Federal budget proposals released this week by the Republicans and Democrats take decidedly different tacks when it comes to national parks, with the GOP plan continuing cuts to the National Park Service while the Democratic version would stablize funding, according to onlookers.

Another county whose lands include Great Smoky Mountains National Park has gone on record opposing the park's fee for overnight backcountry use.

A dispute over the National Park Service's authority at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Washington state has led a congresswoman to introduce legislation to remove a museum and seven acres of land from the park.

This coming April 6 is Park Day for Civil War battlefields and historic sites. Started in 1996 by the Civil War Trust, Park Day is a nationwide event during which Civil War history lovers contribute a day of volunteer work to help maintain the war's historic sites.