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In addition to news, you'll find plenty of posts about donuts, NASA/space, and coffee.
Oh deer! We can’t hide from another birthday post!
March 14 marks the birth of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Things looked a lot different back in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national wildlife refuge on Pelican Island in Florida to protect wild birds. But today, the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a premier network of public lands, with over 567 wildlife refuges in each state and territory. They support thousands of iconic plants and animals, local communities and outdoor adventure. It’s probably easier than you realize to visit a local wildlife refuge, and what better day to plan your next trip than today? Photo courtesy of Dawn Wilson.
2,250 feet down, at the base of the Painted Wall – the tallest cliff in Colorado – the Gunnison River thunders through Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. You can actually hear the river roaring from the canyon rim. Several trails and overlooks along the rim offer stunning views of dramatic drops and the distant river. There are no maintained or marked trails into the inner canyon. Routes are difficult to follow, and only individuals in excellent physical condition should attempt these hikes. Photo by Nancy Danna (www.sharetheexperience.org).
America’s Great Outdoors The U.S. Department of Interior posts amazing photos of public American lands in their new photo project, Summer in America’s Great Outdoors.
NYC Past Vintage photographs of old New York. Not a selfie in sight.
Daily Re-enactor Because some people really get into reliving our nation’s wars.
Today’s Document Daily scans and photos of the various documents found in the U.S. National Archives.
The American Guide With photojournalism and essay contributions by the likes of American Student Radio, NPR, and the Bureau of Land Management, The American Guide is overflowing with pieces of Americana, old and new.
Morning sunbeams shine down on Washerwoman Arch and Monster Tower at Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Two of many wonderful rock formations near the Island in the Sky Mesa, these stone towers are favorites of climbers wanting to test their skills. For visitors who want to keep their feet on the ground, Canyonlands offers hundreds of miles of hiking trails and remote roads for motorbikes and mountain bikes. Make sure to carry plenty of water and stop frequently to enjoy the amazing views. Photo by Dustin Baugh (www.sharethexperience.org).
A walk in the woods can feel like an escape from the stress of modern life. Enveloped by green, sheltered by the forest canopy, it’s easy to surrender to the songs of birds and the whisper of a flowing stream. Close to the urban centers of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio offers miles of hiking, biking and riding trails, numerous waterfalls, picturesque meadows and the peace you’re looking for. Photo by Amjad Zwaid (www.sharetheexperience.org).
Just an hour from downtown Washington, D.C., Douglas Point offers a tranquil respite from the rush of the city. Several hiking trails (including part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail) lead through a beautiful hardwood forest to narrow beaches along the Potomac tidewaters. The Bureau of Land Management and the State of Maryland jointly acquired about 1,270 acres of land known as Douglas Point, and it’s one of the last remaining undeveloped tracts along the Potomac River. In addition to connecting nearby residents to the outdoors, Douglas Point offers visitors a chance to learn about the region’s history – close by are a Civil War encampment site of approximately 25,000 troops, archeological sites and the evolving ecosystems of the shipwrecks at Mallow Bay. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, @mypubliclands
Virtually unchanged except by the forces of nature, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska is as wild as it is vast. Through endless summer days and winter nights colored by the Northern Lights, visitors travel by rivers and mountains yet to be named. With no roads, no trails and very few people, it’s the perfect place for those seeking solitude and natural beauty. Photo by Carl Johnson, National Park Service.
Start your spring outdoor adventure with a sunrise at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. With waterfalls, wildlife, history, hiking trails and amazing views along the famous Skyline Drive, the park is a feast for your eyes and spirit, and will keep you coming back for more. Photo from Thornton Hollow Overlook by N. Lewis, National Park Service.
Bobcat Draw Wilderness Study Area in southwest Wyoming is made up of a vast maze of colorful rock and clay badlands. Layers of differing hardness erode into multi-hued arches, hoodoos, spires and other fanciful landforms. There are no developed trails in the area, but hikers can discover the area’s unique landscapes along their own routes while enjoying a majestic backdrop of the 13,000 foot snowcapped peaks of the Absaroka Range. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands.
We hope your summer plans included visiting one or more of the 411 national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails in the National Park System. If you can’t make it to one of the locations found in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands – join the National Archives online to celebrate the records of the National Park Service on their 100th anniversary tomorrow, August 25.
#TagYourPark!
Tagging is a fun and easy way for you to help make National Archives records more discoverable online. By adding keywords, terms, and labels to a record, you can do your part to help the next person discover that record. Take a look at these photographs from the National Parks and add keywords that describe what you see.
Trail of the Ancients – Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park. National Archives Identifier 7722478
Are you ready to tag? Select the National Parks Tagging Mission and get tagging!
Transcribe!
Letter from Frederick Harvey, owner of Fred Harvey Company to M. R. Tillotson, Superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park. National Archives Identifier 27753707
Transcribing the digitized records in the National Archives Catalog is an important way to improve search results and increase accessibility to these historical records.
Are you ready to transcribe? Jump right in and select the National Parks Transcription Mission.
Watch!
In the 1930s the Department of Interior made a series of films on the nation’s growing park system, from trails blazed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in Yosemite, California, all the way up to Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. Now you can see what your local parks looked like during the Great Depression, a time when many old parks were upgraded and many new parks were created.
View highlights from the National Archives’ collection of films from the National Park Service.
Not far from the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada offers a different kind of thrill. With scenic trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, it’s easy to find a quiet place to enjoy its natural beauty. Photographer Courtney Knaup - a frequent visitor - recently enjoyed a perfect moment of wonder and solitude. “Being out there alone, watching the first light hit the cliffs is always magical. Even more so with a fresh layer of snow.” Photo courtesy of Courtney Knaup.
