If you've been paying any attention to how Congress is treating the National Park System in terms of the economic stimulus package, you'd have to agree there are a few interesting, and possibly even amusing, side stories.

If you think you're having a tough day at work, perhaps a look at the challenges facing the staff at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park will provide a little perspective.

Yellowstone National Park drew geologists' attention early this year with a long swarm of small earthquakes. And now a volcano in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve seems to be waking up, with geologists saying an eruption is imminent.

Visitors to Yellowstone National Park—and any other areas where bears are part of the equation—should always follow common-sense rules to avoid a confrontation with a bruin. At times, however, "common-sense" seems to be in short supply, as this true story from the past confirms.