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  • This aerial photograph of a portion of the "Council Grounds" is the primary area where bald eagles gather on the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska. Bald eagles come to the alluvial delta area at the confluence of the Tsirku (center) and Chilkat (left to right) Rivers because of the availability of spawned-out salmon and open waters in late fall and early winter. The open water is due to a deep accumulation of gravel and sand that acts as a large water reservoir whose water temperature remains 10 to 20 degrees warmer than the surrounding water temperature. This warmer water seeps into the Chilkat River, keeping a five mile stretch of the river from freezing. Photographers come to the Chilkat River in November and December to photograph one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. In 1982, the 48,000 acre area was designated as the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. In the background are the mountains that make of the Takhin Ridge and Takhinsha Mountains. Chilkat Lake is pictured on the left, below the mountains.
    Tsirku River alluvial fan with Chilk...jpg
  • The shadow of a DeHaviland DHC-2 Beaver travels perfectly down the runway at the Haines Airport in southeast Alaska. The plane, belonging to Haines-based Mountain Flying Service was taking off for a flightseeing tour to nearby Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
    Shadow of plane taking off.jpg
  • The thousand foot cliffs of White Thunder Ridge are reflected in the Muir Inlet located in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. This aerial view, taken in early November after a snow storm, is looking south, down the Muir Inlet (left).
    White Thunder Ridge aerial.jpg
  • Pyramid Island, stands as a sentinel to the Chilkat River valley where the Chilkat River reaches the ocean and becomes the Chilkat Inlet. The Chilkat River, located outside Haines, Alaska, is a popular destination for photographers who come to the river in November and December to photograph one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. This aerial photo is looking up the river valley from Haines. Mountains of the Takshanuk Range that are visible include Mount Ripinski (right) and Tukgahgo Mountain (center). The tidal flats area just beyond Pyramid Island are known as McClellan Flats.
    Pyramid Island, Chilkat River aerial.jpg
  • Signs of some of the food vendors in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    _.jpg
  • Shadow of a woman carrying coffee cups in one of the courtyards of the J. Paul Getty Museum, located in Los Angeles. The collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum on display at the Getty Center includes "pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th- and 20th-century American and European photographs”. The museum is one of the most visited museums in the United States with an estimated 1.8 million visitors annually.
    Shadow of a woman carrying coffee.jpg
  • People enjoy lunch at Sarita’s Pupuseria located in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    Sarita’s Pupuseria_.jpg
  • People enjoy a garden at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. The Disney Concert Hall, opened in 2003, was designed by architect Frank Gehry.
    Disney Concert Hall garden.jpg
  • Sign for Berlin Currywurst, of one of the food vendors in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    Berlin Currywurst sign.jpg
  • Sign for Sarita's Pupuseria,  of one of the food vendors in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    Grand Central Market food vendor sig...jpg
  • Detail of the many candies for sale at La Huerta Candy in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    La Huerta Candy.jpg
  • Sign of one of the food vendors in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    Ana Maria sign.jpg
  • Sign of one of the food vendors in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    Valeria's Chiles & Spices sign.jpg
  • Sign of one of the food vendors in the Grand Central Market located in downtown Los Angeles. The market, which opened in 1917, is home to food and drink vendors.
    Torres Produce sign.jpg
  • Shadows of a table and chairs in one of the courtyards of the J. Paul Getty Museum, located in Los Angeles. The collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum on display at the Getty Center includes "pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th- and 20th-century American and European photographs”. The museum is one of the most visited museums in the United States with an estimated 1.8 million visitors annually.
    Courtyard table and chairs shadows.jpg
  • Sentinel Island Light is situated on the north end of Sentinel Island on the Favorite Channel near Juneau, Alaska. The original 1902-built light (not pictured) was replaced in 1935 with the current concrete, art deco-style building (pictured).<br />
<br />
In 2004, official ownership of the Sentinel Island Lighthouse was transferred to the Gastineau Channel Historical Society under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
    Sentinel Island Light.jpg
  • People pack the beach at English Bay Beach Park prior to the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks program in Vancouver, British Columbia
    Crowd at Celebration of Light on Eng...jpg
  • Veteran acrobatic pilot John Mrazek puts his Harvard Mark IV plane through its paces above English Bay prior to the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks program held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mrazek began flying airplanes in 1964 in Czechoslovakia and has been performing in airshows since the early 1980s.
