Virginia Appellate Court Invalidates Zoning Permits For Data Processing Center Next To Manassas
A Virginia Court of Appeals has invalidated the permits for the Prince William Digital Gateway, a proposed massive data processing center adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park. The court found the county failed to properly post public notice for the rezoning of 2,100 acres needed for the project. The ruling blocks construction and eliminates the developers’ ability to appeal to the state Supreme Court. Preservation groups praised the decision as a victory for protecting historic and cultural resources.
Park Service Urges Caution As Road Repairs Continue Along Blue Ridge Parkway
The National Park Service warns visitors to exercise extreme caution as hurricane‑recovery road repairs continue along the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina. Heavy construction equipment and dump‑truck traffic are moving between Asheville (milepost 382.5) and Mount Mitchell State Park...
Federal Court Reverses Trump Administration’s Past Cuts To ESA
A federal judge ruled that several Trump‑era regulations weakening the Endangered Species Act (ESA) were unlawful, reinstating the mandate to use the "best available science" when assessing harm to listed species. The decision also struck down a Biden administration rule...
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking To Allow BASE Jumping In National Parks
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by BASE Access that sought to overturn the National Park Service’s long‑standing ban on BASE jumping in national parks. The court ruled the plaintiffs lacked legal standing and noted that even if the...
Teton Park Road Up For Vehicle-Free Recreation
The National Park Service has cleared the 14‑mile stretch of Teton Park Road in Grand Teton National Park for walking, biking, running and skating, while private vehicles remain prohibited until May 1, weather permitting. The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center...
Trump Administration Cites “National Security” To Justify God Squad Meeting
The Trump Department of Justice filed an opposition brief on March 25, invoking national security to exempt all oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act. The filing clears the way for a March 31 Endangered...
NPS Hiring Seasonal Rangers
After a year‑long hiring freeze, the Interior Department has authorized the National Park Service to recruit seasonal interpretive rangers for nine‑month assignments this summer. A recent USAJobs posting suggests about 200 positions will be filled, though the agency has not...
Multi-Year Project Aims To Identify Water Supply Vulnerabilities At National Parks
The National Park Service has partnered with Colorado State University to launch a multi‑year assessment that maps water‑supply vulnerabilities across western parks. Early findings highlight aging pipelines at Big Bend, a $208 million waterline overhaul at Grand Canyon, and projected 30% aquifer...
North Rim To Open For 2026 Season On May 15
Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim will reopen on May 15, 2026, launching the summer season. All paved roads—including Highway 67, Cape Royal, and Point Imperial—will be back in service, though vehicles longer than 22 feet are barred on the latter two. The North...
Op-Ed | El Capitan Is Not A Billboard
Former Yosemite National Park ranger Dr. Shannon “SJ” Joslin, dismissed after hanging a trans flag on El Capitan in May 2025, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior. The op‑ed argues that her off‑duty expressive conduct violated...
Theodore Roosevelt National Park To Go Cashless
Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota will switch to a fully cashless fee system on May 1 2026, requiring mobile, credit or debit payments for entrance and on‑site sales. Cash transactions, which now represent less than 10% of sales, will only...
Study: Morale Collapsing Across Federal Government
A new Public Service Viewpoint Survey of National Park Service staff shows morale collapsing under the Trump administration, with 70% reporting lower engagement compared to 2024. Only 32% would recommend the agency as a good workplace, and trust in political...
Interior Employees Told How To Report DEI-Related Practices
On March 18, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a memorandum ordering all 70,000‑plus employees to report any perceived DEI‑related discrimination, retaliation, or violations to the Office of Special Counsel. The memo declares that DEI and DEIA programs...
Interactive Map Visualizes NPS Materials Flagged For Removal
An interactive map now visualizes a leaked Interior Department spreadsheet that lists 798 National Park Service sites where content was flagged for removal under the Trump administration. The map provides searchable entries, each featuring historical narratives, archived photographs, and Wayback...
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Making Adjustments To Prepare For Lower Water Levels
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is proactively adjusting lake‑front facilities to cope with forecasted lower water levels at Lake Powell for the 2026 summer season. The Bureau of Reclamation projects the April‑July unregulated inflow at only 57 % of average, prompting...
Avian Influenza Appears To Have Reached Point Reyes National Seashore
Avian influenza has been confirmed in a common murre that died at Point Reyes National Seashore, marking the disease’s arrival in the park. The incident is linked to a larger seabird mortality event across the San Francisco Bay Area. Park biologists...
