Sand dunes saved! (Earth News).GOOD NEWS for nature lovers: Thanks to a massive land-preservation effort, Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Monument national monument In the U.S., any of numerous areas reserved by the federal government for the protection of objects or places of historical, scientific, or prehistoric interest. and Preserve is primed to become the nation's 58th national park by 2005. The deal hinges on the Nature Conservancy's purchase of Baca Ranch, 151 acres of pristine land bordering Great Sand Dunes. If sealed, the deal will end a decade-long battle between farmers and land developers for the ranch's 457-meter (1,500-foot)-deep aquifer aquifer (ăk`wĭfər): see artesian well. aquifer In hydrology, a rock layer or sequence that contains water and releases it in appreciable amounts. , a natural underground water supply stored in layers of permeable permeable /per·me·a·ble/ (per´me-ah-b'l) not impassable; pervious; permitting passage of a substance. per·me·a·ble adj. That can be permeated or penetrated, especially by liquids or gases. rock. Scientists say the aquifer needs protection since it plays a critical role in preserving the land's spectacular 229-meter (750-foot)-tall sand dunes, formed 12,000 years ago by raging winds. The underground water supply feeds streams and wetlands that help keep the dunes from blowing away. "Protecting that water is critical to protecting the dunes," says Carol Sperling at the National Parks This is a list of national parks ordered by nation. Africa
The park-to-be is also home to more than 70 rare plant and animal species, including the Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle tiger beetle Any of some 2,000 species (family Cicindelidae) of voracious beetles, found worldwide but mostly in the tropics and subtropics. The larva waits at the top of its burrow (up to 2 ft, or 0.7 m, deep) and grasps approaching insect prey with sicklelike jaws. (see photo, left) found nowhere else in the world! Ready for a new national hangout? |
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