    Acrobatic pilot John Mrazek performs...jpg
  • Veteran acrobatic pilot John Mrazek puts his Harvard Mark IV plane through its paces above English Bay prior to the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks program held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mrazek began flying airplanes in 1964 in Czechoslovakia and has been performing in airshows since the early 1980s.
    Acrobatic pilot John Mrazek performs...jpg
  • Veteran acrobatic pilot John Mrazek puts his Harvard Mark IV plane through its paces above English Bay prior to the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks program held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mrazek began flying airplanes in 1964 in Czechoslovakia and has been performing in airshows since the early 1980s.
    Acrobatic pilot John Mrazek performs...jpg
  • Veteran acrobatic pilot John Mrazek puts his Harvard Mark IV plane through its paces above English Bay prior to the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks program held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mrazek began flying airplanes in 1964 in Czechoslovakia and has been performing in airshows since the early 1980s.
    Acrobatic pilot John Mrazek performs...jpg
  • Veteran acrobatic pilot John Mrazek puts his Harvard Mark IV plane through its paces above English Bay prior to the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks program held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mrazek began flying airplanes in 1964 in Czechoslovakia and has been performing in airshows since the early 1980s.
    Acrobatic pilot John Mrazek performs...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. *** EDITORS NOTE: Boulders in foreground were lit with a flashlight during time exposure***
    Northern lights over Haines, Alaska.jpg
  • Passengers on the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry, M/V LeConte, photograph the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, located on a small island in the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska near Haines. <br />
<br />
Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks, notably the wreck of the Clara Nevada, occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Haines Sheldon Museum. <br />
<br />
In 2014, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to acquire, rehabilitate, and promote the lighthouse with the goal of establishing a visitor’s center and maritime museum. The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region.
    Passengers photograph Eldred Rock.jpg
  • The South Pier Lighthouse in Charlevoix, Michigan, is a favorite spot for tourists and residents wanting to catch a dramatic sunset. The lighthouse, located on Lake Michigan sits at the entrance of the Pine River Channel which provides access to Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix. The current 41-foot steel structure was built in 1941. From 1885 to 1914 the light was located on a wooden tower on the north pier. In 2005, the U.S. Coast Guard deemed the light as no longer needed and in 2008 transferred the Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse to the City of Charlevoix under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
    South Pier Lighthouse.jpg
  • The South Pier Lighthouse in Charlevoix, Michigan, is a favorite spot for tourists and residents wanting to catch a dramatic sunset. The lighthouse, located on Lake Michigan sits at the entrance of the Pine River Channel which provides access to Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix. The current 41-foot steel structure was built in 1941. From 1885 to 1914 the light was located on a wooden tower on the north pier. In 2005, the U.S. Coast Guard deemed the light as no longer needed and in 2008 transferred the Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse to the City of Charlevoix under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
    South Pier Lighthouse-2.jpg
  • The Kilauea Point Lighthouse, located on the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian islands on the island of Kauai, was built in 1913 as a navigational aid for commercial shipping between Hawaii and the Orient. It was deactivated in 1976 and replaced with an automated beacon for local boaters and aircraft. The lens of the lighthouse was designed by Augustin Fresnel and built in Paris, France. The lens was originally lit by a incandescent oil vapor lamp and could be seen 20 miles out to sea and 90 miles from the air. In 1930 a light bulb replaced the oil lamp, eventually reaching a wattage of 2,500,000 candle power. Originally, the 4.5 ton light assembly was rotated with a system much like how descending weights turn the hands on a cuckoo clock. These weights that would descend the center of the lighthouse would have to be pulled up by the lighthouse keeper ever 3.5 hours. Eventually a motor replaced the weight mechanism. People pictured are unidentified.
    Kilauea Point Lighthouse.jpg
  • The isolation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, located on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska near Haines can be seen in this photo. When possible, supplies were brought to the light keepers every two weeks.<br />
<br />
Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks, notably the wreck of the Clara Nevada, occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Haines Sheldon Museum. <br />
<br />
In 2014, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to acquire, rehabilitate, and promote the lighthouse with the goal of establishing a visitor’s center and maritime museum. The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region.
