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Nature

"We were robbed": Unexpected rejects from the U.S. National Park System

“If the silver discovery hadn’t happened...Lake Tahoe almost certainly would have been a national park."

Lake Tahoe, national parks, blue water, natural beauty, U.S.

Lake Tahoe was almost a national park, but politics got in the way.

You know the adage, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” Well, something similar happens out in the wild: not every natural wonder gets to become a national park. For every Yellowstone or Yosemite national park, there are dozens of equally jaw-dropping American landscapes that were denied this coveted designation—and the unparalleled federal protection that comes with it.

From Lake Tahoe’s radiant blue waters to the fossil-rich canyons of Dinosaur National Monument, there are dozens of breathtaking natural beauties across the country that are just that: natural beauties with thriving ecosystems, but not national parks. Behind each rejection, there’s always a fascinating story of politics, competing financial interests, and a constantly changing definition of what “deserves” national protection waiting in the wings.

Lake Tahoe, national parks, blue water, natural beauty, natureMany people—including Lake Tahoe’s biggest advocate, conservationist John Muir—fought for Lake Tahoe to become a national park.Photo credit: Canva

Often called “the Jewel of the Sierra,” or “Ocean in the sky,” Lake Tahoe is a marvel. Visitors of the 2-million-year-old lake enjoy pristine snow-capped peaks, gorgeous pine trees, and the prettiest, clearest water imaginable. Mark Twain even wrote of Lake Tahoe, “I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords.” Naturally, many people—including Lake Tahoe’s biggest advocate, conservationist John Muir—fought for Lake Tahoe to become a national park, and multiple attempts were made from the 1880s and 1930s.

The problem? Virginia City, Nevada in 1859.

Eighteen hundred and fifty-nine was the year silver was discovered there, and as local historian David Antonucci explains, “If the silver discovery in Virginia City hadn’t happened, the course of history in Lake Tahoe would have been a lot different. It almost certainly would have been a national park."

Skiing, lake tahoe, national park, rejection, silverIf not for that darn silver....Photo credit: Canva

The resulting mining rush altered Lake Tahoe’s landscape forever, most significantly impacting the tall, ancient trees that dotted the Tahoe Basin, which were systematically chopped down to build mine shafts. Twenty years later, it was estimated that more than 33 million board feet of timber were being cut down annually. To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent of 2,749,999 cubic feet: the amount of wood required to fill 1,150 shipping containers or 88,000 Olympic-sized pools.

Due to this massive degradation of Lake Tahoe’s precious resources, the National Park Service later concluded that the extensive tourism and land development had compromised the lake’s nature beyond repair, ruling it unsuitable for national park designation.

judge, gavel, overruled, rejection, noSadly, Lake Tahoe's proposals were overruled.Giphy

Why do places seek national park status in the first place? Lake Tahoe has no ego; the land itself does not seek fame, fortune, or glory. But there are several incentives both for the land and the surround communities that make the fight for national park status worth it. National parks enjoy certain VIP privileges, including an army of park rangers and maintenance crews provided by the federal government.

National parks, like the scenic Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park, are protected to the highest degree possible against resource extraction, land development and other harmful practices. The are nothing short of astounding: miraculous havens for animals and native plants, flourishing wildlife habitats, and the preservation of vital cultural resources.

Then, there’s the tourism aspect: another powerful motivation for communities to support national park designation is the incredible bump in sightseers—paying visitors—that begin to arrive. National parks are tourist magnets, with Great Smoky Mountain National Park welcoming more than 12 million visitors in 2020. It’s the type of tourism that can turn a rural town into a bucket list destination and economically alter a community forever. Think of the last national park you visited and the crop of tourism-related businesses that surrounded it: lodging, restaurants, themed retail stores, guided tours, and more.

yellowstone, national park, tourism, economy, nature National parks are the ultimate tourism magnets. Photo credit: Canva


car, national park, economy, money, tourismEntire economies depend on a local national park. via TravelinUSA

Sadly, Dinosaur National Monument is another destination that never enjoyed national park status and the plethora of perks that come with it. Nestled in the rugged borderlands straddling Colorado and Utah, this huge national treasure spans over 210,000 acres—that’s larger than Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park combined. The natural wonder features an unparalleled 800 paleontology sites and the Carnegie Quarry, which boasts a 150-million-year-old wall full of roughly 1,500 exposed fossilized dinosaur bones.

Dinosaur National Monument also offers astonishing views of the nighttime sky, deeming it an International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) in honor of its exceptional nocturnal environment and supreme views of the cosmos. Obviously, this archaeological beauty would be a shoo-in for national park status, right?

dinosaur national park, rejected, natural beauty, national park, national monumentDinosaur National Monument looks like a national park, but is it?Photo credit: Canva

Unfortunately, meddling outside forces struck again: after multiple attempts, Dinosaur National Monument has not been formally rejected as a national park, but it's progress has been stalled for a long time due to local opposition. Commissioners and stakeholders in the area feared that a national park designation would jeopardize their various ranching and energy investments and blocked any attempts to elevate Dinosaur National Monument to national park status.

