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2005 NNL Photo Contest Winners
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Text accompanying each of the winning photos is based on descriptions submitted by the photographers. The NNL program does not necessarily guarantee its accuracy.
For official descriptions of these NNLs please visit the NNL Guide by State
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1st place:
Medicine Lake Site, Montana
Photo by Carter Thurman of Sewanee, Tennessee
"Although prairie landscapes often appear subtle, this photo illustrates how the northern Great Plains have always been a dynamic place of extremes from the glacial processes that carved our landscape, to the climatic extremes that are part of each day here."
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2nd place:
Cathedral Caverns, Alabama
Photo by Craig Stocks of Delavan, Illinois
This photo of Cathedral Caverns "shows the cave entrance which is one of the widest of any commercial cave in the world - 126 feet wide and 25 feet tall."
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3rd place:
Black Chasm Cave, California
Photo by Dave Bunnell of Angels Camp, California
"This is the largest of the deep lakes in Black Chasm and boxwork (cave formations) are on the ceiling above. This is but one aspect of beauty in this National Natural Landmark."
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| Honorable Mentions |
Burney Falls, California
Photo by Dave Bly of Sierra Vista, Arizona
"At one hundred twenty nine feet Burney Falls is possibly California 's most beautiful waterfall. Within the volcanic region of the Cascade Range , water emerges forming Burney Creek and flows over the falls at 100 million gallons a day."
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 Lake George, Alaska
Photo by Clinton Blaszak of Anchorage, Alaska
" Lake George is a favorite place to take visitors. Accessible by air, it depicts the very best of wild Alaska within easy reach of the most populated area in the state. This National Natural Landmark is a natural wonder of ice, water and the forces of annual surging to drain the lake."
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 Redoubt Volcano, Alaska
Photo by Gregory Gusse of Palmer, Alaska
" Mt. Redoubt is in the heart of the Cook Inlet and is a dramatic and vibrant symbol of the dynamic nature of Alaska ."
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Horseshoe Lake Natural Preserve, Illinois
Photo by Joy Marburger of Chesterton, Indiana
"Bald cypress trees (Taxodium disticum) form the dominant overstory vegetation in this swamp community located in southern Illinois . This is the northernmost extent of that species."
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Crown Point, Oregon
Photo by Justin Miller of Boise, Idaho
This photo depicts Crown Point 's "strategic location overlooking the Columbia Gorge." The NNL site is also a "highlight along the Columbia River Highway ."
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Valley of Fire, Nevada
Photo by Justin Miller of Boise, Idaho
This photo demonstrates the "exceptional desert scenery of diverse sandstone" for which this NNL is known. The area also contains "evidence of early Native Americans."
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 Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas
Photo by Jack Rogers of Coeur d' Alene, Idaho
This photo depicts the "Lighthouse, which is a significant formation within the canyon and offers geological cross-section of its formation by water erosion. Most trails in the canyon pass or lead to the Lighthouse."
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Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Photo by Sharon Ringsven of Kula, Hawaii
"Mauna Kea (White Mountain) is the tallest mountain in Hawaii at 13,796 feet above sea level. Mauna Kea last erupted 4,000 years ago and is home to the "weiku bug" which is found nowhere else on earth. Mauna Kea is considered one of the most sacred places in all of Polynesia by native Hawaiians."
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Vaiava Strait, American Samoa
Photo by Tavita P. Togia of Pago Pago, American Samoa
"This photo demonstrates the beauty, naturalness, and largely uninhabited area on a high Pacific Island south of the equator with fringing reef." The view is of "Vaiava Strait/Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa taken from Matatula ridge, east of Tutuila Island ."
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Ridges Sanctuary-Toft's Point-Mud Lake Area, Wisconsin
Photo by Joy Marburger of Chesterton, Indiana
" The Ridges Sanctuary consists of a series of dunes and swales (depressions), which are globally threatened habitats. A bridge over a swale is shown here."
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