    Eldred Rock Lighthouse isolation.jpg
  • The mountains of the Chilkat Range serve as a backdrop for the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, located on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska near Haines. <br />
<br />
Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks, notably the wreck of the Clara Nevada, occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Haines Sheldon Museum. <br />
<br />
In 2014, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to acquire, rehabilitate, and promote the lighthouse with the goal of establishing a visitor’s center and maritime museum. The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region.
    Eldred Rock Lighthouse-2.jpg
  • Eagle Glacier looms over the light station (lighthouse) at Point Retreat, near Juneau, Alaska.
    Eagle Glacier.jpg
  • The Eldred Rock Lighthouse sits on a small island located on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska near Haines. <br />
<br />
Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks, notably the wreck of the Clara Nevada, occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Haines Sheldon Museum. <br />
<br />
In 2014, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to acquire, rehabilitate, and promote the lighthouse with the goal of establishing a visitor’s center and maritime museum. The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region.
    Eldred Rock Lighthouse.jpg
  • The mountains of the Chilkat Range serve as a backdrop for the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, located on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska near Haines. <br />
<br />
Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks, notably the wreck of the Clara Nevada, occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Haines Sheldon Museum. <br />
<br />
In 2014, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to acquire, rehabilitate, and promote the lighthouse with the goal of establishing a visitor’s center and maritime museum. The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region.
    Eldred Rock Lighthouse and mountains.jpg
  • The Eldred Rock Lighthouse sits on a small island located on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska near Haines. <br />
<br />
Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks, notably the wreck of the Clara Nevada, occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Haines Sheldon Museum. <br />
<br />
In 2014, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to acquire, rehabilitate, and promote the lighthouse with the goal of establishing a visitor’s center and maritime museum. The Association for the Preservation of the Eldred Rock Lighthouse has been working hard to bring the lighthouse back to life, along with the history of the region.
    Eldred Rock Lighthouse.jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen.
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen.
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska.jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. *** EDITORS NOTE: Blue rocks are result of use of tungsten white balance at time of image capture. Boulders in foreground were lit with a flashlight during time exposure***
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. *** EDITORS NOTE: Boulders in foreground were lit with a flashlight during time exposure***
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow of the aurora borealis dances in the upper atmosphere above Mt. Emmerich and other peaks in the Chilkat Range at the Chilkat Inlet for the Chilkat River just outside Haines, Alaska. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen.
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow of the aurora borealis dances in the upper atmosphere above Mt. Emmerich and other peaks in the Chilkat Range at the Chilkat Inlet for the Chilkat River just outside Haines, Alaska. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen.
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen.
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen.
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. *** EDITORS NOTE: Boulders in foreground were lit with a flashlight during time exposure***
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska.jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. *** EDITORS NOTE: Boulders in foreground were lit with a flashlight during time exposure***
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. *** EDITORS NOTE: Boulders in foreground were lit with a flashlight during time exposure***
    Aurora Borealis over Haines, Alaska-...jpg
  • Michigan Beach Park in Charlevoix, Michigan, is a favorite spot for tourists and residents wanting to catch a dramatic sunset. The park, within walking distance of downtown Charlevoix offers a white sand beach, playground swimming and the iconic Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse. Fishing is also popular along the pier at the Pine River entrance.
    Sunset at Michigan Beach Park in Cha...jpg
  • Sport fishers on Lake Michigan enter the Pine River channel near the South Pier Lighthouse during sunset at Charlevoix, Michigan. People fish for Salmon, Steelhead, salmon, brown trout and lake trout in the Lake Michigan waters near Charlevoix.
    Charlevoix sport fishers at sunset,.jpg
  • Male Columbian sharp-tailed grouse perform their mating dance on a lek during the pre-dawn in southern Wyoming.<br />
<br />
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is one of the seven recognized subspecies of North American sharp-tailed grouse. It is also the rarest and smallest of the subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have experienced declines in distribution and population due to overuse and development of the mountain shrub and grasslands that it favors. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of the western United States and British Columbia. First described by the Lewis & Clark expedition, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were once the most abundant grouse in the West. Today, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse no occupy less than 10 percent of its historic range. It is currently considered a Species of Concern in several U.S. states.<br />
<br />
Like other grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse congregate year after year in the spring on a small area known as a lek. Males perform highly animated dancing courtship displays to impress females to mate. These displays consist of rapidly stamping their feet at blur-like speed while keeping with their wings extended, often rotating in a circle.
