Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve

Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve is a nature reserve in the central part of Costa Rica. It is part of the Central Conservation Area; which protects tropical forest area near San Ramon. The reserve operates under the direction of the University of Costa Rica and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE).
History.
The Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve (RBAMB) was created in 1975 by executive decree number 4960-A as the Reserva Forestal de San Ramón (San Ramon Forest Reserve). In 1991, by the executive decree number 20172-M was redefined as the San Ramón Protection Zone. Finally, on August 20, 1993, by the law number 7354, was officially published in the government gazette as the Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve.
Administration.
For the administration of the Reserve, the Council of the University of Costa Rica at San Ramón (known as West Branch) approved in Session No. 521 of June 9, 1993, the Standards for the management of the station Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve. Part of this article indicates that the RBAMB must be administered by a director, who shall be a professor at the headquarters of the west branch. In addition, there is an advisory committee called the General Advisory Committee and Technical Research Advisory Committee.
the General Advisory Committee consists of the Research Coordinator, the Director of the Department of Natural Sciences, the Director of the reserve, the director of the Biology Section and a professor of this section. Part of the activities of this Committee are: promoting and approving the different programs or operating plans for the management of the Reserve and determine the fees for the use of facilities and decide on the distribution of resources economic as well as improvements to be promoted in their facilities. The current director is Biologist M.Sc. Ronald Sánchez Porras.
Research and Publications.
Most of the publications (45%) are associated with plants, 12.6% with fungi and lichens, 2.5% birds, 11.4% to arthropods, 3.8% to reptiles and amphibians, 16.4% with soils, nutrients and climate, 7% with administrative and outreach, and 1.3% in phytochemistry. There is a dominance of plant ecology issues, ecophysiology, plant diversity and minerals on plants.
Hydrology.
The upper basin of the San Lorenzo River has an area of approximately 16,280 Ha of which around 7600 Ha are inside the RBAMB, representing almost 47% of the total area of the basin. It is possible to define five sub-basins, each of which is stocked by an extensive drainage network composed of creeks and streams, namely: San Lorenzo River, San Lorencito River, Jamaical River, Rio Grande and Quebrada Palmital. This water body is used for hydroelectric power generation by the San Lorenzo Coneléctricas Company .
Habitats.
According to the classification system of Holdridge life zones (1967), just over 80% of the total area of the reserve is located in the Premontane rainforest, about 10% corresponds to the life zone of Lower montane rainforest, which corresponds to the upper parts of the row of dead volcanos and mountains in the north eastern boundary, a small percentage (less than 1%) on the southern boundary corresponds to the life zone of the Very humid Premontane forest. There are also identified two areas of transition to Premontane wet forest on the eastern boundary between the Palmital River and Jamaical River.
Species.
The reserve is home to the elusive frog "Pristimantis altae".


Surmatash Nature Reserve

The Surmatash Nature Reserve is located in Kadamjay District of Batken Province of Kyrgyzstan. It was established in 2009 with a purpose of conservation of unique nature complexes and biological diversity, protection of rare and threatened species of flora and fauna, and extending network of specially protected nature areas.
The reserve occupies 66,194 hectares.


The Heart Stone

The Heart Stone or Clach Cridhe in Perth and Kinross, Scotland is an ancient landmark on Rannoch Moor situated on the old 'Road to the Isles'. During the construction of the B846 road from Kinloch Rannoch to Rannoch railway station it was seen as an obstacle and was drilled and split and later it was moved to its present location in the 1950s to prevent it being submerged in the artificially enlarged Loch Eigheach Gaur Reservoir. The stone now stands beside the B846 road from the station to Kinloch Rannoch.
History.
The ruins of Ceanncoille (The Head of the Wood) steading on the opposite side of Loch Eigheach from the stone was originally a stronghold of the Menzies clan and it is located at the edge of the Black Wood of Rannoch, a well known area for thieves and bandits on the 'Road to the Isles' or to the Falkirk trysts in times past. The old track between Ceanncoille, Tom a Mheirlich and the shielings at Carnach is under the waters of the enlarged loch which once had several small islands. The drovers' routes across the moor were marked by cairns on small knolls, signifying the safest routes as well as prominent features such as unusually shaped boulders, etc.
The road builders mainly followed an original track and found that the 'Heart Stone' would be an obstruction and rather than divert the road round it they split it in half using rock drills. Following the damage the stone acquired the appropriate soubriquet of the "Broken Heart Stone".
Lying on the side of the road the 'Heart Stone' was a well known landmark to locals and travellers alike over many centuries and when the then North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board proposed the Gaur Hydroelectric Scheme it became apparent that the stone would be submerged under the waters of a significantly enlarged Loch Eigheach. After a campaign involving letters arriving from all over the world the contractors on the job were instructed to move the circa 15 ton stone to the point where the old road from Corrour meets the B846 road to Rannoch Station. The Corrour road used to continue southwards; however, it is now submerged. The history of the stone is recorded on the information boards at Rannoch railway station. The boulder is likely to be a glacial erratic left here after the last ice age.


Moonlight Head

Moonlight Head is a locality located on the Great Ocean Road in southwest of Victoria on the Southern Ocean. It is believed to be the headland seen by Matthew Flinders from the "Investigator" during a break in showery weather, on the night of 20 April 1802.
It is notable for the vertical cliffs up to 50 metres high, which in some places overhang, and expose geological structures such as cross bedding, scour and fill channels and variable sizes of concretions. There is also a sea cave and a massive active landslip, which extends inland for 500 metres. As a consequence amethyst stones, which give the place its name, can be found on the pebbly beach.
This stretch of the coast is renowned for its shipwrecks, with the ship, "Fiji" wrecked just off the head in 1891 and the "Marie Gabrielle" wrecked on 25 November 1869.
An Aboriginal shell midden was excavated in a rock shelter at Moonlight Head and was found to have been occupied between 1030 BP and 180 BP when excavated by archaeologist David Frankel. This was probably one of the places occupied by the Ngarowurd gundidj clan identified by George Augustus Robinson’s Gadubanud informants. The find extended the known period of Aboriginal presence on this part of the Otway coast.


Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail is a highway and scenic roadway in northern Victoria County and Inverness County on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The route measures in length and completes a loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands.
Etymology.
The route is named after the explorer John Cabot who landed in Atlantic Canada in 1497, although most historians agree his landfall likely took place in Newfoundland and not Cape Breton Island. (Premier Angus L. MacDonald attempted to re-brand Nova Scotia for tourism purposes as primarily Scottish and, as part of this effort, created both the names Cape Breton Highlands and Cabot Trail). Construction of the initial route was completed in 1932.
Description.
The northern section of the Cabot Trail passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The western and eastern sections follow the rugged coastline, with views of the ocean. The southwestern section passes through the Margaree River valley before passing along Bras d'Or Lake.
The road is internally referred to by the Department of Transportation and Public Works as Trunk 30. The Trunk 30 road named the "Cabot Trail" loops from Exit 7 on Nova Scotia Highway 105 at Buckwheat Corner to Exit 11 on Highway 105 at South Haven. The scenic travelway known as the "Cabot Trail" includes all of Trunk 30, as well as the portion of Highway 105 between exits 7 and 11.


Topes de Collantes

Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park in the Escambray Mountains range in Cuba. It also refers to the third highest peak in the reserve, where a small settlement and tourist center is located, all sharing the same name.
Geography.
Topes de Collantes, literally Collantes’ Highs, almost above sea level, along with Potrerillo peak, and tallest San Juan peak, are located in the Escambray range. These mountains are shared by the three central provinces of the island; Villa Clara Province to the north, Cienfuegos Province and Sancti Spiritus Province to the west and east respectively.
The wet winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean have made the north face of the mountains a luxurious refuge for plants and animals, while the drier south face hosts important ecosystems, in which lie two famous UNESCO World Heritage sites; Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), and Trinidad city, both living examples of early 17th-century wealthy colonial Cuba.
Nature.
Nature is the big attraction here. Caves, rivers, falls, grottos, canyons, natural pools with crystal clear water, mountain hills surrounded by mariposa (butterfly lily, "Hedychium coronarium") Cuba’s national flower announcing their presence with a soft unique flagrance from June to early September. More than 40 indigenous species of orchids and 100 species of ferns, of which 7 are tall palm-like tree ferns, wild plantain and banana trees, jasmine, begonias, several representatives of the ginger family and around 40 species of coffee are growing under the shade of giant 40 meter tall pines, eucalyptus, West Indian mahogany ("Swietenia mahagoni") and magnolias making the wonder of this tropical rainforest.
Important animal species live here as well. They include the Cartacuba ("Todus multicolor"), Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker ("Campephilus principalis bairdii"), unique hummingbirds, and the tocororo ("Priotelus temnurus"), which is Cuba's national bird.
History.
Coffee growers were living in the area when president Fulgencio Batista ordered the construction of a massive battleship-like Art Deco sanatorium for tuberculosis patients in 1954. Rumor has it that his wife Martha was battling against this illness and once there she fell in love for the place. As a result she persuaded Batista to build her a cottage in the area as well. After the Revolution the hospital was converted into a school, and in the mid-1970s it was returned to a similar use as a hotel specialized in rehabilitation and special therapies. The Kurhotel is also famous for its vast collection of original Cuban art. Scattered in its 210 rooms, lobbies and halls, almost 800 pieces of art from the most famous Cuban painters of all times can be found. As a result, a small worker’s settlement was developed around the place. The "Universidad de Montaña" or Mountain Campus of Las Villas University was built here in the 1980s. Due to its connection with Trinidad city and the beaches of the Ancon peninsula a couple more hotels and a resort villa catering to tourist have been developed.
Attractions.
There are several places to go, these are some of the most popular trips:
Caburni Falls, at about is the most popular hike through coffee plantations, traditional farmers houses, and cliffs to end in Caburni river which falls from a rock wall into a series of ponds.
La Batata, from the city, offers scenic views as well, ending in an underground river-cave system with several levels of natural ponds.
Hacienda Codina, a ranch with several attractions: medicinal mud baths, medicinal and ornamental gardens, the orchid’s collection has more than 40 local species including bamboo; Altar’s cave from where a secret passage ends in a natural lookout facing south of the mountain system and the Valley of the sugar mills, Trinidad and Ancon can be seen.
Paseo Ecologico, Ecology walk, local path connecting the Kurhotel with hotel “Los helechos” filled with mariposa shrubs and arborescent ferns under the canopy of pines and eucalyptus.
Parque La represa, a park developed around the original house built for Batista’s wife Martha. Placed on the banks of River Vega Grande, there is an arboretum with more than 300 exotic species. The highest and oldest mahogany ever found in Cuba lives in this place.
Snak Bar “El mirador”, literally The Lookout, it in the way down to Trinidad, between the Valley and the range in the back, but still 600 meters above sea level offers views of the city and peninsula below.
With around 500 years of history in its stone built streets and colonial architecture the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site of Trinidad is located close to the white sands and blue waters of Ancon and La Boca beaches.


