SM Prime

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH) is an integrated property developer and a subsidiary of SM Investments Corporation. It was incorporated on 6 January 1994 to develop, conduct, operate and maintain the SM commercial shopping centers and all businesses related thereto, such as the lease of commercial spaces within the compound of shopping centers. It went public on July 5, 1994, and subsequently grew to become the largest company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in terms of revenue. The company's main sources of revenues primarily include rental income from mall and food courts, as well as from cinema ticket sales and amusement income.
History.
The roots of SM date back to the 1950s when entrepreneur Henry Sy, Sr. established a shoe store at Carriedo Street in Quiapo, Manila. His store was established as ShoeMart, which was originally located at Carlos Palanca Sr. Street. His aggressive and adamant strategy helped him gain large profits within a few years and he later expanded his business to become a fully functioning department store named ShoeMart, which specializes in the sale of shoes, the sector of which the store originally was. ShoeMart was abbreviated into SM, the name which became commonly known by the locals. The abbreviation SM has become an orphan initialism. The first ShoeMart outlet was abandoned and the department store moved to a new site along the nearby Carriedo Street. The old site was demolished in 1982 and was turned into its Clearance Outlet.
The first SM Mall, the SM City North EDSA, was opened in 1985. Followed by the establishment of a second mall, the SM Centerpoint, in 1990. Since then, the company has expanded by establishing malls nationwide.
On May 17, 2013, SM opened the SM Aura Premier. The same year, the company announced a merger with SM Land, which owns SM Development and Commercial Properties Group. As a result, upon approval by Securities and Exchange Commission, SM Prime is one of the largest property companies in the Southeast Asia region, competing with Gokongwei-led Robinsons Land (which owns Robinsons Malls and Tan-led Megaworld Corporation).
Subsidiaries.
SM Supermalls.
SM Supermalls is a chain of shopping malls with over 60 malls in the Philippines, and seven in China. According to the company, the malls attract an average foot traffic of 3.5 million daily and has over 5,000 tenant partners.
SM Development Corporation.
SM Development Corporation (SMDC) is a wholly owned subsidiary and the real estate arm of SMPH. SM Development Corporation commits itself to providing access to luxurious urban living through vertical villages perfectly integrated with a commercial retail environment, giving its residents access to a truly cosmopolitan lifestyle.
Properties of SM Development Corporation are strategically situated in key areas across Metro Manila specifically the Central Business Districts of Mall of Asia Complex, Makati, Ortigas, Taguig, Quezon City, Manila, Pasay, Parañaque and Las Piñas.
They can also be easily accessed from neighboring provinces like Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Iloilo and Bacolod.
Back in 2020, SMDC bagged the most-coveted Best Developer of the Year award in the annual PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards alongside other recognitions


Abukuma-do

Abukuma-do (あぶくま洞 - Abukuma Cave) is a limestone cave located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The cave was discovered on August 15, 1969, northeast of the city of Tamura and was originally named Kamayama Shonyu-do (釜山鍾乳洞). It was designated a natural heritage of the town on February 7, 1971, and renamed Abukuma-do on June 1, 1973. Visitors can traverse a 600-metre-long path inside the cave as well as a 120-metre-long exploration course to view the stalactites and stalagmites. Each stalactite has taken more than eighty million years to form. Beyond the public areas lie about 2,500 metres of cave that are not open to the public. Nearby Abukuma Cave is the smaller Irimizu Shonyu-do (入水鍾乳洞 - Irimizu Limestone Cave), discovered in 1927. Irimizu Limestone Cave was designated a National Natural Treasure on December 28, 1934. The temperature inside Abukuma-do is around 15 °C and the humidity is above 90%.
History.
Abubukuma-do was discovered in September 1969 from the present Busan quarry site in an area called Abukuma Highlands (阿武隈高地), or Harachitai highlands (原地帯), in the middle of a plateau of geologic formation of irregular limestone deposits, on the west side slope of Mt. Otakine. Since ancient times mining for marble and limestone has been popular in that area. Limestone was also discovered at Abukuma-do. At the year of Abukuma-do's discovery mining in that area was suspended, and a limestone outcrop remains to this day near its parking lot.
The initial discovery of an entrance to the cave is now near the exit of the modern day tourist destination. The cave itself consists of a 12m deep hole, a tunnel running 60m north, and a tunnel running 15m southwest. In March 1970 the Japanese university 's expedition team explored the inside of the cave, and found a main cave ahead of the air hole in the northern end that was regarded as the end point until then. In 1973, four years after the discovery, the inside of the cave was developed for observation and it was opened to the public.
Boxwork.
A notable feature of Abukuma-do is the existence of boxwork, a rare cave formation composed of thin blades of the mineral calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings, forming a honeycomb or box-like pattern. Boxwork can also be found in Shimukugama in Okinawa and Sugawatari-do (氷渡洞 - Ice Cross Cave) in Iwate Prefecture, but because Abukuma-do is currently the only limestone cave in Japan open to tourists, it is subsequently the only cave in Japan in which boxwork can be seen.
Christmas Tree and Silver Frost.
The Christmas Tree and the Silver Frost are two of the most distinctive Speleothem inside Abukuma-do. The Christmas Tree is a stalagmite and The Silver Frost meets dripstones on the roof of the cave resulting in an impressive column. Both represent a featured stop along the 600 meter course inside the cave. According to the Abukuma Caves Management Office, The Christmas Tree, at over two metres high, is said to be the largest stalagmite in the East.


Vishera Nature Reserve

Vishera Nature Reserve () (also Vishersky) is a Russian "zapovednik" (strict nature reserve) in the middle latitudes of the Ural Mountains in Perm Krai, Russia. It covers an area of 2,412 km2, more than 75% of which is dark coniferous forest (taiga). An additional 20% of the territory is treeless mountain landscape. The Vishera, flows through nature reserve for about 130 km. Administratively, the reserve is located in the extreme north-east of Perm Krai, in Krasnovishersky District.
Topography.
The reserve occupies 1.5% of Perm Krai's area (comparable to the size of Luxembourg). The highest peak in the reserve territory Tulymsky Kamen (1,469 m), also the highest point of Perm Krai. The lowest point is 231 m above sea level.
The extreme north point of the nature reserve (that is also the most northern point in Perm Krai) is divided basins of Kama River, Pechora River and Ob River. The small population of this place is made up of the Mansi people.
Ecoregion and climate.
Vishersky is in the Urals montane tundra and taiga ecoregion, a region the runs north-south along the ridge of the Urals Mountains that separates the Russian Plain from the West Siberian Plain.
The climate of Vishersky is "Humid continental climate, cool summer" (Köppen climate classification Subartic climate(Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ).
Flora and fauna.
Large area of fir and spruce virgin forest. Also you can find here Siberian Pine, mountain ash and birch.
There are 36 species of mammals, 155 – birds, 6 – fishes and 2 amphibians. Among mammals there are Brown Bear, Gray wolf, Reindeer, Sable and others.


Clearwater River Provincial Park

Clearwater River Provincial Park is a Canadian wilderness park in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan. The park begins at the south end of Lloyd Lake on the Clearwater River and includes territory on both sides of the river until it reaches the Alberta border. It includes the historic Methye Portage (Portage La Loche).
The Methye Portage was designated a National Historic Site in 1933and the Clearwater River was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1986.
The Clearwater River offers experienced canoeists Class 2 to Class 4 rapids.
Park access.
The park can be reached from La Loche by crossing to the northernmost end of Lac La Loche by boat. A stone cairn is located near the south end of the Portage.
Sixty-five kilometres north of La Loche on Highway 955 a bridge crosses the Clearwater River near Warner Rapids. The road is paved from La Loche to the Clearwater River Dene Nation turn-off (about) then continues as a gravel road. On the north east side of the bridge are 17 wilderness camp sites.


Cabinet Mountains Wilderness

The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, created by an act of Congress in 1964, is located in the U.S. state of Montana. Protecting the wildest portions of the Cabinet Mountains and an integral part of Kootenai National Forest and Kaniksu National Forest, the wilderness had enjoyed more limited protection since 1935 as a Primitive Area.
U.S. Wilderness Areas do not allow motorized or mechanized vehicles, 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. There are many mountain lakes and sky scraping peaks located in the Cabinets, the highest of the peaks being Snowshoe Peak.


Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area

Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area is located in Colusa, Butte, and Sutter Counties. It is wetlands managed as part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex and is not open to the public.
Within the Wildlife Management Area (WMA), conservation easements have been purchased on , requiring landowners to maintain wetlands on their property in perpetuity. These lands are privately owned and closed to public access. In addition, a area (owned in fee title) was established in 1980 to protect wetlands for wintering waterfowl. This area is known as the "Butte Sink Unit" (formerly known as the Butte Sink National Wildlife Refuge), and is also closed to public access.
Major refuge objectives are to provide feeding and resting habitat for wintering waterfowl; provide habitat and management for endangered, threatened, or sensitive species of concern; protect and provide habitat for neotropical migratory land birds; preserve a natural diversity and abundance of flora and fauna; and alleviate crop depredation.
The Butte Sink typically supports wintering populations of over 300,000 ducks and 100,000 geese. As 95 percent of wetlands of the Central Valley have been lost over the last 100 years, waterfowl have become increasingly dependent on the remaining wetlands within the Sacramento Valley.


