(CNN) The National Park Service said Sunday that it would use reserved money from visitor fees to keep up operations at parks around the country affected by the ongoing government shutdown. The statement noted that the visitor fee money "would typically be used for future projects at parks," but the lapse in appropriations for the Park Service meant the funds "can and should be used to provide immediate assistance and services to highly visited parks." The statement added that the Park Service would not fully open parks, and smaller sites would stay closed. The Park Service is one of several agencies affected by the partial government shutdown, which headed into its third week over the weekend. The agency said previously that it would seek to keep parks "as accessible as possible" during the funding lapse.

Source: CNN January 06, 2019 20:09 UTC