National Park Service Advertising For Superintendents
The National Park Service announced on USAJobs that it is recruiting superintendents and deputy superintendents for at least eight locations, including Redwood, Yosemite, and North Cascades. Candidates will oversee preservation, interpretation, maintenance, administration, and the safety of staff, volunteers, and...
Interior To Prioritize Sourcing Uniforms Made In The United States
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced it will prioritize purchasing uniforms and other textiles that are made in the United States, aligning with the administration’s Buy American agenda. The agency spends roughly $11 million a year on uniforms, currently sourced...
A Day In The Park: Grand Portage National Monument
Grand Portage National Monument in northeastern Minnesota preserves the historic 8.5‑mile “Great Carrying Place” trail that once linked the Great Lakes to the continental interior via a major fur‑trade corridor. The year‑round Heritage Center features Anishinaabe exhibits, a reconstructed Ojibwe...
Interior Secretary Summons ESA "God Squad" For Gulf Of Mexico Drilling
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has summoned the Endangered Species Committee, known as the “God Squad,” for a March 31 meeting to consider an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The request...
Ravens Demonstrate Spatial Memory While Scavenging, Says Yellowstone Study
A multi‑year GPS study in Yellowstone National Park found that common ravens rely on spatial memory rather than trailing predators to locate carrion. Researchers tracked 69 ravens, 20 wolves and 11 cougars, recording only a single instance of a raven...
Ticket Sales For Crystal Cave In Sequoia National Park To Open March 16
Ticket sales for the 2026 Crystal Cave season open on March 16, 2026 at 9 a.m. online. Guided tours, operated by the Sequoia Parks Conservancy, will run from May 22 through November 1, 2026, offering 50‑minute explorations of the park’s only public cave....
Volcanic Eruption Causes Closure Of Kīlauea Summit In Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
On March 10, 2026, Kīlauea volcano erupted for its 43rd episode, sending lava fountains up to 1,300 feet and generating hazardous tephra. The National Park Service closed the summit area and Highway 11 between mile markers 24‑40 as football‑sized volcanic fragments rained...
National Park Service Proposes Changes To Buffalo National River Visitor Plan
The National Park Service released a draft update to the Buffalo National River visitor management plan, the first revision since 1983. The proposal calls for roughly 320 new parking spaces, realignment of roads and trails, and moving campsites out of...
"Football-Sized" Volcanic Fragments Rain Down On Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
The Kīlauea volcano erupted Tuesday, sending football‑sized volcanic fragments onto several overlooks in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. A towering plume rose 25,000 feet, marking the 43rd episode of the eruption that began in December 2024. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory responded by raising...
Trump Administration Again Sued Over Alaska Public Lands "Giveaway"
Environmental coalitions have filed a new lawsuit against the Trump administration for revoking Public Land Orders 5150 and 5180, which would open roughly 2.1 million acres in Alaska—including a 211‑mile Ambler Road corridor through Gates of the Arctic National Park—to mining...
First Grizzly Bear Of The Season Spotted In Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park biologists spotted the first spring grizzly on March 9, where the male bear was scavenging a bull bison carcass. The timing matches recent years—2025’s first sighting was March 14, 2024’s was March 3, and 2022‑2023 fell on March 7. Male grizzlies...
“Report Card” Measures Congress Members’ Commitment To Wildlife Conservation
Defenders of Wildlife released its 2025 Conservation Report Card evaluating the 119th Congress’s votes on federal wildlife protections. The report flags a House vote that removed Endangered Species Act safeguards for the longfin smelt and gray wolf, and a Senate...
Lawmakers File Amicus Brief Opposing Trump’s Plans For Independence Arch
Six Democratic lawmakers filed an amicus brief in federal court to block President Trump’s proposed 250‑foot Independence Arch on federal parkland in Washington, D.C. The brief cites the Commemorative Works Act and 40 U.S.C. § 8106, which require explicit congressional authorization for any...
Mountain Goat Populations Have Declined By 45 Percent Across Glacier National Park
Mountain goat numbers in Glacier National Park fell 45% over a 12‑year citizen‑science study, with the steepest losses occurring between 2008 and 2015 before stabilizing. The herd represents the largest non‑hunted native population in the contiguous United States and sits...