Louisiana Colonial Trails

The Louisiana Colonial Trails are a Louisiana Scenic Byway that follows several different state highways, primarily:


Lava River Cave

The Lava River Cave near Bend, Oregon, is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is managed by the United States Forest Service. At in length, the northwest section of the cave is the longest continuous lava tube in Oregon. While the cave's discovery in 1889 was officially credited to a pioneer hunter, the presence of obsidian flakes near the cave has led archaeologists to conclude that Native Americans knew about the cave long before settlers arrived in central Oregon.
Geology.
The eruption which formed the Lava River Cave occurred about 80,000 years ago. The source is believed to be near Mokst Butte southeast of the entrance. The same volcanic flow that formed the cave underlies much of the Bend area and almost reaches Redmond, Oregon. However, the specific vent that created the cave has been buried by several younger flows.
The Lava River Cave was created by lava flowing downhill from a volcanic vent. The lava flowed northwest from the vent toward the Deschutes River. The flow began as a river of lava flowing in an open channel. Eventually, a lava crust solidified over the top of the flowing lava. This formed a roof over the river, enclosing it in a lava tunnel or tube. When the eruption from the vent stopped, the lava drained out of the tube leaving a lava tube cave behind. After the cave cooled, a section of its roof collapsed. This collapsed section provided the entrance to both the uphill (southeast) and downhill (northwest) cave sections.
The area around the Lava River Cave receives about of precipitation per year. Over the centuries, water from rainfall and snow melt has seeped down through the soil and cracks in the cave roof depositing sand on the cave floor. Small rivulets of water carry the sand downhill, plugging the far end of the cave with sediment. As a result, it is unknown how far the cave actually extends beyond the sand plug.
Environment.
The Lava River Cave is located south of Bend on the east side of Highway 97. It is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, which is managed by the Forest Service as part of the Deschutes National Forest.
The forest surrounding the cave entrance is dominated by large ponderosa pine trees with sagebrush, manzanita, bitterbrush, snowbrush, and chokecherries as the main ground cover. Along the short path leading from the forest floor down to the cave entrance, visitors will also find serviceberry, false Solomon seal, squaw currant, Oregon grape, and small willow trees.
Animals common in the forest around the cave include golden-mantled ground squirrels, chipmunks, western gray squirrels, porcupines, weasels, pine martens, and mule deer. In 1991, park personnel observed a full-grown cougar run out of the cave entrance area, but that was a single sighting. There is also a wide range of resident and migratory bird species common to the area. Small resident birds include wrens, robins, juncos, thrushes, woodpeckers, sapsuckers, red-shafted flickers, and ruby-crowned kinglets. Larger birds include great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, vultures, and a few golden eagles.
Forest Service biologists have identified several species of spiders, worms, centipedes, and millipedes that live inside the cave. There are also mice and bats that live in the cave year around. The cave's bat population is relatively small and the bats are very shy so visitors rarely see them. In fact, bats usually remain in hibernation until July, and when active they are nocturnal so they are asleep during the day when the cave is open. If a bat is sighted, the Forest Service recommended that it be left undisturbed. Waking it from hibernation is extremely stressful, and can cause the bat to die from the sudden expenditure of energy.
History.
The presence of obsidian flakes near the cave has led archaeologists to conclude that Native Americans knew about the caves long before any pioneers arrived in the Oregon country. The first recorded discovery is credited to a local settler named Leander Dillman, who found the cave opening on a hunting trip in 1889. Legend has it that Dillman found the cave entrance while following a wounded deer. After its discovery, he used the cave to cool his venison. The cave acquired its name from a 1923 geology study published by Ira A. Williams. The study also provided the first map of the cave. In 1938, the highway department announced an effort to resume digging efforts originally started by Emil Long to extend the cave beyond the dirt choke. It was speculated the cave could go all the way to Benham Falls.
In 1926, the Shevlin-Hixon Lumber Company donated the site around the cave entrance to the State of Oregon for a park. In 1981, the cave and above ground park area were acquired by the Forest Service as part of a land exchange with the State government. In November 1990, the cave was incorporated into the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. However, it is still managed by the Forest Service along with the rest of the Newberry monument area.
Cave tour.
Lava River Cave runs in two directions from the entrance cleft. The main section runs gradually downhill in a northwesterly direction from the entrance, passing under Highway 97. This section of the cave is the longest known uncollapsed lava tube in Oregon. The other section extends southeast from the entrance. This section runs toward the source of the flow so it has a slight uphill grade. This section is not open to the public because of loose rocks in the ceiling. The mouth of the cave is at an elevation of above sea level. At its deepest point the cave is above sea level.
The cave's entrance appears as a large hole in the ground. At its mouth, the entrance trail drops suddenly over a jumble of volcanic rocks. This area is known as the "Collapsed Corridor". It is the result of ground water freezing in rock cracks in the ceiling. Loosened rocks eventually fall. Over the centuries, the fallen rocks have accumulated into a large boulder pile. Since freezing temperatures occurs only near the mouth of the cave, most rock-falls are in this area. To get down the rock pile, visitor must descend 126 steps with handrails for safety. At the bottom of the stairs is a large cool chamber where winter ice fills cracks in the floor and ice stalactites often cling to the ceiling until June.
After a short walk, the ceiling reaches a height of . At this point, the width of the cave is . This massive volcanic archway is called "Echo Hall". The smooth walls are remarkably symmetrical so sounds echo in the huge chamber. In this section, remnants of the ancient lava flow's current can be seen molded in the tunnel walls. They appear as rounded over-hanging shelves and lateral markings etched in the walls. The end of this hall is about 1,500 feet (457 m) into the cave. At that point, the cave passes under Highway 97. The underground crossing is marked by a small sign post.
Beyond the Highway 97 marker, visitors enter an area called "Low Bridge Lane". In this area, the ceiling drops to less than six feet (1.8 m). This section of the cave was created after most of the molten lava had drained out of the cave leaving hot gases trapped in the interior of the tube. These gases re-heated the lava tube causing the tunnel walls to re-melt. As re-melted rocks cooled, the walls were left with a shiny, glazed surface. There are also volcanic stalactites in this area of the cave. These formations are sometimes called "lavacicles". They are found in two forms. Some are hollow cylindrically shaped soda straws, formed by escaping gases. The others are cone shaped drip pendants formed when re-melted lava dripped from the ceiling. At the end of Low Bridge area, the tube begins to narrow and the cave is divided into two tunnels with intermittent connecting passages. This is the "Two Tube Tunnel" section of the cave. Both tubes were probably active lava channels at the same time; however, the upper channel eventually drained into the lower tube as the flow subsided.
One of the most unusual parts of the cave is the "Sand Garden", located about 3,000 feet (914 m) from the entrance. Here the floor of the cave is covered with sand. The sand was carried into the cave by dripping water. The sand is fine volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Mazama 6,600 years ago. Rain and melting snow carried the ash down from the surface through cracks in the rock and deposited it on the floor of the cave one grain at a time. Occasionally, enough water leaks into the cave to create a pool. This allows the sand to spread out across the floor. At the Sand Garden, the constant dripping of water has carved spires and pinnacles in the sand. Since it takes hundreds of years to build these delicate sand forms, the Forest Service has fenced off the garden area to protect it. The 2,211 feet (674 m) of cave trail beyond the Sand Garden has a sandy floor. Along the way, the ceiling descends lower and lower until the sand fills the cave. The last 310 feet (95 m) of the cave was dug out of the sand plug by two men in the 1930s. Exploring this section of the cave requires visitors to crawl on hands and knees for much of the distance to the cave's end, and usually takes at least thirty minutes.
The air temperature at the mouth of the cave ranges from about 32 degrees to around 45 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degrees to around 7 degrees Celsius) depending on the time of year. Inside the cave, it is a constant 42 degrees (5.6 degrees Celsius). As a result, the Forest Service strongly recommends that visitors wear a warm jacket while exploring the cave. Lanterns can be rented at the visitor center above the cave entrance. Personal lanterns are also permitted; however, in order to protect the cave's fragile environment, they cannot have glass globes or use kerosene or white gas. Battery powered lights are best, but they must provide reliable illumination for at least one hour.


Smithfield Market Hall

Smithfield Market Hall is a former market hall on Swan Street, Manchester.
History.
 The area now known as part of the Northern Quarter in Manchester was named Smithfield Market in May 1822 because the potato market had moved to the area in 1820. As the market became more popular more land was acquired in 1850. Built between 1857 and 1858 and roofed over with iron trusses in 1865 the Hall replaced an earlier butchers' shambles on the same site. As the area continued to expand a retail fish market was built the same year; the building has since been demolished however its extension built in two stages has survived.
At its peak in 1897 the market place covered four and a half acres in Manchester City Centre stretching from Swan Street in Ancoats in the north, Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, Shudehill to the east and Oak Street to the west.
In these various markets the public could obtain fish, meat, fruit and vegetables; its influence was such that it spread further into Ancoats and through its Italian community spawned an ice-cream manufacturing industry. The market was policed at various points by Manchester Market Police.
Current status.
Other parts of the market have since been converted into other uses such as the fish market whose external walls are still intact but contained within are apartments and flats. However the former market hall after a period of occupancy has remained derelict since 2008.
Closure.
Smithfield Market was closed in 1972 and parts of the complex were demolished, the market stalls were relocated to West Gorton at the New Smithfield Market. The Market Hall was Grade II listed in 1973.


