Five national monuments, including one in Delaware, the only state without a National Park System presence, are expected to be designated next week by President Obama.

Planning is under way to develop a bird species baseline for Death Valley National Park, and volunteers are being sought to help with the data collection.

While Congress averted a federal government shutdown by sending a Continuing Resolution for funding the rest of the fiscal year to the president on Thursday, the measure further cuts the National Park Service's budget, according to an advocacy group.

It's been more than a year since bottled water and corporate America collided at Grand Canyon National Park, and the push continues to get more national parks to phase out packaged water in favor of fresh tap water and refillable bottles.