Nearly 52,500 comments were received by the National Park Service on the future of an oyster farm at Point Reyes National Seashore, with submissions from each of the 50 states and 40 countries overall.

Rebuffed time and again by the National Park Service, U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota have succeeded in getting Congress to earmark $700 million to build a bridge across the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

An upcoming solar eclipse may attract more attention, but some parks are also planning for visitors who would like to observe an even more unusual celestial event. The Venus Transit on June 5 will be a literal "last chance in your lifetime" occurrence.