Forests of kelp waving to and fro in the currents. Archaeological and paleontological surprises. An incredible assemblage of wildlife that has the area known as the '˜Galapagos of the North'. These are just some of the reasons to explore Channel Islands National Park off California's coast.

On Sunday, April 8, former POWs, veterans, and others will gather at Andersonville National Historic Site in Georgia to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the National Prisoner of War Museum. Featured speakers will include Seymour Lichtenfeld, held prisoner by Germany during World War II, and David Eberly, a former POW during Desert Storm.

Fortunately offsetting the relative flatlining of the National Park Service's budget is the infusion of dollars raised by nonprofit friends groups such as the Zion Natl Park Forever Project, which has made an investment of roughly $1 million in Zion National Park and Cedar Breaks and Pipe Spring national monuments this past year.

A pair of bald eagles has once again returned and is actively tending to its nest within the Pinery Narrows area in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. To protect the eagles from human disturbance, the area surrounding the nest tree will be closed until July 31.