Chumbe Marine Park

The Chumbe Marine Park, officially recognized officially as Chumbe Reef Sanctuary since 1994, is a privately managed marine park in Chumbe Island, Zanzibar. It is successful as an ecotourism project. The objective of this sanctuary is to preserve and develop the rich biodiversity of the coral. Set up after controversial debate over a period of 3 years between the private developer of the park, the government and the local fishermen, the sanctuary has received funds from European Union, Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (the German aid agency) and many other donors including the initial developer. The sanctuary offers a terrestrial Nature Trail and an “Eco-lodge” for accommodation as well as an education centre. In particular, among the many awards it has received, the important ones are the “UNEP Global 500 Award for Environmental Achievement” and the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Southern Regional and Global Awards.
It is one of the most beautiful and diverse shallow reefs in the region. It is home to 90% of hard coral in East Africa with over 400 fish species, and is also an important feeding ground for green turtles and hawksbill. The Coral Reef Sanctuary is vital for biodiversity conservation as well as for fisheries in the region.


Tahquamenon Scenic Byway


Interstate 580 (California)

Interstate 580 (I-580) is an approximately east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in Northern California. The heavily traveled spur route of I-80 runs from US 101 in San Rafael in the San Francisco Bay Area to I-5 near Tracy in the Central Valley. I-580 forms a concurrency with I-80 between Albany and Oakland, the latter of which is the location of the MacArthur Maze interchange immediately east of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. I-580 provides a connection from the Bay Area to the southern San Joaquin Valley and Southern California via I-5, as I-5 bypasses the Bay Area to the east.
A portion of I-580 is called the MacArthur Freeway, after General Douglas MacArthur. Other portions are named the John T. Knox Freeway (after a former Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly), the Eastshore Freeway (after its location on San Francisco Bay), the Arthur H. Breed Jr. Freeway (after a former California State Assemblyman and Senator—the stretch itself lying between the cities of Castro Valley and Dublin), the William Elton "Brownie" Brown Freeway (after a Tracy resident instrumental in determining the route of Interstate 5 through the San Joaquin Valley), the Sgt. Daniel Sakai Memorial Highway (after the Castro Valley resident and Oakland SWAT officer killed in the 2009 shootings of Oakland police officers), and the John P. Miller Memorial Highway (after the Lodi resident and California Highway Patrol officer killed while chasing down a DUI driver).
Route description.
The western terminus of I-580 is roughly 10 miles north of San Francisco in the city of San Rafael (Marin County), at the junction with U.S. Route 101 (US 101). The interchange with US 101 is incomplete, only allowing continuous travel from southbound US 101 to eastbound I-580 (via exit 451B) and from westbound I-580 to northbound US 101. Heading eastward through the light industrial portion of eastern San Rafael, I-580 provides access to San Quentin State Prison at the eastern tip of land before joining the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge to cross San Francisco Bay. I-580 enters the city of Richmond in Contra Costa County mid-span, then continues through Richmond to join Interstate 80 in Albany at the "Hoffman Split."
After joining I-80, I-580 runs directly south for several miles along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the segment known as the Eastshore Freeway, then enters the MacArthur Maze. The segment between the Hoffman Split and the MacArthur Maze is a wrong-way concurrency, meaning I-580 east is signed as I-80 west, and vice versa. From the MacArthur Maze, I-580 is known as the MacArthur Freeway, which runs through Oakland and San Leandro to Castro Valley. About halfway to Castro Valley from the Maze, is an interchange with the Warren Freeway (State Route 13). Between this interchange and Castro Valley, I-580 runs near or along the trace of the Hayward Fault, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault.
In Castro Valley, I-580 turns eastward toward Dublin Canyon before descending into Dublin and Pleasanton. After passing through Livermore, the freeway enters the Altamont Pass. The road emerges in the Central Valley west of Tracy, where, after I-205 splits near the Altamont Speedway, it turns southeastward and terminates by merging with I-5 south of Tracy just shy of the Stanislaus County line.
I-580 through Altamont Pass is a major crossing of the Diablo Range linking the Central Valley to the Bay Area, and also a major route to Southern California. I-580 is the only freeway that crosses the Diablo Range, making it the safest route through the mountains. Prior to the construction of this route, traffic was detoured to Pacheco (SR 152) and Polonio (SR 46) passes.
I-580 provides Interstate Highway access between San Francisco and Los Angeles since I-5 runs east of the Bay Area. However, the primary control city listed on freeway signs along eastbound I-580 between I-80 and I-205 is instead Stockton, a vestige of when this segment used to be part of US 50.
I-580 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. The route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System, and is officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation from the San Leandro city limits to SR 24 and from I-5 to I-205, meaning that these are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.
Truck ban through Oakland.
Trucks over 4.5 tons are prohibited through Oakland between Grand Avenue and the San Leandro border. Specifically, eastbound trucks cannot travel beyond Grand Avenue/Lakeshore Avenue (exit 21B), and those going westbound must get off at MacArthur Boulevard/Foothill Boulevard (exit 30). They are instead instructed to take I-238 in Castro Valley and then I-880 through Oakland as an alternative route.
The truck prohibition has been in effect before the freeway was since the freeway was built in 1963 as part of US 50. Both the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) imposed the restriction, partly because the City of Oakland already had a truck ban through the area prior to the freeway's construction. Since then, the restriction was grandfathered in when the freeway was both renumbered and added to the Interstate Highway System.
As a result, it is the only segment of Interstate Highway in California that is not part of the National Truck Network (several other California state highways have similar truck bans such as SR 2, SR 13 and SR 85, but not any other Interstates). With trucks normally rerouted onto I-880 instead of I-580 through Oakland, the former generally gets more traffic than the latter. For decades, the trucking industry lobbied to have the ban removed, but was unsuccessful due to local opposition. In 2000, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 500, adding the I-580 truck restriction into the California Vehicle Code. The ban is temporarily lifted by the California Highway Patrol for short periods to reduce traffic congestion when major accidents occur on I-880 or I-238.
Express lanes.
High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-580 between Pleasanton and Livermore opened in February 2016. The eastbound express lanes stretch between Hacienda Drive and North Greenville Road. The westbound express lanes extend an additional west to San Ramon Road/Foothill Road.
, the HOT lanes' hours of operation is weekdays between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. Solo drivers are tolled using a variable pricing system based on the time of day. Carpools, motorcycles, and clean air vehicles are not charged. All tolls are collected using an open road tolling system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle using the HOT lanes is required to carry either a FasTrak "Flex" or "CAV" (Clean Air Vehicle) transponder, with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (1, 2, or 3 or more). Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch.
The high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane leading to the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge requires a car with 3+ persons, unlike California's regular carpool lanes of 2+ persons.
History.
I-5W and the San Francisco Bay Area.
What is now I-580 from I-5 to Oakland was originally conceived as part of a loop Interstate with a directional suffix, I-5W. However, I-5W and most of the other Interstates around the country with directional suffixes were eventually renumbered or eliminated, except for I-35E and I-35W in Texas and Minnesota, and more recently Interstates 69W, 69C, and 69E in Texas. The former route of I-5W now corresponds to I-580 from I-5 to Oakland, I-80 from Oakland to Vacaville, and I-505 from Vacaville to I-5 near Dunnigan.
I-5 to Castro Valley.
For the most part, the I-580 freeway in this segment was constructed over or alongside the right-of-way of US 50, previously part of the old Lincoln Highway, during the course of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The segment which begins at the split with I-205 was constructed during the same period of time over a new right-of-way to a junction with I-5, running through some low hills on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley near the city of Patterson.
In the 1990s, the freeway segment from Castro Valley through Pleasanton was enlarged and otherwise re-engineered in conjunction with the construction of the Dublin/Pleasanton Line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit. The BART tracks were placed in a new median between the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-580 as was the new Dublin/Pleasantion Station. The interchange with I-238 and the Hayward exit ramps was also re-engineered at this time.
The MacArthur Freeway: Castro Valley to Oakland.
The I-580 freeway in this segment was constructed starting in February 1960, adjacent to the city streets which were part of US 50 between Castro Valley and the large interchange along the eastern approach to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in Oakland now called the MacArthur Maze. The freeway was named in honor of World War II General Douglas MacArthur. Prior to the construction of this freeway, the various city streets of Oakland that were designated for US 50 (principally 38th Street, Hopkins Street, Moss Avenue, Excelsior Avenue and part of Foothill Boulevard) had been re-named for the General as "MacArthur Boulevard" which, for the most part, still parallels the MacArthur Freeway. The re-naming occurred on March 26 1942, by a resolution of the Oakland City Council.
The freeway was opened to traffic in 8 segments until its completion in May, 1966 (last segment, connecting with State Route 238 (now I-238), in Castro Valley, opened May 20, 1966).
Oakland to San Rafael.
The segment of I-580 running from the MacArthur Maze to San Rafael is the most recent to be signed as I-580, beginning in 1984. Before 1984, this segment was part of State Route 17 (SR 17).
From the Maze to the interchange locally known as the "Hoffman Split" in Albany, just north of the Gilman Street interchange (Hoffman Blvd. was the predecessor of I-580 in this section---see below), I-580 follows the Eastshore Freeway, a wrong-way concurrency with I-80 for its entirety: northward on the Eastshore is signed I-80 east and I-580 west; headed southward, one finds signs indicating I-80 west and I-580 east.
At the Hoffman Split, I-580 leaves the Eastshore Freeway in a northwesterly direction through the cities of Albany and Richmond. It then crosses San Francisco Bay over the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. The freeway in this section, officially named the John T. Knox Freeway, was constructed from 1987 to 1991. It replaced a number of city streets which comprised the earlier highway leading to the San Rafael Bridge, principally, Hoffman and Cutting Boulevards.
After crossing the bridge, I-580 runs west to San Rafael, ending at an interchange with US 101. This freeway segment supplanted an earlier boulevard constructed as part of SR 17.
Interstate 180.
Interstate 180 was a temporary designation used in 1978 for the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, now part of I-580. At the time the bridge had been identified as part of SR 17 but was marked for inclusion in the Interstate Highway System.
Briefly the bridge used the number "180", despite the Fresno-area SR 180's use of the number. The California Streets and Highways Code has a policy against using one route number for multiple noncontiguous highways. Unless the existing SR 180 is renumbered, which is unlikely due to its familiarity as the road to Kings Canyon National Park, there will not be an I-180 in California.
Future.
The segment of I-580 from I-680 to I-205 is undergoing significant expansion. Among the projects along this segment is the now-completed high-occupancy vehicle lanes in each direction, a westbound auxiliary lane between Fallon Road and Tassajara Road, the now-completed construction of a new interchange at Isabel Avenue in Livermore, the reconstruction of several interchanges, the construction of additional truck climbing lanes for the eastward ascent to the Altamont Pass, and plans to preserve the right-of-way to accommodate a future BART extension in the median of the freeway.


