It sure doesn’t seem like a whole year has passed, but it’s time again for the annual Christmas Bird Count. Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, this is the 115th consecutive year the count has been held, making it one of the world’s longest running and largest citizen science projects. The 2014-15 count dates fall between December 14th and January 5th. Participation is free.

A personal diary from a Confederate soldier who saw action at the battle of Pea Ridge has been donated to the Pea Ridge National Military Park in Arkansas.

Eighty-eight units of the National Park System, from Acadia National to Yosemite National Park, provided a total $49.5 million in an open-ended loan to help Grand Canyon National Park buy down the interest Xanterra Parks & Resorts holds in concessions on the park's South Rim.

Why is an outdoor equipment manufacturer tutoring kids in Tanzania, and donating part of their profits around the world? It's just another day for Davis Smith, the founder of Cotopaxi. Smith spent his childhood growing up in Latin America with his father, often camping on Ecuador's Mount Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world, and the origins of his company name.