Big Jacks Creek Wilderness

The Big Jacks Creek Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. Little Jacks Creek Wilderness is on its northwest border. About of Big Jacks Creek is classified as a wild river.
Geography.
Elevation varies from with canyons that are as much as deep that are covered in several varieties of sagebrush. The Creek flows north into the Bruneau River, which in turn flows into the Snake River.
Legislative history.
The Big Jacks Creek Wilderness was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009. Also created in the Omnibus Land Act were five additional southwestern Idaho wilderness areas in Owyhee County, collectively known as the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness Areas:
The Act of 2009 added of wilderness within the state of Idaho.
Wilderness areas do not allow motorized or mechanical equipment including bicycles. Although camping and fishing are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging or mining, in compliance with the 1964 Wilderness Act. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management areas also allow hunting in season.
Natural history.
The Big Jacks Creek Wilderness lies within the Owyhee Desert, part of the northern Basin and Range ecoregion, although hydrologically the wilderness area is within the Snake River – Columbia River drainage. The area is home to Columbia River redband trout, mountain quail, bighorn sheep, and two species of sensitive plants. Other plants found are black sagebrush, low sagebrush, Thurber needlegrass, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, bud sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, willow, rose, currant, and sedge.


Big Basin Prairie Preserve

The Big Basin Prairie Preserve is a nature preserve owned and managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The preserve is in the Red Hills near Ashland in Clark County, Kansas. The main features are St. Jacob's Well, a water-filled sinkhole which lies in the Little Basin, and the Big Basin, a lush mile-wide crater-like depression, also resulting from a sinkhole. The area is stocked with buffalo and is open to the public.
The Big Basin is transected by U.S. Route 283 and U.S. Route 160 which run together for a short ways. The portion of the basin west of the highway is privately owned. The property was acquired in 1974 from The Nature Conservancy which made operation as a nature preserve a condition of the sale. In December 1978, the preserve was designated as a National Natural Landmark and was added to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks.
Elevations on the preserve range from to above sea level.
History.
The area was one of the locations where the Northern Cheyenne camped and rested during the Northern Cheyenne Exodus in the fall of 1878. The area was not occupied, and perhaps not even generally known, by settlers at that time. The Big Basin was also used as a landmark and watering site for trail drives of cattle northward from Texas to railroads in Kansas.
Willard D. Johnson of the United States Geological Survey visited Big Basin at the turn of the 20th century and published the following account in 1901:
Research has determined that St Jacob's Well is wide and deep. It has never been known to go dry.
The effort to preserve the land now known as the Big Basin Prairie Preserve began in 1972 when an interested Clark County citizen, Mrs. C.G. (Janie) Stein, formed the Big Basin Foundation and contacted and worked closely with numerous agencies, Congressional Representatives, and individuals over several years. She worked with local landowners and The Nature Conservancy to encourage setting this land aside to preserve the bison and pronghorn. Her son John Paul Stein wrote a song about his mother's involvement in this project. She has not received the recognition due her except for family and local lore.


Bori Wildlife Sanctuary

The Bori Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Hoshangabad District of Madhya Pradesh state in central India.
The sanctuary covers an area of , located in the northern foothills of the Satpura Range. It is bounded by the Satpura National Park to the north and east, and by the Tawa River to the west. The sanctuary, together with Satpura National Park and the Pachmarhi Sanctuary, forms the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve.
History.
Bori Wildlife Sanctuary includes India's oldest forest preserve, the Bori Reserve Forest, established in 1865 along the Tawa River.
Flora and Fauna.
Flora.
The sanctuary is mostly covered in mixed deciduous and bamboo forests, part of the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests ecoregion. It is an important transition zone between the forests of western and eastern India. Dominant trees include teak ("Tectona grandis"), dhaora ("Anogeissus latifolia"), tendu ("Diospyros melanoxylon"), among others.
Fauna.
Large mammal species include tiger, leopard, wild boar, muntjac deer, gaur ("Bos gaurus"), chital deer ("Axis axis"), sambar ("Cervus unicolor"), and rhesus macaques.


Javji Bamble

Javjirao Hirajirao Bamble also known as Jivaji Bamble was the mansabdar of Rajur in the Maratha Empire, was the deshmukh of 60 villages and chief of the Kolis of Bamble clan. His family had been vassals since the time of the Bahmani Sultanate. After the death of his father Hiraji Bamble, he succeeded his father.
In 1760, Javji Bamble revolted against the Peshwa Madhavrao. The reason for the rebellion was Javji Bamble was not given his father's fief and title, due to which Javji took up arms against the Peshwa, and shook the peace of Ahmednagar.
Rebellion.
Javji started plundering the area under the Peshwa, after which the Peshwa wanted to compromise, citing Javaji and asking him to stop the rebellion happening in the Konkan region. He refused because he had no faith in the Peshwa, and went to Khandesh. So the Peshwa arrested Bamble's family and sent the Maratha Army to capture Javji. Subedar Ramji Sabant, heading the Maratha army, captured three of Javji's kolis, including a cousin Javji had sent to see to the well-being of his family. After that Javji killed Ramji Sabant's brother. Ramji Sabant sought reinforcements from the Peshwa and began a search for Javji. In spite of his large army, Ramji could not catch him, and was killed along with one of his sons, and this greatly shook the Peshwa. After this, the Peshwa made Sabant's elder son Subedar but he also was killed by Javji, in Junnar. After this, the Maratha government declared Koli Javji a dacoit.
Captured forts.
Javji Bamble continued the Koli rebellion and united with Raghunathrao after he was declared a dacoit. Along with Koli rebels, he captured Lohagad fort of Pune from the Peshwa in 1770, Bhairogarh Fort, Shidgarh Fort, Kotah Fort along with many other forts in Thane, not only Nashik's Alang Fort and also Ratangarh and Madangarh forts in Ahmednagar from Peshwa. Subsequently, Nana Phadnavish, the minister of high rank in the Maratha Empire, sent Subedar Dauji Kokate to kill Javji but Kokate was killed by Javji. Javji Bamble stopped his revolt with the behest of his friend Maharaja Tukojirao Holker of Indor State and returned the captured forts to the Peshwa.
Mansabdari and death.
After returning to the forts, Javji Bamble was made the Mansabdar of Rajur in the Maratha Empire and the land property (Jagir) of his father was returned, along with the title of Deshmukh and strength given up to killing any person in 60 villages.
After becoming Subedar, Javji buried many revolts going on in the Maratha Empire. Deshmukh Saheb Sardar Subedar Javji Bomle died in 1789 and succeeded by his son Hiraji Bamble.


Intu

Intu Properties plc was a British real estate investment trust (REIT), largely focused on shopping centre management and development. Originally named Liberty International plc, it changed its name in May 2010 to Capital Shopping Centres Group plc after demerging its Capital & Counties Properties business unit to form an independent business. The company adopted its current name on 18 February 2013, and this was followed by the rebrand of most of its shopping centres under the Intu name from May 2013.
The company's shares were listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges until it entered administration in June 2020. The company owned or part-owned 17 shopping centres in the UK and one in Spain prior to entering administration.
History.
The company was established by Sir Donald Gordon in 1980 under the name Transatlantic Insurance Holdings plc as an offshoot of Liberty Life Association of Africa, a business he had founded in 1957. The company developed into a leading investor in life assurance businesses in the 1980s and divested its remaining life assurance interests (a 29% holding in Sun Life) in 1991. In 1992 it merged with Capital & Counties, a leading shopping centre developer, so securing itself a listing on the London Stock Exchange. It changed its name to Liberty International in 1996 and, after demerging Capital & Counties Properties in May 2010, renamed itself Capital Shopping Centres Group (CSC).
The company also disposed of a significant holding in its Californian subsidiary Capital and Counties USA, which was acquired by Equity One in May 2010. Equity One was later acquired by Regency Centers Corporation.
In 2011, CSC purchased the Trafford Centre from The Peel Group and offered a 20% stake in CSC to Peel chairman John Whittaker. The 20% stake in CSC was worth approximately £700m at the time, valuing the Trafford Centre at approximately £1.65 billion. Whittaker continued to purchase shares after the takeover and became the largest shareholder in 2012, with a stake of 24.63%.
CSC purchased the Westfield Group's 75% stake in Westfield Broadmarsh in Nottingham in November 2011.
Rebrand as Intu.
In January 2013, CSC announced its rebranding as Intu and the renaming of twelve of its shopping centres to incorporate the new consumer-facing brand. A new orange and black brand identity was introduced at the same time, including a bird logo said to represent a "symbol of joy". At the same time and in response to changing consumer behaviour, Intu launched the UK's first online shopping centre and insourced all shopping centre staff, previously employed by facilities management company Bilfinger Europa.
2013 to 2019.
The company announced on 27 February 2013 that it had agreed to purchase Midsummer Place in Milton Keynes (now Intu Milton Keynes) from Legal & General for £250.5 million. The sale was completed by the end of March 2013.
In March 2014, Intu announced that it had purchased the Merry Hill Shopping Centre and Westfield Derby for a £867.8m property deal that saw Intu take complete ownership of Westfield's Derby shopping centre and Sprucefield Park in Northern Ireland.
In December 2017, the company agreed to a takeover by property development company Hammerson for £3.4 billion, subject to shareholder approval. In April 2018, Hammerson recommended that its shareholders reject the proposed takeover. With Intu hit by declining footfall on the high street and failures among major retailers, Peel Group, Olayan Group, and Brookfield Property launched a £2.8bn takeover bid in October, but, after due diligence procedures, they withdrew the offer in November 2018.
In November 2019, Intu said it was in talks to sell three Spanish shopping centres: Puerto Venecia in Zaragoza, intu Asturias in Oviedo, and intu Xanadu in Madrid. In December 2019, it sold its share in the Zaragoza asset for €237.7 million, delivering net proceeds of around €115m. The following month it sold its Oviedo asset, raising around €85 million.
2020.
In March 2020, Intu abandoned a £1.3 billion emergency cash call as not enough investors were willing to support the call. The company had £4.5 billion of debt. The company subsequently warned that it could collapse if unable to raise further funds, after reporting a loss of £2bn for 2019. Intu shares had lost almost 90% of their value in a year, and the results announcement prompted a 25% drop to just over 4p. On 26 March, as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted more retailers to delay rent payments to Intu, the company warned that it would need some waivers from its lenders and was likely to breach its debt covenants in July; its shares fell 11% to 3.6p in the first hour of trading following the warning. On 23 June 2020, the company warned that shopping centres might close if financial restructuring talks with lenders failed, and lined up KPMG as administrators as a "contingency". On 26 June, Intu went into administration.
Intu SGS, a subsidiary of Intu and holding company for Intu Watford, Braehead, Victoria Centre and Lakeside, received funding in August 2020 to take full control of the four centres. The transfer from Intu to Intu SGS was expected to take place by the end of 2020, and to involve Global Mutual becoming asset manager of the centres and Savills serving as property manager. In September 2020, the transfers of Intu Derby, Merry Hill, and Milton Keynes to new owners were confirmed. Intu announced that Chapelfield would also be transferred to new owners, although these were not identified.
Properties.
As of 31 December 2019 the company's investment properties were valued at £5.9 billion, when Intu owned or part-owned 17 shopping centres in the UK:


Parshuram Kund

Parshuram Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage sites situated on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River and 21 km north of Tezu in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Dedicated to sage Parshuram, the popular site attracts pilgrims from Nepal, from across India, and from nearby states of Manipur and Assam. Over 70,000 devotees and sadhus take a holy dip in its water each year on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, in the month of January.
Religious importance.
It is a shrine of all-India importance located in the lower reaches of the Lohit River. Thousands of pilgrims visit the place in winter every year, especially on the Makar Sankranti day for a holy dip in the sacred kund which is believed to wash away one's sins. There is a mythological story behind this beautiful place as told by the local people. It is believed that Lord Parashuram the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, on the orders of his father Rishi Jamadagni (see the article on Parashuram), beheaded his mother Renuka with his axe. Since he had committed one of the worst crimes of killing one's mother, the axe got stuck to his hand. His father pleased with his obedience decided to give him a boon to which he asked for his mother to be restored back to life. Even after his mother was brought back to life the axe could not be removed from his hand. This was a reminder of the heinous crime he had committed. He repented for his crime and on taking the advice of eminent rishis of that time, he arrived at the banks of Lohit River to wash his hands in its pure waters. It was a way to cleanse him of all the sins. As soon as he dipped his hands into the waters the axe immediately got detached and since then the site where he washed his hands became a place of worship and came to be known by sadhus as Parashuram Kund.
Also there are many stories varying from region to region in India that describe the above incident and there are numerous temples dedicated to Lord Parashuram most of which are in Kerala. But this place attracts many pilgrims from near and far and quite a few sanyasis reside here and take care of the temple that is dedicated to Lord Parashuram.
History.
The site of the Parashuram Kund as established by the sadhu was in existence until the 1950 Assam earthquake that shook the whole of the North-East and the kund was completely covered. A very strong current is now flowing over the original site of the kund but massive boulders have in a mysterious way embedded themselves in a circular formation in the river bed thus forming another kund in place of the old.
Tourism.
Annual fair is held during Makara Sankranti, to which wild cows, rare fur-rugs and other curios are brought down by the mountain tribes. There are also facilities for trekking from Tezu to glow lake which takes one day, hiking and river rafting and angling on the river Lohit.
Connectivity.
The nearest railway station is Tinsukia (120 km) from where buses are available via Namsai. There are also buses available from Sadiya. The nearest airports are Tezu and Dibrugarh (Assam).
There is no railway available to Parshuram Kund as of now. A survey of 122 km Rupai-Parshuram Kund broad gauge railway line was complete at the initiative of Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries, while a preliminary engineering-traffic survey for the Pasighat-Tezu-Parsuram Kund was conducted by northeast frontier railways at the request of the state government.


Trade Mart

The term Trade Mart can be a generic English reference to any sizable commercial establishment. Well known individual Trade Marts include:


Marine Drive (Nova Scotia)

The Marine Drive is a designated scenic route along Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. It closely follows the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the Strait of Canso from the Canso Causeway to the junction of Route 322 and Highway 111 in Dartmouth.
List of Communities.
—Route 322
— Route 207
— Trunk 7
— Route 211
— Route 316
— Trunk 16
— Route 344
Parks.
"To see more, visit: Tourism on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia)"
Museums.
"To see more, visit: Tourism on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia)"


Madonie Regional Natural Park

The Madonie Regional Natural Park (Italian: Parco delle Madonie) is an Italian regional park located in Sicily, between Palermo and Cefalù and covers .
Geography.
It includes the Madonie mountain range and some of the highest mountains in Sicily. The park has six mountains that are over and many more that are over . The highest is Pizzo Carbonara at , second in height in Sicily only to Mount Etna.
As well as being a nature reserve, the park is an inhabited area with dozens of little villages and small towns, many of which trace their origins to medieval times. The park is also home to a number of castles and numerous ancient churches.
The wild mountainous slopes are inhabited by fallow deer (were introduced in the 1980s), wild boar, red fox, rabbits, wildcats and Bonelli's eagles, as well as being a habitat to the rare, nearly-extinct Nebrodi fir tree.
One of the park's most notable natural features is the extensive forest of beech trees found only at and above. These are the most southerly beech forests in Europe. Lower down, below , there are large forests of holm oak, downy oak and cork oak, and around Castelbuono and Pollina the rare manna ash is still farmed. The mountains contain some 1500 species and sub-species of plants, around 60% of all those found in Sicily. These include more than 70 different species of orchid.
History.
The regional park was officially created on 9 November 1989. Within the park area there are outcrops of rocks which have been dated at over a 200-million-year period and represent all aspects of the geology of Sicily apart from the current volcanic activity. The collaboration of the Madonie Park authorities and the European Geoparks Network has allowed the research of students and lecturers of the University of Palermo's Department of Geology and Geodesy. Studies have been made, papers published, and educational paths mapped out, with signs erected with information on the ground. Madonie Geopark is a member of the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.
The park comprises fifteen municipalities of the province of Palermo: (Caltavuturo, Castelbuono, Castellana Sicula, Cefalù, Collesano, Geraci Siculo, Gratteri, Isnello, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Polizzi Generosa, Pollina, San Mauro Castelverde, Scillato and Sclafani Bagni).


Coigach

Coigach () is a peninsula north of Ullapool, in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The area consists of a traditional crofting and fishing community of a couple of hundred houses located between mountain and shore on a peninsula looking over the Summer Isles and the sea. The main settlement is Achiltibuie. Like its northerly neighbour, Assynt in Sutherland, Coigach has mountains which rise sharply from quiet, lochan-studded moorland, and a highly indented rocky coast with many islands, bays and headlands. The highest summit is Ben Mor Coigach at 743 metres; the distinctive profile of Stac Pollaidh is the other main peak within Coigach. The scenic qualities of Coigach, along with neighbouring Assynt, have led to the area being designated as the "Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area", one of 40 such areas in Scotland.
The name is derived from the Gaelic for "five" or "fifths", and refers to the five townships of Achduart, Achnacarinan, Acheninver, Achnahaird and Achiltibuie.
Local government.
Coigach formed a barony of the civil parish of Loch Broom. In 1690 it was transferred into the county of Cromartyshire, and indeed it was the largest single portion of land in the county, which consisted of a series of unconnected exclaves. Until changes in civil registration districts in 1857 the barony also included Isle Martin, the lands down to Corrie beyond Ullapool, the various farms of Strathkanaird and to the east the Forest of Achall and Rhiddorach.
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 provided that "the counties of Ross and Cromarty shall cease to be separate counties, and shall be united for all purposes whatsoever, under the name of the county of Ross and Cromarty", and Coigach thus became part of Ross and Cromarty. Although the counties were replaced by a system of regional and district councils in 1975 Coigach remains part of Ross and Cromarty for purposes such as land registration and lieutenancy. The regions and districts were replaced by unitary councils in 1996, and Coigach now forms a community within Highland council area.
In 2010 a community development company was established on the initiative of the community council. Key issues to be addressed by the company are affordable housing, the provision of health services, the ageing demographic profile of the area and promoting economic development. The lack of tourist facilities, and of a ‘brand’ for Coigach, were also concerns. A subsidiary of the Coigach Community Development Company, Coigach Wind Power, operates a 500 kW wind turbine to raise funds for the development company's projects.
Conservation.
The Coigach and Assynt Living Landscape Project is a community partnership project which aims to bring environmental and economic benefits to the Coigach and Assynt regions of North West Scotland. The partnership includes landowners (private and community), the local community and charitable organisations, with the Scottish Wildlife Trust being the lead partner. The project is described as an "ecosystem restoration project", and aims to "bring woodland connectivity, species-rich flora and fauna, and economic growth back to the Scottish uplands".
History.
During the Highland Clearances, attempts were made to evict the crofting tenants of Coigach in 1852-53. However, the women of Coigach disarmed twenty policemen and sheriff officers, burning their summonses and throwing their batons into the sea. The men of Coigach formed the second line of defense should the women receive any ill-treatment. The officers of the law returned home without having served a single summons or evicting a single crofter. Four weeks later these events were repeated when six constables took on the women again, but with no more success, leaving the land-lord extremely frustrated. The crofters of Coigach had held out for more than two years and eventually the estate managers and the land-lord gave up in trying to resettle them. Coigach was a rare victory for the people over the landlord.