Ewens Ponds

Ewens Ponds is a series of three water-filled limestone sinkholes in the Australian state of South Australia located in the gazetted locality of Eight Mile Creek, on the watercourse of Eight Mile Creek about south of Mount Gambier and east of Port Macdonnell. The ponds are popular with recreational divers due to underwater visibility of up to . It has a large fish population including the endangered golden pygmy perch. Ewens Ponds has been part of the Ewens Ponds Conservation Park since 1976.
History.
The original inhabitants of the land are the Boandik group, of the Bungandidj people of Aboriginal people who lived in what is now south-eastern South Australia. The first European identified with the area was Thomas Ewens, whose dog chased a kangaroo into one of the ponds while he was hunting geese. Ewens reported his discovery of the ponds to the survey department and they became known as Thomas Ewens Spring Ponds.
The land surrounding the ponds was gradually cleared for agriculture and dairy farming and a drainage system built to draw water from the ponds for land sold for soldier settlement programs post-World War II.
In 1978 a trout farm was established utilising the waters flowing through Ewens Ponds. Although the ponds themselves are now part of a conservation park, the farm continues to operate. Water for the farm is drawn from the second pond, and wastewater discharged back into Eight Mile Creek downstream from the pond system.
Geography.
Each pond is a basin-shaped limestone doline approximately deep and connected to the others by shallow watercourses called "races". The beds are covered with a fine silt layer and the floor of the third pond also contains a natural shallow cave. The ponds are located in a narrow band of native bush land, surrounded by cleared terrain. The landscape is characteristic of karst topography, shaped by the gradual dissolution of soluble limestone to form hollows and small caves, along with numerous large and relatively deep sinkholes (true cenotes).
The ponds contain extremely clear, high quality freshwater in which snorkellers and scuba divers can enjoy the wonder of swimming in a giant 'underwater garden', where the prolific plant life can easily be seen on the far side of each pond, more than away in some areas. The clarity of the water also allows sufficient sunlight to penetrate that plant growth on the pond beds can reach up to in height. The ponds are also occasionally affected by outbreaks of blue-green and other algae, though testing has found no evidence of health risks. In 2007 the South Australian Environmental Protection Agency suggested the algal blooms may be a result of continued concentrations of soluble nitrogen in both the ponds and the adjoining Eight Mile Creek, arising from infiltration of the groundwater by fertilisers, animal waste or wastewater.
Fauna.
The ponds are one of only three recorded locations for the golden pygmy perch ("Nannoperca variegata"). Other fish life includes schools of short-finned eel, river blackfish, pouched lampreys, mullet and common galaxias. The ponds are also home to populations of flatworms, freshwater crayfish and mussels, and the larva of the carnivorous caddis fly.
Recreational activities.
The ponds are owned and managed as a conservation park by the Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). Plant and animal species in the ponds are protected and may not be removed.
High underwater visibility, the presence of rare and interesting fish, invertebrates and plants and the ponds' unique photographic potential have made them popular with scuba divers. Of particular interest in these clear waters is the actual observation of photosynthesis - aquatic plants can be seen releasing thin trails of bubbles as they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. However divers are prohibited from entering caves or crevices on the pond beds and strongly discouraged from disturbing the silt layer as the resulting turbidity may harm plant life. Divers enter at the First Pond, drift with the current through the First Race to the Second Pond, and then continue through the Second Race to the Third Pond before exiting the water via a ladder there. However, some divers (especially snorkellers) occasionally attempt to vigorously swim upstream through the races to return to Ponds One or Two, thereby disturbing the water plants lining the races, and this practice is strongly discouraged by the diving community. The general water temperature of the ponds is around 15 °C (60 °F).
Protected area status.
Ewens Ponds and some adjoining land has enjoyed protected area status since 1976 when proclaimed as a conservation park under the "National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972".


Biele Karpaty Protected Landscape Area

White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area () is one of the 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. The Landscape Area protects the Slovak part of the White Carpathians, part of the Slovak-Moravian Carpathians, in West Slovakia. The area stretches from Skalica District in the south west to the Púchov District in the north east, copying the border between Slovakia and the Czech Republic and is about 80 km long.
White Carpathians PLA was founded on 12 July 1979, and the law was amended on 28 August 2003.
Biology and ecology.
Forests cover 299.8 km2 (67.26%) of the area. The most widespread genera of trees are beech, linden and ash. Other plants include orchids, for example "Dactylorhiza fuchsii subsp. sooiana" and "Ophrys holubyana". Private fields are often home to endangered species, such as corncockle ("Agrostemma githago"), corn buttercup ("Ranunculus arvensis") and "Nigella arvensis".
Animals are represented by the European mantis, Rosalia longicorn, "Lucanus cervus", mountain Apollo, great crested newt, black stork, saker falcon, Eurasian eagle-owl, Eurasian lynx, and European wildcat.


Florida State Road 65

State Road 65 (SR 65) is a north–south route in the eastern panhandle, running from a junction with US 98/319 near Eastpoint northwards through the Apalachicola National Forest to SR 12 west of Quincy, near US 90.
Route description.
The route begins at US 98/319 in Green Point, a rural community east of Eastpoint on the Gulf of Mexico in Franklin County, Florida. For the road's first it runs straight north, and after this curves to the northwest. From here the road becomes North Shore Bay Road and winds around the southern border of the Tates Hell Swamp. As the road enters Beverly, it faces an at-grade crossing with an Apalachicola Northern Railroad line and then curves straight north again where it enters Apalachicola National Forest. In Buck Siding that line begins to run parallel to the east side of SR 65 and continues to do so as it crosses the Franklin-Liberty County Line. No sooner does the road cross that county line than it enters an unincorporated community named Sumatra where it has an intersection with County Road 22, also known as National Forest Route 175 and then County Road 379. Just around the intersection of NF Road 180, SR 65 curves to the northeast, where from here it spends the rest of its journey through the forest running from southwestern to northeastern Liberty County. In Wilma SR 65 has a wye intersection with County Road 12, a county road that wouldn't seem so important at the time but will prove to be important later on.
Emerging from the forest, SR 65 enters Telogia where it has an intersection with County Road 67 and later the northwestern terminus of County Road 67A. North of this community the road crosses a bridge over the Telogia Creek and then has an intersection with the western terminus of County Road 2224 (Blue Creek Road, formerly CR 267). Curving straight north in front of a cemetery, SR 65 enters Hosford, Florida where it continues on this trajectory for more than four blocks. After the intersection with Tin Can Road and Woodman Street, SR 65 serves as the western border for Hosford Elementary-Junior High School, before curving to the northeast again where it has a major intersection with State Road 20 at a blinker-light intersection. Continuing its northeast curve, it passes by a man-made lake leading to a tributary of Telogia Creek and then a power sub-station before briefly curving more to the north. Eventually this trajectory too shall end as it crosses the very Apalachicola Northern Railroad line it followed since Buck Siding. The rest of the way, SR 65 continues to wind towards the northeast as it crosses the Liberty-Gadsden County Line, and adopts the name Hosford Highway.
Just after crossing the county line, SR 65 runs over a bridge over Ocklawaha Creek and runs through a parcel of land known as the Forbes Purchase. During its time in this region, the road serves as the western terminus of County Road 65B (Old Federal Road) and then the southeastern terminus of County Road 65A. In Sawdust SR 65 has an intersection with County Road 274. Just before curving straight north, the road serves as the northeastern terminus of County Road 65A just south of the bridge over Interstate 10. Despite being a state road, SR 65 has no access to I-10, which it crosses over with a two-lane bridge. The road takes one last curve to the northeast before a wye intersection with State Road 12 where the route ends. Apart from several SR 65 shields in Quincy that refer to County Road 65, there are no signs connecting the two 65s.
History.
Originally, SR 65 was co-signed with US 90 to Quincy, then north alone to the Georgia border, where it becomes State Route 241. Sometime in the 1990s , FDOT downgraded the stretch of SR 65 from Quincy to the Georgia border to the Gadsden County government, in which that segment became County Road 65.
Related routes.
State Road 65 contains eight related county roads, all of which are in Gadsden County, Florida. These include a county extension of a former segment of SR 65, and several suffixed alternate routes, many of which are duplicates of one another.
County Road 65.
County Road 65 is the county extension of SR 65 north from Quincy. The route begins as North Madison Avenue, then becomes Attapulgus Highway north of the city limits. As Attapulgus Highway, the route winds around the outskirts of Quincy before curving primarily towards the northeast. County Road 65 crosses the Florida-Georgia State Line west of Dogtown, and becomes State Route 241.
County Road 65A.
County Road 65A is a suffixed alternate county route of SR 65 that can actually be found in one of three locations in Gadsden County.
The first and southernmost CR 65A is named Juniper Creek Road, a loop road on the west side of SR 65 in rural Gadsden County southeast of Greensboro and around Sawdust. The only moderate intersections are with the eastern terminus of CR 65D and CR 274. The road ends at SR 65 on the south side of the bridge over I-10. A former segment of this road can be found on the northwest corner of this bridge as Breeden Road, which becomes a dead end street north of the right-of-way of I-10.
The second CR 65A is Dewey Johnson Way which begins just east of the north end of SR 65 near Douglas City and runs directly south to north. The sole moderate intersection along this road is CR 270A, which has a connecting spur on the northwest corner. The route ends at CR 268 in Gretna.
The third, and northernmost CR 65A is Porter Mitchell Road which runs northwest from CR 65 to the Florida-Georgia State Line. Upon crossing the border, the road keeps the name Porter Mitchell Road.
County Road 65B.
County Road 65B is another county suffixed alternate route of SR 65, that can be found in two locations in Gadsden County.
The southernmost CR 65B is named Old Federal Road. It runs southeast from SR 65 towards the Lake Talquin area. In the vicinity of the Bear Creek Preserve, CR 65B intersects State Road 267 which also leads to CR 65C. The road makes a sharp northeast turn just before the intersection of Bear Creek Road. One other moderate intersection can be found along this segment, specifically CR 267A (Spooner Road), which is shared with a dirt road named Magnolia Farm Road. This segment of CR 65B ends at CR 268 (Highbridge Road) three blocks southeast of a bridge over I-10.
The northernmost CR 65B is named Bettstown Road, which unlike Old Federal Road actually connects to one of the other county-suffixed alternates rather than to SR 65 or CR 65. The route runs west from CR 65A then curves northwest to the Florida-Georgia State Line. Unlike nearby CR 65A however, the name of the street changes to Betts Community Road upon crossing the border.
County Road 65C.
County Road 65C is named McCall Bridge Road, and does not connect to either SR 65 or CR 65. In fact, there's very little evidence it even connects to a suffixed alternate of these routes, other than the possibility of a hidden concurrency with State Road 267 towards southern CR 65B. The road begins at SR 267 at the Wetumpka Volunteer Fire Department, and runs southeast through the Bear Creek Recreational Area of Lake Talquin State Park. Before entering the park, it passes by the Antioch Cemetery.
Just east of the park, it encounters the northern terminus of Lakeview Point Road, which leads to the Lakeview Point Boat Ramp. The road then turns to the south itself near Bear Creek Road. County Road 65C ends on the north shore of Lake Talquin at a boat ramp of its own.
County Road 65D.
County Road 65D is another county suffixed alternate of SR 65, which actually connects to one of the other county suffixed alternates. The entire road is named Telogia Creek Road and runs east and west from SR 12 to southern CR 65A south of Greensboro.