    Columbian sharp-tailed grouse dancin...jpg
  • Pictured is the automatic beacon on Kilauea Point that replaced the nearby Kilauea Point Lighthouse. The beacon is used for local boaters and aircraft. The Kilauea Point beacon and lighthouse is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.
    Kilauea Point Lighthouse-3.jpg
  • Under the setting moon, rising sun and a bald eagle flying above, Steve Lewis, Raptor Management Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (left) and Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz wait for bald eagles to land on the traps they set on the gravel bar of the Chilkat River. Each morning under the cover of darkness they would set their traps. The traps are being used to capture bald eagles that will be used in a study being conducted by Wheat. Once the traps are set, it is a matter of waiting -- and waiting. On some days no eagles were caught, on others, only one or two were caught. Wheat is conducting a bald eagle migration study of eagles that visit the Chilkat River for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to learn how closely eagles track salmon availability across time and space. The bald eagles are being tracked using solar-powered GPS satellite transmitters (also known as a PTT - platform transmitter terminal) that attach to the backs of the eagles using a lightweight harness. During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world.
    Bald eagle migration research - 68.jpg
  • DIGITAL PANORAMA COMPOSITED IMAGE -Sunrise on the Kilauea Point Lighthouse located on the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian islands on the island of Kauai. The lighthouse, built in 1913 as a navigational aid for commercial shipping between Hawaii and the Orient was deactivated in 1976 and replaced with an automated beacon for local boaters and aircraft. The Kilauea Point Lighthouse is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is home to the largest populations of nesting seabirds in Hawaii including red-footed boobies, Laysan albatrosses, wedge-tailed shearwaters which nest along the ocean cliffs and open grassy slopes of Crater Hill, an extinct volcano.
    Kilauea Point Lighthouse.jpg
  • Unidentified participants at the "Flames in the Fint Hills" observe the burning prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas. at the "Flames in the Fint Hills" photographs the burning prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • Visitors to the Flint Hills Discovery Center watch the 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as smoke, fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen at the $24.4 million center, located in Manhattan, Kansas. This scene in the movie depicts fireflies (also known as lightning bugs) flickering in the early evening light on the tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center immersi...jpg
  • Participants in "Flames in the Flint Hills" light fires across the prairie grass of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism.jpg
  • One of the exhibits at the recently opened $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas, is about dung beetles. In this interactive exhibit visitors lift a cow chip to expose a photo of dung beetles at work. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exhibit...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center evening...jpg
  • Gwen Hoy, owner of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas controls the burning of ranch prairie during the "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn fire control...jpg
  • One of the exhibits at the recently opened $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas, is an ‘underground forest’ depicting plant and insect life under the tallgrass prairie. About two-thirds of the mass of prairie grass is below the surface, protected from fire and grazing animals. This photo shows the long life-size roots of prairie grasses. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center undergr...jpg
  • An unidentified participant at the "Flames in the Flint Hills" photographs the burning prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism.jpg
  • An unidentified participant at the "Flames in the Flint Hills" observes the burning prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • Josh Hoy, owner of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas answers unidentified visitors' questions about recently burned prairie at the "Flames in the Flint Hills" held at  the ranch. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • Participants in "Flames in the Flint Hills" drag fire across the prairie grass of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exterio...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exterio...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exterio...jpg
  • Visitors to the Flint Hills Discovery Center watch the 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as smoke, fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen at the $24.4 million center, located in Manhattan, Kansas. This scene in the movie depicts the important role that fire plays in preserving the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center immersi...jpg
  • Visitors to the Flint Hills Discovery Center watch the 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as smoke, fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen at the $24.4 million center, located in Manhattan, Kansas. This scene in the movie depicts the important role that fire plays in preserving the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center immersi...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exhibit...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center evening...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center evening...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exterio...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center evening...jpg
  • A prescribed burning of prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas travels down a hillside during "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Night prescribed burn of prairie.jpg
  • A prescribed burning of prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas travels rapidly down a hillside during "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Night prescribed burn of prairie-4.jpg
