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**__General Information__** Located: South west Texas/ Chihuahuan Desert Park Size: 801,163 acres General Climate: It's very warm, and the weather can change any minute. Region of the US: South west Texas Visitors Per Year: For 2011, 364,226 visitors Most Popular Sites in Park: Panther Junction Area, Rio Grande Village Area, Castolon Area, Chisos Basin Area, and Persimmon Gap Area.
 * __Big Bend__ **

**__History __**

The day Big Bend became a national park was June 12th 1944, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt made it so Big Bend could become a national park. It took a few days for the park to become a national park, and President Roosevelt had signed a bill to authorize the establishment for it to become a national park. The reason it became a national park was to protect a portion of the Chihuahuan Desert. Big Bend is a historical site because Native people used this place to get to and from Mexico. It also had people who lived here, who were known as The Originial Settlers. Texas was once claimed by six different nations! People did mining too. Lady Bird Johnson had visited here on a campaign to see America first. It is a natural site because it wasn't made by man. It evolved over the years.

**__Enviroment__**

The weather here is crazy! It can change any second, but usually it's warm. Throughout the year it rains, with very heavy thunderstorms and some flash flooding. Even though it's a desert, there can be light snow in the winter. The elevation effects the air temperature. In this national park, there is a lot of different geology in this national park. From dinosaurs, fossils, ocean, and volcanic ashes; there were a lot of things to discover. The land changes everyday, and the water is pretty much what shaped the land. One of the ecosystems is the Chihuahuan Desert and it's the largest protected portion of this desert in the USA. It's the wettest desert out of the four deserts in the United States. The Chihuahuan desert is the largest ecosystem in this park and many animals live here. Another ecosystem is the hot springs. Hot springs have water that is heated from the Earth and then it comes back to the surface as a hot spring. The temperature is 105 degrees fahrenheit year round. Langford Hot Springs is the most famous hot spring in Big Bend, and there has been a decrease in the water. The next ecosystem is The Rio Grande river. Animals and people depend on the limited water here. The water has been important throughout history.



On some days the air equality is amazing. On some days not so much. A few days of the year Big Bend experiences the worst air quality of visibility impairment in any of the western national parks. There is 30 miles visibility 6% of the time. Pollition is a big part of why the air quality is bad. The water quality isn't very good either because of pollution from mining, and many other things. Scientists and people who work with the water tested it, and they found fecal coliform which could be from humans, or other animals. For geologic activity, there hasn't been any eruptions in 42 million years. The magma and ashes uplifted and it formed some of the mountains that are there today. Sometimes they have flash flooding, and erosions. There are fires in Big Bend, but some of them are set on purpose to restore other land easier. Some of them are just from the weather. It got more expensive to fight them and plants weren't getting good nutrients that they needed. Some grass was growing too high, and there were more insects and diseases. The fires that just happened were healthy for the land. There are two types of fire for Big Bend. One is caused by natural causes, and the other one is a prescription fire which are set on purpose to fix the land and to get rid of more flammable grass, or to get rid of exotic plants. The only hydrothermal feature would be the hot springs.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**__Animals__** <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Studying the animals can be an easy task, but since Big Bend is on the border between the US and Mexico it makes it a little harder. Some of the animals are protected on one side, while on the other side they may not be.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Big Bend has many insects and bugs. Tarantulas, butterflies, and millipedes are all some of the types of bugs there are in this park, there are many more too. There are at least 170 different species of butterflies that can be seen at Big Bend.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">During the fall, the Monarch butterfly can be seen. Scorpions are seen too. I've heard that when they are smaller there sting shouldn't be ignored. People say people shouldn't fear them so much, because there sting feels like a honeybee sting and there venom causes minor discomfort. Speaking of honeybees there are 2 different types of honeybees, European honeybees and Africanized honeybees. European ones aren't as aggressive and aren't easily disturbed. Africanized are very aggressive and are easily disturbed. Another bug would be the black witch moth and it's one of the largest moths in North America. I believe the most nasty bug in the park is the lubber grasshopper. They are inedible and they hiss. That's not even the worst of it, they spit brown liquid which can stain skin and clothing.



<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In the park, there are three places that support life for fish. The Rio Grande River, Tornillo, and Terlingua Creeks. Catfish are commonly caught in the Rio Grande. Most of the fish are smaller or minow sized. It's very hard for fishes to live in such a hot place, and with the water decreasing everyday. Big Bend has 31 species of snakes, 22 species of lizards, and 7 species of turtles. The Big Bend Slider is the most popular turtle in Big Bend National Park. They usually live in the rivers, or creeks. The most popular snake would be the red racer/ western coachwhip. It's amazing how they can stretch across an entire lane on a road!

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There are 75 species of mammals in Big Bend. One of the most talked about animal is the Mexican free-tailed bat. The bats eat insects, and they aren't vampire bats. Another type of bat would be the pallid bats eat scorpions and are immune to the sting. The cave myotises can eat about 600 mosquitoes per hour and 3,000 mosquitoes per night. These bats don't hibernate, they migrate. To hunt they make high pitched sounds, but humans can't hear them. Sonar radar is something they use too. There are at least 20 species of bats that have been found in the park. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">One of the other mammals in the park would be a mountain lion. They are seen a lot, and there have been at least four attacks. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Sometimes looks can be decieving. The javelina looks like a pig, but isn't even related to the pig. They are very popular at the park, and people see them everywhere. Fruits and plants are what these animals eat. Big Bend does protect the animals, so they aren't to be harmed. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">People may think that a black tailed jack rabbit is actually a rabbit, but the truth is they are a hare. Many animals eat them, so they are an excellent food source. There numbers aren't anything to worry about because they reproduce a lot. The Black Tailed Jack Rabbit is a herbivore and they are nocturnal, which means they eat plants and are awake during the night.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Coyotes also live in Big Bend, which isn't much of a surprise because these animals are popular all over the United States. They eat rodents, road kill, and plants. Coyotes mate for life, which is why there is too many of them. Black bears for a while, weren't very popular in Big Bend. Eventually, they came back on their own, so now people see them more frequently. Rangers and people at Big Bend advise visitors or tourists not to feed them human food because they could seek out humans and become aggressive. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There are some amphibians in the park, mainly frogs or toads. The frogs live in the Rio Grande, and the toads live underground and they come up when it rains to mate. If there is a big enough puddle, the tadpoles will grow to be an adult in 2 weeks, but that's if the puddle doesn't dry up.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">One of the reasons why Big Bend is so popular is because of the many birds it has. A graceful bird would be the turkey vulture. Turkey vultures are found in the mountains. Another vulture would be the black vulture. They are seen more by the rivers. Some food they eat would be carcasses, small animals, and dead fruit. Diseases found in animals don't survive through a vultures digestive system, so the vultures don't get sick. An interesting fact about black vultures is that they don't have a sense of smell. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The Peregrine Falcon was once placed on the Endangered Species list. With the pesticide DDT removed, they are able to reproduce again and now are off the Endangered Species list. They are still having issues because of the food they eat, which have high levels of some chemicals and metals. A bird that is very rare to see is the montezuma quail.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There are 19 owls in the United States and 12 of them have been seen at Big Bend National Park. The great horned owl, burrowing owl, elf owl, flammulated owl, eastern and western screech owl nest in the park. The barn owl, northern pygmy owl, northern saw-whet owl, short- eared owl and long eared owl were just visitors. Owls can't move their eyes, so to see things they must turn their heads. They have very good hearing. An owls eyes are 100 x more sensitive to light than human eyes, and they are very teritorial. Owls are very low in numbers right now because they eat rodents and plants that may have been fed with pesticides.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">All animals in Big Bend are protected, but there are some on the Endangered Species List. The American black bear, Mexican long nosed bat, and some of the plants. The animals or plants could be threatened or endangered or on the federal list.

**__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Plants __**

<span style="color: #ff8d00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There are over 1,000 plants in Big Bend alone. One of the plants, which is called the hidalgo ladies tresses, hasn't been seen in over 60 years! One thing that is interesting about the plants is that there are more cactuses here then any other national park. With the many different soils and habitats, cactuses are able to survive. Not all of the succelents are cacti. The harvard agave can bloom 20-30 years of growth. Even though Big Bend is desert area, there are grassy areas. <span style="color: #ff8d00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Although there are a lot of plants, some of them are pests like the tamarisk and saltcedar. <span style="color: #ff8d00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Wildflowers are also a big part of Big Bend. There are 1200 species of wildflowers in Big Bend National Park. The plants in the park have learned to adapt to the dry periods. The lechuguilla is only found in the Chihuahuan desert. It's a good source for soap, rope, sandals,and mats. It is also used for tequila. Sotol was important for basket making, as are many other plants in the park. Nolina also was, but it's poisonous and if it was to be eaten it could cause liver and kidney damage. Texas's state grass is found in Big Bend, and it is called side oats gramma.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**__Natural Land Features__** <span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There are huge rocks that were made by erosion. Some other natural land feautures would include the plants, and the rivers.

**__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Conservation and Preservation __** <span style="color: #007007; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">They are protecting animals and plants in this park. People aren't allowed in certain areas either, and to fix some of the land they burn it. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**__ Things to do __** <span style="color: #095cae; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Birding <span style="color: #095cae; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Biking <span style="color: #095cae; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Exploring <span style="color: #095cae; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Climbing <span style="color: #095cae; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Star gazing <span style="color: #095cae; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Camping <span style="color: #095cae; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Scenic driving

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**__Popular Places__** <span style="color: #39ac3a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Castolon Area <span style="color: #39ac3a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Persimmon Gap Area <span style="color: #39ac3a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Chisos Basin Area <span style="color: #39ac3a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Rio Grande Village <span style="color: #39ac3a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Panther Junction Area

<span style="color: #77309c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">People would want to come visit because it is a beautiful place with many different things to do and see.

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**__Links__**
 * 1) .http://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
 * 2) http://www.nps.gov/bibe/historyculture/lady_bird.htm
 * 3) @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoJ5coX_2BQ&feature=plcp&context=C314c141UDOEgsToPDskI3KTIv1UMas8OYZ419Pc2n
 * 4) @http://www.nps.gov/bibe/parkmgmt/index.htm
 * 5) @http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/index.htm
 * 6) @http://www.nps.gov/bibe/photosmultimedia/snowfall.htm
 * 7) @http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/index.htm
 * 8) @http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
 * 9) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JR3sWeJLjM&feature=context&context=C314c141UDOEgsToPDskI3KTIv1UMas8OYZ419Pc2n
 * 10) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8MSdjjN_vU&feature=plcp&context=C3db9d49UDOEgsToPDskJe-LingZTZrLvK5E4sriW_
 * 11) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/things2know.htm
 * 12) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/special.htm
 * 13) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/naturalfeaturesandecosystems.htm
 * 14) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/insects.htm
 * 15) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">@http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/interview_bat.htm

__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">**Resources:** __ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">"Big Bend National Park (U.S. National Park Service)." //U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America//. National Park Service U.S Department of the Interior. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. []. "Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// LonghornLass, 5 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. []. "Boquillas Canyon in Big Bend National Park in Texas - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Fredlyfish4, 13 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. []. "Big Bend National Park Desert View 2012 - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Fredlyfish4, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. []. "Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park Texas 2012 - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Fredlyfish4, 13 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. []

__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**Pictures** __
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