Grange Arch

Grange Arch, also known as Creech Folly, is an 18th-century folly that is located near the second highest point of the Purbeck Hills, Ridgeway Hill (199 m), in Dorset. It lies within the parish of Steeple.
The folly, which was built by a former owner of Creech Grange, Denis Bond, in 1746, is built in the form of a triple arch of ashlar stone. The central archway is surmounted by battlements and flanked by stone walls with smaller doorway arches.
Today the arch is owned by the National Trust. English Heritage have designated it a Grade II* listed building.


Washington Prime Group

Washington Prime Group Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers. The company is organized in Indiana with its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. From January 2015 to September 2016, the company had the name WP Glimcher.
Investments.
As of December 31, 2019, the company owned interests in 104 shopping centers containing 56 million square feet of leasable area.
Notable properties owned by the company include the following:
History.
On May 28, 2014, the company, which at that time owned interests in 98 shopping centers, was spun off by Simon Property Group.
In June 2014, the company acquired its partner's 50% interest in Clay Terrace for $22.9 million.
In January 2015, the company acquired Glimcher Realty Trust in a $4.3 billion transaction and the company was renamed as WP Glimcher. As part of the transaction, Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth, New Jersey and University Park Village in Fort Worth, Texas, were sold to Simon Property Group, while WP Glimcher acquired Brunswick Square in East Brunswick, New Jersey and Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights, New York from Simon.
On June 20, 2016, CEO Michael P. Glimcher resigned from the company and Louis G. Conforti was named chief executive officer.
In September 2016, the company changed its name back to Washington Prime Group. The company also sold Knoxville Center for $10.15 million.
In May 2017, the company sold a stake in six mall properties for $340 million.


Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. It is a vast multiple-use Marine Park which supports a wide range of uses, including commercial marine tourism, fishing, ports and shipping, recreation, scientific research and Indigenous traditional use. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or
wildlife (fish, coral, seashells, etc.) is strictly regulated, and commercial shipping traffic must stick to certain specific defined shipping routes that avoid the most sensitive areas of the park. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and best known coral reef ecosystem in the world. Its reefs, almost 3000 in total, represent about 10 per cent of all the coral reef areas in the world. It supports an amazing variety of biodiversity, providing a home to thousands of coral and other invertebrate species, bony fish, sharks, rays, marine mammals, marine turtles, sea snakes, as well as algae and other marine plants.
Managing authority.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is responsible for the care and protection of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It uses a range of tools to manage the marine park including Acts and Regulations, zoning plan, plans of management, traditional owner agreements, partnerships, stewardship and best practice, education, research and monitoring and reporting. It issues permits for various forms of use of the marine park, and monitors usage in the park to ensure compliance with rules and regulations associated with the park. GBRMPA is funded by Commonwealth Government appropriations and an environmental management charge levied on the permit-holders' passengers. Currently this is A$6.00 per day per passenger (to a maximum of $16.50 per trip).
Description.
Extent.
The marine park lies east of the mainland coast of Queensland, starting in the north at Cape York. Its northern boundary is the circle of latitude 10°41'S (running east up to the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef at 145º19'33"E), thereby encompassing those few uninhabited Torres Strait Islands that are east of Cape York, south of 10°41'S and north of 11°00'S. The largest of those island are Albany Island (), Turtle Head Island and Trochus Island . Further islands are Mai Island , Bush Island , Tree Islet , Brewis Island , and a few unnamed islets.
Protected area designation.
As of 2016, zones within the marine park has been categorized into the following IUCN protected area categories:
History.
In 1975, the Government of Australia enacted the "Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975", which created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and defined what acts were prohibited on the Reef. Joe Baker, who was involved in the bid to make the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage-listed in 1981, was a founding member of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
The Australian Government also has recognised the ecological significance of this Park by its inclusion in the nation's Biodiversity Action Plan. The Government of Australia manages the reef through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and in partnership with the Government of Queensland, to ensure that it is widely understood and used in a sustainable manner. A combination of zoning, management plans, permits, education and incentives (such as eco-tourism certification) is used in the effort to conserve the Great Barrier Reef.
As many species of the Great Barrier Reef are migratory, many international, national, and interstate conventions or pieces of legislation must be taken into account when strategies for conservation are made.
Some international conventions that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park must follow are: the Bonn Convention, Ramsar Site (for the Bowling Green Bay National Park site), CITES, JAMBA and CAMBA.
Some national legislation that the Park must follow are: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975,
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity, Australia’s Oceans Policy, National Strategy for the Conservation of Australian Species and Communities Threatened with Extinction.
Some state legislation that the Park must follow are: Nature Conservation Act 1992, Marine Parks Act 1982, Fisheries Act 1994, Queensland Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 1994.
For example, the Queensland Government has enacted several plans attempting to regulate fishing. The "East Coast Trawl Management Plan 1999" aimed to regulate trawling through limiting the times when trawling is permitted and restricting gear used. The "Fisheries (Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery) Management Plan 2003" aimed at reducing the annual commercial catch to 1996 levels, disallowing fishing when the fish are spawning and increasing the minimum legal size of fish.
The Great Barrier Reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.
Up until 1999, there were four main zones in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They were the "Far Northern", "Cairns", "Central" and "Mackay/Capricorn" sections. These zoning sections were created between 1983–1987. Another section, the "Gumoo Woojabuddee" section was declared in 1998. Each section had its own zoning plan. The "Great Barrier Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003" superseded all previous zoning plans, coming into effect on 1 July 2004.
In July 2004, a new zoning plan was brought into effect for the entire Marine Park, and has been widely acclaimed as a new global benchmark for the conservation of marine ecosystems. The rezoning was based on the application of systematic conservation planning techniques, using the MARXAN software. On 1 July 2004 the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park became the largest protected sea area in the world when the Australian Government increased the areas protected from extractive activities (such as fishing) from 4.6% to 33.3% of the park. , the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument is the largest protected marine area in the world. The management committee draws inspiration from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's management strategies.
The current method of zoning is called the "Representative Areas Program", which chooses "typical" areas of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They can then be protected in "Green Zones" (no-take zones). The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area has been divided into 70 bioregions, of which 30 are reef bioregions, and 40 are non-reef bioregions.
In 2006, a review was undertaken of the "Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975". Some recommendations of the review are that there should be no further zoning plan changes until 2013, and that every five years, a peer-reviewed Outlook Report should be published, examining the health of the Great Barrier Reef, the management of the Reef, and environmental pressures.
In early 2007, GBRMPA was one of three nominees for the Destination Award in the World Travel and Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
On 3 April 2010, the Shen Neng 1, a Chinese ship carrying 950 tonnes of oil, ran aground, causing the 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill.
In 2012, legislation was introduced which compelled developers to deposit money into the Reef Trust. Professor Tiffany Morrison argues that this has made it easier for developments to be approved in the region.
The week before 21 July 2013, on the second day of the biennial joint training exercise Talisman Saber, two American AV-8B Harrier fighter jets launched from aircraft carrier USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) dropped four bombs, weighing a total 1.8 metric tons (4,000 pounds), into more than 50 metres (164 ft) of water. None exploded and no coral was damaged.
People such as scientists, conservationists, developers, managers, tourism entrepreneurs and politicians have had major influences on the history of the reef In 2015, the Australian Government and Reef Ecologic Pty Ltd conducted a coral reef training course to build capacity to protect coral reefs
Threats.
Crown-of-thorns starfish.
The Crown of Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci), while native to the reef, poses one of its greatest threats when outbreaks occur. Several efforts have been made to identify and control these outbreaks, including the COTSBot developed by Queensland University of Technology.
These outbreaks and subsequent threats have led to an increase in awareness and appearances in mainstream media, as industry and conservation groups try to control the COTS and protect the reef. An infographic explaining the process of identifying and targeting this threat can be seen here.
Outlook for the Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2014, published every five years, examines the Great Barrier Reef’s health, pressures, and likely future.
The report is required under "Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975" (section 54) and aims to provide a regular and reliable means of assessing reef health and management in an accountable and transparent way.
The report finds the greatest risks to the Reef are still climate change, land-based run-off, coastal development, some fishing impacts, illegal fishing and poaching.
Associated protected areas.
The Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park is a marine protected area located in Queensland waters adjoining the Great Barrier Reef. It was created on 5 November 2004 by the amalgamation of the following former marine parks - the Mackay/Capricorn Marine Park, the Townville/Whitsunday Marine Park, the Trinity Inlet/ Marlin Coast Marine Park and the Cairns Marine Park, along with the addition of previously unprotected area of coastal water that adjoined the former marine parks listed above. The marine park is intended to complement the adjoining GBRMP by the use of "similar zone objectives, and entry and use provisions". It is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.


