A bipartisan effort has been launched in Congress to set aside nearly half of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as official wilderness, an effort its backers believe takes a "balanced approach to conservation, recreation, and historic preservation..."

Not since record keeping began two decades ago have as many Kemp's ridley sea turtles come ashore to nest at Padre Island National Seashore in one day as the 29 that turned up the other day, according to seashore biologists.

With hopes of connecting more kids with parks -- local, state, and national -- the National Park Trust is celebrating this Saturday as National Kids to Parks Day, a day to not just connect today's youth to parks, but, hopefully, to instill in them a lifestyle healthier than sitting in front of a computer screen.