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A Stand Of Saguaro Cactus And Ironwood Trees Are Framed By Ragged Top Mountain In Arizona s Ironwood Forest National Monument.
Credit TeressaJackson/Adobe Stock
Over the years, 17 presidents have designated more than 150 national monuments, including Arizona’s iconic Ironwood Forest National Monument using the Antiquities Act. The 130-thousand-acre desert preserve just outside Tucson serves as a biological anchor point for conserving rare plants and animals.
June marked the 115th anniversary of the Antiquities Act, a brief but powerful piece of legislation passed in 1906. It allows presidents to preserve federal lands and cultural and historical sites.
More than 150 national monuments have been designated using the act, including Arizona’s Ironwood Forest National Monument.
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Two grizzly bears fighting, a group of bison ploughing through a field of snow and the stars lighting a hiking trail are among the pictures selected as the 20 finalists in a photography competition showcasing images from US national parks.
All 20 images were the winners of the first ever annual Nature s best Photography National Parks Photo competition and were the top 20 placed images chosen from more than 3,000 entries.
One image taken by photographer, Brian Wright of San Diego, California, showed the star trails over the Chesler Park Hiking Trail, Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Grizzly bears : This stunning photo by Thomas Vijayan shows the brutality of nature as two grizzly bears duel in Katmai National Park, Alaska