The National Park Service has donated about 700 pounds of venison to District of Columbia Central Kitchen. The meat will be used in the thousands of healthy meals that DC Central Kitchen prepares daily for multiple nonprofit partners, including homeless shelters, rehabilitation clinics, and after-school programs. The venison donation is a result of the deer reduction operation in Rock Creek Park in early December.

Flooding problems, possible sewage overflows, and downed trees were causing problems Friday for Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Rock Creek Park, and other National Park System units in and around Washington, D.C., and officials said things could get worse this weekend.

There are trees, big trees, and really big trees that are recognized as national champions by American Forests. And one of those champion trees, a chesnut oak, can be found in a small Civil War setting in Washington, D.C., preserved by the National Park Service.

Stand in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and you can't help but be enthralled by the lush forests and rolling mountains that surround you. Though a somewhat old landscape to modern civilization, the park continues to toss surprises in terms of the species that inhabit it.