Becoming a national park is no walk in the park. Rules are scrupulous, community support is vital, and the power of public perception matters. In many ways, that’s a good thing: the National Park Service’s uncompromising criterion ensures precious American tax-payer money is reserved for only the most exemplary resources in the country, both natural and cultural, in a world that, increasingly, seeks to destroy them. But what of Lake Tahoe, Dinosaur National Park, Silver Falls in Oregon, or the Adirondack Mountains?

For reasons that have nothing to do with their importance, significance, or natural beauty, these landscapes lack national park designation and the protections that come with it. But that doesn’t mean they’re not worth visiting. So, the next time you’re planning a nature trip, consider adding these beauties to your list. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

brown fish beside coral under body of water

The ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planet—yet there’s so much about it that we don’t yet know. Experts, in fact, believe we’ve only explored about five percent of the ocean so far—meaning that most of it remains completely unseen and undiscovered.

What we do know, however, is that the ocean is truly wise. Not only does it sustain all human and animal life on the planet, the creatures under the sea continue to give scientists insight that can transform human lives as well (just read about the amazing axolotl below to see what we mean).

A happy ocean makes for happy, healthy human beings (not to mention a healthy planet)—so this summer we’re helping our friends at Ocean Wise spread the word that no action is too small—holding a cleanup on a local shoreline, for instance. Learning about our ocean and all its wonders is another step anyone can take for conservation, so buckle in and prepare for a tidal wave of info that will blow your mind.

1. Playing music—specifically, recordings of healthy reef soundscapes—can help grow coral reef populations.

live coralsPhoto by QUI NGUYEN on Unsplash

Healthy coral reef populations are filled with diverse sounds, thanks to the fish, snapping shrimp, and other marine life that live there. Scientists have found that playing recorded sounds of healthy reefs actually attract coral larvae, since the sounds indicate a healthy, vibrant habitat. Using this knowledge, scientists have taken recorded reef sounds, played them near degraded reefs, and in doing so, have increased the settlement rates of coral larvae, helping the coral reefs regenerate.

2. Dolphins like to party with pufferfish.

Photo by Talia Cohen on Unsplash

How’s this for a good time? Dolphins, particularly younger ones, have been known to seek out pufferfish to play games with them, chewing on them and passing them back and forth between each other like a hacky sack. Not only is this entertainment for the dolphins, scientists theorize that they may intentionally be trying to get the pufferfish to give off a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX)–which is a chemical they release when threatened. This chemical is highly toxic in large doses–but in small quantities, experts think that it might induce a mild, pleasurable effect in the dolphins, similar to a narcotic. Party on.

3. Male humpback whales are total crooners.

A male humpback whale breaches the water.

Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash

All humpback whales can vocalize, but male humpback whales actually sing.

During mating season, scientists have observed male humpback whales making sounds that are distinctly different from other humpback calls. Unlike other sounds, these songs have a clear structure, and use small, repetitive “phrases” organized in a specific sequence—in the same way humans sing different verses during a song. Even more amazing? Male humpbacks all sing the same song together in “choruses,” in sessions that last from five minutes to several hours.

4. Axolotls have superpowers (and scientists think it could benefit humans one day).

a couple of animals that are in some waterPhoto by T K on Unsplash

Among biologists, axolotls are known for their ability to regrow lost or damaged tissue. When an adult axolotl loses a limb, they can actually grow it back in just a few months time, thanks to a substance they produce called retinoic acid, which plays a large role in regenerating skin cells. (If the name sounds familiar, it’s because retinoic acid is a derivative of Vitamin A, and it’s commonly found in skin creams.) While we already know that retinoic can make our skin look fabulous, scientists are currently studying whether it could someday help human limbs regrow, similar to the axolotl’s.

5. A healthy ocean can help reverse climate change

green algae underwater photographyPhoto by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash

The ocean generates half of the oxygen we breathe and absorbs nearly a third of the world’s carbon emissions. Phytoplankton, the microscopic algae that float near the ocean’s surface, are a big part of the reason why. But there’s another unsung hero—kelp. Unlike phytoplankton, kelp are large seaweeds that grow in dense underwater forests along coastlines, absorbing CO2 and supporting ecosystems. Ocean Wise is helping bring back these powerful carbon sinks one kelp forest at a time.

Help us #BeOceanWise by doing one small thing for ocean conservation in your community (because just one thing can start a huge wave of positive change). Visit ocean.orgfor tips and tricks to keep our oceans healthy because no action is too small.

Art

It took 14 years and 380 global embroiders to make one stunningly meaningful dress

A truly multicultural art project with style touches from 51 different countries.

