National Parks Wallpapers

LiveScience.com - Many of Africa's most iconic animals are disappearing from national parks at an alarming rate, according to a new study by British researchers.

AFP - As the sun set over the savannah at Kruger National Park, a football fan unfurled a banner from the side of an open-air safari truck.

LiveScience.com - Pesticides and other pollution from agricultural and industrial sources are a continuing concern in national parks of the West, two new studies confirm.

AP - The head of the South African National Parks (SANParks) says that rhino poaching in the country has escalated at a rapid rate in the last three years.

AP - An environmental group that advocates on behalf of government employees worries anti-government rhetoric fueled a surge in attacks and threats last year against law enforcement rangers in national parks.

Y! Green -     2010 marks the 40th celebration of Earth Day, a holiday that helped spark America's modern environmental movement when it was founded on April 22, 1970, by then-Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.  Did you know that there are actually two Earth Days? The "first" Earth Day was founded on March 21, 1970, by John McConnell, a newspaper publisher. Even though this is the date that was embraced by the United Nations, Americans celebrate Earth Day on April 22 each year.   It's also interesting to note that the color green, which symbolizes the environmental movement, isn't all that "green," as in "eco-friendly." Synthetic green dyes, paints, and pigments are made with a noxious cocktail of toxins and pollutants, making green an ironic symbol for the environmental movement.  In honor of this year's historic anniversary, Mother Nature Network is taking a quick look back at the last four decades of planetary appreciation. The video below is a fun way to get the whole 40-year history in under 5 minutes. Or read the transcript below to see what happened each year.      1970: 20 million people celebrate the first Earth Day on April 22. A few months later, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opens its doors for the first time.   1971: Amtrak is founded, even though gas costs just 33 cents a gallon.   1972: The EPA bans DDT, which was thinning bald eagles' eggshells.   1973: A Mideast oil embargo sparks a U.S. gas crisis.   1974: Congress passes the Safe Drinking Water Act, shamelessly pandering to the water-drinkers lobby.    1975: Congress sets emissions and efficiency rules for cars, leading to the introduction of catalytic converters.   1976: The EPA starts phasing out PCBs, which can cause cancer and other health problems.   1977: The U.S. adds the first plants to its endangered species list — despite their disturbing lack of cuteness.   1978: Congress bans CFCs in aerosol sprays after scientists realize CFCs can deplete the Earth's ozone layer.   1979: A partial meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear plant ruins an otherwise good day.   1980: Congress creates the Superfund program to clean up toxic waste sites. Those expecting "super fun" sites are quickly disappointed.   1981: Acid rain intensifies over the Northeastern United States and Canada.    1982: Dioxin contamination forces the U.S. government to buy homes in Times Beach, Missouri — not the last time it would have to buy up toxic assets.   1983: A long failure to clean up the Chesapeake Bay begins.   1984: 8.6 million acres of protected wilderness are established in 21 states. Somewhere in the distance, a coyote howls.   1985: Scientists discover a giant hole in Earth's ozone layer. During the next year's NBA All-Star Game, Spud Webb dunks through it.   1986: Congress declares the public has a right to know when toxic chemicals are released into the air, land, or water. The public breathes a sigh of relief — and a little sulfur dioxide.   1987: Medical waste washes ashore in New York and New Jersey, forcing beaches to close. Efforts to rebrand the area don't work out.    1988: Congress bans ocean dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste, ending a cherished American tradition.   1989: The Exxon Valdez spills 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound, one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.   1990: The EPA's Toxic Release Inventory tells the public which pollutants are being released into their communities.    1991: The U.S. government begins using products made from recycled content.    1992: The U.S. Energy Department and the EPA launch the Energy Star program to label energy-efficient products.   1993: A cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee sickens 400,000 people and kills more than 100, raising awareness of microbes in water supplies.   1994: The first genetically modified tomatoes hit the U.S. market.   1995: Wolves are reintroduced into Yellowstone and central Idaho. The initial awkwardness quickly fades.   1996: Public drinking-water suppliers are required to inform customers about chemicals and microbes in their water.    1997: The U.S. joins other countries in Kyoto, Japan, to negotiate a global climate-change treaty it winds up rejecting.   1998: Earth has its warmest year since record-keeping began in 1880.   1999: The EPA announces new rules to improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas. Somewhere in the distance, a coyote coughs.   2000: High temperatures and low rainfall spark the worst U.S. wildfire season in 50 years.   2001: The U.S. formally rejects the Kyoto treaty. The treaty suffers brief self-esteem issues before hooking up with Europe on the rebound.   2002: The U.S. suffers its second-worst wildfire season in 50 years.   2003: The EPA retrofits 40,000 school buses nationwide to cut back their tailpipe emissions.   2004: The EPA requires cleaner fuels and engines for farm and construction equipment.   2005: The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season produces a record number of tropical cyclones, including Hurricane Katrina, which devastates the Gulf Coast.   2006: An Inconvenient Truth is released, winning Al Gore an Oscar, a Nobel Prize, and a lifetime of being criticized every time it snows.   2007: The bald eagle is removed from the endangered species list.   2008: The EPA releases a list of "eco-fugitives." Captain Planet comes out of retirement.   2009: The EPA issues a proposed finding that greenhouse gases may endanger public health or welfare. Congress issues a proposed finding that the EPA is a jerk.   2010: People around the world celebrate the 40th Earth Day, once again dedicating a full day to the planet's health. The Earth is touched, even though it creates days in the first place by rotating, which means "Earth Day" is a regift. But it's the thought that counts.  Russell McLendon is an associate editor at the Mother Nature Network, where a version of this post originally appeared.

AFP - Researchers said Sunday they have captured the first images of a spotted leopard in Malaysia, putting to rest a decades-old debate over the existence of the endangered cat in the country.