Series: Picturing the Unseen

These curated stories explore in different ways how art and science in national parks help us learn about things that are important but often hard to see or recognize. The universe. Microscopic organisms with a big impact. Microplastics. The surfaces of other planets. Pollinator preferences. Secretive salamanders. Animals that steal food when we're not watching. Plants that look like they belong in a natural area but don't. How animals behave when people are absent.

• Article 1: The Unique Photography Techniques That Help Preserve Spectacular Night Skies

  

  Equipped with special cameras and gear, NPS scientists help parks counter the impacts of artificial light at night. They share tips for successful night sky photography. Read more

• Article 2: Microbial Survival in Spacecraft Assembly Clean Rooms and Protected Landscapes

  

  The ability to go dormant under stress may help microbes survive some of the most extreme conditions on—and off—Earth. Read more

• Article 3: Adapting a Useful Fisheries Tool to One-of-a-Kind Landscapes

  

  Two interns discover that, like the parks themselves, national park creel surveys are never the same. Read more

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park

  Article 4: How to Move Water Six Miles up a Mountain and Make Sure It’s Safe

  

  Providing water to 400,000 park visitors a year at 4,000 feet in the Chihuahuan Desert is an engineering achievement. Testing that water gets help from a little insect. Read more

• Padre Island National Seashore

  Article 5: New Research Finds Microplastics on Sea Turtle Beaches

  

  The study establishes a globally comparable database of microplastics. Read more

• Article 6: Great Basin Geology and Art Team Up to Unlock Secrets of Mars and Moon

  

  A Montana geologist and a professional oil painter join forces in the Great Basin Desert to help us understand the surfaces of other worlds. Read more

• Article 7: Monarch Butterfly Survival Depends on More than Milkweed

  

  A recent study reveals how shade and plant type can support these iconic native pollinators. Read more

• Point Reyes National Seashore

  Article 8: Surprise Sighting Sheds Light on the Lives of Elusive Salamanders

  

  California giant salamanders are notoriously hard to spot in their earliest stages of life. A rare encounter offers clues on how to better protect them. Read more

• Article 9: New Study Reveals How Campers Can Become Food Storage Champs

  

  No one wins when wild animals are able to steal snacks. Recent research shows that social marketing—encouraging behavioral change for public benefit—can help national park campers hold on to their food. Read more

• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

  Article 10: How to Build Adaptive Invasive Plant Treatment Programs

  

  Trying out alternative, scientifically grounded techniques could save time and money and yield benefits that go beyond individual park boundaries. Read more

• Yosemite National Park

  Article 11: Wild Animals Show Many Different Reactions to People in U.S. National Parks

  

  A new study reveals that the presence of people and human-made structures in U.S. national parks has long-lasting effects on how large animals behave. Read more

• Article 12: A New, Safer Way to Monitor Bear Reproduction

  

  Computer models trained on bear collar data can accurately predict the presence or absence of cubs. Read more