Photos courtesy of The Red Dress project
Embroiderer Lekazia Turner wearing The Red Dress.

Few things bring people together more beautifully than art. Whether it's music, sculpture, paint or fabric, the arts are a way for us to express ourselves, our cultures and our common humanity. But rarely do we witness one singular piece of art truly encapsulating the creativity of our human family.

At first glance, the dress created for the Red Dress project is quite obviously stunning. It looks as though it could be worn by a royal—though a royal from where? The style, colors and patterns of the dress don't shout any particular country or culture; in fact, we can point to different elements of it and say it looks like it belongs on any continent.

There's a reason for that. The dress is made out of 84 pieces of burgundy silk dupion, which spent 14 years being sent around the world to be embroidered by 380 people from 51 countries—a truly global, multicultural creation.

Of those 380 embroiderers, about a third were commissioned artisans who were paid for their work and receive a portion of all ongoing exhibition fees. The rest were volunteers who contributed their stitches at events in various countries. Approximately 97% of the embroiderers were female.

British textile artist Kirstie Macleod conceived the project in 2009 as "an investigation into identity, with a desire to connect with women from the around without borders and boundaries." The basic design started as a sketch on the back of a napkin and has grown into a tangible garment that is not only a gorgeous work of art but a platform for women around the world and from all walks of life to express themselves and have their voices heard.

As shared on the project's website:

"Embroiderers include female refugees from Palestine and Syria, women seeking asylum in the UK from Iraq, China, Nigeria and Namibia, victims of war in Kosovo, Rwanda, and DR Congo; impoverished women in South Africa, Mexico, and Egypt; individuals in Kenya, Japan, Turkey, Sweden, Peru, Czech Republic, Dubai, Afghanistan, Australia, Argentina, Switzerland, Canada, Tobago, Vietnam, Estonia, USA, Russia, Pakistan, Wales, Colombia and England, students from Montenegro, Brazil, Malta, Singapore, Eritrea, Norway, Poland, Finland, Ireland, Romania and Hong Kong as well as upmarket embroidery studios in India and Saudi Arabia."

On Instagram, Kirstie Macleod shared a panel of the dress that was embroidered by two women in Kosovo, who shared some of their reflections on their experiences in the war there.

They stitched words into the birds they embroidered:

"Better one winter in your own country than a hundred springs away."

"The greatest wealth is to live content with little."

"Freedom has come. Love yourself first."

"Love all. Trust some. Hate none."

"A winter is a winter. Be nice, everyone."

"We live in peace now."

The creation of the dress began in 2009 and was completed in 2023. Each woman embroidered a piece of her own story into the dress, which contains millions of stitches. From established professional artisans to first-time embroiderers, the women were encouraged to share something that expressed their personal identities as well as their cultures. Some used traditional embroidery styles that had been practiced for hundreds of years where they are from. Others stitched in meaningful elements of their life stories. Some of the women are also using textile work to rebuild their lives and earn a consistent living.

The dress is on tour, being displayed in museums and galleries around the world. The photos showing women of various ages and ethnicities wearing the dress are made all the more moving knowing the history of how and by whom it was made.

In May 2025, a book detailing the dress's creation and journey around the world was published and can be found here.

Absolutely stunning. What a wonderful idea to connect women in a way that lets them share their stories and showcases and beautifully honors them.

This article first appeared three years ago and has been updated.

Gen X reveals their retirement plan, it's not found in financial news

Retirement is something just about everyone looks forward to once they cruise into middle age. Daydreams about spending your days on the beach sipping a frozen drink under a cabana while the sound of the waves washes away any left over worries. Sounds lovely, doesn't it, but not everyone gets to live that retirement dream. "Feel good" videos of strangers helping an elderly stranger retire through a GoFundMe campaign cycle through the social media sphere ever three to five business months.

But Gen X has a plan that they consider foolproof. The children of baby boomers don't have company pensions to fall back on as a whole like many from previous generations so they've had to come up with something on their own. Currently, financial analysts explain that in order to retire someone needs to have 10-12 years of their annual income stacked in their bank account before they hit the retirement button. That means if you currently make $100,000 per year, you should have over $1 million in the bank but people also need to account for cost of living increases.

gen x; retirement; gen x retirement; gen xers; retirement planning; saving for retirementCouple enjoys a serene sail on a sunny day.Photo credit: Canva

Saving for retirement starts early for those in the position to save, since experts advise that people should already have up to four times their annual salary in savings by the time they're 40 years old. Many in Gen X don't have 4 to 6 times their annual income in their account, in fact a large sector of this generation are still living paycheck to paycheck with little money in their savings accounts. This reality plays into the tongue-in-cheek but very serious Gen X retirement plan and it's not one you'll find in the finance section of a newspaper or magazine. Simply put, Gen X plans to die.

