Photo Contest Winners - 2011

Designated a NNL in 2011, Hanging Lake is a unique example within the Southern Rocky Mountains biophysiographic province of a lake formed by travertine deposition. It is one of the larger and least altered travertine systems in the province, where natural geologic and hydrologic processes continue to operate as they have done throughout the history of the lake. The site also supports one of the best and largest examples of a hanging garden plant community in the province.

Designated a NNL in 1987, the Archbold Biological Station encompasses the largest known relatively undisturbed tract of contiguous natural communities characteristics of the Lake Wales Ridge. The full range of moisture conditions (xeric-mesic-hydric) and most stages of plant succession are represented by high quality examples. Lake Annie is the highest quality water supply left in the system of valley sink lakes that extends northward from the site. A large number of endemic and rare species of plants and animals are located here.

Monument Rocks Natural Area includes pinnacles, small buttes, and spires of chalk of the Niobrara formation, and erosional remnants of sediments deposited in the ancient Kansas Sea of Cretaceous time. Designated a NNL in 1968, the site is a rich source of fossils of Cretaceous marine animals.

Honorable Mentions

Eureka Dunes, located within Death Valley National Park, is an excellent example of eolian (wind) geological processes. It is the tallest dune complex in the Great Basin biophysiographic province of the United States. Designated a NNL in 1983, the site contains endangered grasses, one species of which is the only plant capable of surviving on and stabilizing the steep dune slopes.

Garden of the Gods, designated a NNL in 1971, is an outstanding illustration of the lithologic character of sedimentary rocks and of the vertical forces that produced the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Located within Garden of the Gods Park, this site contains the uncommon honey ant, and is one of the best sites in Colorado for observing white-throated swifts, swallows, and canyon wrens.

Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain provides an excellent illustration of the jointed basaltic lava flow that began a period of extrusion and intrusion throughout eastern North America in the early Mesozoic, influencing present day landforms in this region. This site was designated a NNL in 1967.

Great Swamp, located within Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, contains a unique blend of unspoiled forest, swamp, and marshland that provides habitat for a variety of wildlife species. The site was designated a NNL in 1966.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary offers an outstanding vantage point for observation of concentrated hawk migrations along the Kittatinny Ridge. Designated a NNL in 1965, the site also contains an excellent illustration of geology and ecology of the eastern Appalachian region.

Mt. Diablo State Park contains the best examples of diapiric (igneous intrusion) geologic processes in the South Pacific Border biophysiographic province. It is one of the few places in the region where geologic strata of Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary age can be seen in an aggregate thickness of 12,000 feet. The site, which was designated a NNL in 1982, also possesses a great diversity of native plant species and associations, supporting about 650 species of plants.

Towering 1,400 feet above the surrounding plain, Ship Rock is an outstanding example of an exposed volcanic neck accompanied by radiating dikes. There are few such clear displays of the internal structure of a volcano. The site was designated a NNL in 1975.

Steptoe and Kamiak Buttes are isolated mountain peaks of older rock surrounded by basalt, rising above the surrounding lava plateau. Designated a NNL in 1965, these peaks are outliers of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains of Idaho.

The Glens Natural Area was designated a NNL in 1968. Located within Ricketts Glen State Park, it is a relict eastern deciduous forest containing examples of stream erosion and spectacular waterfalls.

Designated a NNL in 1968, Valley of Fire is an outstanding example of thrust faulting. A great fold has been exposed by erosion, revealing huge rock formations, deep canyons, and a great variety of colors. Located within Valley of Fire State Park, the site also supports gila monsters at the northern extreme of their range.