Word Friday that the partial government shutdown would be lifted for three weeks, if not longer, was welcomed by groups concerned about the state of the National Park System. But they also called on Congress to ensure a similar event never happens again.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks were closed entirely Wednesday evening by National Park Service officials due to unsanitary conditions that were creating health and safety concerns. The two parks, in California's Sierra Nevada, are believed to have become the first in the National Park System to be entirely closed due to visitation problems since the partial government shutdown began nearly two weeks ago.

While a search continued Sunday in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a missing Ohio woman, a woman reported missing in Sequoia National Park turned up OK that afternoon.

More than 200,000 children across the country will visit national parks during the 2018-2019 school year thanks to grants from the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. The grants, supporting 132 national parks, are part of the Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program, which connects young people to national parks through meaningful, educational and engaging activities, and encourages kids to build lifelong connections to these special places.