Atlantic Ocean Road

The Atlantic Ocean Road or the Atlantic Road () is an long section of County Road 64 that runs through an archipelago in Hustadvika and Averøy municipalities in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It passes by Hustadvika, an unsheltered part of the Norwegian Sea, connecting the island of Averøy with the mainland and Romsdalshalvøya peninsula. It runs between the villages of Kårvåg in Averøy and Vevang in Hustadvika. It is built on several small islands and skerries, which are connected by several causeways, viaducts and eight bridges—the most prominent being Storseisundet Bridge.
The route was originally proposed as a railway line in the early 20th century, but this was abandoned. Serious planning of the road started in the 1970s, and construction started on 1 August 1983. During construction the area was hit by 12 European windstorms. The road was opened on 7 July 1989, having cost 122 million Norwegian krone (NOK), of which 25 percent was financed with tolls and the rest from public grants. Collection of tolls was scheduled to run for 15 years, but by June 1999 the road was paid off and the toll removed. The road is preserved as a cultural heritage site and is classified as a National Tourist Route. It is a popular site to film automotive commercials, has been declared the world's best road trip, and been awarded the title as "Norwegian Construction of the Century". In 2009, the Atlantic Ocean Tunnel opened from Averøy to Kristiansund; together they form a second fixed link between Kristiansund and Molde.
Route description.
The road is a long section of County Road 64 that connects the island and municipality of Averøy with the mainland at Eide. The road runs across an archipelago of partially inhabited islands and skerries. To the north lies Hustadvika, an unsheltered section of the Norwegian Sea, to the south Lauvøyfjorden. The road has a width of and a maximum gradient of eight percent. It consists of eight bridges and four resting places and viewpoints. Several tourist sites, including dining, fishing and scuba diving resorts, have been established on the islands. Along with the section from Vevang to Bud, the road has been designated one of 18 National Tourist Routes.
The road begins at Utheim on Averøy, close to the village of Kårvåg. It runs onto the island of Kuholmen and then across the long Little Lauvøysund Bridge onto the island of Lille Lauvøy. It continues across the long Store Lauvholmen Bridge onto Store Lauvøy. Next it crosses the equally long Geitøysund Bridge to Geitøya, which features a viewpoint and parking. It then runs across Eldhusøya and Lyngholmen, before reaching Ildhusøya, where there are a resting place, parking and a viewpoint. Next is Storseisundet Bridge, a cantilever bridge long. The municipal boundary between Eide and Averøy runs under the bridge. It then runs across Flatskjæret, where there is a viewpoint, before crossing onto Hulvågen via the three Hulvågen Bridges, which combined are long. From there the road runs through Skarvøy and Strømsholmen, both with a resting place. The route reaches the mainland over the long Vevangstraumen Bridge.
History.
The first proposals to use the route were made in the early 20th century. Planning of the Rauma Line to connect the national railway network to Møre og Romsdal was under way, and several proposals were made to extend it to the coastal towns. In 1921, Møre og Romsdal County Council chose the outer route, which would have followed a path close to that of the road. The Rauma Line was not built beyond Åndalsnes, and in 1935 the Parliament of Norway decided to connect the coastal towns in Møre og Romsdal to Åndalsnes by road instead of rail.
Although the plans were officially shelved, locals continued to work with the idea of a road connecting Averøy with the mainland. The toll company Atlanterhavsveien AS was established in 1970. Arne Rettedal, who was Minister of Local Government and Regional Development in the early 1980s, proposed that job creation funds could be allocated to road projects. The proposal was approved in 1983, after it had been supported by the municipalities of Averøy, Eide and Fræna. Construction started as a municipal road project on 1 August 1983, but progressed slowly. From 1 July 1986, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration took over the project, speeding up construction and allowing it to open on 7 July 1989. During construction, the area was hit by 12 hurricanes. The opening of the road allowed the Tøvik–Ørjavik Ferry to be terminated.
Construction cost NOK 122 million and was financed 25 percent by debt to be recollected through tolls, 25 percent by job creation funds and 50 percent by ordinary state road grants. There was significant local opposition against toll financing, as few people believed it would be possible to pay off the road in the stipulated 15 years. However, by June 1999 the road was paid off and tolls removed. The accelerated amortization was caused both by greater than predicted local traffic and by large amounts of tourist traffic.
In 2009, the road was Norway's ninth-most-visited natural tourist attraction, with 258,654 visitors from May through August. The route won the title "Norwegian Construction of the Century", awarded by the Norwegian construction industry in 2005. In 2006, "The Guardian" declared it the world's best road trip. The road has become a popular place for the automotive industry to film advertisements; more than ten manufacturers have made television commercials along the route, often depicting the harsh weather. The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage preserved the road as a cultural heritage in December 2009. The Atlantic Ocean Tunnel between Averøy and Kristiansund opened on 19 December 2009. In combination with the road it provides a fixed link between Kristiansund and Molde. This is the second fixed link between the two towns, after the 1992 opening of the Kristiansund and Frei Fixed Link.
Junctions.
The following is a list of bridges and major road junctions along the road. For bridges, it lists the name, overall length and clearance below; for junctions, the distance from the starting point and the name of the road it intersects with.


Biswambhar Bidyapitha

Biswambhar Bidyapitha is a co-educational Odia medium school located in Puri, Odisha, India. The school was established in the year 1945. There are 56 faculty members in the school. There is a library in the school with approximately 10,469 books. Dhruba Charan Kar is the current principal.


Abel Tasman National Park

Abel Tasman National Park is a New Zealand national park located between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere at the north end of the South Island. It is named after Abel Tasman, who in 1642 became the first European explorer to sight New Zealand and who anchored nearby in Golden Bay.
History.
The park was founded in 1942, largely through the efforts of ornithologist and author Pérrine Moncrieff to have land reserved for the purpose. Moncrieff served on the park board from 1943 to 1974.
The park was opened on the 18 December 1942 to mark the 300th anniversary of Abel Tasman's visit. Those in attendance at the opening ceremony at Tarakohe included Charles van der Plas, as personal representative of the Netherlands' Queen, Wilhelmina. The Queen was made Patron of the park.
The idea for the park had been under consideration since June 1938. The Crown set aside , comprising of proposed state forest, of Crown land and of other reserve land for the national park. The Golden Bay Cement Company donated the land where the memorial plaque was sited. The area's primary historic interest was the visit of Tasman in 1642, D'Urville in 1827, and the New Zealand Company barques "Whitby" and "Will Watch", and brig "Arrow" in 1841. The site was also of significant botanical interest.
By 1946 the park had reached in area with additional land purchases. A further at Totaranui, formerly owned by William Gibbs, was acquired from J S Campbell in 1949 and added to the park. About have been added since. In 2008 an extra , including the formerly private land known as Hadfields Clearing, were added to the park.
Description.
Covering an area of , the park is the smallest of New Zealand's national parks. It consists of forested, hilly country to the north of the valleys of the Tākaka and Riwaka Rivers, and is bounded to the north by the waters of Golden Bay and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It contains some of the islands off the coast including the Tata Islands in Golden Bay, and Tonga Island, Adele Island, and Fisherman Island in Tasman Bay.
The park does not extend beyond Mean High Water Mark on the adjacent coast. Between Mean High Water and Mean Low Water Springs, the beaches are gazetted as a Scenic Reserve, covering in total. The Tonga Island Marine Reserve adjoins part of the park.
Some of the birds that frequent the park are petrels, shags, penguins, gulls, terns, and herons. Possums, wild pigs, deer, and goats also frequent the park.
The Abel Tasman Coast Track is a popular tramping track that follows the coastline and is one of the Department of Conservation's Great Walks; the Abel Tasman Inland Track is less frequented. Other walks in the park, such as the Wainui Falls Track are considered 'short walks'. Kayaking, camping and sightseeing are other activities.
Access to the park is usually via the small settlement of Marahau. The nearest large town is Motueka, to the south.
Management.
The Department of Conservation administers the National Park. The Scenic Reserve is administered by the Tasman District Council Chief Executive and Department of Conservation’s Nelson/ Marlborough Conservator.
Activities in adjoining coastal waters are Tasman District Council's responsibility. These areas operate under separate regulations.
Project Janszoon.
In 2012 Project Janszoon, a privately funded trust, was set up to restore the park's ecosystems. The trust takes its name from Tasman's middle name "Janszoon". It is aiming to complete the restoration in time for the 400th anniversary of Tasman's visit and the park's 100th anniversary in 2042.
The Department of Conservation and Project Janszoon developed a free virtual visitor centre for downloading to smartphones or tablets. The application provides information about the Park's history, its flora and fauna, points of interest, weather, walking tracks, and tides. This virtual visitor centre is free of charge and can be found through the App Store or Google Play Store.