Natural Bridge Caverns

The Natural Bridge Caverns are the largest known commercial caverns in the U.S. state of Texas. The name is derived from the 60 ft natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater setting of the cavern's entrance. The span was left suspended when a sinkhole collapsed below it.
The caverns are located near the city of San Antonio, Texas in the Texas Hill Country next to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, a drive-through wildlife safari park. The caverns feature several unique speleothems and other geological formations. The temperature inside the cave is 21 degrees Celsius (70°F) year-round and the humidity rate is a constant 99 percent. The deepest part of the public tour is 180 feet below the surface, although undeveloped areas of the cavern reach depths of 230 feet.
The caverns are still slowly developing. Due to the porosity of the limestone, rainwater travels downwards through the layers of rock, where it dissolves out calcite, a weak mineral that makes up all of the speleothems at Natural Bridge Caverns. After exiting the limestone, water enters the caverns where it flows and drips constantly throughout, causing the formations to retain a waxy luster that can be seen in few caverns.
History.
The caverns were discovered on March 27, 1960, by students Orion Knox Jr., Preston Knodell Jr., Al Brandt and Joe Cantu from St. Mary's University in nearby San Antonio. On their fourth trip into the caverns, the men discovered/explored just over a mile of passage. Subsequent explorations revealed 2 miles associated with what became known as the "North Cavern."
After discovery, Orion Knox Jr. assisted the landowners in obtaining information and suggestions for development. Mrs. Clara Wuest (the landowner), wanted to show the world the cave under her property. Orion approached both the National Park Service and the Texas Park System. While both entities agreed that the cavern was substantial and merited development, both groups told the landowners that funds did not exist for their respective groups to undergo such an endeavor.
Mrs. Wuest then decided that she would fund development. Orion dropped out of school to assist. He also approached Jack Burch who had just finished work on developing the Caverns of Sonora near Sonora, Texas. Jack agreed to help and development began early in 1963. Mrs. Wuest remarried Harry Heidemann, a retired Texas Highway Patrolman in the early 1960s. Together, they started work on developing the cavern. The full-time development crew included Mrs. Wuest-Heidemann, Mr. Heidemann, Jack Burch, Orion Knox, and Reggie Wuest (Mrs. Wuest-Heidemann's son). Development on the cavern began in 1963 and work on lights and trails continued until opening day, July 3, 1964. The cavern has been opened ever since and is still owned and operated by family members. Natural Bridge Caverns became a registered United States National Natural Landmark in 1971.
During excavation of the entrance trail, a human tooth, arrowheads, and spearheads dating from 5,000 BC were found. Also, just inside the entrance, a jawbone and femur from an extinct species of black bear were discovered. This leads many to believe that uppermost areas of the cavern were used as a shelter by early peoples and animals at some point. An archaeological dig was recently done under the natural bridge. Archaeologists recovered arrow heads and other tools which further indicate the presence of early peoples at some point in history.
Further exploration.
In 1967, speculation on a southern extent to the North Cavern was confirmed when test drilling indicated the presence of a large void approximately 90 feet beneath the surface. A camera was sent down the narrow shaft and photographs revealed a large chamber filled with formations. This original shaft was reamed out to 22 inches and three men were lowered into the ground. They discovered a large breakdown chamber and numerous formations. The first three men to enter this room were Jack Burch, Reggie Wuest, and Myles Kuykendall. By combining the first two letters of each man's first name, they arrived at JAREMY, and thus this newly discovered room was called the Jaremy Room.
Further investigation near the bottom of the Jaremy Room revealed a strong likelihood that another passage existed beyond a pile of rocks and boulders. In 1968 the drillers were once again brought out to the property and another exploratory shaft was sunk into the ground. This shaft also penetrated a large void approximately 150 feet below ground. As before, the initial shaft was enlarged and people dropped down into the unknown. Explorations revealed another half-mile of cavern extending to the south. This then became known as the South Cavern.
Recent exploration.
Exploration continues to date. During the summer of 2005, several hundred feet were added to the current surveyed length of the cave. It is believed that as much as another mile could be added to the survey by just mapping the known passages which have not yet been surveyed. Additional unexplored leads exist in sections of the Discovery Passages (North Cavern).
Since May 8, 2019 a team of cave explorers have discovered over 1,600 feet of new never before seen passages. As explorers move deeper into the cavern, each expedition takes longer, with the latest taking more than 19 hours to complete.
Passages renamed.
In 2008, the Caverns' owners changed the names for the passages. The "North Cavern" was changed to "Discovery Passages," and the "South Cavern" was changed to "Hidden Passages." According to the land owners, the change in names better reflects the discovery and exploration history of the cavern and removes some confusion for guests.
Wildlife.
There is recent evidence of bats residing in Natural Bridge Caverns including roosting areas and accumulation of bat guano. Bracken Cave, near Natural Bridge Caverns is home to one of two large bat colonies in Texas. The bats that inhabit Bracken Cave are a small species called Mexican free-tailed bats. Bats control the insect population, help to pollinate plants, and are a food source for other animals, making them a valuable part of the ecosystem. The cave was the focus of a 2013 episode of the syndicated anthology television series, "Texas Country Reporter", hosted by Bob Phillips.
Natural Bridge Caverns Sinkhole Site.
Located on the property is the Natural Bridge Caverns Sinkhole Site, an archeological site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The location of the site is not publicly disclosed in order to preserve artifacts in their context for ongoing research.


Caisteal Gorach


Cesine

Le Cesine is a wetland and natural state reserve extending for 380 hectares near Lecce, in southern Italy. It has been recognized as one of the Ramsar wetland sites of international importance in 1977, and a state nature reserve and a special protection area – SPA (Birds Directive) in 1980. The management of the oasis has been entrusted to WWF Italy by the Ministry of the Environment and has been managed by WWF since 1979.
Biology and ecology.
The park represents one of the last swampy areas that in the past extended from Otranto to Brindisi. There are two ponds, the Salapi and Pantano Grande, fed by the rains, which are separated from the sea by a cord of sand dunes. It is managed by the WWF Italy.
Fauna.
Numerous birds find refuge in the nature reserve:
pochard ("Aythya ferina"), coot ("Fulica"), marsh harrier ("Circus aeruginosus"), red-crested pochard ("Netta rufina"), little grebe ("Tachybaptus ruficollis"), cormorant ("Phalacrocorax carbo")


Negritos Islands Biological Reserve

The Negritos Islands Biological Reserve is a nature reserve of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, containing two islands separated by a small channel in the Gulf of Nicoya which protects migratory bird species which use the island seasonally.


Alamance Crossing

Alamance Crossing is a lifestyle center (outdoor shopping mall) in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the second shopping mall in the city, as well as the larger. Alamance Crossing comprises more than seventy tenants, including eight major anchor stores: Belk, Dillard's, JCPenney, Barnes & Noble, Hobby Lobby, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods and BJ's Wholesale Club. It was developed by CBL & Associates Properties, who also manages it.
History.
Alamance Crossing opened its first phase on August 1, 2007. Its first two anchors were Belk and JCPenney, both of which relocated from existing stores at the smaller Burlington Square Mall, (now Holly Hill Mall) the town's existing shopping center. Hobby Lobby was added in 2008. A second phase brought in Dillard's and Barnes & Noble as additional anchors. A further expansion, completed in 2009, comprised a movie theater.
An expansion of Alamance Crossing in 2011 brought Kohl's, BJ's Wholesale Club and Dick's Sporting Goods to the center.


Mont Grand Matoury Nature Reserve

The Mont Grand Matoury Nature Reserve (French: "Réserve naturelle nationale du mont Grand Matoury") is a nature reserve in French Guiana, France. The reserve is located about eight kilometres south of Cayenne in the commune of Matoury It has been named after the eponymous mountain which measures 234 metres, It was first protected in 1942, and extended in 2006.
Overview.
The nature reserve is located at a spot where many different environments meet. The lowlands of the coast with mangrove forests meet the old-growth forests of the highland. Numerous creeks flow through the area, and the reserve is surrounded by swamps and savannahs.
In 1942, an area of 166 hectares around the mountain was designated as a nature reserve. The Mirande trail gives access to the mountain. The visitor can either follow a botanical circuit or a more sportive hiking trail. On 6 September 2006, the area was incorporated in the current 2,123 hectares reserve.
Flora and fauna.
Mont Grand Matoury Nature Reserve is home to a great variety of wildlife. 75 species of mammals including 37 bats have been identified, 293 species of birds, and 351 species of butterflies are home to the area. Birds in the reserve include the roadside hawk, crane hawk, smooth-billed ani, hummingbirds, and the Amazonian motmot.
The palm "Astrocaryum minus" was first described by Trail in 1877, and assumed lost. In 1995, the palm was rediscovered at Mont Grand Matoury, and is nowadays considered a distinct species. The reserve is also home to a pre-Columbian Amerindian site.


Dominguez Canyon Wilderness

The Dominguez Canyon Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located southeast of Grand Junction in western Colorado. The wilderness area established in 2009, the largest BLM roadless area in the state of Colorado, includes two major canyon systems that drain the northeastern corner of the Uncompahgre Plateau. The Wilderness Area is a portion of the larger Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area, in size.


Ostional Mixed Wildlife Refuge

Ostional Mixed Wildlife Refuge (), is an Wildlife refuge of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, was originally declared a protected area in 1982, and its status has been changed several times since then, including covering a larger area both on land and out to sea. It was created to protect important nesting beaches of the Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Refuge is “one of the two most important areas in the world for nesting of the Olive Ridley turtle.”


