With long, cold, snowy months descending on the northern half of the country, it's not a bad time to cast your eyes to the south and national parks where you can find warm weather, sandy beaches, and plenty of sunshine.

A marina proposed for Coral Bay at St. John in the Virgin Islands that could accommodate more than 200 vessels has drawn the concern of Friends of Virgin Islands National Park, which is worried the development will impair not only the marine resources but also the surrounding land that could be covered with shopping and dining businesses as well as waste-water treament facilities.

Springtime is a great time to take photos in the national parks, but are you prepared for that task? Rebecca Latson has some suggestions for what you need to consider before heading off into the parks.

It was a (hopefully not) one of those once-in-a-lifetime visits to a far off national park, and I was flat on my back. That, however, was not all bad at Virgin Islands National Park on the Caribbean island of St. John, where basking under the February sun on the sugar-sand beaches in between snorkeling adventures is de rigueur. Preferably with a cool drink in hand and a rattan mat beneath you.