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Protecting Alaska
Protecting Alaska
On this day in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which converted massive tracts of Alaskan wilderness into protected land. That single act 40 years ago doubled the size of the entire National Park System. Alaska"s eight national parks cover more than 54 million acres. The Cove of Spires, shown here, is just one of the dramatic glacial landscapes that you can experience in Kenai Fjords National Park. Located near Seward, the park is home to 38 glaciers, which cover over half the park"s area in ice—though climate change has reduced them drastically over the last decades.Desktop Version
An island for the birds
An island for the birds
Those white specks scattered around the surface of the Bass Rock are northern gannets—seabirds that spend their springtime breeding and nesting season on the islands and shores of the North Atlantic. At the height of the birds’ nesting season, roughly 150,000 gannets arrive on the Bass to rear their chicks, making this location the largest gannet colony on Earth. There are no human inhabitants on the Bass—the lighthouse is automated. The tiny volcanic plug island is just over a mile off the coast of the Lothian region of eastern Scotland in the Firth of Forth.Desktop Version
Green sea turtle on World Oceans Day
Green sea turtle on World Oceans Day
World Oceans Day takes us to the warm waters off Maui, home to this green sea turtle and many other species that rely on healthy oceans. The annual celebration, recognized by the UN, is an effort to raise awareness about ocean conservation with events around the world, including here in Hawaii. This year’s theme is preventing plastic pollution. Plastics pose a serious threat to marine animals, including sea turtles, which are known to ingest them and become seriously injured or killed. Here’s an easy way to help: Reduce, reuse, and recycle.Desktop Version
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
‘Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!’ That’s what you might hear if you find yourself in Ireland on March 17. And if you do, be sure to join in the celebration, because it means ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day!’ The holiday originated as a religious feast in the 17th century, but today it’s better known for parades, festivals, and green attire. And, for some, green beer. Here in County Galway, St. Patrick’s Day is an official public holiday. That means residents have time to enjoy the local surroundings, like the medieval ruins of Ross Errilly Friary, shown here.Desktop Version
Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
On International Kissing Day, take some inspiration from these two adorable panda cubs, nuzzling in a tree in their native country, China. This unofficial holiday is all about smooching your loved ones. When you’re done with that, consider how else you might spread some love—perhaps to our panda friends. It’s estimated that fewer than 2,000 giant pandas remain in the wild. Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund are working to protect their habitat, and your support can make a difference.Desktop Version
National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Join us in celebrating Black History Month here at the Contemplative Court fountain of the Smithsonian Institution’s newest museum, the National Museum of African History and Culture in Washington, DC. Even before Black History Month was established in the United States, the second week of February was important to black communities who celebrated the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb 14).Desktop Version
Australian baobab tree, Kimberley region, Western Australia
Australian baobab tree, Kimberley region, Western Australia
There is much mythology surrounding the Australian baobab tree, known for its large, swollen trunk. Commonly called a boab in Australia, the species is related to other baobab species in Arabia and Africa. Other names for the Australian boab are ‘bottle tree,’ ‘upside down tree,’ and ‘gouty stem tree.’ All seem appropriate to us. Some indigenous communities relied on the trees for water (stored in its massive trunk), food, and medicine. Ancient baobabs were cherished as beloved individuals.Desktop Version
Red fox
Red fox
Even in the most flattering daylight, foxes somehow always seem up to no good. Not to mention when they"re spotted slinking up a fallen tree in a dank, shadowy Black Forest in Germany. These cunning canids get away with a lot just by being cute, don"t you think?Desktop Version
Fighting evil with costumes
Fighting evil with costumes