The Small Back Room

The Small Back Room, released in the United States as Hour of Glory, is a 1949 film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar and Kathleen Byron and featuring Jack Hawkins and Cyril Cusack. It was based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin. The theme is the unsung heroes of the last war, the 'backroom boys', gradually coming into their own.
Plot.
Sammy Rice (David Farrar) is a British scientist working with a specialist "back room" team in London as a bomb disposal expert during the Second World War. Rice is embittered because he feels military scientific research is being incompetently managed. He is also enduring unremitting pain from his artificial foot. The painkillers he has been prescribed are ineffective, and his use of alcohol as an analgesic has led to his alcoholism. His girlfriend Susan (Kathleen Byron) puts up with his self-pitying, self-destructive behaviour as long as she can, but finally breaks up with him, telling him that he lacks the ambition to better himself.
Rice is brought in by Captain Stuart (Michael Gough) to help solve the problem of small booby-trapped explosive devices (mines) being dropped by Nazi bombers, which have killed four people, including three children. They receive some useful information from a critically wounded young soldier (Bryan Forbes in his debut). Two further mines are found at Chesil Beach: they look like common thermos flasks. Stuart is first on the scene but has difficulty getting Rice on the telephone in his flat because Rice is alone following his break-up with Susan, angry, drunk and destructive. Rice quickly sobers up and travels to Chesil Beach, only to find that Stuart tried to defuse one of the mines and has been blown up. Rice sets to work on the second mine after listening to the notes Stuart dictated to an ATS corporal (Renée Asherson) during his attempt earlier in the day. He discovers that the mine has in fact two booby traps, not one, and manages to defuse them both.
When Rice returns to London, his self-esteem somewhat restored by his success, he is offered an officer commission as head of the Army's new scientific research unit. He accepts. Susan returns to him and they go back to his flat to find she has repaired and reinstated everything he damaged while drunk.
Production.
"The Small Back Room" marked the return of Powell and Pressburger to Alexander Korda after a profitable but somewhat contentious time at The Rank Organisation. The film was shot at a number of studios: Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire; Worton Hall Studios in Isleworth, Middlesex; and Shepperton Studios in Shepperton, Surrey. Location shooting took place at Chesil Bank and St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury in Dorset; Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain; on the Victoria Embankment in London; and at Abbotsbury station.
In his autobiography, "A Life in Movies", Michael Powell acknowledged the influence of German expressionist films such as "Nosferatu" in leading him towards making films such as "The Red Shoes", "Tales of Hoffman" and "The Small Back Room".
Critical reception.
The review for "Variety" said that although the film lacked "the production tricks usually associated with [Powell and Pressburger]" it was nevertheless "a craftsmanlike job". It praised the performance of David Farrar as "his best role", and lauded the careful casting of the "lesser roles."
"The Small Back Room" was nominated for a 1950 BAFTA Award as "Best British Film".
DVD.
The Region 2 DVD was released in May 2004 by Studio Canal / Warner Home Video. In Region 1, The Criterion Collection released the film in August 2008. The release included an essay, an interview with cinematographer Christopher Challis, an audio commentary and excerpts from Michael Powell's audio dictations for his autobiography.


Machail Mata

Machail chandi Mata temple is a Goddess Durga shrine popularly known as Machail Mata. It is in the village Machail of Sub Division Paddar, from where it derives its name, in Kishtwar District of Jammu region in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It may be noted that Goddess Durga is also known by the name Kaali or Chandi. Machailmata Sthan, as the shrine is popularly known, has a landscape of unblemished beauty with hills, glaciers and tributaries of the Chenab River. Paddar valley nearby is famous for its world-famous sapphire mines, and is a cool place for hiking, cannoning, and holy hot springs. The area is home to a Buddhist community and the Thakur community who are serpent worshipers, and was merged with Kishtwar tehsil, by Maharaja Ranbir Singh.
Thousands of people visit the shrine every year mainly from Jammu region. The pilgrimage happens in August only, every year. The idols and pindi form of Chandika are famous for shaking their jewellery of their own without any wind force or any shock and also flickering their closed eyes. There are a lot of supernatural happenings that the pilgrims experience and report.
History.
The shrine has a beginning of antiquity and no recorded history. The goddess appeared in such remote area in "swayambhu" form. She first appeared in the form of fire flame in village Mindhal, Pangi Valley which is 60 km from Machail) and then in the form of Singhasan Mata (Saraswati) at village Chitto (which is 15 km from Gulabgarh). The fire later transformed into the form of Pindi.
The actual shrine at Machail village is also swayambhu which has one pindi and three idols of Mahakali (Mindal), Mahalakshmi (Machail) and Mahasaraswati (Chitto Mata), which are considered to vibrate their jewellery by itself without any air or shock. The idols' eyes are closed in Dhyan mudra. Many pilgrims have experienced idols opening or flicking their eyes.
The temple's history is entwined with the conquests of Zorawar Singh Kahluria, who in 1834 sought blessings of Machelmata, before crossing the mountains and Suru River (Indus), with 5000 men for vanquishing an army of local Botis of Ladakh. He became a faithful devotee after the successful mission.
The shrine was visited in 1981 by Thakur Kulveer Singh of Bhaderwah, Jammu region. From 1987 onwards, Thakur Kulveer SIngh started 'Chhadi Yatra' (holy mace) that happens every year and thousands of people visit the shrine every year during 'Chhadi Yatra', which starts from Chinote in Bhaderwah to Machail in Paddar.
How to Reach.
Machail is a small village at an altitude of 2958m in the utmost scenic Padder Valley of Kishtwar district in Jammu region of J&K.Padder or Gulabgarh is 290 km from Jammu city and 66 km from Kishtwar. To reach the shrine, lot of travel agents arrange buses from Jammu, Udhampur, Ramnagar, Bhaderwah. One can also hire a cab as well. It takes approximately 10 hours by road from Jammu to Gulabgarh, as the distance is 290 km. The Gulabgarh is the base camp.
From Gulabgarh, the foot journey starts, that is 32 km. Usually people take 2 days to reach the shrine by foot. On the way there are many villages, where one can stay in the night. The chaddi takes three days to reach Machel.
Many people organizes roadside 'langers' (free food points) on the way to the Gulabgarh. Devotees are welcomed at various villages with them offering free Langars at Gulabgarh, Massu, Kundhail, Chishoti, Hamori and Machail. Government of Jammu & Kashmir also arranges basic amenities for the pilgrims. The shrine is inaccessible during the winter months of December, January and February.
Other mean of reaching the shrine is by helicopter from Jammu and Gulabgarh. The helipad is only 100 meters from the shrine. But if someone goes by helicopter, he will be missing many scenic beauties of the nature. Helicopter takes at least 7-8min to reach the Mata's darwar.


Maja e Arnenit Strict Nature Reserve

The Maja e Arnenit Strict Nature Reserve (, ) is a strict nature reserve in the District of Prizren of Southeastern Kosovo. Maja e Arnenit has an area of 30 ha.


Bald River Gorge Wilderness

Bald River Gorge Wilderness is a wilderness area of Cherokee National Forest that lies within Monroe County in the U.S. state of Tennessee, designated in 1984. Its elevation is above sea level. It is administered by the United States Forest Service.


Caribou Mountains Wildland Park

Caribou Mountains Wildland Park is a large wilderness area in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Caribou Mountains, immediately west of Wood Buffalo National Park in a remote backcountry area. The closest community in Alberta is Fort Vermilion.
It was established by the Alberta Government in 2001 under the "Special Places program" by Order in Council 308/2001. At , it is the largest provincial protected area in Alberta. (The nearby Wood Buffalo National Park is managed by the federal government.)
Conservation.
The park protects fragile wetland that offers nesting grounds for a variety of bird species and core habitat of the threatened woodland caribou herd. A small number of wood buffalo is also present in the south-eastern part of the park. The Caribou Mountains reach an elevation of 1,030 m, almost 700 m higher than the surrounding area, and have a unique environment.
The park is located in the hydrographic basin of the Great Slave Lake and that of the Peace River. Yates River, Whitesand River, Buffalo River, Wentzel River, Wentzel Lake and Margaret Lake are found in the park area.


Caroona Creek Conservation Park

Caroona Creek Conservation Park is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia in the localities of Collinsville and Mount Bryan East about north-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about east of the town of Hallett.
It came into existence on 18 February 2010 by proclamation under the "National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972". Its name which is derived from the Caroona Creek, a stream flowing within its boundaries, was approved by the Surveyor General of South Australia on 14 June 2005. Additional land was added to the conservation park on 16 October 2014. As of 2016, it covered an area of .
A separate proclamation on 18 February 2010 ensured the continuation of “existing rights of entry, prospecting, exploration or mining” regarding the land under the "Mining Act 1971" and the "Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000".
The conservation park consisted of the following land in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Tomkinson at proclamation in 2010:
Land added in 2014 consisted of sections 53, 54 and 55 in the Hundred of Tomkinson, and sections 56, 191 and 538 in the Hundred of Hallett.
The Heysen Trail, the long distance walking trail, passes through the conservation park as a loop entering from the south and exiting in the west.
In 2011, it was described by its managing authority as follows:Situated on the western edge of the Olary Plain, this park contains a range of landforms from steep rocky ridges and calcrete hills extending to alluvial plains. The park conserves a representative sample of the transitional zone between the rounded hills of the Mid North to the beginning of the rocky gorge country of the Flinders Ranges. The northern area contains the beautiful Tourilie Gorge and its surrounding rugged hilly terrain.
The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area.


Olentangy Indian Caverns

The Olentangy Indian Caverns are a series of caves, natural passages and rooms occupying three different levels. The caverns were formed millions of years ago by an underground river that cut through the limestone rock. They were used by the Wyandotte Indians as a refuge from the weather and from their enemies the Delaware Indians. Artifacts found in the caverns indicate that it was used by the Wyandotte as late as 1810. The Olentangy Indian Caverns are located at 1779 Home Road, Delaware, Ohio and are open seasonally for tours.
Recreation.
On the property, a petting zoo, minigolf course, treasure maze, and mock gem mine are offered, as well as a gift shop. A covered picnic area can also be rented out. There is also a museum, which houses artifacts found in and around the caverns.
History.
The caverns were formed millions of years ago by dissolution of limestone from an underground river. The caverns are believed to have been used by the Wyandotte Indians. The Caverns were rediscovered in 1821 by J.M. Adams, a nearby camper, who was a member of a wagon train. He carved his initials in the entrance, where they can still be seen today. The caverns include many openings and passages, and have not been fully explored.


Prohodna

Prohodna () is a karst cave in north central Bulgaria, located in the Iskar Gorge near the village of Karlukovo in Lukovit Municipality, Lovech Province. The cave is known for the two eye-like holes in its ceiling, known as God's eyes.
Prohodna is the best known attraction in the Karlukovo Gorge (part of the Geological Park Iskar-Panega), one of the largest karst regions in Bulgaria and a popular location for speleology. Formed during the Quaternary, Prohodna is long, which makes it the longest cave passage in Bulgaria. The cave has two entrances which lie opposite one another, known respectively as the Small Entrance and the Big Entrance. The former is high and the latter reaches in height. The cave owes its name, which literally means "Thoroughfare Cave" or "Passage Cave", to this feature. The size of the Big Entrance of Prohodna makes it suitable for bungee jumping, and it is among the popular spots in Bulgaria for that activity. There are traces of prehistoric habitation in the Prohodna cave, which testify that humans lived in the cave during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic.
Prohodna is most notable for the two equal-sized holes in the ceiling of its middle chamber. The holes, formed through erosion, let in light into the cave. The formation is popularly known as "God's eyes". The phenomenon was featured in the 1988 Bulgarian film "Time of Violence"; in the scene, a priest named Aligorko prays below the Eyes.
The cave lies from Karlukovo, near the Karlukovo–Lukovit road. It is also accessible from Rumyantsevo, and there is a parking lot near the Small Entrance. Near Prohodna is the much longer cave Temnata Dupka, and a pathway from the Big Entrance of Prohodna leads to the Petar Tranteev National Caving House, one of the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria.