Halltorp

Halltorp was one of the earliest manor on the island of Öland, Sweden, dating from the 11th century AD. In early documents it is known as Hauldtorp, and it is cited as one of the early Viking era settlements of Öland. From early times it has functioned as a royal farm associated with the Swedish Crown and was considered one of the finest hunting preserves on the island. There is a relict oak forest on the present grounds which contains numerous trees that are centuries old. Halltorp is in an area rich in history and biodiversity, and most of the southern part of the island of Öland has been designated as a World Heritage Site. The site is adjacent to the perimeter highway, Route 136.
Architecture.
Limestone was quarried from the local Stora Alvaret to produce the core of the present manor in the late 18th century, although it is known an earlier manor house stood here for centuries. The limestone blocks obtained from the local alvar are exceptionally flat with little fashioning just as they come from the quarry and are very easy to stack for use in building construction.
Early history.
Only Borgholm and Ottenby are documented in early writings to have been Viking era settlements along with Halltorp, although archaeological records show evidence of Vikings at a number of other locations on Öland: namely, Gettlinge, Alby and Hulterstad. A manor house is thought to have existed here since at least the Late Middle Ages. In the 17th century Halltorp was integrated to the royal Borgholm estate, where Borgholm Castle is situated about seven kilometers to the north. The extensive forest area west of Halltorp Manor house ran all the way to Kalmar Strait. The kings of the House of Vasa used this woodland area as one of their prime hunting preserves. Also on site is a great European hornbeam forest, one of the largest within Sweden, that is documented to derive from at least as early as the 17th century.
King Frederick I of Sweden bestowed Halltorp royal farm upon Sven Aderman in the year 1723 to acknowledge his invention of a rapid firing musket during the wars of King Karl XII. By 1760 captain Edvard Lukhehorn was reflected as the owner of Halltorp estate. It has been deduced that a grand manor house of native limestone was created in the late 18th century, which is the core of the present structure. As late as the year 1804 the estate was held by descendants of Lukhehorn.
From 19th century.
By 1820 Halltorp estate was partitioned, with the new owners being Baron M. Falkenberg and Colonel A. Von Franchen, the latter who also served as the royal Chamberlain. In this era Halltorp still consisted of its present-day lands as well as the coastal Ekerum estate, a 180 hectare holding having several croft buildings. Then in the year 1859 a parliament member, Erik Johan Rudberg (1821-1899) bought the Halltorp holding, who held it until selling to Johan Persson in 1895.
Halltorps Gästgiveri.
At the end of World War I Halltorp was sold to three municipalities and was converted into a retirement home, which operated until 1973. Two years later the manor became Halltorps Gästgiveri, an inn with guest rooms. In 1991, a twenty five guest room addition was created in the form of a new wing sweeping to the west joining in L-Plan design to the older manor core. There were also added two spas, a wine cellar, a winter garden and some conference rooms.
The manor house was designed with an entrance facing east, such that upon entering the vestibule, a great hall lay immediately ahead where the present day dining room is situated. Further west of the hall were the south facing kitchen, still the current day kitchen, and two other rooms facing north which have now been adapted to reception areas of the present day inn. The original first floor had a large loft, which area is now converted to guest rooms.
Halltorps Hage.
Halltorps hage, the nature reserve at Halltorp lies to the west of the manor house extending to the Kalmar Strait. In addition to the ancient oak forest, this area is known for several wild orchids including: Common spotted orchid, "Dactylorhiza fuchsii"; "Listera ovata"; and Bird’s-nest orchid, "Neottia nidus-avis". Many other rare and endangered species can be found to the east on the Stora Alvaret, although in this northern part of Öland the alvar habitat is more fragmented than in the south of the island where large expanses of limestone pavement ecosystem exist.


Kostomuksha Nature Reserve

Kostomuksha Nature Reserve () (also Kostomukshsky) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict ecological reserve) of forests, lakes, rivers and wetlands on the border of Russian and Finland. It was created in 1983, along with other protected areas, in part to mitigate the impact of the Karelskiy Okatysh mine outside of the town of Kostomuksha, one of the largest iron ore reserves in Russia, and also to protect the forest from increase commercial logging in the area. A further scientific purpose is the protection of forest reindeer and a type of landlocked salmon. The reserve is part of a transboundary reserve complex with reserves in Finland to the west (collectively called "Friendship"), and is situated in the Kalevalsky District and Muyezersky District of the Republic of Karelia, about 500 km north of St. Petersburg and 500 km west of Arkhangelsk. The reserve was created in 1993, and covers an area of .
Topography.
The terrain is flat or low hills of forest and wetlands. The area is within the Baltic Shield, on the eastern slopes of the West Karelian Hills. A dominant feature of the reserve is Lake Kamennoye ("Stone Lake"), which covers 20% of the reserve. The lake is of a roughly elongated shape, 24 km long by 12 km wide, and on average about 8 meters deep; it has 98 lakes and an irregular coastline. Water from the lake flows out through the Kamennaya River, to the Kem River, and on to the White Sea. There an additional 250 lakes, and 12% of the reserve is marsh.
Climate and Ecoregion.
Kostamuksha is located in the "Scandinavian and Russian taiga" ecoregion. Steppe with long "ribbon forests" of pine; about 300–500 miles more northerly than the European Russian forest. This ecoregion has more wetlands and more continental climate than the European forest steppe.
The climate of Kostamuksha is "Humid continental climate, cool summer" (Köppen climate classification (Dfc)). This climate is characterised by long cold winters, and short, cool summers. Kostomuksha is frost-free for an average 183 days per year.
Flora and fauna.
The geology and relief of the reserve cause high bogs with ridge-hollow wetland complexes, and the associated floral communities. The forests are mostly pine, with some spruce, birch and aspen. Underneath the sparse pine cover is moss, cranberry and blueberry. Herbaceous plants are not common. The animals of the reserve are those typical of the northern boreal forest: bear, wolf, elk, lynx, wolverine, rabbit, squirrel, marten, ermine, weasel. Beavers were introduced from Canada, and are a protected species in the reserve.
Because of the clean water in rivers and lakes, the reserve supports a diverse bird community - over 130 species have been reported, with more than 100 nesting. Of nesting birds, 3 species are Arctic avifauna, 34 are northern Siberian, 19 are typical of European deciduous forests, and the remainder are widespread. Fish in the rivers include pike, whitefish, perch, roach, grayling and lake salmon.
Ecotourism.
As a strict nature reserve, the Kostamucksha Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with 'environmental education' purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are however, six 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve that are open to the public, but require permits to be obtained in advance. Three of the routes are hiking trails, and three are water routes. The main office is in the city of Kostomuksha.


Racton Monument

Racton Monument (known locally as Racton Ruin) is a folly on a hill in Racton, West Sussex, England with views over Chichester Harbour and to the Isle of Wight. It was commissioned by the 2nd Earl of Halifax, either as a summerhouse for the nearby Stansted Estate or so he could watch his merchant ships dock at the nearby port, Emsworth, on The Solent. One news report states that the lower level was also to be used for holding banquets.
History.
This Grade II listed building was designed by architect Theodosius Keene, son of Henry Keene. It was built between 1766 and 1775 and some sources suggest that it has been called Stansted Castle.
The Listing summary states that the design featured a triangular base, with a round turret at each angle. Of a red brick construction, the building was originally faced with flints and stood four storeys high (), a height it retains to this day. However, it has been abandoned for over a century and is in a state of ruin, with the floors and much of the original flint facing having disappeared, and its roof caving in.
Planned restoration and conversion.
The property is privately owned by accredited architect Mark Talbot (since 1987). His application for planning permission to turn it into a dwelling was refused in August 2020 by the South Downs National Park Authority. The decision stated that the conversion would lead to an "'unsympathetic form of development', due to the intended scale, design and appearance" and that the owner had provided "insufficient information had been provided to justify the impact of the proposals", according to a news report.
Planning consent for a conversion to a private dwelling had been provided in 1991 by Chichester District Council, but work did not begin and the consent expired in April 2013. Prior to converting the folly into a residence, Talbot had planned to "replace the missing elements, both structural and decorative, and to refurbish the building as far as practical to match the original design" according to a June 2020 news report.
Condition and concerns.
By February 2012, the tower's condition described as follows: "Flint deterioration (peeling from brick core), particularly bad to South elevation. Severe brick deterioration to west window. Numerous sills dropped".
In 2020, Mark Talbot said that the folly had been "a focal point of 'undesirable and sometimes illegal gatherings' as well as suffering from fly tipping, and dumping of cars". Occult acts were said to have taken place on occasion at the ruined folly. It has drawn paranormal investigators investigating reported paranormal activity. Intrigue surrounds the myth that the folly may have been used by smugglers.
According to Country Life (magazine), "it has seen illegal raves, ghost hunts, occultists and graffiti, and was, reputedly, a 19th-century brothel". Local lore suggests "spectral sightings [that] include flying bricks, faces in windows and a ghost tractor that drives up behind you, then disappears".


Castle Creek Wilderness

Castle Creek Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in the Prescott National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona. Established in 1984, the Wilderness lies within the southern end of the rugged Bradshaw Mountains. Elevations range from 2,800 feet (853 m) to 7000 feet (2,133 m), allowing for a range of vegetation. Saguaro cactus, palo verde, and mesquite dominate the lower end of the range in the south, as the elevation increases the vegetation changes to a chaparral community and further north in the highest elevations includes ponderosa pine, Arizona oak, and alligator juniper.
From some of the high points along Juniper Ridge in the northern part of the wilderness, one is able to view the Agua Fria River down below to the east. The area provides for many different species including mule deer, javelina, mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, coyotes, rabbits, foxes, skunks, and badgers.


Battle of Britain Monument, London

The Battle of Britain Monument in London is a sculpture on the Victoria Embankment, overlooking the River Thames, which commemorates the individuals who took part in the Battle of Britain during the Second World War.
It was unveiled on 18 September 2005, the 65th anniversary of the Battle, by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in the presence of many of the surviving airmen known collectively as "The Few", following the Royal Air Force Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday. This service is an annual event, the first of which took place in 1943 at St Paul's Cathedral and since has taken place in Westminster Abbey.
The monument was conceived by Bill Bond, founder of the Battle of Britain Historical Society, who was later appointed an MBE for his services to heritage. He was solely responsible for negotiating with the City of Westminster to secure the site of the monument, as well as appointing Donald Insall Associates as architects. He also formed the fundraising committee after raising over £250,000 through an appeal. The budget was £1.74 million which was funded in the main by private donations. Bill Bond appointed Lord Tebbit as chairman of the fundraising committee.
The monument utilises a panelled granite structure long which was originally designed as a smoke outlet for underground trains when they were powered by steam engines. A walkway was cut obliquely through the middle of the structure, and is lined with panels of high relief sculpture in bronze depicting scenes from the Battle of Britain. The centrepiece is an approximately life sized sculpture of airmen scrambling for their aircraft during the battle. The outside of the monument is lined with bronze plaques listing 2,936 pilots and aircrew from 14 countries who took part in the battle on the Allied side. In July 2020, Ajax historian Martin Sugarman, lost a campaign to list one of the airmen, whose parents were born in Mandatory Palestine, as being “British-Israeli" or "British Palestinian”. A member of the London monument team advised that, with nearly 3,000 names on the memorial, there was “no prospect of post-unveiling correction”.
The sculptor of the monument is Paul Day. The statue was cast by Morris Singer, which is the oldest established fine art foundry in the world and has cast many prominent statues and sculptures in London and around the world, including the lions and fountains in Trafalgar Square.


