A. A. Schorsch: Photography ~ On the Road in National Parks

The monument was established in 1972 to protect and preserve a portion of the Green River and Wasatch formations which contain a unique fossilized assemblage of organisms that once lived in or around Fossil Lake, an ancient lake of Eocene age. Many other clues to the environment of Fossil Lake and its environs are also preserved in the Wasatch and Green River formations. Some of the world's best preserved fossils are found in the flat-topped ridges of southwestern Wyoming's cold sagebrush desert. Fossilized fish, insects, plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals are exceptional for their abundance, variety, and detail of preservation. Most remarkable is the story they tell of ancient life in a sub-tropical landscape. http://www.nps.gov/fobu/

Located along the south Texas coast, Padre Island National Seashore is the longest section of undeveloped barrier island in the world, protecting rare coastal prairie; a complex, dynamic dune system; and the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline lagoon environments left in the world. Here, you can enjoy 70 miles of sandy beaches, wind-carved dunes, vast grasslands, fragile tidal flats, and warm, nearshore waters. * http://www.nps.gov/pais/

The refuge, part of the largest expanses of mangrove forest in N. America; approx. 2/3 is mangrove forest, which dominates most tidal fringes & numerous islands (or keys); the northern 1/3 consists of brackish marsh, interspersed ponds, & small coastal hammocks of oak, cabbage palms, & tropical hardwoods such as gumbo limbo. Roughly 200 species of fish have been documented in the area; much of the sea grass beds & mangrove bottoms serve as vital nursery areas for marine fish. Over 189 species of birds use the refuge at some time during the year; prominent bird groups include wading birds, shorebirds, diving water birds, & raptors. Common mammals found in the area include raccoon, river otter, and bottle-nosed dolphins. Notable threatened & endangered species include West Indian manatee, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, wood stork, the Atlantic loggerhead, green, & Kemp's Ridley sea turtles. * http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?

The Buffalo National River flows free over swift running rapids and quiet pools for its 135-mile length. One of the few remaining rivers in the lower 48 states without dams, the Buffalo cuts its way through massive limestone bluffs traveling eastward through the Arkansas Ozarks and into the White River. * http://www.nps.gov/buff

The Pawnee Buttes are two prominent buttes located within the Pawnee National Grassland in Weld County, of northeastern Colorado. Rising approximately 300 feet (100 m) above the surrounding plains, the buttes are erosional remnants left standing in isolation as the surrounding High Plains surface has gradually worn away. The lower portions of the buttes are composed of relatively soft, clay-rich sedimentary rock called the Brule formation. The Brule formation is protected by an overlying layer of sandstone and conglomerate sediments called the Arikaree formation, which are more resistant to weathering. * Gregory, L. 1996. Colorado Scenic Guide, Northern region, 3rd edition. Boulder: Johnson Books, 208 pp.

Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm

Glacier NP, designated the 10th national park May 11, 1910, was named for its prominent glacier-carved terrain & remnant glaciers descended from the ice ages of 10,000 years past. Bedrock & deposited materials exposed by receding glaciers tell a story of ancient seas, geologic faults & uplifting, & the appearance of giant slabs of the earth's ancient crust overlaying younger strata. Known to Native Americans as the "Shining Mountains", the "Backbone of the World", Glacier preserves more than a million acres of forests, alpine meadows, lakes, rugged peaks & glacial-carved valleys in the Northern Rocky Mountains; diverse habitats are home to over 70 species of mammals incl. grizzly bear, wolverine, gray wolf & lynx. Over 260 species of birds visit/reside in the park, including harlequin ducks, dippers & golden eagles. A hiker's paradise, it is traversed by more than 750 miles of maintained trails. http://www.nps.gov/glac/naturescience/index.htm

The Battle of Wilson's Creek (called Oak Hills by the Southerners), named for the stream that crosses the area where the battle took place, was a bitter struggle between Union and Southern forces for control of Missouri in the first year of the Civil War. Fought ten miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri on August 10, 1861, it was the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River, and the scene of the death of Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union general killed in combat. Although a Southern victory, the Southerners failed to capitalize on their success. With the exception of the vegetation, the field has changed little and remains in near pristine condition. *http://www.nps.gov/wicr/index.htm

The story of the badlands begins over 65 million years ago during the Paleocene Epoch. The dinosaurs had just become extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period. The western half of North America was buckling and folding to create the Rocky Mountains. Large amounts of sediments were forming as water, wind, and freezing worked to break down the mountains. These sediments, mostly sand, silt, and mud, were carried off the eastern slopes by ancient rivers and deposited here in layers. Volcanoes in South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and across the west were also erupting during this time, spitting out huge amounts of ash. Some of this volcanic ash was blown or carried by rivers into North Dakota and accumulated in standing water. Over time, the sediments turned into the sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone layers now exposed in the park, while the ash layers became bentonite clay. *http://www.nps.gov/thro/naturescience/geologicformations.htm