Wearing costumes made of furs, fabric, and wood, these performers are known as kukeri. They march and dance, while making noise with the many bells on their costumes. It’s a pagan Slavic custom dating back to ancient times and still takes place each winter in many cities and villages in the Balkan Peninsula of southeastern Europe. The elaborate costumes and loud noises are intended to keep evil spirits at bay. Meanwhile, a member of each participating family—usually the youngest—conducts a blessing called a survakane; using a decorated staff, he or she lightly pats other family members on the back, giving a blessing of happiness and prosperity for the coming year. Traditionally, kukeri performers were men, though women now participate as well.Desktop Version
A glimpse of the Blue Forest
A glimpse of the Blue Forest
What color do you normally associate with a forest? Well, in the case of the Hallerbos forest of Belgium, that would be blue, for reasons you can clearly see here. For about 10 days every year, usually in late April or early May, this forest floor is transformed as bluebell hyacinths wake up from their winter slumber and carpet it in blue.Desktop Version
Saffron in bloom
Saffron in bloom
It"s harvest time for saffron, the precious seasoning that"s mostly grown in Iran, but used in cuisines around the world. Saffron is derived from the saffron crocus, an autumn-flowering plant with purple petals as richly hued as the vivid crimson stigmas (called "threads") in the center of the bloom. These threads are carefully extracted by hand with tweezers and dried before they"re used for cooking. Each flower comes with just three threads, and it takes a lot of them—roughly 75,000 crocuses will yield just one pound of saffron. The entire harvest can last only about a week or two, because that"s the short life of the saffron crocus bloom.Desktop Version
Trevi in bloom
Trevi in bloom
Perched high above the lush Italian countryside is Trevi, a great medieval hill town. Trevi is considered one of the prettiest and most authentic of the medieval towns that dot the Umbria region. Counts and cardinals built these communities to show off their wealth and they built them up high to keep them safe from rivals.Desktop Version
National Park Week begins
National Park Week begins
To kick off National Park Week, which starts today, we"re turning our lens on Vernal Fall in California"s Yosemite National Park. This time of year, the waterfall flows in a torrent, but by late summer it can be reduced to a trickle of small streams slipping over the edge. Most years, Vernal Fall is at full power by May, as the spring thaw in the mountains melts the snowpack, turning the falls into a raging tumble of water spilling to the valley floor where the Merced River flows.Desktop Version
Happy Mother s Day!
Happy Mother s Day!
To celebrate Mother"s Day, we"re in California"s Monterey Bay, where a sea otter mom gives her 3-day-old pup a place to snuggle and gives us an amazingly cute picture to boot. These incredibly photogenic animal moms shower their kids with attention, cradling them and grooming them for hours. But all that love is more than a gesture of affection, as newborn sea otter pups can"t swim. A pup is totally dependent for about six months, so mom will carry it around on her stomach like you see here. When the little one does venture into the water on its own, mom will rub the pup to fluff its coat, which causes the fur to retain air bubbles, insulating it from chilly water and causing the youngster to float like a cork.Desktop Version
Take me to the river
Take me to the river
Today we"re recognizing World Rivers Day—a conservation event that branched off in 2005 from its source, BC Rivers Day, founded near this British Columbia river"s banks 40 years ago today. The Fraser River flows through a showcase of this Canadian province"s diverse landscape: It originates in the Rocky Mountains, carves steep valleys through central BC, and irrigates rich farmlands outside Vancouver before spilling into the sea just south of the city. The river flows gently in this stretch, as seen from the span of the Port Mann Bridge east of Vancouver, with the Golden Ears mountains in the background. Thanks to preservation efforts, the Fraser"s main stem remains completely undammed, with its drainage basin covering 25% of BC"s land area.Desktop Version
Sitting down and taking a stand
Sitting down and taking a stand
Here at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, you can sit down next to a sculpture of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, who was born on this day in 1913. Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her defiant action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the longest and most successful movements against racial segregation in our nation’s history. At the time, African Americans made up most of the ridership on Montgomery city buses. The year-long protest finally ended when the US Supreme Court ruled that Alabama’s laws enforcing segregation on city buses and other modes of transportation were unconstitutional.Desktop Version
A narrow passage
A narrow passage