National Forest Scenic Byway

The National Forest Scenic Byways are roads that have been designated by the U.S. Forest Service as scenic byways. Many are also National Scenic Byways (NSB). The program was initiated in 1987.
List.
The following roadways were listed by the Federal Highway Administration as National Forest Scenic Byways as of August 2013:


Cucamonga Wilderness

The Cucamonga Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, in San Bernardino County, Southern California.
The wilderness is managed by the United States Forest Service in Angeles National Forest and San Bernardino National Forest
Elevations range from about .


Cujubim Sustainable Development Reserve

The Cujubim Sustainable Development Reserve () is a sustainable development reserve in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.
Location.
The Cujubim Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) takes its name from the Blue-throated piping guan ("Aburria cumanensis"), locally called the "Cujubim" and a common bird in the region.
The reserve is in the municipality of Jutaí, Amazonas and has an area of .
It is the largest conservation unit in Amazonas and the largest sustainable development reserve in the world.
It lies along the Jutaí River, a tributary of the Solimões River that flows in a northeast direction to the west of the Juruá River.
The conservation unit also contains the Biá and Mutum rivers, tributaries of the Jutaí.
The reserve may be reached by boat from Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, distant.
The trip would typically take about eight days.
A flight to Fonte Boa Airport, the nearest commercial airport, cuts the boat journey to three and a half days.
The Cujubim Sustainable Development Reserve is part of the Central Amazon Biodiversity Corridor, along with other conservation units on either side of the Solimões.
It is upstream from the Rio Jutaí Extractive Reserve.
The Vale do Javari Indigenous Territory adjoins the reserve to the west and the Rio Biá Indigenous Territory adjoins it to the east.
The Rio Biá Indigenous Territory in turn adjoins the Uacari Sustainable Development Reserve and the Médio Juruá Extractive Reserve on the Juruá.
History.
The Cujubim Sustainable Development Reserve was created by decree 23.724 of 5 September 2003.
It became part of the Central Amazon Ecological Corridor, established in 2002.
The deliberative council was created on 3 April 2008.
The management plan was approved on 13 March 2009.
The conservation unit is supported by the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program.
Environment.
The weather is hot and humid. Average annual rainfall is .
Average temperatures range from .
The land is flat, with maximum elevation of .
Vegetation is mainly open alluvial forest with palms, but there is great diversity.
The land along the rivers includes seasonally flooded "várzea" or "igapó" forests.
Higher up the forest is terra firma, and is more dense or open depending on variations in relief.
In some areas there is succession forest regenerating after human activities such as mining and oil prospecting.
The reserve is in the Inambari area of endemism, one of the most diverse of the Amazon forest.
More than 700 species of plant have been recorded.
Further studies are needed, but the reserve is estimated to harbour at least 600 species of birds, 90 bats and 16 primates.
The reserve hosts populations of threatened or endangered species such as the giant otter ("Pteronura brasiliensis"), South American tapir ("Tapirus terrestris"), jaguar ("Panthera onca"), cougar ("Puma concolor") and Amazonian manatee ("Trichechus inunguis").
The first record in Brazil of the eastern lowland olingo ("Bassaricyon alleni") was made in the reserve.
Other species include white-lipped peccary ("Tayassu pecari"), big-headed Amazon River turtle ("Peltocephalus dumerilianus"), six-tubercled Amazon River turtle ("Podocnemis sextuberculata") and "pirarucu" ("Arapaima gigas").
Economy.
The reserve is in a very isolated area, with high levels of poverty and low human development indices.
Most of the residents are descended from the "rubber soldiers" who moved to Amazonia from the north east of Brazil during World War II (1939–45) to work as rubber tappers.
Due to lack of health and education infrastructure many families left the region for the cities in the 1980s, but many could not adapt to city life and later returned.
A survey before the reserve was created showed that about 56% of residents were illiterate, while the remainder had no more than 4th grade elementary education.
39% of residents were children under ten years old and less than 1% were over 70 years old.
In April 2008 there were 36 households registered in the Bolsa Floresta program of the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation.
In 2015 there were almost 290 people from 56 families in the reserve.
They engage in extraction, fishing, hunting and farming.
The main sources of income are marketing "salmorado" fish, particularly "surubi", logging and capture of turtles.
Extracted products include oils, straw, vines, fruits, honey and rubber.
The most common timber species are "Ceiba pentandra", "Copaiba", "Virola", "Calophyllum brasiliense", "Ocotea cymbarum", "Carapa", "Virola sebifera" and "Cedrela odorata".
The residents have traditionally depended on ""regatões" (middlemen) who purchase their products and bring supplies from the city, often at unfair prices.
Credit is being supplied so the residents can break free of debt to the "regatões"" and market their products directly.
As an alternative to logging the agencies involved in managing the reserve are encouraging extraction of resins, copaiba and andiroba oils and rubber.
Fruit, vegetables and medicinal plants are also potential sources of income.


Ewyas Harold Meadows

Ewyas Harold Meadows is a nature reserve managed by Butterfly Conservation near the village of Ewyas Harold, Herefordshire, England.


Vraja Parikrama

Vraja Mandal Parikrama, also called Braj Yatra (Braj pilgrimage), is a Hindu pilgrimage related to Krishna with the circumambulation of 84 kos Vraja region (Braj) which takes 1 to 2 months depending on the route and speed of travel on foot. Since this is a site associated with the vedic era Lord Krishna and mahabharata, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is one of 3 main pilgrimage sites related to "Krishna" circuit, namely "48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra" in Haryana state, "Braj parikarma" in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh state and "Dwarka parkarma" (Dwarkadish yatra) at Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat state.
Braj pilgrimage circuit.
"Braj Yatra" circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th century sadhus of vaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals. The circuit covers is spread across 2500 km2 area with 84 kos or 300 km long periphery extending 10 km to east and 50 km to north and west. Braj has two main types of pilgrimage circuits, the traditional longer "Braj Yatra" encompassing the whole circuit, and the other shorter significantly modified contemporary point-to-point pilgrimage to visit the main sites at Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Govardhan. The former, longer traditional pilgrimage route, also includes additional sacred sites Nandgaon and Barsana with travel on foot. The origin of the Vraj Mandal Parikrama is variously ascribed to Sri Nagaji of the Nimbarka Sampradaya and Sri Narayana Bhatta of Unchagaon or Varsana (Barsana), of the 16th century, who wrote complete guidebooks of the Yatras.
The largest groups (5,000-20,000 people) at present which conduct the Braj Mandal Parikrama Yatra include the Radharani Braj Yatra of Ramesh Baba, Barsana, Kathia Baba Ashram Yatra, Vallabh Sampradaya Yatra and others.
Vraja Dham.
Vana.
There are twelve "vanas" in the Vraja Mandal. Madhuvan, Talavan, Kumudvan, Bahulavan, Kamavan, Khadiravan, Vrindavan, Bhadravan, Bhandiravan, Belvan, Lohavan.
Mahavana and Upavana.
There are twelve Mahavanas in Vraja Mandala. There are twelve "Upavanas" in Vraja Mandala. Namely, Gokul, Govardhan, Barsana, Nandagram, Sanket, Paramadra, Aring, Sessai, Mat, Uchagram, Kelvan, Sri Kund, Gandharvavan, Parsoli, Bilchhu, Bacchavan, Adibadri, Karahla, Ajnokh, Pisaya, Kokilavan, Dadhigram, Kotvan and Raval.
Kunda.
There are twelve "kundas" in Vraja Mandala; namely, Govinda Kunda, Lalita Kunda, Radha Kunda, Shyam Kunda, Davanal Kunda, Shantanu Kunda, Bilol Kunda.
Sarovara.
There are twelve "sarovaras" in Vraja Mandala namely Kusum Sarobar, Prem Sarobar
Nimbarka Sampradaya.
In the Nimbarka "Paramapara" Sri Nagaji Maharaj, who was born in Paingaon, Mathura district - introduced Vraja Parikrama(circumambulation of 84 Krosha Vraja Dham, the eternal playground of Lord Sri Krishna with His cowherds and Gopis) continuing since the last 530 years.
Kathia Baba Ashram.
A branch of the Nimbarka Sampradaya, the Kathia Baba ka Sthaan, Vrindaban, Gurukul Marg conducts one of the biggest Yatras of only Sadhu Sants The yatra continues for 42 days and does not charge a penny for fooding and lodging from the Sadhus.


Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is a national park located on and around the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada. In the National Parks System Plan, this park provides representation of the Strait of Georgia Lowlands natural region, the only place in Canada with a Mediterranean climate of dry, sunny summers and mild, wet winters, the result of a rain shadow effect from surrounding mountains between the region and the ocean. It has similar dominant vegetation as the Pacific Northwest, such as coastal Douglas-fir, western red cedar, shore pine, Pacific dogwood, bigleaf maple, and red alder, but also contains the northern extent of some of the more drought tolerant trees such as Garry oak and Arbutus. The park was created in 2003 as the fortieth national park. It covers of area on 16 islands and more than 30 islets, reefs and surrounding waters, making it the sixth smallest national park in Canada.
History.
A high proportion of land on the Gulf Islands, over 75%, has been converted to private properties. As settlement and development was impacting character, ecosystems and recreational values, several means of conservation had been initiated. While the province was promoting tourism to the Gulf Islands and establishing provincial parks, such as, among others, D'Arcy Island Marine Park and Princess Margaret Marine Park on D'Arcy Island and Portland Island, respectively, they also established the Islands Trust whose mandate for the gulf islands is "to preserve and protect the trust area and its unique amenities and environment". On the federal level, the local member of parliament David Anderson advocated for an organized conservation effort and Minister of Fisheries Jack Davis commissioned, in 1971, a feasibility study of establishing a marine park. A year before, Parks Canada had released its National Parks System Plan which identified 39 natural regions which should be represented in the park system. The unrepresented Strait of Georgia Lowlands natural region, the smallest and most urbanized natural region in the country, includes the Fraser Lowland and the valleys and islands along the Strait of Georgia, like the Gulf Islands. In 1973 Parks Canada and the US Parks Service jointly published a feasibility study of creating a transboundary protected area here, along with the San Juan Islands and Point Roberts. However, with the provincial government satisfied with the provincial park system in the Gulf Islands and reluctant to forgo resource extraction and development rights, progress towards establishing a national park was delayed until the 1995 announcement of the Canada-British Columbia Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy program. Both the federal and provincial governments pledged $30 million each to acquiring land for conservation purposes generally in the Strait of Georgia area but with the intent of establishing a national park.
On July 26, 2002, 7.8 hectares of ecologically sensitive land on Saturna Island was donated to the Gulf Island National Park Reserve by Ulla Ressner and John Fry. The park was formally announced on May 9, 2003, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to take the steps necessary to transfer the agreed upon of lands to the federal government for use as national park. The province followed through in April 2004 with Orders-in-Council 402-404 releasing the properties and all their rights to the Parks Canada including nine provincial parks (Beaumont Marine Park, Cabbage Island Marine Park, D'Arcy Island Marine Park, Isle-de-Lis Marine Park, Princess Margaret Marine Park, Sidney Spit Marine Park, Winter Cove Marine Park, Prior Centennial Park and McDonald Park), as well as the Saturna Island Ecological Reserve and the Brackman Island Ecological Reserve. The former-provincial parks would include almost all of the new National Park's recreational facilities (e.g. camping sites, anchorages, etc.). In addition, more land on Saturna and Pender Islands were added, as well as Reay Island, Greig Island, Hawkins Island, Imrie Island, the Belle Chain Islets, the Channel Islets, and the Red Islets, among other islets.
Climate.
The park, along with the Strait of Georgia Lowlands natural region, is situated in a low-lying coastal area surrounded by mountains. While the area experiences the warm air from the Pacific Ocean jet stream, the surrounding mountains of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Mountains strips that air of moisture creating a rain shadow effect. The summers are consequently dry with only a few cloudy days which is classified as a Mediterranean climate. The winters, however, are influenced by Arctic air mixing with Pacific air flows resulting in heavy precipitation and cool temperatures. The park includes a climate monitoring station, in operation since 1989, on Saturna Island; the area experiences an average of of precipitation each year, with over half of that falling in the four-month period between October and February.
Ecology.
The terrestrial portion of the park lies within what the province terms the Coastal Douglas-Fir Biogeoclimatic Zone based on the climax vegetation. Coastal Douglas-fir is the most common tree species and is accompanied by western red cedar and grand fir in wetter soils and Arbutus and Garry oak in drier soils. Also present are red alder, shore pine, Pacific dogwood, bigleaf maple, and bitter cherry. In the shrub layer are salal, dull Oregon-grape, oceanspray, baldhip rose, bracken fern, sword fern, lady fern and spiny wood fern. In wetter areas salmonberry, false lily of the valley, vanilla-leaf, and skunk cabbage may be present.
In the sea waters swim orcas, porpoises, seals, salmon, lingcod, shiner perch, saddleback gunnel and three-spined stickleback, among others. The largest land animal in the park would be the black-tailed deer. Fallow deer are also present but are an introduced species from some of the island's history as private hunting grounds. Other terrestrial animals include mink, river otters, raccoons and deer mice. Birds that be seen in the park include cormorant, bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, falcon, turkey vulture, rhinoceros auklet, Brant geese, great blue heron, Hermann's Gulls, and oystercatcher.
Geography.
The park consists of of land and of water scattered over and around 16 islands and more than 30 islets and reefs at the southern end of the Gulf Islands archipelago in the Strait of Georgia, Haro Strait and Boundary Pass on the Canadian side of the international border with the United States. The islands have a northwesterly-southeasterly alignment which is partly the result of sedimentary folding within the Nanaimo Basin. Also partly responsible for the shape of the land is the effects of the last ice age when 1.5 km of ice was top off the land and the erosive force carved out softer deposits as the melting water drained into the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Georgia. Also, the land continues to experience post-glacial rebound which has lifted certain lands higher.
McDonald Campground.
The park's most accessible feature is the McDonald Campground in North Saanich on Vancouver Island, just north of the Town of Sidney. While it covers a area consisting of second-growth forest, the site is divided by the Highway 17 and the Swarz Bay Road overpass and surrounded by urban and agricultural development. The campground had been operated as a provincial park since 1948 before being transferred to Parks Canada in 2004. The campground includes 49 drive-in, frontcountry campsites with potable water, pit toilets, and picnic tables.
Sidney Island.
The Sidney Island portion of the national park comprises the northern of the island along with another of foreshore area. Its most prominent features are two spits which create long, sandy beaches. Sidney Spit extends for more than to light beacon at its point. Hook Spit is situated partly down the island and creates a sheltered lagoon with beds of eelgrass. Located off the coast of Town of Sidney, in the Haro Strait, it is accessible only by private boat, passenger ferry or small plane via an airstrip further down the island. Like McDonald Campground, recreational park facilities, like a campground, dock, and moorings were developed during the years when it was operated as a provincial park. Historically, this area had been used by First Nation people for clam harvesting, before being subjected to a failed residential subdivision by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1860, clay extraction for a brickworks between 1906 and 1915, logging of old growth trees, and the introduction of non-native animals like deer and peacocks from farming operations and its use as a private hunting ground before the province used the area in the late-1950s to test the concept of a marine park. Being well-received, the province formalized it as a provincial park in 1961 and developed mooring buoys and an anchoring area, with an on-shore dock for passenger ferries, a campground, pit toilets, and water taps.
D'Arcy Island.
The southernmost area in the park, along with the Unit Rocks and the Sallas Rocks, is D'Arcy Island in the Haro Strait. It is an island, with a 25-meter buffer of national park waters surrounding it, primarily accessible by sea kayak from Island View Regional Park in Central Saanich, or otherwise by motorboat though there are no docking or mooring facilities. Like Sidney Island, it was developed as a marine park with backcountry campsites, with pit toilets but no potable water, and cross-island hiking trails by the province beginning in 1961 before being transferred to Parks Canada in 2004. Some ruins of old buildings, along with a memorial plaque, remain from its time as a leper colony, between 1891 and 1924.
Isle-de-Lis.
East of Sidney Island, and east of the privately owned Gooch Island, is the Isle-de-Lis, formerly known as Rum Island as it was used by rum-runners during prohibition in the United States, being less than one mile from the international border. Isle-de-Lis was a private island until 1978 when it was bequeathed to the province for park purposes and renamed to Isle-de-Lis. Like D'Arcy Island, the province made it into a marine park primarily accessible by sea kayakers on a multi-day trip, with no docking or mooring facilities for motorboats, and added backcountry campsites with pit toilets but no potable water.
Portland Island.
On the northern end of the Haro Strait is a area of the national park centered on Portland Island and extending out to include Brackman Island and numerous islets (but excluding several private islands). Brackman Island was an ecological reserve prior to its inclusion into the national park as a Special Preservation Area. Archaeological sites in the form of midden deposits remain on Portland Island from a long-abandoned First Nation village. Similarly, evidence remains of its use as a private island, including agricultural development and logging, though it reverted to the provincial government after the owner's bankruptcy in the Great Depression. The island was given to Princess Margaret to commemorate her 1958 visit to British Columbia and she donated it back to the province for park purposes. The province subsequently operated it as the Princess Margaret Marine Park with anchorages, an artificial reef suitable for scuba diving, hiking trails around the island and three campgrounds with pit toilets but no potable water, until it was transferred to Parks Canada.
Russell Island.
Located in the Satellite Channel off the southern coast of Salt Spring Island, Russell Island includes an anchorage area and a small dock with a loop trail for recreational use. As a cultural heritage sites, there is a foreshore clam garden developed by First Nations people and the Mahoi House developed when Russell Island was a private island owned by a Native Hawaiian family between 1886 and 1959 (and also inhabited by subsequent owner). It remained a private island until 1997 when it was purchased in the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy program for park purposes.
Pender Island.
Pender Island is serviced by BC Ferries which allows for the use of drive-in campsites at the Prior Centennial Campground. A second campground is located along Bedwell Harbour in the former Beaumont Marine Provincial Park. In addition to the backcountry campsites, there are also mooring buoys and an anchoring area for boaters and a sandy beach access for kayakers, as well as a hiking trail along the beach and up Mount Norman. The Roesland park area on North Pender, acquired through a series of private land purchases, has a third campground. This campground is located near the shore of Shingle Bay and is accessible by kayakers or boaters as there is an anchoring area and a sandy beach access with a dinghy dock, but is also accessible via a short but steep hike from the Shingle Bay Road parking lot. This Roesland park area also includes a loop-trail around Roe Lake and a shorter hike from a historical/interpretative centre to Roe Islet (accessible during low tide). There are two other national park areas on the island. On South Pender, there is a hiking trail from Gowlland Point Road to Greenburn Lake. On North Pender, from a trailhead in an Islands Trust conservation area, there is a hiking trail up Mount Menzies through Loretta's Wood and another trail through Tyndall Wood to cliffs which overlook Plumper Sound and Saturna Island.
Saturna Island.
The national park covers approximately 43% of Saturna Island's land base. The 7.8 hectare Ressner-Fry property on Mount Fisher, though it is not accessible. The Winter Cove day use area is the most visited park area on Saturna Island. It surrounds a cove with a sheltered moorage area and a dinghy dock. On land the day use area includes a picnic area and a trail through a variety of landscapes such as forested uplands, open meadows, salt marshes, shell midden, and sandstone beaches, to a viewpoint at Boat Pass. The Narvaez Bay park area includes several connected hiking trails, along the coastline and through the forest to the Monarch Head viewpoint which overlooks Boundary Pass and the American San Juan Islands. The Narvaez Bay campground is only campground within the island's park boundaries and is accessible by kayak, or from an off-shore anchoring area or by walking in from a parking lot. At the end of the northern peninsula is a small park area with a sandstone beach that surrounds the East Point Light Station and Fog Alarm Building with the Boiling Reef just off-shore. The middle of the island is a large park area that covers land from the valley bottom of Lyall Creek to the plateau of Mt. David and Mt. Elsford to the north and to the plateau of Mount Warburton Pike and Brown Ridge to the south. The Lyall Creek trail follows a salmon-bearing creek to a waterfall, while the Mount Warburton Pike trail (at the end of Staples Road) follows the grassy ridgeline at a height of 400 metres overlooking the Taylor Point trail along the southern coast of the island and Plumper Sound, Pender Island and the San Juan Islands. Similarly, the height of Mount Fischer west of Mount Warburton Pike is also included within the park, though it is not accessible. The Taylor Point trail is a trail along coastal bluffs, from the end of Trueworthy Road, past an abandoned sandstone quarry to Taylor Point where there remains the ruins of a settler's house, constructed of sandstone in 1892.
Tumbo Island - Cabbage Island.
Located off Saturna Island's northeastern shore, Tumbo Island and Cabbage Island are connected to each other by a reef, exposed at low tide. Cabbage Island, purchased by the Nature Conservancy from private owners in 1976, was developed as a provincial marine park between 1978 and 2004 with anchorage and moorage areas in Reef Harbour and a campground and on the island. Tumbo, in area and named in reference to a tombolo, was acquired by the province in the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy program from a Californian for $3.7 million with the provision that he was able to keep his cottage and care-taker suite. Prior to its use as private property (since 1877) for timber harvesting, coal mining, mink farming, and recreational living, it was used by the Coast Salish people when crossing or working in the strait. Tumbo is also only accessible by boats via Reef Harbour and it beach accesses but while it does not have a campground does have a 3.5 km trail, with views of the San Juan Islands.
Mayne Island.
There are two national park sites on Mayne Island: Campbell Point (Bennett Bay) on the eastern end and Georgina Point on the island's northwestern end. The Georgina Point Heritage Park is a site that looks upon the Strait of Georgia and the entrance of Active Pass. It has been the site of the Active Pass Lighthouse since 1885, though that original light was replaced in 1940 with a lightkeeper's residence that included a lantern room above, and then in 1969 by an octagonal metal lantern mounted on a cylindrical concrete tower. The light function was also replaced, in 1997, by an automated navigational aid. As the historical structures remain, as well as the active radio building and aeronautical beacon maintained by the Coast Guard, it is listed as a historic place and heritage lighthouse. With the site transferred from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to Parks Canada it was further developed with picnic and washroom facilities. On the other end of the island, the Campbell Point portion was acquired as a private land purchase. There is a hiking trail from a sandy beach, suitable for swimming and launching kayaks, to Campbell Point where there are views of Georgeson Island's old-growth forest on a sandstone ridge. Georgeson Island, along with the seal and sea lion haulouts of the Belle Chain Islets and Anniversary Island, and the small unnamed islands off Samuel Island's coast, make for a kayak route between Mayne and Saturna islands, within the national park boundaries.
Prevost Island.
There are two park areas on Prevost Island. The north park site, acquired by private land purchases, extends from Peile Point around James Bay to Selby Cove, though the land on Selby Point remains privately owned. There is a campground, with a pit toilet but no potable water, on the shores of James Bay with a hiking trail to and Selby Cove. While the camping is suitable for kayakers, there are anchorage areas in James Bay and Selby Cove for boaters. On the east end of the island, the park site extends from Portlock Point around Richardson Bay to the Bright and Red Islets. This site includes the Portlock Point Lighthouse and a beach access but no campground. Between these two park sites, the national park also includes the small area of Hawkins Island off the northern coast of Prevost Island.


