Earlier this month, while we were having positively spring-like weather here in the Midwest, I wrote about Snowy Owls, the most iconic of winter birds. Two weeks later, my world is buried under blankets of snow and I’m in the mood to talk about Spring.

A prospective groom-to-be had a fine idea for a unique place to propose marriage to his sweetheart—the beautiful, snow-white dunes at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The event took an unexpected turn, however, when the pair became the subjects of a search and rescue effort that includes some unusual resources.

Come August, you'll be able to comfortably place a volcano in your pocket.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust, which in the past has engineered successful campaigns to protect lands for Joshua Tree National Park, is now embarking on a campaign to preserve a wildlife corridor important to the park.