Hudson Valley Mall

Hudson Valley Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Ulster, New York, north of Kingston, United States. It is the lone mall in Ulster County and is the only enclosed mall located between Poughkeepsie and Albany. Hull Property Group currently owns and operates Hudson Valley Mall. The mall opened in 1981 and has an area of on one level with 30 shops and restaurants as well as a 12-screen Neighborhood Cinema Group theater. The mall is anchored by Dick's Sporting Goods, and Target. Adjacent to the mall is Hudson Valley Plaza, a two-tiered complex on a west-facing hill, consisting mainly of a Walmart, PetSmart and a few other shops (including formerly a Toys "R" Us).
History.
The Hudson Valley Mall opened in 1981 with a Kmart, JCPenney, Hess's, and a Hoyt's six-screen theater named Cinema 6(later expanded to 12 screens and renamed after Regal Cinemas bought the theater).
An expansion during 1989 added a Sears to the east side of the mall as well as a new food court and approximately 15 other stores.
During 1995 Hess's, which filed for bankruptcy, and Kmart, which relocated to a location south of the mall on U.S. Route 9W, vacated the mall within months of each other. (This Kmart location later went out of business and was replaced by a Kohl's). Though the Hess's space was filled the next year by Filene's, the Kmart space at the north end of the mall stayed vacant. During this time, The Pyramid Companies, the mall's owner, began to plan a drastic renovation process.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Pyramid invested in the mall, doing a complete renovation of the mall's interior as well as attracting new tenants. The former Kmart space was divided into a Best Buy (opened 2000) and a Dick's Sporting Goods (opened 2001), with the Target company building a new shop adjacent to the space, which was also opened in 2001. On September 9, 2006, the region gained its first Macy's when that company bought the existing Filene's.
In 2011, ownership of the mall changed when The Pyramid Companies sold it to PCK Development. PCK had consolidated the mall's outstanding debts during 2010, but did not officially purchase the mall until the next year.
In 2015, JCPenney announced it would close its location in the mall due to decreasing sales. It was also during this year that PCK defaulted on its $52.5 million loan from the U.S. National Bank Association (USNBA).
During July 2016, as a result of the default, the USNBA took ownership of the mall and began to search for a new owner. During this time period, mall tenants were instructed to pay rent directly to the USNBA. Additionally, the USNBA asked Tennessee-based retail developer CBL & Associates to help search for new mall tenants.
Macy's announced its store closure at the Hudson Valley Mall during 2016, also citing a decrease in sales and the company's increased emphasis on its online sales.
In 2017, the USNBA finally found a buyer for the mall, Hull Property Group. The sale price of $8.4 million was notably low, partly for the reason that Hull hoped to use it to get a lower property valuation, and thus decrease taxes. After the completion of the sale, Hull announced plans to renovate the mall in the near future.
On January 4, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 103 stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2018.
In August 2018, Regal closed the movie theater, which had operated continuously since the mall's opening. Hull said it was negotiating with another operator to reopen the theater, and hoped to use the opportunity to upgrade the facilities.
The former Macy's space was partially demolished in 2019, to create an unconnected free-standing building, and converted to the Hudson River Health Care office.
On September 15, 2020, it was announced that Best Buy would be closing on October 31, 2020 which will leave Dick's Sporting Goods and Target as the only anchors left.
Incidents.
2005 mall shooting.
On February 13, 2005, Robert Bonelli, age 24, of Glasco, New York, entered the mall with a semi-automatic AK-47 Variant and began firing it in the mall's Best Buy shop. Panic ensued as employees and shoppers began to flee the mall. Bonelli moved into the mall's main corridor and continued firing his weapon until he ran out of ammunition. After emptying the assault rifle, he promptly dropped it. As Bonelli dropped the weapon, a mall employee grabbed his gun, and another tackled him. The mall was evacuated and Bonelli was taken into custody. No one was killed in the shooting, but two people, a 20-year-old National Guard recruiter and a 56-year-old male shopper, were wounded.
After the incident, Ulster County investigators searched Bonelli's room at the home he shared with his father, and found what Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams described as "Columbine memorabilia". Officials described the young man as being fascinated by the Columbine High School massacre. Additional searches were conducted by police after videos seized at Bonelli's residence showed him exploding homemade pipe bombs with a man named Kenneth Stine and another individual. Both individuals were later arrested and charged with violating federal explosives laws.
Bonelli was taken to the Ulster County jail; on March 15, 2006, Bonelli pleaded guilty and on May 20, 2006 was sentenced to 32 years in the state prison (the maximum allowed by the guilty plea). He will be eligible for parole after 26 years.
2006 murder of Sharon Inger.
Some time between closing time of the Ground Round restaurant in the mall on Saturday, June 3, and the morning of Sunday around 9:00 a.m., June 4, 2006, a suspect entered the Ground Round and stabbed a 42-year-old employee, named Sharon Inger, approximately 33 times. Inger, who worked as a night manager of the restaurant, was found early Sunday morning when another employee arrived to open the restaurant. $4000 was missing, according to night receipts. On September 21, 2006, police named Paul David Despres as the killer of Sharon Inger. Despres had begun employment with the Ground Round just a couple of weeks earlier. Investigators believe he went to the restaurant to steal his personnel file after giving a false name to police during a traffic stop earlier on the night of the murder, at around 11:00 p.m. Police believe he had a confrontation with Inger, grabbed a knife in the kitchen, and killed her at about 12:45 a.m. Two weeks later, Despres died after jumping, while intoxicated, from a vehicle after leaving a party.


Quartier DIX30

Quartier DIX30 (also simply known as "Dix 30" in French, and "Distrande" in English) is a commercial lifestyle centre located in Brossard, Quebec. It is considered Canada's first lifestyle centre and occupies an area of in the L section of Brossard. Quartier DIX30 was designed to emulate an urban or downtown shopping experience with boutiques and to meet the needs of suburban dwellers living on the South Shore of Montreal. Its name (meaning "TEN 30 District" in English) refers to its location: at the west corner of the intersection between Autoroute 10 and Autoroute 30.
Quartier DIX30 is served by Réseau de transport de Longueuil buses, and is also home to future light metro station Du Quartier.
Project.
According to a RioCan press release, "Quartier DIX30 was originally planned in three phases. [...] Phase III goes beyond the initial agreement and comprises approximately of adjacent land."
Phase I (September 2006).
Following a press conference on September 14, 2006, the 150-million Canadian dollar phase I of Quartier DIX30 was opened to the public by the developer (Devimco Real Estate Development Firm|Devimco) and the majority owner (RioCan). This initial phase included the opening of of retail space and of a total of 78 boutiques and restaurants including, among many other national retailers.
Phase II (April 2007).
Another 40 retailers were opened like major foreign fashion boutiques, electronic stores and restaurant franchises. Furthermore, free underground parking was opened with access ramps along des Lumières Avenue.
(Autumn 2007).
The Germain Group built a boutique-hotel: ALT Hotel, a cheap-chic concept designed by LEMAYMICHAUD Architecture Design that "offers the qualities sought by a growing range of consumers who want affordable accommodation without compromising on design and comfort." The hotel was built alongside the brand new entertainment complex which includes a 900-seat live theatre and concert hall, spa and gym.
Furthermore, a Bureau en Gros supplies store, a Safari Pet Centre (the largest in Quebec), a Canadian Tire retailer, a RONA hardware and home improvement store and a large Wal-Mart store have been built on lots in the vicinity of the hotel.
Phase III (Winter 2009).
This new phase will consist of 200 shops and restaurants and is under construction.
The new shops will be built in between Bell Sport Complex and Cineplex Odeon, these are the stores confirmed.
(Summer 2013).
Holt Renfrew's new off-price retail store hr2 opened a store in this most recent phase. The arrival coincides with an opening of 100 additional fashion brands (including Lacoste, Michael Kors, Pandora, Peak Performance, Zara, Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Urban Behavior, Yves Rocher, Apple, Rudsak, Fossil, "Birks"), several other stores, restaurants as well as banks, a new live theatre, office towers, a hotel, a medical clinic, a toy superstore, as well as a heated underground parking lot that will feature 2,000 free spaces.
Medical clinic.
A private medical clinic, possibly associated with the Fonds d'investissement de placement immobilier BB of the Bombardier and Beaudoin families, opened in 2012.
Bell Sports Complex.
The Montreal Canadiens and the City of Brossard partnered in building the Bell Sports Complex, a 30-million Canadian dollar recreational facility that features two NHL-sized rinks with a capacity of 800 seats, as well as dressing rooms, an indoor soccer field (built to FIFA specifications) and a fitness centre. It is open to the general public and was built adjacent to the Quartier DIX30 shopping complex. It primarily serves as the practice facility for the Canadiens, but is also the home of other sports-related groups, such as Foot-Total, a soccer academy. The center is now named "Complexe Sportif Bell" (Bell Sports Complex).


