Badlands-Nationalpark

The Badlands National Park is located in southwestern South Dakota. It consists of an referred to as badlands type of weathering landscape that seemed unsuitable for agriculture, hence the name Badlands - bad land. In addition to this landscape weathering the largest protected grass prairie is part of the National Park. Two units of the National Park, the Stronghold Unit and the Palmer Creek Unit are within the Pine Ridge Reservation. 2012, the conditions were created that the two southern areas is to be managed as a National Tribal Park in cooperation between the National Park Service and the Oglala Lakota. These Sioux Indians are preferably formed as a ranger and park scientists and set.

This area is the site of the Ghost Dance movement of 1890.

In the park there are also rich in fossils sites such as prehistoric horses, sheep, pigs or rhinos. These include 11,000 years old discoveries of human civilization. The area was declared a National Monument in 1939 and 1978 was upgraded to National Park.

The film The Dances with Wolves with Kevin Costner in the lead role was in 1990 turned to a large extent in the National Park and its surroundings.

Wildlife

In the national park is home to 37 species of mammals and 206 species of birds. With bison, bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer and pronghorn five large ungulate species live in the park. Mule deer are very common, white-tailed deer less frequently. The bison live in the west of the northern part of the park during the bighorn sheep in the Pinnacles area and can be found at the Cedar Pass. Pronghorn seen most of the Loop Road. The predators are represented by silver badger, bobcat, coyote, Swift Fox and especially the rare Schwarzfußiltis. Among the rodents, especially the prairie dogs in the park are to be mentioned.

Pictures

Canyon

Prairie dog

Badlands

Badlands

Mustangs