Utah’s Zion National Park, established 99 years ago today, is one of the most visited national parks in the US. It’s full of amazing southwest scenery, including Zion Canyon. Our photo today shows The Narrows, a trail through the tightest gap in the canyon. Roughly one-third of The Narrows is under the waters of the Virgin River. For portions of the hike, the river fills up the passage, from wall to wall, leaving hikers no choice but to wade in and keep walking—not an unwelcome prospect on a hot day, even in November.Desktop Version
Welcome to the Ring of Fire
Welcome to the Ring of Fire
Today we"re visiting the pair of volcanoes known as Tolbachik—the flat-topped Plosky (Flat) Tolbachik on the left of our image, and the majestic Ostry (Sharp) Tolbachik on the right, which soars 12,080 feet above the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia. These are just two of roughly 300 volcanoes scattered through the region; 29 of them, including the Tolbachik complex, are still active. In fact, there is so much volcanic activity here that UNESCO calls the peninsula "one of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world," and has designated it a World Heritage site.Desktop Version
An enduring vision
An enduring vision
Of all the camera-wielding luminaries who"ve snapped this eastward view of Yosemite Valley, few can hold a "candela" to Ansel Adams, born this day in 1902. The legendary photographer of Western landscapes was given his first camera here in Yosemite as a boy. The national park was his favorite place in the world, and he returned every year for the rest of his life.Desktop Version
In the belly of Fat Bear Week
In the belly of Fat Bear Week
In Alaska"s Katmai National Park and Preserve, the "fattening" is under way. Brown bears like our homepage friend are bulking up for the long winter, gathering at Brooks Falls to feast on migrating salmon. The base of the falls is a prime fishing spot because it creates a temporary barrier to salmon jumping upstream. This makes the fish relatively easy pickings for hungry bears, who can catch up to 30 salmon a day.Desktop Version
Struck by Southwestern beauty
Struck by Southwestern beauty
It"s okay if this stormy shot stirs your spirit with holy awe: They call this wind-carved edifice Church Rock for a reason. Surrounded by an enchanting Southwestern landscape, it"s a sight that almost invites you to get lost out here—and if you look at a map of these parts, you"ll see that"s not too hard.Desktop Version
Santorini through the clouds
Santorini through the clouds
With its romantic sunsets, dazzling ocean views, and whitewashed buildings clinging to rocky clifftops, the Greek island of Santorini (aka Thera or Thira) is the very picture of an idyll in the Aegean. But this tranquil scene belies the island"s explosive geologic history, for this is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. The Minoan eruption, about 3,600 years ago, caused the center of the Thera volcano to collapse into the ocean, leaving Santorini a jagged, crescent-shaped moon atop the sea.Desktop Version
It’s showtime for a precious crop
It’s showtime for a precious crop
Nestled in California"s verdant Central Valley, this almond orchard is in full bloom. If we zoomed in closer, we might see billions of honey bees hard at work moving pollen from one blossom to another, doing their vital work to pollinate the trees so they can produce their valuable crop. Almond orchards are a thriving $6 billion business here in the valley. California produces around 80% of the world"s almonds and booming demand means production has more than doubled in the past few years, despite threats from drought and wildfires.Desktop Version
Celebrating the International Day of Forests
Celebrating the International Day of Forests
The March 21 observance highlights the important role that trees and their forest ecosystems play in creating a healthy environment. Here at the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in California, giant coastal redwoods—plus a variety of other trees, shrubs, bushes, flowers, ferns, mosses, and lichens—provide a haven for many creatures, even the small and slimy. This is banana slug territory, and visitors are likely to encounter the bright yellow banana slug—the largest slug in North America—as they journey through the park.Desktop Version
Meandering through Patagonia
Meandering through Patagonia
Squiggling east from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, the mighty Santa Cruz River in Argentina"s Patagonia region flows over some of South America"s sparsest terrain. Over the centuries, some of history"s most notable explorers have been drawn to the winding waterway: Ferdinand Magellan"s 1520 expedition discovered its coastal delta, and Charles Darwin (on the same voyage that took him to the Galápagos Islands) studied the area"s ecosystem during a grueling 1834 side trip up the river. Even now, very few settlements exist along the 240-mile course of the Santa Cruz, considered the last major free-flowing river in Patagonia.Desktop Version