Hoosier National Forest

The Hoosier National Forest is a property managed by the United States Forest Service in the hills of southern
Indiana. Composed of four separate sections, it has a total area of . Hoosier National Forest's headquarters are located in Bedford, with a regional office in Tell City. Prominent places within the Forest include the Lick Creek Settlement, Potts Creek Rockshelter Archeological Site, and Jacob Rickenbaugh House.
History.
Hoosier National Forest was first touched by humanity 12,000 years ago, when Native Americans in the United States hunted in the forest. Europeans reached the forest in the late 17th century, and began building villages in the forest. Actual lumbering began in the 19th century, with the cutting of more difficult terrain occurring after 1865. By 1910 most of the area had been cut. In the early 1930s the governor of Indiana pushed for the federal government to do something with the eroding lands that saw its residents leaving, with the act being accomplished on February 6, 1935.
Within Hoosier National Forest, two miles (3 km) south of Chambersburg, lies the former Lick Creek Settlement Site, a settlement of free blacks led by the Quaker Jonathan Lindley from around 1819 to around 1865.
Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest near Paoli contains an excellent example of virgin forest. Hemlock Cliffs Recreation Area in Crawford County contains one of the most scenic hiking trails in Indiana.
Most of Thomas Hines' Hines' Raid was within the present-day Hoosier National Forest.
Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower is the sole remaining fire tower out of eight that once stood within Hoosier National Forest. When built, there was a two-room house for the ranger and his dependents to live within, but it has since been destroyed. Visitors may still climb the tower, but are recommended to be cautious when climbing.
Maumee Scout Reservation and Lake Tarzian are also located within the Hoosier National Forest. Lake Tarzian is named after Sarkes Tarzian who led the capital campaign to build the camp.
Science.
Much of Hoosier National Forest is over karst, responsible for the many caves in southern Indiana.
Included in Hoosier National Forest is the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area, the only recognized wilderness area left in Indiana. This means that no motorized vehicles are allowed in the area, and instead mules and horses must be used to maintain hiking trails.
In the Clover Lick Barrens, the southern portion of Hoosier National Forest near the Ohio River, the vegetation is more typical of that found on prairies in the Great Plains. This was discovered by a botanist and biologist from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, who later found that in the first recorded survey of the area in 2005, the land was described not as forest, but as "a mile of poor barrens and grassy hills". It is believed that the inability of tall oaks to grow in the area allows for this prairie vegetation to persist in such an unlikely location. In 2006 a conscious effort was made to keep the barren look to the area; previous federal efforts on renovating Hoosier National Forest meant adding nonnative species to low-growth areas. It was around Clover Lick in 1972 that Indiana decided to reintroduce wild turkeys back to Indiana, dedicating for the purpose.
Also found in Hoosier National Forest is Sundance Lake, a lake.
Hoosier National Forest lies in parts of nine counties in southern Indiana.
Recreation.
The trail system has almost , and allows horseback riding and mountain bikes, along with hiking. Hikers are to yield to horses, and mountain bikers are to yield to both of them. Within the Hemlock Cliffs Valley, located within the central portion of the National Forest, there is the 1.2 mile Hemlock Cliffs trail. The trail is noted as access to sandstone cliffs and seasonal waterfalls as well as Hemlock trees and rare wintergreen plants.
Hoosier National Forest Trail System.
All trail locations are within the great state of Indiana.


Peak to Peak Highway

The Peak to Peak Highway was established in 1918 and provides views of the Front Range Mountains in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The route passes through the Colorado counties of Gilpin, Boulder, and Larimer.
The route is classified as a scenic byway by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). It was Colorado's first scenic roadway designation.


Oncol Park

Oncol Park (Spanish: "Parque Oncol") is a natural reserve located from the city of Valdivia, Chile. The park has an area of of which most lies on Cerro Oncol (715 m), the highest peak of the Valdivian Coast Range, but is only from the coast. Oncol Park is located in an area of of continuous Valdivian temperate rain forest. From the peak of Cerro Oncol it is possible to see Llaima Volcano, Villarrica Volcano and even Mount Tronador on the international border of Chile and Argentina. The park is property of the wood pulp enterprise Celulosa Arauco y Constitución.


Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Eklutna Chapel, is a historic Russian Orthodox church in Eklutna, Alaska. It is about one mile inland from the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet.
The church, built of hewn spruce logs, is about in plan, and was built in about 1894, . It was moved to its current location in 1900.
A new church was built next to the old in 1962. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. This and other Russian Orthodox churches of the Alaskan Diocese were studied during the National Register of Historic Places inventory and Historic American Buildings Survey.


Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve

Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve is located in Dafeng, Jiangsu Province and near the Yellow Sea coast in eastern China, with the whole area 78000 ha, the core area 2668 ha, the buffer area 2220, and the experimental area 73112. The Geological landforms are typical coastal wetland, including tidal flats, seasonal stream and part of artificial wetland together with a lot of forest land, salt marsh, and bare land. The city of Dafeng belongs to subtropical and warm temperate zone, where thermophilic crops can grow well and influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The average annual temperature is 14.5 °C and the normal precipitation is over 750 mm per year.
Milu’s Extinction in China.
Milu is also known as Père David's deer or elaphure, a species of deer that is currently extinct in the wild. They are native to the subtropics of China, preferring marshland environment and grazing mainly on grass and aquatic plants. Early in neolithic times, the milu’s range extended across the majority of mainland China. Archaeologists have found milu antlers at settlements from the Liao River in the north to Jiangsu (including Dafeng) and Zhejiang Province and across the Yellow and Yangtze River Basins in Shaanxi and Hunan Province. However, in the late 19th century, there was only one herd belonged to Tongzhi, the Emperor of China and maintained in the Nanyuan Royal Hunting Garden. Then in 1900, the garden was occupied by German troops and some of the deer were shot and eaten by the German soldiers, some were illegally transported to Europe for exhibition and breeding.
Characteristics of Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve.
Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve is a second reintroduction of Milu into China in 1986 where 36 milu were chosen from five UK zoological gardens with the bulk of the deer coming from Whipsnade Wild Animal Park sponsored by National Forestry Department of China and World Wildlife Fund. It is an unpolluted wetland and has been recognized as a fabulous conservation land for Milu. In 2006, the population at this Nature Reserve had researched around 950 with an average annual population increases 17%. It is now the largest Milu Nature Reserve in the world, and in 1997 it was awarded as the National Nature Reserve in China. The reserve has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2002.
The Reserves have 14 species of animals, 182 species of birds, 27 reptiles and amphibian species, and more than 299 kinds of insects relying on the immense coastline and wetland, which is the paradise of the wildlife. The ecosystem of forest, grassland, water, deer and bird is being created in the Reserve and these species are living in a harmonious biological cycle. Milu have been listed as extinct in the wild, as all populations are under captive management. In Dafeng Nature Reserve, free-ranging projects have been put forward since 1986, after 10 years’ exploring, the free-ranging population has increased 13.2% by year and formed the herd of 118 free-ranging milu. Until 2013.9, the population has increased to 2027 in the Reserve.
Tourism Destination.
Since it was opened to the public as the tourism attraction, until now more than 1 million tourists have visited the Reserve and were educated for wildlife conservation and the importance of environmental protection. There are some tourism measures that meet the sustainable development:
The water tower was constructed to memorize 39 milu coming back in 1986, which has the main function to storage water in order to resolve the water shortage problem in the Reserve. Tourist can also step onto the top of the tower to overview the Reserve.
The Platform was the imitation of that in Nanyuan Royal Hunting Garden, which can facilitate the tourists to enjoy the sight of peaceful deer from a distance.
In order to memorize those 39 milu, the tomb was constructed for telling the history for tourists and informing the complexity of the range of deer become larger.
In order to protect Milu and other species, tourist can travel in the outer circle by golf car and observe them from a distance.


Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park

Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park (French: "Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne") is a protected area of pine forest, wetland and oceanic coastline located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.
History.
The lands comprising the park were largely unpopulated throughout history. The roughly triangular area of the modern-day park was originally an inland sea which had receded, leaving a mostly infertile depression which did not attract human habitation. Largescale public works helped drain, clear, and reforest the area during the nineteenth century but the transformation was limited. By the mid-twentieth century, government attention had turned to protecting the natural environment.
Geography.
Straddling the departments of Landes and Gironde, "Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne" comprises the center of the massive forest of Landes. The park extends southeast from Arcachon Bay in Pays de Buch and encompasses the entire Leyre River. The park was originally conceived in 1970 with a total area of , but has been increased to a modern total area of 315,300 hectares.
As of 2011, the park holds 41 small communes with approximately 60,000 inhabitants.
Member communes.
The forty-one member communes are:
Major features.
The park maintains a bird sanctuary on Arcachon Bay, the "parc ornithologique du Teich". Throughout the year, over 300,000 migratory birds take refuge in its wetlands.
At several sites throughout the park, there are sections of the regional museum, "Ḗcomusée de la Grande Lande", which host exhibitions about the history, development and maintenance of the natural lands. The museum also organizes various events focused on Gascon lifestyles and traditions.
The local villages also organize their own events. Thousands of visitors come every year to the Flower Show at Garein, an annual weekend event which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010.
Administration.
The park is administered by a joint union of local authorities in the "Syndicat Mixte du Parc Naturel Régional des Landes de Gascogne", a deliberative assembly of 45 members. The union includes public and private representatives of Gironde, Landes, and Aquitaine.
Park emblem.
The park's unique emblem is derived from a woodcut, still visible today, made on the beam of an old building in Luxey. The scene depicts a leaping fox frustrated in its hunt: a solid horizontal line separates him from the hen who strolls serenely in the sun. The situation was a familiar one in the Gascony moors where generations of farmers built their livestock shelters on stilts.


Las Tablas Protected Zone

Las Tablas Protected Zone (), is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area, it was created in 1981 by law 6638.


