Civil War battlefield sites in Pennsylvania and Virginia are the first recipients of Battlefield Restoration Grants issued by the National Park Service.

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Services and Gold Star Families come Friday, Veterans Day, will be able to obtain a free lifetime pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites spread out across more than 400 million acres of public lands, including national parks, wildlife refuges, and forests.

National Park System units in Florida and Georgia were closing Tuesday ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, which could arrive with hurricane force on Wednesday.

Hurricane season so far has been kind to Everglades National Park, and not just because storms didn't deliver any direct hits to the park.