Alabaster Caverns State Park

Alabaster Caverns State Park is a state park approximately south of Freedom, Oklahoma, United States near Oklahoma State Highway 50. The park attracted 24,706 visitors in FY 2016, The lowest count of the three parks in its part of Oklahoma. According to the "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture", the park Previously attracted about 40,000 visitors per year. It is home to the largest natural gypsum cave in the world that is open to the public. The gypsum is mostly in the form of alabaster. There are several types of alabaster found at the site, including pink, white, and the rare black alabaster. This black alabaster can be found in only three veins in the world, one each in Oklahoma, Italy and China. Another form of gypsum can be found in the many selenite crystal formations.
The state is currently considering closing Alabaster Caverns State Park for budgetary reasons.
History.
Over 200 million years ago, during the Permian Age, this part of North America was covered by an inland sea. The water eventually evaporated, leaving behind huge deposits of alabaster and other minerals. Upheavals of the earth raised the gypsum bed close to the surface. Over time, water streams tunneled caverns through the formation, which contains an abundant quality of selenite crystals, white and pink gypsum as well as deposits of rare black alabaster.
There is no official record of discovery for Alabaster Caverns, even though they were known to have been used as hideouts by outlaws in the 19th Century. The first documented exploration of the caves occurred in 1898, shortly after Hugh Litton homesteaded the area in 1893. Several individuals leased land around them during the 1920s and 30s, and allowed limited tours of the caverns, which they called "bat caves." In 1939, an Englishman named Charles Grass bought the land. began renovating the caves, and opened them for public tours. It was Grass who gave them their current name. Grass was in failing health in 1952 when a group of five businessmen from Freedom, Oklahoma, the nearest community, and members of the Waynoka Railroad Labor League began lobbying for the U.S. state of Oklahoma to buy Grass' land. The state purchased from Grass on September 1, 1953, for $34,000, then reclassified the purchase as a state park in 1956, under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Planning and Resources Board.
In the mid-1950s the caves served as a nuclear fallout shelter.
Geology.
Alabaster Caverns State Park is underlain by Permian age sedimentary rocks (~300 to 250 million years old). The main cavern extends into the formation, is about wide and high. The cavern branches into boulder formations and smaller caves. A small perennial stream now flows through the cavern, fed by various lateral tunnels and seepage from the roof. In the geologic past, the river was once capable of completely filling the cavern, as the cave walls and gypsum formations show evidence of sculpting by rapidly flowing water. The air temperature ranges from 52˚F to 58˚ year round in the cavern.
Wildlife.
The cavern is home to five different species of bat. Some are solitary while others are colonial. The cavern provides roosting sites that serve as daytime shelter and a place for the non-migrating bats to hibernate during the winter months. Mexican free-tailed bats migrate to Alabaster Caverns from Mexico in the spring to bear their young. They then return to Mexico in the fall.
The bat species found in the cave are the cave myotis, Western big-eared bat, eastern pipistrelle, Western big brown bat, and the Mexican free-tailed bat.
Alabaster Caverns State Park personnel made a count of the bats in the caverns this year and reported over 19,000. In 2016, the count reported about 16,000.
Visitor activities.
Beside guided cave tours, wild caving, camping, hiking trails, and recreational facilities such as horseshoe pits and volleyball courts are available to visitors.
Tours are conducted every hour on the hour and last about 45 minutes, and are limited to 40 persons each. The caves are lighted and have plenty of handrails. However, the walking tour is about long and visitors must climb up or down about 330 stair steps. This tour is not recommended for people with mobility or respiratory problems, heart conditions or claustrophobia.
Proposed park closure in 2018.
In March 2017, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation published a list of 16 state parks that may be closed to help offset a reduction in its budget for 2018. Alabaster Canyon State Park is on this list. This list represents approximately one-half of the parks remaining after the department closed seven parks in 2011.


Japanese seaplane tender Akitsushima

 was a seaplane tender of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), serving during World War II from 1942 until being sunk in September 1944.
Design.
In 1938, the IJN wanted to use their large-sized flying boats more effectively, because the Kawanishi H6K was the only aircraft able to hit Pearl Harbor directly from the Marshall Islands. However, the Marshall Islands did not have flying boat facilities at that time. Early in 1939, the IJN converted the oiler to a seaplane tender. However, she was not able to repair seaplanes.
The IJN therefore planned two kinds of seaplane tenders which were included in the Maru 4 Programme. One was a 10,000-ton class flying boat carrier, the other a 2,400-ton class flying boat tender. These plans were not able to pass the assessment by the Ministry of Finance. These two basic plans were revived by the Maru 5 Programme in 1941. However, their construction did not begin. Therefore, the IJN planned a 3,500-ton class tender, which was a scaled-up model of the 2,400-ton class. The ships should be able to maintain, repair and supply seaplanes. The IJN intended to accommodate the flying boat by bow-up trim and slope at first, however this plan was cancelled and the "Akitsushima" class was equipped with a 35-ton crane. The IJN changed the design frequently, ending up with a displacement increased by 1,000 tons.
Operational service.
"Akitsushima" was commissioned on 29 April 1942 and assigned to the 25th Air Flotilla, 11th Air Fleet. Two weeks later, she sailed to Saipan and Rabaul. After the U.S. invasion of Guadalcanal, "Akitsushima" arrived at the Shortland Islands on 16 August 1942. She was damaged by B-17E Flying Fortress bombers at Buka Island two weeks later.
Her repairs were completed on 5 January 1943, and she was dispatched to Kavieng, only to proceed to Jaluit Atoll in February. On 30 June 1943 she sailed to Paramushir for the evacuation of Kiska. She returned to Yokosuka in August and sailed via Shanghai to Truk. Here, she was slightly damaged by U.S. carrier planes which attacked Truk during Operation Hailstone. The following month, "Akitsushima" was assigned to the 14th Air Fleet and returned to Yokosuka for repairs. She also received repair ship facilities, because the repair ship had been sunk. Her refit was completed on 1 August 1944 and she was assigned to the 2nd Fleet.
In August 1944, she sailed to Kure and Imari, then to Kaohsiung and Manila, finally arriving at Coron Bay on 23 September 1944. Here she was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 38 the following day. "Akitsushima" was officially struck from the Naval register on 10 November 1944.