A review of how Congress acted on wilderness legislation shows that the National Park System benefited quite nicely during the 111th session, but it could have fared better.

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park offers a quiet oasis of Revolutionary War history and good walking paths in Greensboro, North Carolina. On her way to hike another section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Danny Bernstein spent a day in the first military park to preserve a battlefield of the American Revolution.

The makeup of the incoming House Natural Resources Committee promises to produce some fiery rhetoric, at the very least, when issues involving the management of public lands, including National Park System units, come up.

With the "dry season' having arrived, the birding at Everglades National Park is exceptional. But it comes with some restrictions, such as the annual closure of Paurotis Pond and its surrounding area to give nesting wood storks and other species some protection.