Badlands National Park
From Freepedia
| Badlands | |
| Image:LocMap Badlands National Park.png | |
| Designation | National Park |
| Location | South Dakota, USA |
| Nearest City | Rapid City, South Dakota |
| Coordinates | 43°37′ N 102°52′ W |
| Area | 242,756 acres (982 km²) 98,240 ha |
| Date of Establishment | November 10, 1978 |
| Visitation | 872,968 (2003) |
| Governing Body | National Park Service |
| IUCN category | II National Park |
Badlands National Park is a United States national park that consists of 242,755 acres (982 km²)[1] of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States.
The Badlands Wilderness Area protects 64,250 acres (259 km²) of the park as a designated wilderness area[2] and is the site of the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, the most endangered land mammal in North America[3].
The Stronghold Unit is co-managed with the Oglala Sioux tribe and includes sites of 1890s Ghost Dances[4] and a former United States Air Force bomb and gunnery range[5].
Established as Badlands National Monument on January 25, 1939, the area was redesignated as a national park in 1978.[6]
Over 11,000 years of human history in the park pales in comparison to the ages-old paleontological resources also found there. Badlands National Park contains the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 23 to 35 million years old. Scientists can study the evolution of mammal species such as the horse, sheep, rhinoceros and pig in the Badlands formations.
See also
References
- ^ "Acreage of the Park". Badlands National Park. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ "Critical Park Issues - Reintroduction of the Black-Footed Ferret". Badlands National Park. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- ^ "Badlands: Human History - American Indians". Badlands National Park. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- ^ "Badlands: Gunnery Range History". Badlands National Park. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- ^ "Legislative History". Badlands National Park. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
External links
- "Badlands National Park Official Site". National Park Service. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- "Photos of Badlands National Park". terragalleria.com. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- Kelvin Smith. Badlands National Park. Untravelled Road. Accessed on September 26, 2005. - Photographic Virtual Tour
- "Badlands National Park". National Parks Gallery. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- "Badlands Bombing Range". Army Corps of Engineers. URL accessed on September 26, 2005.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from MapQuest or Google Local
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local
| National Parks of the United States | |
|---|---|
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