  • Participants in "Flames in the Flint Hills" make their way up a small hill to reach a designated area of prairie to be burned in the evening at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • Participants in "Flames in the Fint Hills" enjoy music and desert after participating in a daylight controlled burning of  prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • A participant in the "Flames in the Flint Hills" drags fire across the prairie grass of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • Workers of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas control the burning of ranch prairie during the "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows guest to the ranch take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn fire control...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exterio...jpg
  • Visitors to the Flint Hills Discovery Center watch the 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as smoke, fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen at the $24.4 million center, located in Manhattan, Kansas. This scene in the movie depicts the important role that fire plays in preserving the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center immersi...jpg
  • Visitors to the Flint Hills Discovery Center watch the 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as smoke, fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen at the $24.4 million center, located in Manhattan, Kansas. This scene in the movie depicts the important role that fire plays in preserving the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center immersi...jpg
  • One of the exhibits at the recently opened $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas, is an ‘underground forest’ depicting plant and insect life under the tallgrass prairie. About two-thirds of the mass of prairie grass is below the surface, protected from fire and grazing animals. This photo shows the long life-size roots of prairie grasses. Through interactive exhibits, Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Other attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center undergr...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities. Pictured is the four story atrium at the entrance of the center. Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills. The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center atrium.jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
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The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
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Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center exterio...jpg
  • The $24.4 million Flint Hills Discovery Center, located in Manhattan, Kansas celebrates the history, culture, and heritage of the Flint Hills and tallgrass prairie. Through interactive exhibits Flint Hills Discovery Center visitors can explore the science and cultural history of the last stand of tallgrass prairie in North America – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center was designed by the museum architectural firm Vern Johnson Inc. with interpretive design and planning by Hilferty and Associates. The 34,900 square foot science and history learning center features permanent interactive exhibits, temporary exhibits, and areas for community programs and outreach activities.<br />
<br />
Attractions of the Flint Hills Discovery Center include: a 15-minute ‘immersive experience’ film which has special effects such as fog, mist and wind which appear in the theater as the high definition film is shown on a large panoramic screen; an ‘underground forest’ depicting the long roots of prairie plants including the 7-foot roots of bluestem prairie grass; explanations of importance of fire to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie; and exhibits about the people and cultural history of the Flint Hills.<br />
<br />
The Flint Hills Discovery Center received a LEED green building certification for their environmental design and energy efficiency, including their lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system.
    Flint Hills Discovery Center elevate...jpg
  • Unidentified participants at the "Flames in the Flint Hills" observe the burning prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism.jpg
  • A prescribed burning of prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas travels down a hillside during "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Night prescribed burn of prairie-2.jpg
  • A prescribed burning of prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas travels down a hillside during "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Night prescribed burn of prairie-2.jpg
  • A participant at the "Flames in the Flint Hills" observes the burning prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • Participants in "Flames in the Flint Hills" drag fire across the prairie grass of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • Participants in "Flames in the Flint Hills" drag fire across the prairie grass of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism.jpg
  • An unidentified worker from the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas controls the burning of ranch prairie during the "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn fire control...jpg
  • Josh Hoy, owner of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas supervises the burning of ranch prairie during the "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows guest to the ranch take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn smoke.jpg
  • Josh Hoy (left), owner of the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas supervises the burning of ranch prairie during the "Flames in the Flint Hills." This agritourism event allows guest to the ranch take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn fire control.jpg
  • Participants in "Flames in the Fint Hills" observe burning prairie at the Flying W Ranch near Clements, Kansas. This agritourism event allows ranch guests to take part in lighting the prescribed burns. Prairie grasses in the Kansas Flint Hills are intentionally burned by land mangers and cattle ranchers in the spring to prepare the land for cattle grazing and help maintain a healthy tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The burning is also an effective way of controlling invasive plants and trees. The prairie grassland is burned when the soil is moist but grasses are dry. This allows the deep roots of the grasses to survive and the burned grasses on the soil surface return as nutrients to the soil. These nutrients allow for the rapid growth of new grass. After approximately two weeks of burning, new grass emerges. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas.
