The ripples from the month long partial federal government shutdown are still being felt at national parks across the country. In Arizona, some rafting trips through the Grand Canyon are being delayed.
The Grand Canyon National Park is delaying the start of a highly competitive lottery to award permits for self-guided rafting trips on the Colorado River.
The lottery usually begins Feb. 1 with thousands of people this year vying for launch dates in 2020.
The lottery now is scheduled to begin Feb. 16 and close in mid-March. A park spokesman says that staff had a lot of work to catch up on after the government reopened following the 35-day shutdown.
The spokesman says the date was chosen because of another possible government shutdown on Feb. 15. If that happens, the lottery would be delayed again.
