Badlands, Spring Morning

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In spring Badlands National Park briefly turns rich shades of green and yellow as native grasses and other plants bloom. On this occasion thick fog that limited views to no more than a couple of dozen feet was clearing to reveal the vast landscape in mottled light.

Badlands National park protects 242,756 acres (98240 Ha) of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. Part of this area is a 64,144 acre (25958 Ha) designated wilderness area. This wilderness is one site where black-footed ferrets, one of the most endangered mammals in the world, was reintroduced. The U.S. National Park Service manages the park, with the South Unit being co-managed with the Oglala Lakota tribe.