Authorities are working to identify skeletal remains found in the 49 Palms Oasis area on the northern border of Joshua Tree National Park.

Wolves moved to Isle Royale National Park to help balance the burgeoning moose population there have killed a male wolf that was one of the last two island-born wolves in the park, and it's possible they also killed the other, a female.

So as to protect critical wildlife habitat for raptors and desert bighorn sheep, a number of climbing routes in Canyonlands and Arches national parks in Utah will close for up to six months each year. This temporary closure affects the following routes:

Cape Lookout National Seashore, in conjunction with the Crystal Coast Stargazers Club, in 2020 will pursue designation as an International Dark Sky Park. This designation from the International Dark Sky Association is a process that involves planning and documenting the exceptional starry nights and the nocturnal environment that is preserved and protected for public enjoyment.

With the need to reduce the elk population at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, officials are looking for some volunteers to help get the job done.

A collaboration between state, federal, and local officials, along with private landowners and the National Park Foundation, has gained permanent protection for the entire 16-mile-long Zion Narrows Trail that winds through a deep slot canyon in Zion National Park.

Though employees at the National Park Service gave somewhat more encouraging responses to the annual Best Places To Work in the Federal Government survey, overall the agency remains mired near the bottom of 420 agencies tallied in the annual report.

A year-long celebration is planned for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 2020 to mark the park's 50th birthday.

Being comfortable around human onlookers and roads might have played a role in the deaths of two Yellowstone National Park wolf pups that were hit by a passing vehicle in the Lamar Valley, according to park biologists.

Though the National Park Service is saddled with roughly $12 billion in backlogged maintenance work, untold millions more to be spent on invading species that are wreaking havoc on some park ecosystems, and some parks still recovering from 2017 hurricanes, the House of Representatives has agreed to just a slight funding increase for the agency's Fiscal 2020 operations budget.

Users of the Eagle Lake Carriage Road in Acadia National Park will encounter closures at times in 2020 as the road is to be rehabilitated to improve and stabilize the road surface and associated features.

Invasive species, not the maintenance backlog, not the annual budget, and not political differences, pose the greatest threat to America's Best Idea.

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah will begin a pilot mandatory Canyoneering Permit System on January. Permits will be free of charge and require self-registration located at the park's visitor center or online on the park website. These permits will be required for all canyoneering and climbing activities within the park.

Fans of Big Bend National Park will want to head to their local post office on January 18. That's the day the U.S. Postal Service will release a priority mail stamp in honor of the park.

It's been more than two years since Hurricane Irma shut down the Cinnamon Bay Campground at Virgin Islands National Park, and the recent discovery of asbestos on the site means it will be a bit longer before it's ready for campers.

The Shenandoah National Park Trust aims to raise funds to support programs and projects in Shenandoah National Park next year totaling nearly $1 million.

Driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park could be more trying next year, as the park has lost its shuttle operator.

Death Valley National Park staff has scheduled its Christmas Bird Count for this coming Saturday.

Much-needed work to the road into Many Glacier at Glacier National Park will get underway next year, and it will create some traffic headaches at times into 2021.

A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit against the National Park Service stemming from the deadly Chimney Tops 2 fire at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, holding that the park's Fire Management Plan required that area residents be notified of the wildfire.