    Prescribed prairie burn agritourism-...jpg
  • A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flies with a salmon carcass past ice covered trees sparkling in the golden light of sunrise at the confluence of the Tsirku and Chilkat Rivers in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. During November and December several thousand bald eagles come to the alluvial delta area at the confluence of the Tsirku and Chilkat Rivers near Haines, Alaska because of the availability of spawned-out salmon and open waters. The open water is due to a deep accumulation of gravel and sand that acts as a large water reservoir whose water temperature remains 10 to 20 degrees warmer than the surrounding water temperature. This warmer water seeps into the Chilkat River, keeping a five mile stretch of the river from freezing as quickly as other rivers in the area. The 48,000 acre area was designated as the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in 1982.
    Bald eagle flying with fish in golde...jpg
  • Death Valley National Park Visitors come not only to experience the record heat but also the beauty. Despite the desert conditions, the park is known for its spring wildflowers. Under perfect conditions, the park experiences a rare event known as a wildflower "super bloom" which produces a sea wildflowers. Most of the desert wildflowers are annuals. This ensures their survival as this allows them to lie dormant as seeds during times of drought. Here, the golden light of sunset bathes Desert Gold, also known as Hairy Desert Sunflower, in Death Valley National Park.<br />
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Death Valley National Park, located in eastern California near the border with Nevada is one of the hottest spots on earth, holding the hottest recorded air temperature of 134 °F. The Park also is location of the lowest spot in North America, 282 feet below sea level at the vast salt flats at Badwater Basin. At 3.4 million acres, the park is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Death Valley National Park sits between the Panamint Range on the west  and Amargosa Range on the east.
    Desert Gold in sunset light.jpg
  • Bald eagles feed on salmon in the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in late afternoon light. During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world.
    Bald eagles in late afternoon light.jpg
  • The golden light of sunrise causes ice covered trees to sparkle at the confluence of the Tsirku and Chilkat Rivers in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. During November and December several thousand bald eagles come to the alluvial delta area at the confluence of the Tsirku and Chilkat Rivers near Haines, Alaska because of the availability of spawned-out salmon and open waters. The open water is due to a deep accumulation of gravel and sand that acts as a large water reservoir whose water temperature remains 10 to 20 degrees warmer than the surrounding water temperature. This warmer water seeps into the Chilkat River, keeping a five mile stretch of the river from freezing as quickly as other rivers in the area. The 48,000 acre area was designated as the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in 1982.
    Golden light on ice covered trees.jpg
  • Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, places a vial containing a sample of bear saliva on the banks of the man-made spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska.<br />
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Wheat is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. <br />
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The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation which looks at how the availability of salmon affects eagle movement, bear activity, and subsistence fishermen. EDITORS NOTE: Images of Wheat capturing bald eagles for the bald eagle portion of her study are available here: http://denglerimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Bald-eagle-research-Chilkat-River-eagle-migration-study/G0000GTyPvah7eiQ/<br />
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During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world.<br />
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A partially consumed chum salmon lies on the banks of the spawning channel of Herman Creek, near Haines, Alaska.<br />
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Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, is collecting DNA samples of bears from bear saliva left on salmon carcasses as part of research for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to determine if partially-consumed salmon carcasses can serve as a viable source for bear DNA to genotype individuals. She also looking to determine a minimum population estimate for the number of bears using the Chilkoot Valley and the ratio of males to females, particularly in light of increase human presence. <br />
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The bear DNA collection is part of her dissertation
    Bear saliva DNA research-16.jpg
  • Rockweed (Fucus distichus) is a seaweed found in the middle intertidal zone of Glacier Bay National Park. According to the park’s website, "Gas-filled bladders at the tip of each branch help keep the plant floating near the surface when the tide is in, and thus increases the amount of light available for its energy needs. Light is filtered out rapidly as it passes through water. Rockweed also secretes a mucus-like substance which helps keep it moist during low tide."<br />
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Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. The park is also an important marine wilderness area known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall coastal mountains. The park a popular destination for cruise ships is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
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Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller sea lions, and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
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The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Rockweed.jpg
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