Albany Pine Bush

The Albany Pine Bush, referred to locally as the Pine Bush, is one of the largest of the 20 inland pine barrens in the world. It is centrally located in New York's Capital District within Albany and Schenectady counties, between the cities of Albany and Schenectady. The Albany Pine Bush was formed thousands of years ago, following the drainage of Glacial Lake Albany.
The Albany Pine Bush is the sole remaining undeveloped portion of a pine barrens that once covered over ,  and is "one of the best remaining examples of an inland pine barrens ecosystem in the world." By 2008 it included all parcels of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve (a state nature preserve spanning ), the properties that connect these protected parcels, and some of the surrounding areas that abut the preserve. The Woodlawn Preserve and surrounding areas in Schenectady County are the western sections of the Pine Bush, separated geographically by other properties from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in Albany County.
Historically regarded as desolate and dangerous to cross, the Pine Bush has come to be seen as a historical, cultural, and environmental asset to the Capital District and Hudson Valley regions of New York. It is home to the Karner blue butterfly, an endangered species first identified by author Vladimir Nabokov in 1944 using a type specimen from the Pine Bush. In 2014, Albany Pine Bush was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
History.
European colonization.
Around 10,000 years ago Native Americans moved into the Pine Bush area. When Europeans arrived in the early 17th century, two groups lived in the immediate area: the Mohawk nation of the Haudenosaunee to the west along the Mohawk River, and the Mahican to the east, along the Hudson River. The Dutch traded with both native groups from their outpost at Fort Orange (present-day Albany), which was established in 1624. For the natives the Pine Bush was an important source of firewood and animal pelts to trade with the Dutch. By 1640 the natives were having trouble finding enough animals in the Pine Bush to supply the growing European demand. The Mohawk referred to the settlement at Fort Orange as "skahnéhtati," meaning "beyond the pine plains," referring to the large area of the Pine Bush between the Hudson and Mohawk rivers.
The Dutch granted a patent in 1661 under the name of "Schenectady" to a settlement on a bend in the Mohawk River to the west of the Pine Bush and about 20 miles from Fort Orange. To the settlers at Fort Orange, the settlement on the Mohawk River started by Arent van Curler was "beyond the pine plains", and therefore the name Schenectady (in various spelling connotations) became associated with the village at that site. In 1664, the Dutch surrendered their entire colony of New Netherland, including Albany and Schenectady, to the English.
What became known as the "King's Highway" were a series of footpaths which the Mohawk had long used to get from west in the valley through the Pine Bush to trade with other tribes at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers. This area was later the site of the Dutch Fort Orange. After the founding of Schenectady, the name was used for what became a major route between the two settlements but, until the mid-18th century, it was not improved beyond a footpath. During the war from 1699 to 1707, Albany residents collected firewood from the Pine Bush for the large army that was camped at Fort Frederick.
In 1710, Germans immigrated from Palatine to the Albany area. To pay off the cost of their passage some were sent to work camps in the Pine Bush to harvest pines for pitch and rosin for the construction of English naval vessels. Some of these immigrants named the Helderberg Escarpment and settled Schoharie County. Others, largely from work camps in Dutchess County along the Hudson River, settled further west in the valley in 1723, past Little Falls on the Burnetsfield Patent.
During the French and Indian Wars, the British military improved the road significantly for use by its forces. After the war it was used by numerous settlers moving west into the Mohawk Valley. During the late-18th century, taverns and the occasional homesteader began to dot the Pine Bush along the King's Highway, while development began to encroach on the Pine Bush at the Albany and Schenectady edges as those settlements began to grow. The highway and the Pine Bush was a frontier wilderness and extremely dangerous even after the end of the war. Starting in 1765, militiamen took turns escorting travelers through the area to protect them from outlaws, bandits, smugglers, and other dangers. During the American Revolutionary War, the Bush was home to Loyalists of the British Crown. Among the taverns established in the 1760s catering to Pine Bush travelers was the "Truax Tavern" owned by Isaac Truax, a descendant of French Huguenots and a Tory sympathizer; he said that he was "not a Tory, but a man for the King". Rumors circulated of several murders/robberies being carried out at the tavern.
Travel became easier in 1793 following the revolution, when a stage coach began carrying passengers between the two cities and through the Pine Bush for three cents per mile.
19th century.
The 19th century saw great improvements in modes of transportation for traveling through the Pine Bush with better roads and soon thereafter railroads. Beginning in 1799 the Great Western Turnpike (today's US Route 20) and the Albany-Schenectady Turnpike (New York Route 5) were built through the Pine Bush. The Western Turnpike connected Albany west across the state to the American Midwest, while the Albany-Schenectady Turnpike replaced the King's Highway to Schenectady. The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad was chartered in 1826 in order to reduce travel time between Schenectady and Albany via the Erie Canal; it was the first railroad in the state of New York, and the fourth in the United States. On July 2, 1830, the DeWitt Clinton pulled the first passenger train in the United States, traveling over the route through the heart of the Pine Bush.
Over time, the turnpikes and railroad opened up parts of the Pine Bush to settlement, farming, and land speculation. One of the earliest residents was Theophillus Roessle, who owned a large farm and manor in what is now the hamlet of Roessleville, just outside Albany in the town of Colonie. He claimed that the sandy soil of the Pine Bush was "the best land for fruits in the world." Further west, part of the Pine Bush was carved up in 1858 into 860 plots as part of what is now known as the "Great Land Swindle" and sold to buyers outside the region. When they came to inspect their land, they thought the barrens were useless for agriculture; they tried to recoup their money by selling the land to other unsuspecting outsiders.
As in the colonial period, the Pine Bush continued to be tapped for its natural resources, with water becoming a target for development. The Patroon Creek, roughly where three feeder streams joined in the heart of the Pine Bush along Albany's northern border, was dammed in 1850 to form Rensselaer Lake waterworks.
In 1871, the northwestern portion of Albany west of Magazine Street, consisting of mostly undeveloped Pine Bush, was annexed to the neighboring Town of Guilderland after the Town of Watervliet refused it.
Portions of this territory were ceded to Albany in 1910 established its current border. A telling perspective of how it was viewed at the time is contained in the enabling law (Chapter 375 of the Laws of New York, 1910), which described the Pine Bush as "being a territory lying to the west of the present boundary line of the city and which is in large part waste and unoccupied land, the ownership of which is uncertain." This law authorized Albany to lay out the newly annexed territory into lots and acquire land for a park system to connect the Rensselaer Lake waterworks property to the old city border.
20th century.
As part of the Great Migration of African Americans out of the rural South to industrial cities in the early 20th century, the Reverend Louis W. Parson and his wife migrated in 1927 from Mississippi to Albany, where he founded the First Church of God in Christ. In four trips to Mississippi, Parson encouraged friends and family to move to Albany and join the church, which many did during the 1930s and 1940s. The reverend felt that the mores of Albany's South End, where they originally settled, was not conducive to religious life. He started a community in the Pine Bush along Rapp Road, purchasing two undeveloped properties in 1930 and 1933. It is a rare example of a chain migration community surviving from the Great Migration. This narrow entity is today designated as the Rapp Road Community Historic District, listed on both the state and the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1912, the city of Albany commissioned a study by notable architect Arnold W. Brunner and landscape architect Charles Downing Lay for beautification of the city; it was published as "Studies for Albany". Brunner and Lay proposed using the Rensselaer Lake waterworks property as the core of a new natural park, preferably leaving much of the grounds in their natural state; "[i]n fact the less done to it the better." The city never acquired more land for a park here, and portions of the original waterworks property were sold off piecemeal and developed over the following century.
In the 1950s, the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) was built through the Pine Bush, disrupting habitat and ecology. Further development took place in the 1950s and 60s with the construction of the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus and the SUNY Albany uptown campus. In the 21st century, the remaining Pine Bush represents only about 10% of the undeveloped land that existed prior to 1950.
In the 1960s, longtime Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd pushed forward the Washington Avenue Extension, a four-lane divided highway extending Washington Avenue westward from Fuller Road through the Pine Bush to New Karner Road (NY Route 155). This opened the heart of the Pine Bush and the western section of the city to development and has been described as "a knife through the heart of the Pine Bush". Soon afterward, Neil Hellman, a race horse magnate and major developer in the city, proposed a huge "city within a city" on that would have apartments, stores, an office park, one or two schools, and fire and police stations. Mayor Corning estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 persons would live there. Environmentalists and neighborhood groups fought and ultimately defeated this proposal.
Mayor Corning gave archaeologist Don Rittner a $500 donation in 1972 to excavate the Truax Tavern along the King's Highway. Rittner disproved the prevailing historical beliefs concerning the sophistication and structure of the tavern. He discovered several skeletons under the tavern's floor, which may confirm rumors of murders having taken place at the tavern. As a result of this project, Rittner was appointed as Albany's first municipal archaeologist, possibly the first of such a position in the nation.
While Mayor Corning supported the largest purchases of Pine Bush land as a city preserve, he also approved placing the Albany landfill in the Pine Bush, the construction of the Washington Avenue Extension, and authorizing much of the development that occurred during his 42 years in office as mayor. These all had adverse environmental effects on the Bush. In 1967, a portion of Albany's waterworks/Pine Bush property in the town of Colonie along Central Avenue was sold to developers who built the Northway Mall. Two years later the city moved its dump to the Pine Bush. The Dunes, a single-family housing development in the middle of the Pine Bush off the Washington Avenue Extension, was built in the mid-1970s.
