United States Reference Libraries
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) can be found in North America and northern areas of Eurasia. There are sixteen recognized subspecies of the brown bear. This is the most widely distributed species of bear in the world, although its range is shrinking. Its range includes the Alaska and a few other areas of the United States, areas of Russia, and Romania and other areas of the Carpathian region, as...
The grey sea star (Luidia clathrata), also known as the slender-armed starfish or the lined sea star, is a species that can be found in westerns areas of the Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from Brazil in the south to Virginia in the United States and includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. It prefers to reside in muddy or sandy areas along the coastline, at depths of up to 131 feet,...
Wrangell- St. Elias National Park and Preserve is located in the southeastern portion of the American state of Alaska. The park holds 13,175,799 acres of land, divided between the park and preserve, which was once inhabited by Native Americans like the Ahtna and Tlingit peoples. Although Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867, American citizens did not move into the area until the...
Petrified Forest National Park is located in the state of Arizona in the United States. The park holds 221,552 acres of land, of which 50,260 acres are comprised of a designated wilderness. The area was once inhabited by Native American tribes including the basket maker and pueblo peoples. The first American explorers to enter the area arrived while searching for good routes leading from east...
The Columbia Plateau ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington, with little areas over the Washington state border in Idaho. This ecoregion stretches across a wide swath of the Columbia River Basin from the Dalles, Oregon to Lewiston, Idaho to Okanogan, Washington near the Canadian border. It...
The Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands are an ecoregion of northwestern North America within the northern United States and Canada. This area is made up of rolling grassy hills and river valleys of the Rocky Mountains foothills within the US state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. The area largely consists of the Rocky Mountain Front, where the Great Plains rise to meet...
The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin that is largely surrounded by the continent North America and the island of Cuba. It’s bordered on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, towards the southwest and south by Mexico, and towards the southeast by Cuba. It’s often referred to as the “Third Coast” in Texas and Louisiana, in comparison with the U.S....
North Cascades National Park is located in the state of Washington in the United States and was established in 1968. The park holds 504,781 acres and is the largest of three national park areas known as the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. It once contained 318 glaciers, but all of these have retreated at a fast rate and many glaciers have completely disappeared. The largest...
Isle Royal National Park is located in the state of Michigan in the United States. The park contains 571,790 acres of land and water. Its mains feature is Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior that stretches over forty-five miles. The park also contains four hundred smaller islands and the water that connects them. The park was established in 1940, designated as a Wilderness Area in...
Haleakalā National Park is located in Hawaii in the United States, on the island of Maui. The park contains 33,265 acres of protected land, with 19,270 acres of designated wilderness. The area was initially added to Hawaii National Park in 1916, alongside the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes on the island of Hawaii. The creation of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in 1961 helped established...
