SAN FRANCISCO – Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said she will recommend that President Barack Obama act alone if necessary to create new national monuments and sidestep a gridlocked Congress that has failed to address dozens of public lands bills. Jewell said the logjam on Capitol Hill has created a conservation backlog, and she warned that the Obama administration would not “hold its breath forever” waiting for lawmakers to act.

Washington’s San Juan Islands are among the hottest items in the world of recreational travel this year. In recent months, standouts among the 28 islands and some 400 more rocks and pinnacles southwest of Bellingham have been in the international spotlight by making:

Washington’s San Juan Islands are among the hottest items in the world of recreational travel. Outdoors enthusiasts love the islands in dozens of ways, including bird watching, whale watching, sea kayaking, salmon fishing, sailing, powerboating and bicycling where there’s yet to be a traffic signal light installed. President Obama, by executive order, gave national monument status to about 1,000 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management areas in the islands in March 2013. Outdoors editor Rich Landers shares these photos of the hiking and bicycling opportunities a visitor can enjoy during a weekend trip via Washington State Ferries to San Juan Island. See Landers' story about the experience here.

LOS ANGELES — The act of Congress is in the books, the bills are paid, the sculptures are being cast, and one of the biggest parades in the world will start a glory tour and countdown to dedication. The first national monument to pay tribute to military dogs will be unveiled in California in just two months. The U.S. Working Dog Teams National Monument will honor every dog that has served in combat since World War II.

Ah, Mount St. Helens. I’ve written hundreds of stories about it, explored the trails around it on foot, skis and mountain bike; and climbed it 10 times, if I can remember correctly. But it had been five years since my last ascent, so when a Daily News co-worker scheduled an climb recently, I was happy to join the expedition.