drivers.

The National Park Service estimates that approximately half of the cherry blossoms on the Yoshino variety of trees have survived the recent cold snap, and will be emerging over the next week or so around the Tidal Basin, in East Potomac Park and on the grounds of the Washington Monument. The Yoshinos are the most abundant variety of cherry trees maintained by the National Park Service, making up approximately 70 percent of the total inventory.

With the record-smashing crowds of 2016 still vivid, Yellowstone National Park officials are bracing for another busy year and are proposing to build a temporary gravel parking area near Fairy Falls to handle 70 or more cars.