How best can the National Park Service make use of a 252-year-old mansion set on more than 62 acres of land fronting the Potomac River in Maryland? It's a question the agency, which acquired the property known as Harmony Hall in 1966, is hoping the general public will be able to answer.

An environmental assessment being prepared on oil drilling plans at Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida submitted by Burnett Oil Co. could prompt the National Park Service to decide a more extensive environmental impact statement on those plans is warranted.

The actual practice of drilling oil out from under Big Cypress National Preserve does not greatly concern two geologists well-familiar with the underpinnings of South Florida. However, the surface infrastructure needed to drill for oil is a concern when risks to the preserve are explored, they said.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California plans to reopen access to Alcatraz Island on March 15.