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We invite you to explore the 2024 Landmark Highlights for a sampling of activities at NNL sites across the country throughout Fiscal Year 2024.

Bright Angel Trailhead is located just west of Bright Angel Lodge, Lookout Studio, and Kolb Studio. At 6,840 feet (2,085 m), it provides access for hikers and mules to many inner canyon destinations. From the Hermit Road Interchange shuttle bus stops, it is a short walk to the east, and up a hill, on a paved footpath to the trailhead. This spring, Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Gardens is closed through May 15. Visit the link for details.

The Flying Mountain Trailhead is located north of Southwest Harbor, ME off State Route 102 via Fernald Point Road. It directly serves Flying Mountain and Valley Cove Trails with connections to Valley Peak Trail and Saint Sauveur Mountain Trail.

As pioneers headed west on the Mormon Trail, some settled near the crossing of the West Nishnabotna River. They established Old Macedonia in 1846 to serve the needs of pioneers traveling west. The Pioneer Trail Museum features a replica handcart, oxen yoke, pictures, and other items related to the pioneers and Mormon Trail.

Cape Cod is a large glacial moraine peninsula that extends 96.5 km into the Atlantic Ocean from the coast of Massachusetts. Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) is located on the outer portion of Cape Cod. Almost all the estuarine habitat at CACO is associated with two large coastal lagoon systems, Pleasant Bay (PB) and Nauset Harbor/Marsh (NH). Due to restricted flushing with the ocean and residential development pressures outside the seashore boundary...

During the Japanese occupation of Guam, CHamoru were forced to build defenses on the beach, including the pillboxes and bunkers that can still be seen today, in preparation for the American invasion. That invasion came on July 21, 1944, W Day for Guam. While a simultaneous attack took place five miles south at Hågat, the Third Marine Division landed on the 2,500-yard Assan Beach, marking the start of the Battle of Guam.

The Corps reached the Pacific Ocean over a year and a half after departing from Camp Wood, and settled in for the 1805-06 winter. They built Fort Clatsop, a reconstruction of which is found at its original site, located in Astoria, Oregon. The Corp's presence in this area strengthened the United States's claim to the Northwest. It also paved the way for the first American settlement--the Pacific Fur Company Post, established in 1811 by John Jacob Astor.

VIEW FROM THE WAYSIDE: This wayside is in a small offshoot off the main boardwalk. The offshoot is surrounded by 3 to 4 foot tall scrubby bushes. Directly overlooking the wayside, the flat, scrubby grassland can be seen in the distance. Behind where you are standing are two benches, both facing the flat grassland. Turning to face the benches, the vast expanse of the rolling hillside can be seen in the distance.

At night, birds use the stars to find their way. But bright lights from buildings can confuse them. That's why national parks are so important - they're like bird hotels! They give birds safe places to rest and eat, especially after flying across the ocean.

Each year, millions of tons of plastics enter our world’s oceans. It’s the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic dumped into the oceans every minute! Ocean plastics don’t just ruin the view, they also harm wildlife, damage coastal habitats, impact local economies, and even threaten human health.

A sacred site and the largest grouping of petroglyphs in Hawaiʻi.

Capitol Reef’s sedimentary rock layers tell us stories from Earth’s ancient past.

In this issue of 3Parks3Stories, we would like to share three stories of successful conservation projects in the Mediterranean parks that were reliant upon partnerships between the NPS and one or more dedicated collaborators. In these stories, we hope you see the mutual benefits of these relationships and the value they bring in the effort to protect, preserve, and understand our national legacy.

Hågat (Agat) Beach was the southern landing beaches used during the Battle of Guam. The rocky outcrops along the beach had been well fortified with caves and bunkers built directly into the limestone headland. With gunports for eyes and rocky ridges for armor, Japanese soldiers turned the terrain itself into a deadly defense. Today, the remains of those fortifications, as well as two examples of Imperial Japanese guns, stand against a backdrop of clear blue ocean.

Katie Shepard owned "The Beeches" hotel on North Manitou Island.

In 1944, this seaside park, known locally as Assan Beach Park, was the site of fierce fighting. Assan Beach was the northern most of the two landing beaches used by American troops during the first days of the Battle of Guam. Today, the Asan Beach Unit is home to remains of the Imperial Japanese defenses and memorials to those who died during the battle.

On beachside of the Asan Beach Trail sits a cast bronze plaque set on 4’x3’ concrete cube. It was built by the Third Marine Division Association in 1990 to honor the marines who fought at Asan Beach.

Marine debris can affect marine mammals and birds through entanglement, strangulation, and digestive blockage. In summer 2015, we conducted an extensive multi-partner project to remove over 11 tons of marine debris from remote beaches in five Alaska parks.

A new partnership began in October 2021 and supports science and stewardship activities that benefit both parks and their local communities. Over the next five years parks and their communities will collaborate to identify and address their scientific priorities. Projects in the first year will focus on water quality, marine biodiversity, and preservation of night skies.