Murom

Murom (; Old Norse: "Moramar") is a historical city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the left bank of the Oka River. Population:
History.
In the 9th century AD, the city marked the easternmost settlement of the East Slavs in the land of the Finno-Ugric people called Muromians. The Primary Chronicle mentions it as early as AD 862. It is thus one of the oldest cities in Russia. Circa 900 AD, it was an important trading post from Volga Bulgaria to the Baltic Sea.
Between AD 1010 and AD 1393, it was the capital of a separate principality, whose rulers included Saint Gleb, assassinated in AD 1015 and canonized in AD 1071, Saint Prince Konstantin the Blessed, and Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, subjects of an opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. It was believed to be the home town of the most celebrated East Slavic epic hero, Ilya Muromets. The town has a statue which shows Ilya holding the hilt of his sword in the left hand and a cross in the right.
On June 30, 1961, Murom was the site of a spontaneous protest and riot against the police and Soviet authorities, following the death in police custody of a senior factory foreman named Kostikov.
Administrative and municipal status.
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Murom serves as the administrative center of Muromsky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the City of Murom—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the territory of the City of Murom together with nine rural localities in Muromsky District are incorporated as Murom Urban Okrug.
Sights.
Murom still retains many marks of antiquity. The Savior monastery, one of the most ancient in Russia, was first chronicled in 1096, when Oleg of Chernigov besieged it and killed Vladimir Monomakh's son Izyaslav, who is buried there. In 1552, the monastery was visited by Ivan the Terrible who commissioned a stone cathedral, which was followed by other churches.
The Trinity convent, where the relics of Sts. Peter and Fevronia are displayed, features a fine cathedral (1642–1643), Kazan church (1652), a bell-tower (1652), a wooden church of St. Sergius, and stone walls. It is rivaled by the Annunciation Monastery, founded in the reign of Ivan the Terrible to house the relics of local princes and containing a cathedral from 1664. Two last-mentioned cathedrals, being probably the works of the same masters, have much in common with the Resurrection Church (1658) in the downtown. Quite different is the tent-like church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, built in 1565 on the bank of the Oka to commemorate the Russian conquest of Kazan.
International relations.
Twin towns — Sister cities.
Murom is twinned with:
Notable people.
Among notable natives are the father of color photography, Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky (1863), the painter Ivan Kulikov(1875) and the father of television, Vladimir Zworykin (1888) and Russian physicist Igor Irodov.


Rawhiti Cave

Rawhiti Cave, also known as Manson Cave, is a single large limestone cave in the hillside of the Dry Creek Valley southeast of Takaka on the South Island of New Zealand. It is referred to as Manson Cave in the NZ Topo Map, after owners in the early 20th century, however the cave is known as Rawhiti Cave locally, and on DoC information panels and in brochures.
The cave's entrance is one of the largest cave entrances in New Zealand with an opening of about wide and up to tall. The ceiling is densely covered in stalactites which become increasingly finer deeper down into the cave. A short walking track leads halfway down into the cavernous opening to a viewing platform.
Flora.
The diverse twilight-zone flora near the entrance of Rawhiti Cave makes this cave nationally significant. Over long periods of time, plant growth on the cave formations causes them to grow towards the sunlight as more calcium carbonate is deposited regularly on top of the plant growth. This phenomenon, called phytokarst, is most evident on the larger stalactites near the cave entrance, which are strongly curved outwards due to the heavy moss and fern growth on their sunlit sides.
Apart from the short walking track to the viewing platform, the cave is undeveloped and in its natural state. Delicate ferns and mosses grow on the cave's sloping floor, and phytokarst stalagmites also grow towards the light, similarly following the growth pattern of the plant life that helps form and shape them.
During winter months, sunlight reaches the back wall of the cavern, creating viable conditions for some species of algae to survive at the lower limit of light availability for photosynthesis. These algae cover the rear walls in a range of red hues.
History and tourism.
Rawhiti Cave was originally formed some one million years ago, before Dry River cut the valley deeper to its present position. The original cave roof has collapsed long ago, forming a massive self-supporting dome leading down to a steep-sided pit formed of loose debris.
In the early 1900s, Darcy Manson, son of the land owner, cut a track to the cave and took people there on tours until the late 1920s. He named the cave "Rawhiti", Māori for "sunrise", due to the winter sun shining right to the back of the cave. From 1955 to 2000, the cave was owned by the Baird family, who provided daily tours on demand. In 2000, the cave's ownership changed to Heritage New Zealand, and the Baird Reserve area is now managed by the Department of Conservation NZ, its split into the adjacent Dry River Scenic Reserve and Rawhiti Caves Scenic Reserve.
The track to Rawhiti Cave starts at an informal car park on private farm land and leads into the Dry River valley for 30 minutes, followed by a 30-minute uphill zigzag track to the cave entrance. The viewing platform inside the cave entrance includes information panels and is still well enough lit that no torches are needed.
This is one of very few such caves that is open free of charge to the general public, hence visitors are urged to stick to the path to avoid damaging the fragile environment inside the cave.


Fuxi Cave


Yugansky Nature Reserve

Yugansky Nature Reserve () (also ) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict ecological reserve) in the basin of the Bolshoy Yugan River, a left tributary of the Ob River. The reserve is in the central part of the West Siberia plain, in the southern part of the Middle Ob lowlands. It is situated in the Surgutsky District of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, about 500 km due north of the city of Omsk. The reserve was created in 1982, and covers an area of .
Topography.
The Yugansky Reserve is located in the south Sredneobskaya lowlands. The terrain is mostly narrow river valleys and vast wetlands. Woodlands covered 64% of the protected zones. Forest cover is only 36%; the remainder is swamp.
Climate and Ecoregion.
The Yugansky Reserve is located in the West Siberian taiga ecoregion, which covers most of the West Siberian Plain.
The climate of Yugansky is "Subarctic climate, without dry season" (Köppen climate classification Subartic climate (Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1-3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ). The area is frost-free for 92 days on average, and the growing season is 137 days. Prevailing winds are south-western and southern.
Flora and fauna.
The terrain of Yugansky is primarily floodplains, covered by spruce forests with cedar and fir. The reserve is home to 40 species of mammals, more than half of which species are rodents. The large mammals are represented by bear, lynx, and wolverine. Herbivores include elk and forest reindeer.
Ecotourism.
As a strict nature reserve, the Yugansky 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 is a small nature museum operated by the reserve in the village for public education. Management has opened an 'ecotourist' route to one of the marsh zones that is open to the public by arrangement in advance. The reserve is remote and far from convenient transportation, however, and expects to conduct most of its eco-education activities through online and virtual media. The main office is in the village of Ugut. The closest city is Surgut, 300 km to the north.


Whidbey Scenic Isle Way

The Whidbey Scenic Isle Way is a Washington State Scenic and Recreational Highway on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington that follows two different highways:


Uchilishtna Gora Nature Reserve

Uchilishtna Gora (, literal translation: "School Forest") is a maintained nature reserve in Bulgaria, located in the territory of Bozhenitsa village, in the municipality of Botevgrad. The closest urban places are the villages of Bozhenitsa (2.3 km), Lipnitsa (4.3 km) and Skravena (5 km). The area of the maintained reserve is .
On October 15, 1999, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water categorized the "Uchilishtna Gora" Reserve into a maintained reserve aiming at the maintenance and protection of the oak forest with trees, some of which are higher than 30 metres and up to 200 years old. The State Forest Administration in Botevgrad has scheduled a list of activities aimed at protection of the reserve:
Flora and Fauna.
On the territory of the Uchilishtna Gora Reserve, 39 bryophyte species, 20 lichen species, 41 fungi species, 207 plant species and 73 herbal plants have been recorded. There are about 100 invertebrate species, 9 amphibian species, 12 reptile species, 62 nesting bird species, 19 mammal species and 20 bat species, inhabiting the reserve.
The only protected species, listed in Bulgaria's Red Data Book, is the Hermann's tortoise ("Testudo hermanni").


Audubon Wetland Management District

Audubon Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and consists of 123 Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), 8 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), and numerous wetland and grassland easements and over 100 separate wetland areas set aside to preserve habitat for bird, plant and mammal species. These lands contain valuable wetland and grassland habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds, and many other species of wildlife. Scattered throughout west central and southwestern North Dakota in McLean, Ward, and Sheridan Counties, the district is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. Hundreds of lakes and marshlands in this region provide critical habitat for migratory and nesting bird species.


Bald Mountain Wilderness

The Bald Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area in White Pine County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. The Wilderness lies within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and is administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
Located in the heart of the White Pine Range, Bald Mountain Wilderness was created by the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2006.


California State Route 9

State Route 9 (SR 9) is a rural and mountainous state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels from SR 1 in Santa Cruz to SR 17 in Los Gatos, passing through the San Lorenzo Valley and the Saratoga Gap in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Route description.
SR 9 begins in the city of Santa Cruz where River Street intersects with SR 1. It heads north, paralleling the San Lorenzo River. The road is a winding two-lane road for the majority of its length until it approaches Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga. SR 9 winds through the mountains north of Santa Cruz, passing through the communities of Felton, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, and Boulder Creek, where State Route 236 departs from SR 9 to provide access to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. SR 236 later rejoins SR 9 near Castle Rock State Park.
At the summit of the Santa Cruz mountains (the junction with SR 35 and after a steep climb), there is a vista point offering a (somewhat obstructed) view of the Bay Area. The vista point is the route's highest point at around . At this junction, SR 9 passes into Santa Clara County.
SR 9 descends from the mountains heading east into Saratoga as Congress Springs Road. In Saratoga, SR 9 turns southeast and becomes "Saratoga-Los Gatos Road". At Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga, SR 9 briefly becomes a four-lane highway with a large center divider. However, as the road enters Monte Sereno, it again becomes a two-lane road. This particular narrowing has caused backups in the past; however, they have become more infrequent since the completion of SR 85. SR 9 resumes being a four-lane road through downtown Los Gatos until its terminus at the junction with SR 17 (a distance of about four city blocks).
Usage.
SR 9 is particularly popular for recreational motorcycling with motorcyclists from all over Northern California and beyond flocking to it at weekends. In summer months the short section between SR 35, Skyline Boulevard and SR 236, Big Basin Road becomes a popular destination for a variety of motorcycle types, and impromptu gatherings of riders in the parking lot at intersection of SR 35 and SR 9 known locally as "four corners" are commonplace.
SR 9 is also popular with bicyclists. The section from Saratoga Village to the Saratoga Gap is notable for the number of bicycles climbing the hill on weekend mornings.
Since 1978, the highway between downtown Saratoga and downtown Los Gatos is the route for the popular "Great Race," when over 1,000 participants run between the two towns near the end of April.
Classification.
A small portion of SR 9 towards the northern terminus is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. SR 9 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System, and, between the Los Gatos town limit and the intersection with SR 35, is officially a scenic highway, meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.
History.
SR 9 was created from several previously constructed roads. One of these was a toll road built in 1848 by Martin McCarty.
In 1913, the road from Saratoga Gap southwest to Big Basin Redwoods State Park via the present SR 9 and SR 236 was added to the state highway system; it became Route 42 (an unsigned designation) in 1917. Although this highway connected to Route 44, the remainder of present SR 236, the only connection to the continuous state highway system was with the Skyline Boulevard (Route 55, now SR 35) at Saratoga Gap. This changed in 1933, when Route 42 was extended east from the gap to Route 5 (SR 17) in Los Gatos, and a new Route 116 was created, running south from Route 42 at Waterman Gap (about halfway between Saratoga Gap and the park) to Santa Cruz, intersecting the end of Route 44 at Boulder Creek.
Sign Route 9 was marked in 1934; however, it did not entirely follow the present SR 9. Initially it connected Santa Cruz with Milpitas, following Routes 116 and 42 to Saratoga, Route 114 (Saratoga Sunnyvale Road and Mathilda Avenue) north through Sunnyvale, and Route 113 (SR 237) east to Route 5 (Main Street, then U.S. Route 101E and Sign Route 13) in Milpitas. When the San Jose-Oakland US 101E designation was dropped in the mid-1930s, Route 5 between Mission San Jose (where the new SR 21 turned northeast) and Hayward did not retain a signed designation. Later SR 9 was extended north along SR 17 (which had replaced SR 13) from Milpitas to Warm Springs, SR 21 to Mission San Jose, and the independent section of former US 101E—all part of Route 5—to US 50 (also Route 5, which included a branch to Oakland) near Hayward. Except for a short realignment in the mid-1950s onto Route 69 (now I-880 and SR 262) between Milpitas and Warm Springs, this alignment remained until the 1964 renumbering.
In 1964, SR 9 was moved to its present alignment, taking over the previously unsigned Route 42 from Saratoga to Los Gatos. The route that had been signed as SR 9 became SR 85 through Sunnyvale, SR 237 to Milpitas (including previously unsigned extensions of Route 113 at each end), part of SR 17 through Warm Springs, SR 262 through Warm Springs, part of I-680 to Mission San Jose, and SR 238 from Mission San Jose to Hayward (SR 21 was already renumbered I-680 by then). SR 85's original designation was deleted in 1994 and has since moved to a freeway and SR 17 in Warm Springs was renumbered I-880 a decade prior. However, the SR 237 freeway was built in the same location, and both SR 238 and most of SR 262 remain as surface roads.


