Stories

Parks are home to some of the last remaining harbors of starlit skies—some practically untouched by light pollution. Stay up late and discover the night on any visit to a park! Or check out this list of ten favorite places to stargaze.

At night, birds use the stars to find their way. But bright lights from buildings can confuse them. That's why national parks are so important - they're like bird hotels! They give birds safe places to rest and eat, especially after flying across the ocean.

Read the abstract and get the link to a published paper on a model to predict mercury risk park waterbodies: Kotalik, C.J. et al. 2025. Ecosystem drivers of freshwater mercury bioaccumulation are context-dependent: insights from continental-scale modeling. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c07280

You’ve heard people say to stay on the trail, but what does it matter in the desert? It’s just dirt... right? Wrong—it's alive! Discover what biological soil crusts are and why they're so important in dry environments.

The human-caused Geology fire started on June 10, 2023, along the Berdoo Canyon Road, one of Joshua Tree National Park’s designated backcountry routes. The Burned Area Recovery plan promotes recovery of native vegetation, establishing restoration islands within the burned area to promote re-establishment of native perennial vegetation, including Joshua trees.

This biannual newsletter of the Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Program features: a summary of the network's 4th science symposium; a farewell article by departing vegetation field lead Joe Ladd; recent publication of a Streams and Lakes Monitoring hydrologic and benthic invertebrate data package; staffing updates and field sampling schedule; and continued outreach to parks to assist in increasing science and research content on their websites.

The Joshua tree, iconic symbol of the Mojave Desert, is being discussed as an endangered species at both a State and Federal level by the state of California and United States Fish and Wildlife.

The National Park Service will develop a risk assessment and vulnerability framework to address impacts of climate change on Joshua trees and preserve these iconic species within Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mojave National Reserve, and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument.

The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2023 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.

View recipients of the National Park Service Freeman Tilden Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by NPS employees.