In response to these developments, concerned citizens worried about the future of the habitat formed Save the Pine Bush in 1978. The organization filed lawsuits for the next several decades to stop further developments in the barrens.
The activist group opposed construction of Crossgates Mall in the town of Guilderland. First proposed in 1978, it was finished in 1984, then expanded to doubled to 1.5 million square feet in 1994, becoming the third-largest mall in New York. Widespread regional opposition rose against plans in the late 1990s to more than double the mall againwith more than 2 million additional square feet of retail space, plus a 12-story hotel, and activities such as bowling, ice skating, miniature golf and soccer; the project was finally dropped in 1999.
In 1985, a bill to establish a state-controlled preserve to protect Pine Bush lands never made it out of committee. The bill was proposed the following year by Assemblyman Robert Connor (D)-New City. Among the local politicians who opposed the bill was Albany Mayor Thomas Whalen III, who sparred with Assemblyman Connors in a series of letters. Connors stated, "if the mayor allows the final destruction of the Pine Bush, the city of Albany will be an ancient archaeological ruin before the pine barren is replaced." Assemblyman Arnold Proskin (R)-Colonie, whose district included portions of the proposed preserve, opposed on the grounds that the bill was creating another state agency (like the Adirondack Park Agency) that would wrest control from local communities over their development.
The legislature established the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission in 1988. Its members consist of representatives of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, The Nature Conservancy, the towns of Colonie and Guilderland, and the city of Albany, Albany County; and four private citizens appointed by the governor. In 2001, the State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU) donated their bank branch on New Karner Road to the state, following the discovery of an underlying issue with the title. The bank branch was adapted for use as the Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center.
Located since 1969 in the Pine Bush, the Albany landfill has been expanded several times, the latest by in 2010. , the landfill is expected to have seven years of operating life remaining. Fees paid by other jurisdictions and businesses enable the landfill to generate $4–5 million annually to the Albany budget; city residents are provided with free trash collection. The city committed to spending $18 million to restore Pine Bush habitat in exchange for gaining approval of the 2010 expansion.
In 1969, when Albany opened its landfill, the city of Schenectady set aside its only patch of Pine Bush as the Woodlawn Preserve, designating the as a forever wild preserve. Since then, numerous developers have approached the city with proposals for development. In 2009 Schenectady County acted to protect as parkland in the neighboring town of Niskayuna; this is part of the Woodlawn Pine Barrens–Wetlands Complex which borders the Woodlawn Preserve. The county deeded this property to the town. This action complemented larger plans to connect the complex to the larger Pine Bush Preserve in Albany County
Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center.
The Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center is a nature center in Albany, New York with exhibits and activities about the Albany Pine Bush Preserve's natural history, geologic and cultural significance. The center offers public programs such as teaching programs for school groups, guided hikes, lectures and after school programs, all of which are led by Pine Bush staff. Additionally, Pine Bush Discovery Center staff lead events like invasive species removal programs to allow community members to participating in maintaining the Pine Bush. The Pine Bush Discovery Center also encourages citizen science by running programs such as ant collection, where participants can collect and identify ants, providing data for Pine Bush staff to monitor their conservation efforts. It occupies a former SEFCU credit union bank branch on New Karner Road.
Geography.
The Pine Bush is within the Hudson Valley section of the Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province in the state of New York, and occupies parts of the city of Albany and the towns of Colonie and Guilderland within Albany County, as well as parts of Schenectady County to the west . The Pine Bush includes not only pine barrens, but also grasslands of prairie grasses, northern and southern successional forests, and numerous ravines with some wetlands. The Pine Bush ranges in elevation from to above sea level.
Geology.
Underlying the Albany Pine Bush is a bedrock consisting of shale and siltstone, laid down 450 million years ago during the Middle Ordovician. The bedrock is covered by glaciolacustrine deposits which make up the sandy topsoils of the barrens.
As the glaciers of the Wisconsin glaciation began to recede from the Hudson Valley area, a glacial lake known today as Lake Albany extended across the mid and upper Hudson Valley and a large delta formed west of Albany where the predecessor of the Mohawk River flowed into the lake. Along the shoreline of the lake, lacustrine sands were deposited between the present-day cities of Hudson and Glens Falls; this became the Hudson Valley sandplain. Relieved from the weight of the glacier, the land began to rebound, and the lake receded by draining into the Hudson River. The deposits of sand in the delta area were gradually sculpted by wind into sand dunes. Plants later colonized the land and stabilized the dunes. The Pine Bush originally occupied , or 60,000 acres, at which point it was the largest inland pine barrens in North America.
Ecology.
Flora.
Less than half of the protected areas of the Albany Pine Bush (42%, or ) are currently pitch pine-scrub oak barrens, with an additional of disturbed areas with invasive plant growth. As this area is now under protection, it can be restored to the status of pine barrens, especially with the use of controlled burning. The remaining pine barrens are dominated by pitch pine ("Pinus rigida"), a tall shrub layer consisting of bear oak and dwarf chestnut oak ("Quercus ilicifolia" and "Quercus prinoides"), and a low shrub layer composed of lowbush blueberries ("Vaccinium angustifolium" and "Vaccinium pallidum"), black huckleberry ("Gaylussacia baccata"), and sweet fern ("Comptonia peregrina"). Between areas of pitch pine-scrub oak barrens are small patches of grassland dominated by prairie grasses, including big bluestem ("Andropogon gerardi"), little bluestem ("Schizachyrium scoparium"), Indiangrass ("Sorghastrum nutans"), as well as small trees like the shrubby willows ("Salix humilis" and "Salix tristis"). Characteristic flowering plants include bush clover ("Lespedeza capitata"), goat's-rue ("Tephrosia virginiana"), and wild lupine ("Lupinus perennis").
Due to prolonged periods of natural fire suppression, much of the Pine Bush has evolved into northern or southern hardwood forests. These forests, often dominated by invasive species, occupy roughly of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. The southern hardwood forests are dominated by black locust ("Robinia pseudoacacia"), which is exotic, and black cherry ("Prunus serotina"); with lesser numbers of native oaks ("Quercus") and maples ("Acer"), and the exotic, invasive tree of heaven ("Ailanthus altissima"). The shrub layer is dominated by black raspberry ("Rubus occidentalis") and other brambles ("Rubus" sp.). In contrast the northern hardwood forests are dominated by aspen ("Populus"), black cherry, red maple ("Acer rubrum"), white pine ("Pinus strobus"), gray birch ("Betula populifolia"), green ash ("Fraxinus pennsylvanica"), and oaks.
Ravines within the Pine Bush contain mixed forests of pine-northern hardwoods and Appalachian oak-pine. The pine-hardwood forests are dominated by species such as white pine and yellow birch ("Betula alleghaniensis"), mixed with scattered red maple, a shrub layer dominated by witch-hazel ("Hamamelis virginiana"), and a herbaceous layer composed of a variety of herbs, mosses, and lichens. The Appalachian oak-pine forest has a tree canopy of one or more oak species, primarily black oak, white oak, and red oak ("Quercus velutina", "Quercus alba", and "Quercus rubra"); these are mixed with pitch pine and some white pine, and a shrub layer dominated by heath shrubs, typically blueberries and black huckleberry. Marshes and wetlands occur along the northern boundary of the Pine Bush and along the bottoms of ravines. Roughly of vernal pools have been mapped, these are ground-water fed ponds that are dominated by grasses, sedges, herbs, and low shrubs.
The Pine Bush is home to bog bluegrass ("Poa paludigena"), a federal species of concern, as well as the rare red-rooted flatsedge ("Cyperus erythrorhizos"), Houghton's umbrella-sedge ("Cyperus houghtonii"), and Schweinitz's flatsedge ("Cyperus schweinitzii"). Bog bluegrass occurs at the bottom of a ravine in the Pine Bush and is the only place in the New York Bight watershed where this plant appears. Bayard's malaxis ("Malaxis bayardii") is a rare orchid that occurs in the Pine Bush as well.
Fauna.
The Albany Pine Bush is home to hundreds of species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), including over 40 Noctuidae considered to be pine barrens specialists. The most well-known species in the area is the Karner blue ("Plebejus melissa samuelis"), discovered in the 1940s and named by the author and lepidopterist Vladimir Nabokov. The butterfly is now on the Endangered Species List. Once found in large numbers throughout the grassy openings of the pine barrens, it is today extremely rare and found in a handful of sites. Attempts to reintroduce the butterfly focus on the food and host plant for its larvae – the wild blue lupine, which needs frequent forest fires to maintain its habitat. Other regionally rare butterflies include the dusted skipper ("Atrytonopsis hianna"), Henry's elfin ("Incisalia henrici"), frosted elfin ("Incisalia irus"), and Edward's hairstreak ("Satyrium edwardsii"). The inland barrens buck moth ("Hemileuca maia") is a state-listed special concern animal; and other rare moths include the broad-lined catopyrrha ("Catopyrrha coloraria"), several noctuid moths ("Apharetra purpurea", "Chaetaglaea cerata", "Chytonix sensilis", "Macrochilo bivittata", and "Zanclognatha martha"), bird dropping moth ("Cerma cora"), and a geometrid moth ("Itame"). The Albarufan dagger moth was last seen in the Pine Bush in 1983 and is presumed locally extinct.
The Pine Bush is also home to 30 of the 44 species of amphibians and reptiles that are indigenous to Albany County. Seven of these species are generally not seen so far north in the state of New York. Three species of salamander, the Jefferson salamander ("Ambystoma jeffersonium"), blue-spotted salamander ("Ambystoma laterale"), and spotted salamander ("Ambystoma maculatum"), are state-listed special concern animals. Two species of turtle, the spotted turtle ("Clemmys guttata") and wood turtle ("Clemmys insculpta"), are also special concern animals. About 45 species of birds breed in the Albany Pine Bush (according to the 1985 "New York State Breeding Bird Atlas") and are fairly common species for the area. About 32 species of common small mammals have been found in and adjacent to the Pine Bush.


