In the watery world of national parks that touch the Caribbean Sea and the Straits of Florida, staghorn corals add some height to reefs. Their outstretched arms rise from the reefs, often mimicking elk or deer antlers to onlookers with some imagination. But since the 1970s more than 95 percent of these distinctive corals have died, and fears that they would vanish were growing. Now, though, research indicates that a vigorous transplanting initiative possibly could help recover the species.

A fire in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida was approaching 30,000 acres in size Sunday, burning across a large portion of the preserve's southeastern corner, threatening private structures in the area, and edging into Everglades National Park.

The National Park Service, Union Pacific Railroad, and the National Park Foundation have released the Junior Ranger Railroad Explorer activity booklet that can be obtained for free from NPS.gov. Issued just ahead of National Train Day and the Golden Spike anniversary this weekend, the educational booklet traces the journey of the first transcontinental railroad and brings the rich history of railroads to life in a fun and engaging way.

Efforts to better understand genetic pools held within the Interior Department's roughly 11,000 bison and to bolster conservation and ecological efforts with states and tribes were boosted Thursday when Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced a decade-long initiative to support that work.