#usinterior
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You booked the tickets. You packed your bags. You head out to your destination to take those epic Arches National Park photos only to find yourself in the middle of a blizzard. :(
If you are doing some holiday traveling to any public lands sites, “Know Before You Go.” Don’t get caught out in the cold and have a plan for your public lands adventure.
#TeamPublicLands Tip: Check agency or park websites prior to arrival. Stop by a contact station before you set out to learn about fees, pick up permits, and most importantly check that weather forecast.
Photo of Arches National Park blizzard by Jelieta Walinski (sharetheexperience.org). Photo description: A snow storm covers the desert in darkness and the area in thick blankets of snow.
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The holidays can be hectic and stressful. Remember to channel your inner Olympic National Park tree and hang in there.
Being outside in nature can help defuse stress levels. Find your happy place in the outdoors or on public lands near you.
Photo by Michelle Wiese (sharetheexperience.org). Photo description: A tree stretches between the cliffs along the coast of the ocean. The roots of the trees are exposed and hang below the stretched-out tree.
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It’s happy dance season at Cosumnes River Preserve in California. Whenever the sandhills fly in for the winter, everyone puts on their dancing shoes.
Nestled in the heart of California’s Central Valley, the preserve is a critical stop on the Pacific Flyway for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Over 250 species of birds have been sighted on or near the preserve, including sandhill cranes.
Gray-colored birds with red caps, sandhill cranes stand up to 5 feet tall and have a wingspan of 6-7 feet. They fly in for winter to fatten up and perform acrobatic mating dances. It’s an amazing sight to behold.
Video by Bob Wick, BLM. Video description: A group of sandhill crane birds stand in a marsh. Two of the cranes jump up and down as they perform a dance.
Look to the ⭐️s tonight!
The annual Geminids meteor shower will be at its peak. The sky won’t be as dark this year with the moon at 80% full, but the show must go on and the Geminids will still provide a spectacular performance.
Pic of @joshuatreenps by Lian Law. Photo description: Tall Joshua trees sit beneath a dark night sky filled with stars.
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Aurora borealis season is back.
Longer nights in Alaska mean more chances to see the northern lights. The dark frigid skies above Denali National Park and Preserve come alive with bright waves of color caused by bursts of solar wind and magnetic fields interacting with elements in the atmosphere.
Photo by Tyler Devine, NPS. Photo description: Neon green lights streak across a dark night sky. Trees and a road can be seen below the lights
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Winter is coming, #TeamPublicLands. ❄️
Many of our favorite nature escapes, like Great Smoky Mountains National Park seen here, are moving into winter operations. While most public lands spots will remain open, certain areas within may close for the season. Don’t get left out in the cold and “know before you go.” Check park or agency websites prior to your arrival and know what is and isn’t open for the season.
Photo by Kaili Schroeder, NPS. Photo description: A hiker sets out on a trail with sunset mountains outlined in the distance.
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Roseate spoonbills aren’t flamingos. Any questions?
Why are they pink?
Great question! The pink coloration of the rosy spoonbill feathers is caused by an abundance of carotenoids present in the food the birds eat. As the spoonbill ages, the carotenoids accumulate from all of the aquatic animals it has eaten and the pink coloration becomes darker.
The attractive feathers used to attract a breeding mate also attracted plume hunters and poachers in the 1800s that used the feathers to make fashion pieces such as ladies’ hats. By the 1930s, poaching and low reproductive success rates led spoonbill population numbers to drop to an estimated 30 breeding pairs. Conservation efforts by the federal government, as well as private citizens and organizations helped save the species and the population of roseate spoonbills has bounced back.
Photo at Everglades National Park by Bob Branham, NPS. Photo description: A large pink and white colored bird spreads its wings as it takes flight from a grassy marsh.
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The@mypubliclands Piedras Blancas Light Station Outstanding Natural Area is located on a rugged windswept point of land six miles north of Hearst Castle, along California’s scenic Highway One.
The area’s remote location allows for clear night skies to gaze into the universe.
Photo by Jesse Pluim, BLM. Photo description: A light house stands tall against the backdrop of a night sky filled with stars.
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Q: What creature wears masks the best?
A: Raccoons are the clear winner.
While we’ll never look as cute as raccoons, masks help reduce the spread of COVID. #TeamPublicLands, a reminder that masks are required in all federal buildings. Bring one if you’re coming to visit.
Photo by Gary Miller, USFWS. Photo description: Two raccoons huddle together near the edge of a riverbank.
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On the first Saturday of December, the Civil War historic site at Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, holds their annual Memorial Illumination event.
