New North American National Parks

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The continued well-being of nature is highly dependent on the worldwide development of new national parks. The world isn't what it used to be, there are no new territories left to explore and civilization is slowly encroaching on the borders of existing national parks. The encouraging news is that these new parks are being developed, for reasons ranging from the acknowledgement of historic figures to the protection of ecosystems.

The newest of these national parks are found on extreme northern Labrador. Created in January 2005, the Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve is the baby of the Canadian National Parks system. This park is a gift of Inuit land consisting of two distinct landscapes: the gentle Georgian Plateau formed by receding glaciers, and the spectacular Torngat Mountains. The mountains are amongst the most rugged in North America. Along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, a hiker would find an untamed coastline where cliffs seem to erupt 900 meters out of the sea, and fjords jutting up to 80 miles inland. Massive icebergs can sometimes be seen ferrying along the coast. This 3100 square kilometer park does whatever it takes to make an explorer seem small while expressing the grandeur of nature at its most beautiful and dangerous.

The second newest national park is the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado. The dunes have been considered a national monument since 1932 but only became designated a national park in September 2004 to protect the surrounding land. The dunes are the tallest in North America, and travel an amazing 35 feet per year. One section of the Great Sand Dunes, now named the Escape Dunes, have moved so fast over the years that it has inundated a forest in sand. Green tips of trees can be seen sticking out the side of the dunes. Another amazing feature in the spring months is Medano Creek which flows from the surrounding mountains flow atop the tightly packed sand at the edge of the dunes creating a beach-like atmosphere. This new national park is a great place to witness the co-existence of ecosystems while enjoying a nice dip in the refreshing creek.

The Canadian national park that has the distinction of being one of the most remote is the Ukkusiksalik National Park found in northern Nunavut. It can only be reached by plane making it also one of the most untouched national parks. Previously inhabited by Inuits until the 1960's, this twenty thousand plus square kilometer swath of land became an official national park in 2003. For those ambitious adventurers willing to travel to this park, you'll be rewarded with such features as reversing falls, 8 meter high tides, a 24 foot waterfall that freezes in the winter, and archaeological sites of previous Inuit inhabitants. Also, nature abounds in this northern habitat with polar bears, seals, caribou, and over 100 different species of birds.

These are but a select few of the new national parks to explore, but more are being added every day. Visiting these new national parks is witnessing history in the making. To learn more about new Canadian National Parks, check out the Parks Canada website (www.pc.gc.ca), or explore any of the newer national parks in the U.S., go to www.nps.gov.

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