Big-Bend-Nationalpark

The Big Bend National Park is located in south Texas on the border with Mexico. The Rio Grande forms a more than 1500 km long part of the border between Mexico and the U.S., and around a quarter of them at the same time forms the border of the national park. The park covers a total area of over 3,200 square kilometers, making it one of the largest national parks in the United States.

1976, the park was recognized by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. February 2012, the National Park as a light reserve of the International Dark Sky Association International Dark Sky Park as ( IDSP, in gold) has been recognized, and since then also called Big Bend International Dark Sky Park. South of the Rio Grande are the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila and the newly established nature reserves Maderas del Carmen, Cañon de Santa Elena.

The park covers a large part of the Chihuahuan Desert. The climate of the area is very extreme. In late spring and summer, temperatures can often exceed 40 degrees Celsius. The winters are usually very mild, but frost is quite possible. The rainy season lasts from mid- July to September, but some very dry land sometimes get a drop of rain.

Landscape and wildlife

Desert -like landscape cover the greater part of the National Park area. Striking plant species these lands are Yuccas and various cacti. Otherwise bushes dominate these areas. However, the deserts of the area are among the wettest deserts in North America, so that relatively large number of species found here a commented. Typical species of the dry zones are peccaries, mule deer, jackrabbits and racing cuckoo.

Since the height of the Park 500 meters until reaches up to 2,300 meters, there is a diversity of habitats and a variety of occurring animal and plant species. Found on the mountain slopes of the Chisos Mountains with increasing altitude forests of oak, pine and juniper. In these forests are still holding some black bears. Their population in the park is estimated at about 8-12 adult animals. At the Rio Grande river forests occur beyond. Although the main area of ​​the park is covered by shrub deserts, savannah, there are also similar areas where grasses dominate. Earlier this landform made ​​from a significantly larger proportion of the area.

The Big Bend National Park is still home to pumas and each year more than 150 sightings reported by visitors. Other typical mammals of the park are coyotes, white-tailed deer, Audubon cottontail rabbits, foxes and bobcats. Among the most striking birds are the vulture. Turkey vultures inhabit different habitats in the National Park of the mountains down into the deserts and up to the river landscapes of the Rio Grande. The Black Vulture, however, rarely leave the vicinity of the river. A total of over 1,200 plant species and 3,600 species of insects in the park occur. The vertebrates are represented rich with 40 species of fish, 11 amphibian species, 56 reptile species, 75 mammal species and 450 bird species. This is the National Park of the species richest of the entire United States.

History

The rocks in the park are rich in fossils from the Cretaceous period, including here remains of several skeletons of Quetzalcoatlus were discovered, the largest known pterosaurs. Here are provided for by up to 9000 -year-old evidence of human habitation.

In the period prior to the discovery by the Europeans different Indian groups lived in the area of the Big Bend. The Chisos Indians were a loosely organized group of nomadic hunters and gatherers operated up to a certain extent, agriculture. Their origin is unclear. Linguistically, they are brought into connection with the Conchos Indians of northern Chihuahua and northwestern Coahuila. Their language belongs to the Uto- Aztec, which was spread from Central Mexico until well into the U.S.,. The Jumano were a nomadic group that engaged in trade in West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. Some sources indicate that they were enemies of the Chisos. Beginning of the 18th century began with the Mescalero Apaches closely allied Natage (pronounced Na - tah -hay, abgel of Nadahéndé = " People of the Mescal ", the name of the other Apache groups for the Mescalero ) to immigrate and the Chiso and the Jumano to displace. The last penetrated the Comanche in the Big Bend, as a branch of the Great Comanche Trail, passed through the area and was used by them on their regular raids into the interior of Mexico. These raids continued until the middle of the 19th century.

The historically documented period starts about 1535 AD, when the Spaniards began to explore this part of North America. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de The expedition Vacas pulled over near the present-day national park. These and the subsequent expeditions were in search of gold and silver, cultivable land and Indian slaves. In order to secure the northern border of Mexico against the raids of the Mescalero, Lipan, and Natage, a chain of forts, called Presidio, along the Rio Grande was built in 1700. Many of these forts were, however, soon abandoned, partly for financial reasons, and partly because they did not offer effective protection against attacks by the Indians on Mexican territory.

As a result of the war between the U.S. and Mexico, which ended in 1849, the uncharted territory of the Big Bend was explored by military reconnaissance missions. Fixed stations were built to protect settlers against Indian attacks. In 1870 began to settle the land permanently and in 1900 the largest part of the country of sheep, goats, and cattle was used. However, the intensive use very soon led to overgrazing.

In 1900 ore deposits were discovered. This came more and more settlers to work in the mines or to perform work around the mines in smelting plants or as a lumberjack.

As of 1930, the efforts began, the country, which has now been valued for its unique high contrast and beautiful scenery to be put under protection. The State of Texas acquired the land, and the Texas Canyons State Park was established. On June 12, 1944, from the State Park then the Big Bend National Park.

To date, there are in the National Park with the Chisos Mountain Lodge just a hotel.

There are newer plans between the Government of Mexico and the United States to expand the Big Bend National Park, which lies on the border of both countries to a U.S. Mexico International Park. Since April 2013, the border crossing to Mexico has been reopened in the Natural Park Maderas del Carmen. He had been closed as a result of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 in early 2002. The transition can only be used to walk through the shallow waters of the border river or with a passenger ferry. Ranger of the National Park Service are present at the junction, the border control is exercised by agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso some 500 km away, where the passports of entering the country are submitted by cameras and scanners.