Chora Island Wildlife Refuge

Chora Island Wildlife Refuge (), is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Tempisque Conservation Area, it was created in 2002 by decree 30719-MINAE.


Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve

Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve (, ) (also Shulgan-Tash) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) in the western foothills of the Southern Ural Mountains. The terrain is one of heavy forest and karst topography; the site contains some of the oldest caves of human habitation (Kapova Cave). The reserve has 13 full-time "bortniks" - practitioners of the ancient apiculture (bee-keeping) of tree-hollow cultivation of wild honeybees. The reserve is situated in the Burzyansky District of Bashkortostan. It is about 40 km southeast of the District town of Starosubkhangulovo. In 2012, the reserve was added to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve "Bashkir Ural", in particular for protection of the Burzyuan bee, which has been cultivated since ancient times by the local Bashkir people.
Topography.
The Shulgan-Tash Reserve terrain consists of low-lying foothills (100 - 300 meter ridges, dissected by river and stream valleys); the overall altitude range in the reserve is 240 – 700 meters. The cover is over 90% light-coniferous-deciduous forests; the remainder is small sectors of mountain steppes and meadows. Bashkiriya National Park is to the west and south, and Shulgan-Tash includes the Altyn-Solok Entymological Reserve. The Nugush River and Belaya River flow through the reserve.
The most famous of the limestone caves in the reserve is "Shulgan-Tash (Kapova)", which is known for cave exploration (over 3 km of halls and galleries), over 200 ancient cave paintings (dated to 14-17 century BCE), and as an ethnographic site of importance to the local Bashkiris. The paintings feature mammoths, horses, geometric shapes, complex characters, and anthropomorphic figures. Inside the cave is an underground river (the "Shulgan").
Climate and ecoregion.
Shulgan-Tash is located in the "East European forest steppe" ecoregion, a transition zone between the broadleaf forests of the north and the grasslands to the south. This ecoregion is characterized by a mosaic of forests, steppe, and riverine wetlands.
The climate of Shulgan-Tash is "Humid continental climate, warm summer" (Köppen climate classification (Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters.
Flora and fauna.
Shulgan-Tash is at the meeting zone of deciduous forests (the eastern edge of linden, oak, elm, and maple, with some oak on the southern slopes) and light-coniferous taiga (mostly pine). Scientists on the reserve have recorded 877 species of vascular plants, 184 of mosses, 233 of lichens, 117 species of mushrooms, and 202 species of algae and cyanobacteria. Of the vascular plants, about 10% are endemic, and 10 species of which are relic spruce and linden.
The animals are those typical of the mountain-forest meeting zone of European woods (such as mice), and representatives of the Siberian woods (hare, etc.) Common large mammals are elk, bear, fox, and marten. Scientists on the reserve have recorded 60 species of mammals.
The primary concern of the reserve is protect the gene pool of bees from cross-breeding with outside bees. (Importation of bees is banned). As domesticated bee colonies outside of the reserve suffer from in-breeding and other disorders, the Shulgan-Tash Reserve can provide a classic service of a 'reserve', exporting bees to strengthen outside stocks.
Ecoeducation and access.
The Shulgan-Tash Reserve is one of the Russian Zapovedniks with relatively advanced tourist facilities; over 36,000 tourists visit the site each year. There is a cave museum, an apiculture museum, equipped playground, parking facilities, apiary, observation platforms , a juice bar, and a souvenir shop (selling wild honey). There are a number of 'ecotourist' routes in the reserve, mostly hiking trails to the observation sites, the cave, and the bee production site. The main office is in the village of Irgizly.


Brasstown Wilderness

The Brasstown Wilderness was designated in 1986 and currently consists of . The Wilderness is located within the borders of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Union County and Towns County, Georgia. The Wilderness is managed by the United States Forest Service and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
The highest elevation in the Brasstown Wilderness is the peak of Brasstown Bald, which is also the highest point in Georgia. The land that forms the Wilderness drapes across the northern, northeastern, and southwestern flanks of Brasstown Bald. In addition to of trout streams and abundant wildlife, the Brasstown Bald is home to several threatened or endangered species such as the pygmy shrew.


Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Oblast

Bogolyubovo () is a rural locality (a settlement) in Suzdalsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located some northeast of Vladimir, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 3,900 (1969).
History.
It was built between 1158 and 1165 by the order of Andrey Bogolyubsky at the mouth of the Nerl River (where it flows into the Klyazma River). Russian Orthodox Christians believe that Bogolyubovo was founded on the spot where Bogolyubsky saw a miraculous vision of the "Theotokos", who commanded him to build a church and a monastery on this spot. Consequently, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was built here. The church has been on UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992.
Bogolyubsky also commissioned the icon of the apparition of the Theotokos. This icon has been known as the Bogolubskaya Icon of the Theotokos.
After Bogolyubsky's death, Bogolyubovo was ravaged and ransacked by Gleb of Ryazan in 1177. In the 1230s, the Mongols destroyed its fortifications.
In 1960–2006, Bogolyubovo had urban-type settlement status.


