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A new generation of elk is arriving across the West. 🩷

During this time of year, cow elk are highly protective and can become aggressive without warning.

If you’re visiting public lands:

🦌 Stay at least 25 yards away

🦌 Stay alert, especially around buildings, vehicles, and blind corners where calves may be hidden

🦌 Be extra cautious at dawn and dusk

🦌 If an elk approaches or charges, move away quickly and get behind a vehicle or solid barrier

A little extra awareness goes a long way in keeping you and wildlife safe.

Photos by Jacob W Frank / NPS

A new generation of elk is arriving across the West. 🩷

During this time of year, cow elk are highly protective and can become aggressive without warning.

If you’re visiting public lands:

🦌 Stay at least 25 yards away

🦌 Stay alert, especially around buildings, vehicles, and blind corners where calves may be hidden

🦌 Be extra cautious at dawn and dusk

🦌 If an elk approaches or charges, move away quickly and get behind a vehicle or solid barrier

A little extra awareness goes a long way in keeping you and wildlife safe.

Photos by Jacob W Frank / NPS

A new generation of elk is arriving across the West. 🩷

During this time of year, cow elk are highly protective and can become aggressive without warning.

If you’re visiting public lands:

🦌 Stay at least 25 yards away

🦌 Stay alert, especially around buildings, vehicles, and blind corners where calves may be hidden

🦌 Be extra cautious at dawn and dusk

🦌 If an elk approaches or charges, move away quickly and get behind a vehicle or solid barrier

A little extra awareness goes a long way in keeping you and wildlife safe.

Photos by Jacob W Frank / NPS

Water is flowing again at Washington, D.C.’s historic fountains, bringing these iconic public spaces back to life ahead of America’s 250th. 🇺🇸

As visitors return to the National Mall and surrounding memorials, this restoration work is helping ensure the Nation’s Capital is safe, beautiful, and ready to welcome millions during the historic celebration.

Meridian Hill Park’s thirteen basin cascading fountain is one of the longest in North America.

Video by Dan Friar / DOI

Video Description: A multi-tiered stone fountain cascades down a long staircase lined with trees and seated visitors under a cloudy sky. Water flows from several fountain basins in the foreground toward a large arched structure at the top of the steps.

46 years ago today, Mount St. Helens erupted with devastating force, claiming 57 lives, including @usgs scientist David Johnston. The eruption remains the most destructive volcanic event in the recorded history of the lower 48 states.

Since then, scientists have made major strides in monitoring volcanic activity and improving communication with at-risk communities. These efforts are helping to build a safer, more informed future.

Photos by @usgsvolcanoes and Harry Glicken

46 years ago today, Mount St. Helens erupted with devastating force, claiming 57 lives, including @usgs scientist David Johnston. The eruption remains the most destructive volcanic event in the recorded history of the lower 48 states.

Since then, scientists have made major strides in monitoring volcanic activity and improving communication with at-risk communities. These efforts are helping to build a safer, more informed future.

Photos by @usgsvolcanoes and Harry Glicken

The beautiful white-faced Ibis, with its colorful purple, crimson, teal, and gold feathers, is sure to brighten your day!

While white-faced Ibises often appear mostly dark reddish-brown from a distance, when sunlight hits their feathers, especially during breeding season, they reveal incredible iridescent colors!

Photos by Leslie Scopes Anderson and Tim Clifton

The beautiful white-faced Ibis, with its colorful purple, crimson, teal, and gold feathers, is sure to brighten your day!

While white-faced Ibises often appear mostly dark reddish-brown from a distance, when sunlight hits their feathers, especially during breeding season, they reveal incredible iridescent colors!

Photos by Leslie Scopes Anderson and Tim Clifton

For over 150 years, the Bodie Island Lighthouse in the Outer Banks of North Carolina has kept silent watch over the treacherous waters known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

Standing 164 feet tall, the lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation and still features its original first-order Fresnel lens, whose powerful beam can be seen by vessels up to 19 nautical miles offshore in clear weather.

Photo at @capehatterasnps by Ethan Allen | @ethan.b.allen

Seeing a bear can be unforgettable, but your safety depends on your actions. Bears are wild animals, and public lands are their home.

Recent incidents are a serious reminder to stay alert, give bears space, store food properly, and know what to do before entering bear country.

Learn more about staying safe in bear country, link in bio.

Photo by C. Adams / NPS

Picture yourself surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, from an old growth coastal cedar forest to pristine wetlands. Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is the place to see what the Pacific Northwest looked like over 100 years ago.

The Washington refuge preserves habitat for spawning wild salmon, hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds and waterfowl, and threatened species such as the western snowy plover and marbled murrelet.

Photo by Andy Zahn

A river of lava glowing in the dark, captured from space 🌋
 
Landsat satellites, a joint mission between @nasa and @usgslandsat don’t always take the night off. By special request, they can collect nighttime imagery that helps scientists monitor erupting volcanoes, wildfires, glaciers at twilight, and more.
 
This nighttime image from Landsat 9 captured Mauna Loa’s 11.3-mile-long lava flow on December 4, 2022, illuminating a plume of ash in the atmosphere above Hawaii. Swipe to see how it looked from the ground the next day.
 
Want to know what a certain volcano, wildfire, or icy landscape looks like after dark from space? Learn more about what Landsat can see at night and how to submit a special imagery request by clicking the link in today’s USGS story.

A river of lava glowing in the dark, captured from space 🌋
 
Landsat satellites, a joint mission between @nasa and @usgslandsat don’t always take the night off. By special request, they can collect nighttime imagery that helps scientists monitor erupting volcanoes, wildfires, glaciers at twilight, and more.
 
This nighttime image from Landsat 9 captured Mauna Loa’s 11.3-mile-long lava flow on December 4, 2022, illuminating a plume of ash in the atmosphere above Hawaii. Swipe to see how it looked from the ground the next day.
 
Want to know what a certain volcano, wildfire, or icy landscape looks like after dark from space? Learn more about what Landsat can see at night and how to submit a special imagery request by clicking the link in today’s USGS story.

Take the break and spend some time in nature. You're important. The outdoors and public lands are waiting for you.

Alt Text: Two people paddle red kayaks down Montana’s Blackfoot River, flanked by rocky banks and dense pine forests under a hazy mountain backdrop. A pair of people sit on the rocks near the river’s edge, enjoying the peaceful riverside scene.

Every season brings something new to Beaver Marsh.

You might hear choruses of frogs, spot turtles gliding through lily pads, catch a beaver at work along the water’s edge, or listen for northern cardinals in the trees.

One of the most diverse habitats in @cuyahogavalleynps, Beaver Marsh draws visitors back again and again to experience it in every season.

Photo by Anthony Boarman | @aboarman

During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities.

From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources.

Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.

During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities.

From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources.

Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.

During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities.

From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources.

Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.

During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities.

From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources.

Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.

During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities.

From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources.

Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.

During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities.

From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources.

Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.

During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities.

From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources.

Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.

Happy Mother’s Day!

From those first wobbly steps to every moment after, moms are always there.

Sending love to all the moms out there today. ❤️

Photo by Taylor Albright | @TaylorThomasAlbright

Alt Text:

A bison stands close beside a young calf taking its first unsteady steps in a grassy field.