© Xavier Cortada

On January 4, 2007, Xavier Cortada planted 51 flags for the 50th anniversary of the opening of the South Pole station.

Miami artist Xavier Cortada is doing big things at Biscayne National Park's Convoy Point this winter and spring. To mark the United Nations' "International Year of Biodiversity," the park will showcase Endangered World: Biscayne National Park, featuring 360 brightly colored flags lining the roads and trails at Convoy Point representing one degree of the planet's longitude and an endangered or threatened animal that lives at that longitude.

Individuals and organizations will adopt an animal to paint on one of the flags and commit to an "eco-action" that directly or indirectly alleviates the hardships of that animal. Participants can create flags and commit to actions on their own, or they can take part in flag-painting workshops in December and January. The flags will be on display from February 14 to May 1, 2010.

If you are interested, more information can be found online.

© Waco Mammoth Site

Between 1978 and 1990, the fossil remains of 16 Columbian mammoths were discovered.

If you plan on visiting Waco, TX next month, be sure to get to Baylor University for the grand opening of the Waco Mammoth Site.

According to the National Park Service, the site contains the first recorded evidence of a nursery herd of Pleistocene Columbian mammoths found in the United States. For the past 30 years, Baylor University faculty, staff, students, and volunteers have worked to excavate and protect the remains. So far, 24 mammoths have been discovered, and it's likely other fossils exist. Congressional legislation is currently pending to create the Waco Mammoth National Monument.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony with U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 5 and is open to the public. Furthe information is available online or calling 254-750-5980.

© Anthony Clifton Green, Jr.; Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park needs your help. Anthony Clifton Green, Jr., a resident of Modesto, is missing and was last seen in the park.

In a press release, the park stated that Green may have contacted his family from a pay phone at Happy Isles on November 7. His vehicle was also found in the wilderness parking lot.

Green is 31 years old, stands 5', 7", and weighs 200 pounds. He has red hair and blue eyes. Anyone who has seen Green or has information about his location should call Yosemite's 24-hour dispatch at 209-379-1992 immediately.

© Jeff Kubina via Flickr

The Flight 93 memorial will honor the 40 passengers and crew members who lost their lives on September 11th, 1991.

Are you a resident of Somerset County? On December 7, you will have the opportunity of being part of an organization that will support a national park.

The Friends of Flight 93 will have its first annual meeting at 6 p.m. at the Somerset Trust historic building. During the meeting, which is open to the public, a board of directors will be elected. If you plan to attend, pick up a form at the Flight 93 National Park Service office - 109 West Main Street, Somerset, PA - and to return the form by December 4.

Members of the Friends of Flight 93 can donate as much of their time and talents that they would like. For more information on how to get involved, call 814-443-4557.

© Charles Markis, NPS

Bored with cable TV? Check out an exciting documentary that follows a civic engagement project produced in partnership with Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and Gateway National Recreation Area.

Hear Every Voice: NYC and the National Park Service is a video by Stephen Ogumah that reaches out to the residents of Brooklyn and Queens. Students from Brooklyn College worked to create a bridge for Gateway that would help a population that has limited exposure to the park. They also worked to increase dialog between the park and community.

The film is available online and was created to coincide with the airing of the Ken Burns documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea.

© Jill Haley

Jill Haley, best known for being co-founder and member of the trio One Alternative, has recorded her first solo CD, Glacier Soundscapes, and was inspired by a trip she and her husband, guitarist David Cullen, took to Glacier National Park.

"I love national parks," Haley said. "I had only been to Yosemite, and this was my second one. I just love the idea of them, and David and I love hiking so we went. I particularly wanted to see Glacier National Park because I've read so much about global warming, and I think there are obvious signs of it throughout the world. I wanted to go see the glaciers while they are still there, and do some hiking."

The pieces are all named for places or wildlife in the park. For example, "Turquoise Cirque," was inspired by the famous glacier-formed lake whose water is bright turquoise. Other tracks include "Sundrenched Tamaracks," "Highline Trail," and "Trail of the Cedars." Visit Haley's website for more information.

© Paul_Sch via Flickr

Native American Heritage Month is drawing to a close, but the important events are still continuing. Yesterday, a handful of former activists who called themselves "Indians of All Tribes" and their supporters returned to Alcatraz Island to commemorate a significant event.

On the night of Nov. 20, 1969, the Indians of All Tribes pulled ashore on Alcatraz in two rented boats. For 19 months, the activists remained on the island until removed in June 1971. Crossing racial lines, the demands were the establishment of an Indian university on the island. It never happened.

"This is a significant day for the island," said Howard Levitt, chief of education for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. "The occupation is considered to be a milestone in the self-determination and civil rights movements. We honor that."

On Saturday, the island was full of dancers, refreshments, and even free ferry rides provided by the Park Service.

"A lot of important things happened 40 years ago, everything from Woodstock to Sesame Street," stated Lorenzo Baca, an artist-activist. "We needed to mark that, and also bring attention that we're still out there and still struggling."

© Lauren Himiak

The National Park Service has announced several operational changes to the backcountry permitting system and placing a moratorium on the number of commercial use authorizations issued for guided backpacking services in Grand Canyon National Park.

In order to camp anywhere in the park, a permit must be obtained from the Backcountry Information Center by writing in or asking in person. Grand Canyon National Park will now consider only written requests during the fourth-month-out starting February 1, 2010.

Written requests may be submitted by fax, letter or in person. Requests will be considered based on the date on which they are received, and all requests received by 5:00 p.m. on the first day of the fourth-month-out will be placed in random order by computer and considered in that new order before the next day's requests receive consideration.

More information is available online or via email. You may also call the Backcountry Information Center at 928-638-7875.

© minds-eye via Flickr

The National Park Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will break ground on a new bridge along the Tamiami Trail, just north of Everglades National Park on December 4. And you're invited!

The Tamiami Trail has been stopping water from flowing into the park resulting in the parka decrease in water supply and the decline of the park's bird and wildlife habitat. Twenty years in the making, a one-mile bridge will allow more water to flow south into the park, improving conditions for wildlife.

The event begins at 1:30 p.m. at the S-356 structure on Tamiami Trail/US 41 in Miami-Dade County. You must RSVP to the National Park Conservation Association online.

The National Park Service is inviting the public to a series of four open houses that are part of the General Management Plan process for the African Burial Ground National Monument. Once complete, the GMP will guide how this downtown Manhattan site will educate and inspire people around the world.

The open houses will be held in Harlem, Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan and the public can explore, discuss, and comment on the preliminary alternatives for the site:

Monday, November 30: 2 p.m. -7 p.m.
Brooklyn College Student Center, 2nd Floor Campus Road at East 27th Street Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, December 1: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Ted Weiss Federal Building 290 Broadway, 7th Floor, Lower Manhattan

Wednesday, December 2: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture 515 Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox Ave)

Thursday, December 3: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
House of the Lord Church 415 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn

For more information about the African Burial Ground National Monument, call 212-637-2019.