#badlandsnp

These are very strange, very troubling times, my nature, science and Park-loving friends. The folks who took control of the White House on January 21st have some bizarre ideas about our freedom of speech and the dissemination of information that they, for some reason, feel threatened by. Science can be scary to some less-educated folks I suppose. 

Let’s hear it for Badlands National Park who tweeted out some climate-related facts (that’s right, FACTS) in response to the new administration forbidding the NPS from tweeting after the new president was offended by an aerial shot of his inauguration. (The Interior’s twitter has since been unlocked and the Badlands’ tweets have been deleted - but don’t worry, there are screenshots.) Oh and the EPA and other government agencies have been blocked from sharing actual science and other known factual information as well. 

Badlands is back to following the rules but some other accounts have popped up (and instantly acquired huge followings) to promote science and knowledge since the official accounts have been gagged.

Please follow and retweet AltNatParkSer for more “rogue” climate-change related tweets. And start planning a trip to the Badlands to show your support for science and facts.

Bison have been roaming the plains of the US for thousands of years and often come to mind when thinking about the grasslands in North America. During the 19th century, these animals nearly became extinct due to hunting and illnesses that plagued the herds. Fortunately, bison conservation has been a topic in the Midwest region for over 100 years. In recent years federal agencies including the National Park Service have created initiatives regarding bison conservation throughout the US. Hopefully one day we will see large herds of the iconic bison roaming freely in the plains of the US again. Until then, I encourage you to take the trip to Badlands NP to not only see a unique and scenic environment as well as magnificent bison.

For more information on bison conservation, Badlands NP’s website by the National Park Service has a plethora of information on the animals (including pictures) and conservation efforts for the park. WWF or World Wildlife Fund also has a great article on the subject and also discusses what the money they raised for bison conservation is being used for. (Link below)

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/wwf-supporters-raise-more-than-250-000-to-help-bison-in-badlands-national-park

Check back for another post on Badlands NP. The next park will be Yellowstone!

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After a day or two of driving through farmlands and hills, we were quite sick of the seemingly endless green surroundings. So, imagine our surprise after seeing this just twenty minutes off the main highway. These buttes and pinnacles stretched for miles and was nothing like I’ve seen before.

I learned that Badlands NP has some of the richest fossil beds and some date back to 33 million years ago! The White River Badlands contains many Oligocene mammals including ancient horses and rhinoceroses.

Be sure to check back for more pictures from Badlands and stay tuned for posts on the other 18 National Parks I visited this summer!

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