The National Park Foundation's Trail Talk Blog offers readers a peek into the breadth and wonders of America's National Park system, with everything from recommended hikes to popular activities to educational opportunities. On the site, various authors post entries at least four times per week. Recent items have included a meditation on the importance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a discussion...

Alcatraz, which performed almost thirty years of service as a maximum security federal penitentiary, is now the focus of a new fund-raising campaign initiated by the National Park Service. As part of well-orchestrated "Save the Rock" campaign, the National Park Service has begun selling pieces of the decrepit cell house and guards' quarters. If the Park Service had not devised this rather...

Over the past century, a host of photographers have documented the grounds and buildings of the National Parks for the National Park Service, and in doing so have created a collection that contains over two million images. Some of these eminent photographers include such personages as Jack Boucher, Arno B. Cammerer, and Abbie Rowe. The National Park Service has recently placed 2000 of these images...

The National Park Service Data and Information Web site contains several helpful links for data related to the Parks. The Data Clearinghouse link has national and regional data sets such as civil war and land status data, local and regional historic and scenic trails data sets, and information on the Virgin Islands in a well designed and easily browseable format. The Interactive Map Center allows...

The National Park Service maintains many informational Web sites including the Digital Image Archives database. Here, visitors have access to public domain images of the national parks, monuments, and historic places including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. After choosing a park, users are able to click on individual pictures, scroll through the individual collection, and yes,...

This Web site contains a recently published report by the National Park Service titled Natural Resource Year in Review -- 2002: A portrait of the year in natural resource stewardship and science in the Natural Park System. The report opens with Year at a Glance, summarizing NPS activities month-by-month in 2002. The following chapters offer detailed treatments of various park management topics,...

It's a long and winding road from Indianapolis to Little Rock (and all the stops between), but if one is hoping to learn about the very diverse cultural traditions and history across the United States, the National Register Travel Itineraries are a stellar way to do so. Currently, the site contains over three dozen itineraries which highlight different geographic regions or important themes in...

The National Park Service offers this incredibly extensive guide to the marine and wildlife resources of American Samoa, written by and reflecting the research of eight biologists at the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources of National Park of American Samoa and the Land Grant Program at the American Samoa Community College. The guide, which may be viewed online or downloaded, covers dozens...

The first Web site (1) is a ThinkQuest entry designed by students from Kapolei Elementary School. Although it's geared toward kids, it offers a great overview of the natural history of Hawaii that should benefit anyone not already familiar with the islands. The next Web site (2), from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk Project, outlines the alien species situation in Hawaii and presents a 10-point...

In late 2016, the Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection (CTPAC) was transferred to the Newberry Library in Chicago from the Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda, Illinois where it had been housed since 1982. When CTPAC arrived at the Newberry Library it was estimated at 2.5 million items and over 500,000 unique postcard images. While the physical postcards and records of the Curt Teich...