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Newsletter: Your American West

WNP publishes a digital newsletter several times a year. Your American West, showcases park happenings, research stories, WNP news and more to keep you connected to our national parks. Browse the newsletters or sign up to receive them via email in the footer of this website.

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Following the Road Less Traveled at Guadalupe Mountains National Park

The California condor ( Gymnogyps californianus) is an endangered New World vulture and the largest bird in North America. In the 1980s, the entire population of California condors was reduced to 22 birds. With the assistance of captive breeding...

Stalking the Carnivorous Plants of Big Thicket National Preserve

The California condor ( Gymnogyps californianus) is an endangered New World vulture and the largest bird in North America. In the 1980s, the entire population of California condors was reduced to 22 birds. With the assistance of captive breeding...

A Legendary Cowboy's Connection with Capulin Volcano National Monument

The California condor ( Gymnogyps californianus) is an endangered New World vulture and the largest bird in North America. In the 1980s, the entire population of California condors was reduced to 22 birds. With the assistance of captive breeding...

The Long Road to Justice 

During the month of February, in celebration of Black History Month, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site is overflowing with ranger led discussions, distance learning programs, and more! As a civil rights site, our primary goal is to...

WNPA Honors Noted National Park Historian, Two Students

Tucson, Arizona, (November 22, 2021)—An internationally recognized national park historian and two college students who want to teach their communities about the benefits of national parks have earned annual awards presented by Western National Parks...

What Fueled Sunset Crater’s Explosive Past?

“Long time ago the ground trembled, a big black smoke came,” was the memory the Hopi passed from generation to generation. It was a thick, choking, even poisonous smoke, preceded no doubt by shuddering earthquakes and precipitated by a furious...

Irresistible Distractions At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

The beginning of winter found me feeling torn between the sleepy comforts of home and the satisfying challenges of rugged wilderness camping. As usual, the mountains won. “I’m headed north on Highway 15 out of Silver City, New Mexico,” I had texted...

Understanding a Decade of Dietary Competition in Two Endemic Island Carnivores

UPDATE: This WNPA-funded research project is entering its second year as of June 2022. Off the coast of southern California, on a scattering of islands, lives a suite of plants and animals that are found nowhere else on earth. Five of these islands...

Saguaro flowering is changing according to wildlife scientists

The mighty saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is an icon of the American Southwest. Under a blazing sun, these majestic cacti can grow upwards of 50 feet if the conditions are right. A cursory glance with an untrained eye leaves one with the impression...

Finding Beauty And History In New Mexico’s Sandstone

El Morro, or “the headland,” has been a gathering place for centuries (Jim Stratton) Our first big surprise when we arrived at the visitor center was learning that President Teddy Roosevelt protected this area on December 8, 1906, with his second...