In Yellowstone National Park today the wind was blowing cold air, snow and rain into my face as I stood in Lamar Valley and watched as the “new” Lamar Canyon pack, two adults and six pups, made their first public appearance in their valley. The pack visited an old carcass, ran, played and hunted a 7-point bull elk.

The National Park Service is investing $29 million in 81 individual energy efficiency and water conservation projects at national parks throughout the greater Washington region. This unprecedented commitment to reducing energy use and generating energy from renewable sources is the largest to date among the nine bureaus in the Department of the Interior.

Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk, who was able to end years of litigation over a winter-use plan for the park, has been honored by the National Parks Conservation Association for his achievements during a nearly four-decade career with the National Park Service.

For those of us who love our national parks and are confronted daily with media, politicians, and pundits warning us of a coming global-warming disaster, it’s only natural to ask what that warming will mean for our national parks. This is exactly what the well- known Union of Concerned Scientists discuss in their recent report, National Landmarks at Risk: How Rising Seas, Floods, and Wildfires Are Threatening the UnitedStates’Most Cherished Historic Sites.