Our Daily Planet: Wilderness Preservation and White Christmas

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe.

Western Preservation: The Obama administration has restored a policy to protect pristine areas of the West, a policy that was abandoned under the previous administration. [Related: Top 10 Most Visited National Parks.]

Oyster Recovery Group: Restaurants in the D.C. area are helping restore the Chesapeake Bay's heath, one oyster shell at a time.

California Digs Out: Southern California residents are shoveling away the mud and debris from the week's severe storms. Another storm is expected Christmas day. [Related: Pineapple Express Slams Southern California .]

Explorers of the Past: Famous expeditions from past centuries are helping climatologists. Logs from these historic voyages contain valuable information about what the Arctic was like centuries ago.

White Christmas: Will you see snow on Saturday? And what are the odds of a white Christmas across the globe. Find out here. [Related: Do Pre-Winter Blizzards Signal a Tough Winter? ]

Previously on Our Daily Planet: Southern California's Polluted Water and National Zoo Pandas

Reach OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel at bisrael@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @btisrael.