For most college students, spring break is a time to shuck responsibility and have a good time. For some, it offers a time to relax in one of the world's most famous national parks while contributing a little sweat equity to the setting.

After roughly a year of reviewing scenarios, a committee tasked with determining whether Mount St. Helens should remain a U.S. Forest Service property or be turned over to the National Park Service has reached its conclusion: Keep the National Park Service away from the mountain.

As Congress works on the Omnibus Spending Bill of 2009, that heft appropriations catchall that funds government, critics have pointed to more than 8,500 "earmarks." But is that word truly a pejorative when it comes to the National Park System?

If you're going to be in the vicinity of Jackson, Wyoming, next Thursday you might be interested in a talk about the search-and-rescue history of Grand Teton National Park.