Turku Market Hall

Turku Market Hall is the second oldest market hall in Finland, and it was opened in 1896 in Turku.
History.
Turku Market Hall was built to address the disorderly 19th century trade taking place on the squares of Turku, where hygiene was not of a high enough standard. Gustaf Nyström had already completed the first market hall in Finland, namely the Helsinki Market Hall, in 1889. He had traveled Europe to research their construction. Thus it was natural that he was assigned with the task. The construction plan called for more than 300,000 bricks and over 42 tons of iron parts. The construction was nonetheless completed and the hall was opened to the public in 1896.
Originally the hall featured 151 shops, of which 53 were dedicated to fresh meat products. The hall was lit with gas lamps as the hall did not have electricity until 1932. On the other hand, running water was installed already in 1905, which meant that the hall had aquariums with live fish for sale, such as pikes, eels, breams and flounders.
However, in the 1950s the hall was still almost unchanged and it had fallen behind the times, lacking modern refrigeration and storage space. In 1957 the first refrigerated counters finally arrived to the hall and the first florist and stationery opened shop there.
The fate of the Market Hall hung in the balance in the 1960s. The KOP was organizing a design competition for a new office building in the spring of 1960. The competition brief mentioned the demolition of the neighboring Turku Matket Hall, which was to be replaced with a new market hall along with the new office building. Viljo Revell won the competition with his proposal "Kolme koputusta" (). This plan featured a large triangular building, the KOP-kolmio (), with another adjacent office building, occupying the lot of the Turku Market Hall. The adjacent building was supposed to share a side wall with the KOP-kolmio, thus the facade facing the market hall is relatively plain.
Against the odds, and only after a long deliberation the plan for the hall's renovation was approved on 6 January 1976. The renovation was done in two phases, leaving one end of the hall continuously open for business. The renovation works were extensive, and e.g. the old marble counters had to go, replaced with stainless steel, however, the facade was left unchanged. The renovation also meant that the number of shops was cut down by half as the lots had been enlarged and some of them had been replaced with cold storage. The Market Hall also gained a new utility building next to it.


Yanesha Communal Reservation

The Communal Reservation Yanesha or Yanesha Community Reserve is a communal reserve in the Palcazu District of Oxapampa Province of Peru. It covers an area of in the Palcazu River basin. The reserve was creating by law on April 28, 1988 to protect both wild fauna and indigenous peoples. The Yanesha' people live in the reserve.
Fauna.
Important indigenous mammals that live within the reserve include red brocket deer ("Mazama americana"), collared peccary ("Tayassu tajacu"), white-lipped peccary ("Tayassu pecari"), nine-banded armadillo ("Dasypus novemcinctus"), and agouti ("Dasyprocta sp."), as well as monkeys, such as the "Ateles" sp. and the "Lagothrix" sp.
The Spix's guan ("Penelope jacquacu") is a bird protected in the reserve, and significant fish species include the boquichico ("Prochilodus" sp.) the sábalo ("Brycon melanopoterum"), the palometa ("Mylossoma aureum"), the doncella ("Pseudoplatystoma" sp.), and the lisa ("Leporinus" sp.).


Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area

Blue Springs Creek Conservation Area consists of about southwest of Bourbon, Missouri. It is named for, and crossed by, Blue Springs Creek for , which flows into the Meramec River at the area's eastern boundary. The creek is fed by four springs located on private property in its watershed. Blue Springs Creek is managed for rainbow trout, while the area supports abundant populations of white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and squirrels. Current management is focused on improving quail habitat. Hunting and fishing are permitted as long as appropriate regulations are followed.
The conservation area has of forest, of grasslands, and of glades. The area was originally acquired by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1983 and was expanded when an additional tract was added in 1992. There is a boat launch and three parking areas in the conservation area.


Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park

"Parts of this article have been adapted from the BC Parks website."
MquqWin/Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park is a provincial park located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
History.
As a result of land-use planning for Vancouver Island, this former 28,780 hectare (71,117 acre) recreation area (established in 1986) was upgraded in 1995 to a Class 'A' Provincial Park. In addition to this upgrade, 22,851 hectares (56,466 acres) known as the Brooks-Nasparti area, has been added to the park. On July 13, 2009, the park was renamed MquqWin/Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park under the guidance of the Che:k'tles7et'h' peoples.
Geography.
The park is 51,631 hectares (127,583 acres) in size. Brooks Peninsula is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Port Alice, British Columbia. Access to the park is by boat or float plane.
Brooks Peninsula juts 20 kilometres (12 mi) into the Pacific Ocean and has a rugged and varied coastline, with long fjords and sandy beaches. The inland is seldom-explored and densely wooded with mostly old growth forest.
The highest point is a sub-peak of Snowsaddle Mountain at 1143m (3,750 ft) elevation. Mountains in the park, known as the Refugium Range, include Klaskish (963m or 3,159 ft), Nunatak (930m or 3,051 ft), and Doom (787m or 2,582 ft). Peaks in the area higher than 700m (2,300 ft) were above the glaciers during the last ice age and are therefore a refugium with unique plants.
Conservation.
Unaffected by the last ice age, Brooks Peninsula is considered a unique geologic feature. As a result, the geology of the peninsula is different from that of the rest of Vancouver Island and many rare plant communities exist, providing unparalleled opportunities for scientific study. This remote wilderness area includes an extensive, wild ocean coastline, long sheltered inlets, rugged mountains, pristine estuaries with high waterfowl and fishery values and high biodiversity values associated with old-growth forests. The Brooks-Nasparti addition encompasses the entire watershed of the Nasparti River and streams draining into Johnson Lagoon, the west-facing slopes along Nasparti Inlet, the Power River and Battle Creek watersheds and the Mount Seaton area
The park preserves the peninsula's pristine wilderness landscape, which contains the Refugium Range of the Vancouver Island Ranges and Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone.
Cultural Heritage.
The park is located within the traditional territory of the peoples comprising today's Kyuquot/Cheklesahht and Quatsino First Nations band governments. Battle Bay in the southern portion of the park is rich in First Nations cultural history. Many battles were fought at this location in order to retain control of this prosperous area. First Nations reserves located adjacent to the southern portion of Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park are not for recreational use. Visitors are encouraged to contact the Kyuquot/Cheklesahht First Nation band office in Kyuquot prior to exploring Brooks Peninsula.
Recreation.
Brooks Peninsula is infrequently visited; its surrounding waters however provide superb kayaking and canoeing. It is entirely undeveloped and has no marked trails and no facilities, although in some locations ocean debris is placed at known trail heads.
Camping is permitted anywhere in the park, but made complicated due to the remoteness, difficulty of access, and lack of facilities.
Nearby Solander Island is an Ecological Reserve and access is prohibited.


County Route G20 (California)


