The National Parks!

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New Year, new explorations. I have to be honest; I haven't visited one of our 63 National Parks yet. Bing has this great catalogue of the National Parks and hotel/flight prices for each. Don't get too distracted by the beautiful photos of each park. It's too damn expensive for a college student to visit, well anywhere, right now. 

So instead, I'm writing about the parks from my cozy-already-expensive enough dorm. The previous series on this blog have covered rainforests, oceans, and the ecosystems in between. Here, the National Parks are their own unique ecosystems, far more complex than being simply described as just a grassland or just a desert. There's a reason why each park was designated as a government protected piece of land. Every park has history, distinct flora and fauna, and some beautiful crazy fun fact-esque aspect that makes these parks feel like other worlds.  

Before we dive into some of the spotlights on the National Parks, I want to provide some more background information on the US National Parks. In 1872, the first national park in the world was created in the unassuming corner of Wyoming. Since then, this milestone has led to 62 more US National Parks being established for the benefit of both wildlife and US civilians. These parks are wilderness areas that are designated by the government as protected federal land. 

This is what makes the National Parks so important in wildlife conservation. Over 600 endangered and threatened species call the National Parks home. Here, where they're protected, these species can thrive without significant human interference. In this series, we'll learn about these species and how they interact with the National Park ecosystems. And of course, we'll learn about the National Parks themselves. 

This is the next best thing to traveling. 




https://abcnew.delaughter.org/stunning-photos-of-all-62-u-s-national-parks/
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/usa-national-parks-overview
https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-yosemite-national-park

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