Park and Writhe

The National Parks Conservation Association has released its annual list of endangered parks -- and, sadly, it includes some of the most treasured wild areas in the U.S.: Yellowstone, Denali, and the Great Smoky Mountains, among others. The unlucky parks made the list because they are plagued by problems such as air pollution, excessive motor vehicle traffic, chronic funding shortages, and development just outside their borders. The report also cited multiple ways the parks are imperiled by the Bush administration, which has attempted to weaken the Clean Air Act, proposed regulations that could lead to road building in national parks, and failed to follow through on promises to increase park funding. Other national parks on the list include the Everglades in Florida, Glacier in Montana, Joshua Tree in California, Shenandoah in Virginia, and Virgin Islands National Park, as well as Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas and Ocmulgee National Monument in Georgia.