Get an inside look at the penitentiaries and reformatories that once held inmates, have become increasingly popular tourist attractions.

In this installment of BioBlitz 2014 video coverage, we highlight the taxonomists whose job it is to find and identify species, and to organize the wide variety of life on earth.

As America's population become more diverse, will its changes be reflected in park visitors?

In an upcoming landmark exhibition, set to open Sept. 24, off San Francisco Bay in the off-limits areas of the former prison Alcatraz, Ai will present a show cheekily titled “@Large” a reference to the area’s heritage of incarceration, Ai’s own flight from China’s clandestine security apparatus, and the artist’s persistent and active use of Twitter to disrupt China’s forces of censorship that have long dogged his efforts to promote increased respect for human rights in the Asian country.

Fifty years ago, the notorious Alcatraz prison shut its gate behind guard Jim Albright as he escorted the last inmate off the island on March 21, 1963.

Ai Weiwei's exhibit on this former federal penitentiary raises questions about freedom of expression and human rights.

A newly restored Guardhouse Complex on Alcatraz Island was revealed on Tuesday, showing off the National Park Service's $3 million improvements.

Doug McConnell and Mary Babbitt, hosts of "Where to Go with a Little Dough," take viewers to Lands End, where volunteers enjoy beautiful views and great camaraderie, all while helping restore native habitat in the Golden Gate National Parks. With interviews with Parks Conservancy staff.

New America Media, in its mission to "expand the news lens through ethnic media," covers the "Parks For All" conference on April 22 and highlights ongoing efforts to reach out to communities that historically have not visited the national parks and to tell their untold stories.

The exhibit is called ‘(at) large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz’ and opens Saturday at the former maximum-security prison. Admittance is free. The artist directed the installation of the exhibit while under house arrest in China for what supporters say are trumped-up tax charges.