Over 23,000 luminaries will light the battlefield this evening–each luminary representing a casualty from the Battle of Antietam that took place on September 17, 1862.
The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederacy’s first major invasion of the North and gave President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
From the battlefields to the home front, the cost of the war was steep and its lessons eternal. It’s hard to imagine the horror that ravaged this Maryland community when you walk the now peaceful fields. Today, these Civil War historic sites help us better understand our tragic past.
Photo by Ted Fryberger (sharetheexperience.org). Photo description: A view of a large, sculpted marble arch, looks out into a dark cemetery lit by individual candles. A small white house is in the distance.
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In Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park’s high elevation, clean air, and remote location create some of the darkest skies in the country.
During a new moon on a clear weather night, you can see thousands of stars and the spectacular band of the Milky Way Galaxy shooting across the sky.
Photo by National Park Service. Photo description: A stone pinnacle rock formation sticks up into the night sky. The Milky Way and thousands of stars are in the sky above.
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Baby fox kisses = mood improved
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware protects one of the largest remaining expanses of tidal salt marsh in the mid-Atlantic region and provides excellent habitat for a terrific variety of wildlife. The refuge is home to eagles, hawks, ducks, geese, and litters of cute baby fox or kits.
Dependent on their mothers through the spring and summer, fox kits will become independent in autumn. With excellent hearing, quick reflexes and sharp wits, it won’t be long before these little fuzzies turn into skilled hunters.
Photo by Maria Khvan (sharetheexperience.org). Photo description: Two fox kits touch noses in a field of grass.
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Bears Ears National Monument in Utah is a vital landscape to many Tribal Nations.
Filled with thousands of important cultural sites such as rock art and ancient cliff dwellings, this sacred place will be protected for future generations to come.
Photo by Dustin Baugh (sharetheexperience.org) Photo description: A window of an old cliff-side pueblo ruins on top of an overlook. The valley below is filled with trees and mesas in the distance.
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Is this an:
A. Scene from a fairytale
B. A movie set
C. Not real
D. Rock Creek Park
It’s D!
Rock Creek Park is an oasis within the city.
This idyllic setting offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of Washington, DC and is a peaceful refuge to explore, hike, bird watch, and reconnect with nature.
Photo by Grace Hassler (sharetheexperience.org)
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A surprising landscape in southwestern Wyoming, Boar’s Tusk is the remaining core of a long dormant volcanic eruption.
Made of an uncommon rock called lamproite, the butte rises 400 feet above the sandy valley floor. It’s a distinct landmark for anyone, or anything, travelling through this area.
Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. Photo description: Rolling hills of sand dunes covered in wind swept ripples. In the distance a chimney shaped rock formation.
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Hidden gem alert!
The@mypubliclands Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area in Virginia is an autumn wonderland.
Red and white oak, beech, sweet gum, Virginia pine, and persimmon, which are common sights in mid-Atlantic woodlands, appear throughout the forests at Meadowood. The ponds, streams and riparian areas host a wide variety of insects, fish, and other wildlife.
Despite its small size (800 acres), this little-known spot has miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
Photo by BLM. Photo description: A curved trail meanders through a brightly colored forest with orange, red, and yellow-colored leaves.
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POV: You’re standing amongst the sequoia trees watching a winter sunrise. Life is good.
Photo at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, by Jelieta Walinski (sharetheexperience.org).
Photo description: Tall snowy trees stretch up towards a twilight-colored sky.
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Awwwww-ters!
One of nature’s most social and playful creatures, river otters have big personalities and even bigger appetites. Otters most often eat fish, frogs and crawfish, but will also consume worms, insects, mice, bird eggs, nestlings, crabs, and more.
Often seen in groups, or romps, they can be observed hunting and frolicking year-round at Grand Teton National Park. Most of the year, they are active at night, dawn or dusk but they become more diurnal during the winter. Observing them is a rare treat.
Photo by Joel Brown (sharetheexperience.org). Photo description: Three otters walk along the edge of a snowy lake.
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Please take a paws to thank and appreciate all our Interior law enforcement personnel (even the furry ones) who help protect our public lands and wildlife.
We are grateful for your service and your dedicated professionalism. Thank you. #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay
Photo of K-9 high fives at Pinnacles National Park, by NPS. Photo description: A German shepherd dog and a park ranger in a uniform give each other a high five.
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Got any new year’s resolutions for 2022?
Watch more sunrises?
Get outdoors more?
Eat more kale?
We highly recommend that first and second option. Photo of Olympic National Park by John Donofrio (sharetheexperience.org). Photo description: Several large pointy rocks, some with trees growing on them, sit in the ocean just on the edge of a beach at sunset.
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