Cave of El Soplao

El Soplao (Cantabrian: El Sopláu) is a cave located in the municipalities of Rionansa, Valdáliga and Herrerías in Cantabria, Spain. It is considered unique for the quality and quantity of geological formations (speleothems) in its 17 miles length, 6 of which are open to the public. In it are formations such as helíctites (eccentric stalactites defying gravity) and curtains (draperies, or sheets of calcite, sometimes translucent, hanging from the ceiling). Its formation dates back to the Mesozoic, in particular the Cretaceous period 240 million years ago.
The entrance is at 540 metres in the Sierra Soplao Arnero.
The cave was accidentally discovered during drilling for mining, subsequently being exploited for the extraction of minerals. During its operation, many local families were supported by the income they got from the mining, combined with farming livestock. After decades of neglect, speleology, and in particular the Cantabria University Speleology Club since 1975, have discovered its true geological value.
On July 1, 2005 the Government of Cantabria opened it to the public and publicised it internationally, after development for tourism and protection rules prohibiting any further activity by the discoverering club. Research goes on, resulting in the study of amber deposits, the recognition of underground stromatolites formed by manganese-oxidising bacteria, and a new mineral form, zaccagnaite-3R.
The cave recently started holding music concerts. Artists like Bertín Osborne or Nando Agüeros have played inside the cave for hundreds of people in 2016.
El Soplao is just one of at least 6,500 caves in Cantabria.
Situation.
The cave is located in the Sierra de Arnero, part of the Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga, between the towns of Rionansa, Herrerías and Valdáliga and around San Vicente de la Barquera. The Sierra de Arnero runs parallel to the Cantabrian Sea, with a maximum altitude of 682 metres.
To access the cave you can use the Cantabrian motorway.
Galleries.
El Soplao is a very extensive network of caves and developed at several levels. Cave metrics (December 2003) are:
http://www.microbemagazine.org/index.php/05-2011-current-topics/3353-manganese-oxidizing-microbes-form-giant-stromatolites-in-caves
Gallery of the Ghosts.
It is a natural room which had the amount of thick white and stalagmite formations rising from the ground pisolithic for her figure, gave rise to the name of the gallery. The gallery is 350 metres long and some areas reaching 35 metres wide. Its name comes from the great white stalagmites that resemble ghosts, in the end zones of the gallery. Had a great use to the early twentieth century as a place of extraction and storage by the mineral miners of "La Florida".
Gallery Gorda.
It is a room with a natural underground lake and one of the largest in terms of volume. This is the first gallery to be accessed Soplao. The name comes from the impression of smallness due to one of the cavers who investigated the caves. It has a lighting system that highlights the colours of the stalactite from the ceiling, covered with calcite helictitas.
Gallery of the False Floor.
Small chamber where impressive rock formations in the form of thin threads that are screwed everywhere.
Gallery of the Camp.
Is of moderate dimensions, with widths up to 10 metres. The name comes from the installation of a research camp during the first raids. Here it remained unbroken 208 hours Speleo Club members Cantabria highlight the cast, dyed red and white minerals in the area.
Gallery of the Cauliflower.
Stand, rather than stalactites, stalagmites huge, often eccentric, that they tend to join at the end with the roof. Can be seen traces of an earthquake that hit the spot.
Gallery of the Forest.
High gallery which takes its name from its resemblance to a natural forest. The cast and the union of stalactites and stalagmites happen everywhere, creating large and varied columns. As in the Galería of the Cauliflower can be seen traces of an earthquake.
Gallery Genesis.
Located to the east. It is one of the highest, reaching 30 metres high. Its length exceeds 160 metres. Notable cast sheets, giant stalagmites pisolithic nests. Its name comes from the number of colours displayed on it, because of the variety of salts dissolved in water.
Mineral and fossils.
This is the list of minerals and fossils found in the cave, in alphabetical order:
References.
Cantabrian Speleogical Club "The Cave of El Soplao, an unique cave" (1987)


Aiguebelle National Park

Aiguebelle National Park "(French: Parc national d'Aiguebelle)" is a national park of Quebec, Canada. It is located in western Quebec in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region some 50 km north-east of Rouyn-Noranda, 50 km west of Amos, Quebec, 100 km north west of Val-d'Or, Quebec, and about 50 km due west of Lake Hebecourt. The park has a surface area of 268,3 km2.
Its mission is to protect a representative sample of the clay belt of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region and the Abijévis hills.
The park includes a watershed line and thus extends over two watersheds: the basin of the Hudson Bay and that of the Atlantic. There are traces of ancient volcanic activity and several lakes on the faults. It is managed by the Quebec government by the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Society of outdoor facilities in Quebec) (SÉPAQ).
Geography.
The park contains among other features the Abijévis hills, including Mount Dominant which is the highest summit of Abitibi (570m). The hills cover about two-thirds of the park. There is a fault that runs through much of the territory from Lake Lois to Lake La Haie.
The park is located on old geological formations of more than 2.7 billion years making it very much pre-Cambrian. It is composed mainly of pillow basalt formations that were formed at the bottom of the ocean. These formations are part of the larger group of Kinojévis in Superior Craton.
Hydrography.
The park is situated on the borderline between the watersheds of Hudson Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This line from the northwest corner to the middle of the eastern border. Nearly three quarters of the water is drained into the Saint Lawrence river. There are more than 80 lakes. The principal lakes are Aiguebelle and Lake Lois to the north, and Lake Sault and Lake La Haie located in the area of faults. There is also Lake Matissard lake on the southern edge of the park. The Kinojévis river passes near this latter lake.
History.
It was in 1945 that the Government of Quebec found, following the settlement of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, a lack of space for wildlife in the region. It thus chose the canton of Aiguebelle to create a reserve for hunting and fishing because of the poor quality of the land in that area. In 1976, it opened up camping and hiking trails in the area. In 1980 the status of the reserve was changed to a wildlife reserve. In 1985, this reserve was divided into two to create the Conservation Park of Aiguebelle with an area of 241.7 km2. Following public consultation in 1998, the wildlife reserve was abolished, and the park was expanded to its current area. It was only in 2001 that the status of the park was changed to a national park, following an amendment to the Parks Act.
The name of the park is the name of the canton, which commemorates Charles Névair Aiguebelle, the captain of grenadiers of the Regiment of Languedoc, who distinguished himself by his bravery during the Battle of Sainte-Foy on 28 April 1760. The name of the canton is a continuation of the theme of the French military of the Seven Years' War in America which prevails in Abitibi.
Natural heritage.
Flora.
The park is located in the Boreal forest of Canada which is also known as "taiga". There are several common tree species such as White birch, Black Spruce, balsam poplar, American aspen, Jack Pine, American Larch, and balsam fir. Also found in the park are lowland species of the Saint Lawrence and the Great Lakes, such as yellow birch, black ash, and Eastern white pine.
Wildlife.
The Aiguebelle National Park features 55 species of mammals from Abitibi-Témiscamingue, including the Moose (Alces alces), the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), the Gray wolf (Canis lupus), the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), the Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), the American mink (Mustela vison), the Least weasel (Mustela nivalis), the American black bear (Ursus americanus), the North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), and the American marten (Martes americana). The birdlife of the park has 150 species of birds including twenty species of New World warblers.
The lakes on the plains are dominated by Walleye and Northern pike. For the lakes in the Abijévis hills, there are lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis).


Dornoch Firth

The Dornoch Firth (, ) is a firth on the east coast of Highland, in northern Scotland. It forms part of the boundary between Ross and Cromarty, to the south, and Sutherland, to the north. The firth is designated as a national scenic area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland. The national scenic area covers 15,782 ha in total, of which 4,240 ha is the marine area of the firth below low tide. A review of the national scenic areas by Scottish Natural Heritage in 2010 commented:
Together with Loch Fleet it is a designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for wildlife conservation purposes. Additionally, together with Morrich More, it has the designation of Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
The total SPA hosts significant populations of the following birds:
The SAC protects a variety of habitats, including salt meadows and coastal dune heathland and grassland. The site is of importance for otters ("Lutra lutra") and harbour seals ("Phoca vitulina")
Crossing the firth.
In 1991, the firth was bridged, the new Dornoch Firth Bridge providing a shorter route on the A9 road between Inverness and Thurso; until then traffic had to go by way of Bonar Bridge at the head of the inlet. There were proposals that the bridge should be constructed so as to allow the Far North railway line to also benefit from the shorter route, with the potential for up to 45 minutes to be saved on the journey between Inverness and Thurso/Wick. However this part of the scheme failed to secure government funding, and so only a road bridge was built.
On 16 August 1809 the firth was the scene of the Meikle Ferry disaster when an over-laden ferryboat sank with the loss of 99 lives.


Puffin Island (County Kerry)

Puffin Island ("Oileán na gCánóg" in Irish) is an uninhabited steep rocky island lying off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland.
Geography.
The island is about 1.5 km long and 0.7 km wide, and rises to 159 metres. It is separated from the mainland by Puffin Sound, which is only about 250 metres across. Day visits to the island from Valentia can be arranged.
Nature conservation.
Puffin Island holds important populations of several seabird species, including Atlantic puffins, Manx shearwaters and European storm-petrels, and was acquired as a nature reserve by the Irish Wildbird Conservancy (now BirdWatch Ireland) in the early 1980s.
History.
The island also has some signs of ancient human habitation, and it has attracted the interest of archaeologists.


Oba Hills Forest Reserve

Oba Hills Forest Reserve is a reserve in Osun State, Nigeria that covers about 52 km2 of hilly terrain with deep gorges.
A 2003 report by the UICN said about 12% of the reserve had been planted with teak.
Some chimpanzee sightings had been reported, and in 1999 a dead chimp was offered for sale in a local market.
A 2009 report said that almost all of the reserve had been converted to plantations and farms, with only two gullies remaining forest-covered.
Chimpanzees are now thought to be almost extinct in the reserve.
It is located at an elevation of 253 meters above sea level.


Pullu I Nature Park

Pullu I Nature Park () is a coastal nature park in Anamur ilçe (district) of Mersin Province, Turkey. The index "I" is to distinguish the park from a neighboring park with the same name.
The park at is a coastal park between the Mediterranean Sea and the Mersin-Anamur highway , which runs parallel to Mediterranean Sea coast. Anamur and Mamure Castle are to the west, Bozyazı and Mersin are to the east and Bozdoğan village is to the north of the park. Its distance to Anamur is and to Mersin is . It covers an area of . In 1980, the area at the Mediterranean Sea side was declared a recreation area. In 2011, it was registered as a nature park by the Ministry of Environment and Forest.
The nature park offers outdoor recreational activities for 1,000–1,500 visitors on daily basis such as hiking, swimming and picnicing. Camping and renting of cottages or bungalows are also available. The park offers place for 180 campers and 30 caravans.
The nature park has Mediterranean climate. Dominant vegetation in the park are the trees red pine ("Pinus resinosa") and jarrah ("Eucalyptus marginata") as well as the shrubs topped lavender ("Lavandula stoechas"), marjoram ("Origanum") and caper spurge ("Euphorbia lathyris"). The sandy beach of the nature park is an egg laying site for the loggerhead sea turtle ("Caretta caretta"). The Mediterranean monk seal ("Monachus monachus"), living in the coastal sea of Anamur, may be also observed at site.