Springtime must be right around the corner. Why else would the chief horticulturist for the National Park Service's National Capital Region be issuing his forecast for the peak color during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival?

For years folks have used off-road vehicles to negotiate some of the farther reaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. And for years the National Park Service failed to develop a management plan for those ORVers. And now it's time to pay the piper.

Early March sure is full of national park birthdays. Today, for instance, is the 28th birthday of Channel Islands National Park, which is composed of a clutch of islands off the California coast. One of the park's claims to fame is the fact that its eight islands are said to host the largest seal and sea lion breeding colony in the United States.