Padre Island National Seashore – Texas
On one of our seminars in Texas, we took the time to drive down to Padre Island National Seashore.
The landscape changed as we approached the coast. Texas roads gave way to stretches to water and salt air. Padre Island National Seashore protects the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world, nearly seventy miles of shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico.
Established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, the seashore was set aside to preserve a rare coastal ecosystem that feels expansive. The pavement disappears and the road becomes sand. The dunes are on both sides, and the wind shapes the shoreline and grasses.
Padre Island protects tidal flats and the hypersaline waters of Laguna Madre, one of the few lagoons of its kind in the world. It is also an essential habitat for migratory birds and marine life. The island is especially known for conservation efforts supporting the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. During nesting season, hatchlings are carefully protected and released into the Gulf.
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Mount Rainier National Park – Washington
Mount Rainier rises more than 14,000 feet above the surrounding forests and valleys. Mount Rainier dominates the horizon. Its snow-covered summit is visible from miles away. Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano and the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. These glaciers feed rivers that shape western Washington and sustain ecosystems, agriculture and […]
Obed WSR – Tennessee
When I traveled through Tennessee, I found myself moving through the landscape of the Obed Wild and Scenic River. Unlike many places we visit and clearly arrive at, this was a landscape you enter without gates or formal entrances. At the Obed WSR there are miles of creeks and rivers. This remarkable river system came […]
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park – California
Walking along Aquatic Park in San Francisco, I made my way to the Hyde Street Pier and the visitor center of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. San Francisco’s identity was forged by the sea. When gold was discovered in 1848, ships began arriving from everywhere: New England, South America, Europe, China, Australia. The sea routes brought […]
