In 1978, a stark stretch of South Dakota prairie gained recognition as one of America"s natural treasures. Badlands National Park, carved by wind and water, was redesignated from national monument to national park status, securing stronger protection within the United States" National Park System. Its cliffs and spires rise above fossil beds that reveal ancient rhinoceroses, camels and subtropical seas. Yet the park is not only a window into the past; it also safeguards one of the largest remaining tracts of mixed-grass prairie in the country.
Black-tailed prairie dogs
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain
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Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales
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RMS Queen Mary, California
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Emerald Bay and Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe, California, United States
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The Brocken, Harz National Park, Germany
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Llyn Padarn lake, Snowdonia, Wales
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Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
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Polar bear cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
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Letters Square Roundabout, Manaus, Brazil
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Ra Gusela peak at Giau Pass, near Cortina dAmpezzo, Italy
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Thomsons gazelles
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Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada
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Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China
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Wood duck, Quebec, Canada
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Lagoon Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope
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Guanaco, Argentina
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Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
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Black-naped monarch
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Coyote Gulch, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah, USA
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A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
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Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, China
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Cottage and Tŵr Mawr lighthouse, Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales, United Kingdom
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The glass dome of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, Italy
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Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia
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Varenna on Lake Como, Italy
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Humpback whales, Monterey Bay, California, United States
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Arches National Park, Utah, USA
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Kilchurn Castle, Scotland
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Sunflowers
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Whale shark, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

