It's difficult to miss them on the National Mall: They're dressed in yellow shirts and khaki pants or shorts, wear ball caps with the National Park Service and Trust for the National Mall logos, and heft backpacks filled with information and, if you're thirsty, water.

Imagine if more than a third of the 397 units of the National Park System had to shut down because the Park Service didn't have the money to operate them. That's one example the National Parks Conservation Association is using to illustrate the threat of impending budget cuts on the agency.

A 49-year-old San Diego man has been identified as the victim of a fatal grizzly bear mauling in Denali National Park and Preserve. Park officials also say the bear believed responsible was shot and killed by an Alaska state trooper.

Most points along the Atlantic shorelines of the United States are polluted by the lights of crowded cities when the sun goes down. When sitting beneath the stars on the fine sands of Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland, you can become distracted by the gleam of lights from Ocean City to the North. But if you peak above, the sky is a pure midnight black with the constellations brightly shining.