Treak Cliff Cavern

Treak Cliff Cavern is a show cave near Castleton in Derbyshire, England. It is part of the Castleton Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of only two sites where the ornamental mineral Blue John is still excavated (the other is the nearby Blue John Cavern). As part of an agreement with English Nature, the Blue John that can be seen in the show cave is not mined but it is extracted in small quantities from other areas of the cave and made into saleable items like bowls, jewellery and ornaments.
The cave comprises two sections, the Old Series, discovered by lead miners in the 18th century, and the New Series, discovered during blasting in the 1920s. Only the Old Series contains Blue John, but the New Series is well decorated with flowstone, stalagmites and stalactites. Three human skeletons and flint implements from the Neolithic era were found in a small cave nearby in 1921.
Geology.
Treak Cliff, the hill in which the cavern lies, is composed of Carboniferous Limestone; the steep eastern slope of the hill is thought to have been the edge of a reef on the margin of a tropical lagoon. This reef was then raised above sea level by an uplift in the Earth's crust and was subsequently eroded, forming a boulder bed on the slopes. This was subsequently overlain by deltaic river sediments, which formed the shale and Millstone Grit sandstones that still overlay the limestone to the north, and on top of those the Coal Measures formed, until the limestone was deep beneath the surface and subject to high temperature and pressure. Major earth movements at the end of the Carboniferous period reversed this subsidence, and the rock layers were raised to form an anticline, the top of which was eroded away. Surface streams, on meeting the limestone, percolated through cracks and weaknesses and started to dissolve the limestone to form caverns. The stream that formed the New Series once flowed into the lower end of Winnats Pass, whereas the stream that formed the Old Series lost its headwaters to the predecessor of the modern Odin Sitch as it cut down through soft shales. There is no modern stream in the Treak Cliff Cavern, but percolating water from the cave has been dye-tested and found to emerge at the Russet Well beside Peakshole Water near Peak Cavern in Castleton, taking between 13 and 20 hours to travel the distance.
Since their original formation, the caverns have been decorated by the formation of flowstone, stalagmites and stalactites. Two stalagmite samples from the Aladdin's Cave section of the Treak Cliff Cavern have been found, by means of radioactive dating, to date back 111,000 years, proving the cave itself is much older. The formations in Treak Cliff are variously stained orange or red by iron, white by lead and occasionally green or blue by copper. Some of the stalactites have been distorted by variations in the flow to form twisted structures known as helictites.
Blue John.
Trace elements from buried sediments, percolating rain water, and trapped sea water meant various inorganic ions were present within the porous rock, among them chlorine, fluorine, sulphate, calcium, barium, lead, zinc and even uranium. Organic material from the decomposing bodies of marine animals in the sediments formed hydrocarbons, precursors of oil and gas. At high pressure a hot mineralised fluid formed and was forced into fractures and other voids in the rock. From this fluid, catalysed by the hydrocarbons, compounds such as galena (lead sulphide, PbS), sphalerite (zinc sulphide, ZnS), baryte (barium sulphate, BaSO4) and fluorspar (calcium fluoride, CaF2) were precipitated as solid crystals. At Treak Cliff the mineralised fluid was particularly rich in fluorine and 99% of the deposited mineral is fluorspar (technically, fluorite is the pure crystal and fluorspar the industrial name for the impure substance as mined). The exploitable deposits of fluorspar are known as "rakes", "scrins", "flats" or "pipes" depending on the size and shape of the voids in which the crystals were deposited.
At Treak Cliff and nearby Blue John Cavern, the fluorspar is uniquely banded, ranging from blue-black to white. The exact cause of the coloration is disputed, but it seems that the formation of Blue John requires a rare combination of porous limestone containing a little hydrocarbon, small traces of radioactive elements, an impervious layer to prevent the mineral fluids and hydrocarbons from escaping, a high concentration of fluorine ions, and variations in conditions during the crystallization process to form the banded colours. The rarity of this combination of conditions explains the scarcity of Blue John.
Because of the attractive banding, and the rarity of the mineral, Blue John has commercial value and ornaments made from it are much sought after by collectors. Historically, as well as from Treak Cliff and Blue John Cavern, veins of the mineral were also worked from Old Tor Mine and another mine in Winnats Pass, and also from mines near Windy Knoll and Odin Mine, towards Mam Tor. Limited opencast extraction of Blue John took place on the top of Treak Cliff during World War II, and an incident of unofficial and illegal extraction from Old Tor Mine in the 1970s led to that mine being closed by order of H.M. Inspector of Mines, leaving Treak Cliff and Blue John Cavern as the two remaining sources of new stocks of the mineral. Both caves have a policy of supplying raw Blue John only to shops within Castleton, so the few outlets selling it elsewhere rely on old stocks.
History.
The Old Series is thought to have been discovered in about 1745–50 by miners seeking lead ore, and is known to have been a source of Blue John by the 1750s, at which time it was known as Millers Mine. Extraction continued throughout the 19th century, including some opencast working on the hilltop above. There is no historical evidence of the caves being shown to the public during this period, though the nearby Blue John Caverns were opened to the public in around 1800 and extended around 1843.
Demand for fluorspar increased during World War I and much ornamental Blue John was extracted for use as flux in blast furnaces and in the chemical industry. In 1921 miners discovered the remains of three human skeletons dated to the Neolithic period in a nearby cave close to the surface. A little later, in 1926, miners blasting with explosives discovered an extension to the natural cavern, a section well decorated with stalactites: the New Series.
Commercial mining ended shortly after 1926 but in the 1930s miners returning to retrieve stored Blue John discovered a new, easier route into the New Series. This encouraged the development of the cave as a tourist attraction and the landowner entrusted John Royse, whose father and grandfather had been agents for Blue John, to adapt it for public display. It opened to the public at Easter 1935. Named sections within the show cave include the Witch's Cave, the Fossil Cave, Aladdin's Cave, Fairyland, the Dream Cave and the Dome of St Paul's. Some of the formations have also been given names, according to their perceived resemblance to other objects, such as the Stork, which forms part of the cavern's corporate logo, and the adjacent Ram's Head, both within the Dream Cave.
Lost Vein.
In 1945 the management of the cavern was taken over by the Harrison family who still operate it. The outgoing tenant John Royse, who was close to retirement, reported he had discovered a significant and previously unknown source of Blue John in the cave. Royse intended to return with the 19-year-old Peter Harrison but died before he could describe the location. The lost vein, concealed by wooden battens, a piece of carpet and a layer of clay, was rediscovered in 2013 by John Turner, Peter Harrison's grandson. At current rates of extraction the find is expected to last for at least a decade. The discovery prompted a visit by the BBC's "Countryfile" programme later that year.
Ridley Vein.
In 2015, another vein of Blue John was discovered close to the tourist route by a miner experimenting with a new method of exploration using a specialist chainsaw. The first new source for 150 years, it was named the Ridley Vein after its discoverer.


List of Nevada Scenic Byways

The U.S. state of Nevada maintains a system of scenic byways throughout the state. Currently, there are 20 designated state scenic byways. Some of these state scenic byways have also been incorporated into national byway designations.
State scenic byways.
Nevada's scenic byway program was established by the Nevada Legislature in 1983. The Nevada Department of Transportation is the primary agency responsible for the program, and its director has the authority to add new byways into the system.
As of 2015, 20 road segments throughout Nevada have been designated as state scenic byways. The system comprises approximately of roads. Fifteen of the state's scenic byways overlap with state-maintained highways.
Nationally designated scenic byways.
The National Scenic Byways program has four listings in Nevada, including one All-American Road. Additionally, one byway is part of the National Forest Scenic Byway program. All national byway designations comprise one or more of the Nevada scenic byways above.


Vitanovo Reserve

Vitanovo () is a nature reserve in the Strandzha mountains of south-eastern Bulgaria. Vitanovo is one of the five reserves situated in Strandzha Nature Park. It lies in south-eastern Bulgaria near the border with Turkey. The reserve encompasses an area of 1112.4 ha or 11.124 km2. The reserve can only be accessed with a special permission, issued by the Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria, for conducting research or for specialized tourism under strict rules and routes.
The nearest village is Brashlyan in the Municipality of Malko Tarnovo.
Within the territory of the reserve there are 462 species of plants: 421 herbaceous, 26 relict and 9 Balkan endemic species. The reserve is characterized by forests of "Fagus orientalis", "Carpinus betulus", "Quercus frainetto", "Quercus cerris" and different species of oak.
Among the natural landmarks in Vitanovo are karst springs and caves, the most studied of which is the Bratanova Cave.


Bald Eagle State Park

Bald Eagle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Howard, Liberty, and Marion townships in Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, formed by damming Bald Eagle Creek and other smaller streams and covering . Bald Eagle State Park is at the meeting point of two distinct geologic features. The Allegheny Plateau is to the north and the Ridge and Valley area of Pennsylvania is to the south. The park is in the Bald Eagle Valley off Pennsylvania Route 150 in Howard, between Milesburg and Lock Haven.
History.
Lenape.
The park is named for the Lenape chief, Woapalanne, meaning bald eagle. Chief Woapalanne lived in the area for a brief period of time during the mid-18th century in a village that was on Bald Eagle Creek Path, part of the much more extensive Great Indian Warpath that stretched from New York into the Carolinas. This path was used by the Iroquois to conduct raids on the Cherokee in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Pennsylvania Route 150 follows this path in some areas near Bald Eagle State Park.
Iron and lumber.
Bald Eagle Creek is one of the few navigable tributaries of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Centre County. This made it a vital part of the transportation network in Centre County's early days. The Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation canal was built from the Pennsylvania Canal at Lock Haven up Bald Eagle Creek and Spring Creek into Bellefonte in 1848. This canal was damaged by flooding in 1867 and went out of service. It was replaced by the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad, which completed its line along the valley in 1865.
The availability of transportation and vast natural resources drew the iron industry and later the lumber industry to Bald Eagle Valley. The Eagle Ironworks was built in 1810 by Roland Curtin, an immigrant from Ireland. The ironworks produced iron along Bald Eagle Creek until it was closed in 1922. At first charcoal was used to fire the furnaces. This charcoal was produced locally by colliers who harvested timber from the mountainsides and slowly burned the logs to produce charcoal. Later the furnaces were adapted to use coal, another of Pennsylvania's plentiful natural resources.
The demand for lumber products reached the Bald Eagle area in the mid-to-late 19th century. Vast stands of old-growth forest were harvested and sent down the West Branch Susquehanna River to the sawmills at Williamsport. The once abundant stands of pine, oak, hickory, chestnut and hemlock were stripped from the hills and valleys. The land in the valley was converted to farmland and is still farmed today. The forests on Bald Eagle Mountain have since regrown forming an extensive second growth forest.
Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir.
Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir is a reservoir that was built in 1971 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of a flood control project on the Susquehanna River basin. The lake was created by damming Bald Eagle Creek. It stretches upstream for and has of shoreline. The park is at an elevation of .
War hero.
The lake is named for Foster Joseph Sayers a World War II hero. Sayers grew up in Marsh Creek. He received the Medal of Honor for acts of bravery on November 12, 1944 near Thionville, France. His Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:
Boating.
Unlimited horsepower motorboats are permitted on Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir. Boats equipped with inboard engines with over the transom or straight-stack type exhausts are not permitted. All boats must have current registration with any state. Boaters must adhere to the speed-limit of and follow the counterclockwise pattern when navigating the lake. The marina has 369 docking slips that are available to rent seasonally or daily. Inland Marine and Power Sports operates the marina and provides various services to the public.
There are six boat launches at Bald Eagle State Park. All are open 24 hours with parking and restroom facilities.
Fishing.
Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir is a warm water fishery. Fishing is permitted from the shore, on boats and from an ADA accessible pier located at the main boat launch in the central park area. The common game fish are largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, yellow perch, and channel catfish. Tiger muskellunge have not been stocked in this lake for at least 10 years. They were briefly introduced to take care of a non-native species, which are no longer a threat.
Swimming.
Swimming is permitted on a beach stretching along the lake. The beach is open Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend. The beach area includes a playground, snack bar, baby changing rooms, restrooms, and parking.
Other recreation.
Picnics.
There are four picnic area at Bald Eagle State Park.
Hunting.
Hunting is permitted on about of Bald Eagle State Park. The most common game species are squirrels, turkey, rabbits, pheasant and white-tailed deer. The hunting of groundhogs is prohibited. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Trails.
Bald Eagle State Park has of trails that are open for hiking and cross-country skiing. Some of the trails pass through areas that are open to hunting and hikers and skiers are asked to wear blaze orange when using the trails during the hunting seasons. All trails are open year-round at 8:00 a.m. and are closed at sunset.
Camping.
Russel P. Letterman campground is a modern campground with 97 campsites, three cottages, two yurts, hot showers, an amphitheater, a sanitary dump station and two volleyball courts. There is a paved parking area at each campsite as well as a picnic table and fire ring. All campsites have an electrical hook-up. The primitive camping area 35 walk-in sites and 35 sites for small campers. Outhouses are available as well as sinks with running water.
Nearby state parks.
The following state parks are within of Bald Eagle State Park: