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Guadalupe Mountains National Park

El Capitan at Sunset, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Rocks and the awe-inspiring ancient uplifted El Capitan reef glowing with light from a setting sun at Guadalupe Mountains National Park

According to the National Park Service, "Capitan Reef is now recognized as one of the most well-preserved fossil reefs in the world ... Movement of faults over the last 20 million years caused a long-buried portion of the Capitan Reef to rise several thousand feet above its original position. This uplifted block was then exposed to wind and rain causing the softer overlying sediments to erode, uncovering the more resistant fossil reef and forming the modern Guadalupe Mountains.

NPS - D. Buehler

NPCA, Others Sue EPA Over Clean Air Act Reductions Of Regional Haze

A coalition of environmental groups, including the National Parks Conservation Association, has sued the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to enforce the Regional Haze Rule required by the Clean Air Act. That failure could lead to "continued release of preventable haze-causing emissions that harm the health of our communities and blur landscapes at our most scenic national parks and wilderness areas," the groups maintain.

El Capitan And Wildflowers, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

A close-up of a bright yellow wildflower, with a field of yellow flowers and El Capitan in the distant background, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Immediately following summer "monsoon" rains, a whole new crop of plants begin to bloom, and some will last well into fall. Many of these plants, such as gayfeather and cardinal flower provide important nectar sources for butterflies, bees and other insects. The temperate nature of the desert climate insures that something will be blooming nearly any time of the year. And if your timing is perfect, you may have the opportunity to catch a brief, but spectacular profusion of wildflowers, and one of nature's finest moments.

NPS - Karen Poteet

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