We're not talking about they are all planning to drink special Kool-aid or anything, they just plan to work until their body's give out and they die. The sentiment is something that people joked about on social media often using a viral sound attached to a video of a woman walking to her desk.

gen x; retirement; gen x retirement; gen xers; retirement planning; saving for retirementFloating in bliss on a sunny pool day.Photo credit: Canva

"So I am obviously Gen X and my retirement plan is to pass away, so I'm not sure how many other Gen X people have that as their retirement goal but I know that I will be working one day and fall over dead," the woman says.

The comment section on the video was full of people agreeing that they had the same retirement plan with a few exceptions, like the person that writes, "Norway prison is by far the best that I have looked at for retirement."

In another video that uses the same sound, the Corrbette Pasko asks, "are you trying to tell me there's a different option, because I don't understand what that would be. They don't want to give me money when I'm alive and working, if I stop working who's going to give me...like what do you think I'm going to do, buy a boat? With what? I tried planting a money tree in the back and it...okay, I didn't put any seeds in the ground. I just yelled and screamed and cried a bunch and stomped and I thought maybe, but no."

Upworthy spoke with Gen Xer John S. Blake about the retirement plan for their generation and why they think many are not prepared. They explain, "First, I can't only speak for my own personal experiences. For me, schools didn't teach financial awareness: banking, investments, etc. Also, our economy was so easy to navigate because, by the time I was 16, I could work one full-time job, at minimum wage, and still afford an apartment. People were given free health insurance, without having to pay into it, as part of their employment packages. Mass layoffs, high unemployment rates, and job scarcity wasn't a thing. If you needed money, you could get a job in hours. Not months. HOURS!"

@corrbette #stitch with @Kendra There are people who have a different plan? I. How? #GenX #retirement ♬ original sound - Corrbette Pasko

Blake also shares that many in Gen X had a rough start with the epidemics of drugs, AIDS and high incarceration rates as the government attempted to crack down on drug users. According to Blake this left a lot of mothers as sole providers for their families which left little room for any at home financial education, which only later contributed the issues some face now. But Blake isn't without hope, while they admit if they had all of the answers they'd be retired, the Gen Xer says he follows specific social media accounts for financial advice.

"There are so many social media profiles that teach sincere financial awareness. One of my favorites is @Vivian "Your Rich BFF". She breaks down financial literacy in a way that is palatable for those of us, like me, who still understand very little. Plus for those of us who feel guilty and ashamed to finally put ourselves first, I would suggest looking into Dr. Raquel Martin Phd. She's been helping me, one podcast and TikTok post at a time, to allow myself some grace," Blake tells Upworthy.

While there jokes being made about not being able to retire, with Dawn Renee saying she will need to die and have her funeral during her lunch break because she can't afford to do it any other time, experts try to calm fears. They suggest that you can still retire by downsizing your home, tightening your budget to spend as little as possible, and retire gradually. Thrivenet reports that 30% of Americans plan to take the gradual retirement route while 5% of Americans don't plan to retire at all, pretty sure Gen X is most of that 5 percent.

No matter if you have $20 in savings or $200K, retirement is likely on your mind and Gen Xers are here to let you know that you're not alone if you plan to continue working for the rest of your life.

Culture

Julie Andrews said she could "feel the evil" when she visited the real Von Trapp house

Sometimes the story behind the movie is more interesting than the movie itself.

Sometimes the story behind the movie is more interesting than the story in the movie.

In her autobiography, Home Work, Julie Andrews shared some of her experiences filming The Sound of Music. Andrews spoke with BuzzFeed News about her book, revealing her thoughts on the actual von Trapp family house. The movie musical, which is based on a section of the real-life Maria von Trapp's book, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, was shot in a Hollywood studio.

The classic scene of Julie Andrews spinning in a meadow was shot in Bavaria, and the exteriors of the von Trapp house were filmed at a different house entirely.




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Andrews did visit the von Trapp house in Salzburg, Austria later on in her life.

"It wasn't until much later that I happened to visit the real villa where they actually lived," she told BuzzFeed News. During her visit, Andrews said she could "feel the evil that once permeated those walls." The evil Andrews refers to is, of course, the Nazis. "Because after they fled the country, which they had to do, as in the film, [Heinrich] Himmler took over that villa, and the atrocities there were just terrible," she continued.

The story behind the von Trapp house is much darker than what's touched on in the splashy Hollywood musical. The actual von Trapp family lived in the house from 1923 until they fled Austria in 1938. In 1938, the Nazis annexed Austria, making life hard for the singing family. Georg von Trapp refused to fly the Nazi flag on his house, and declined a request to sing at Hilter's birthday party. There was fear their neighbors would spy on them and their children would become brainwashed by Nazi politics. Even though the family was offered fame, they decided to stay true to their principals and leave Austria.

Not one year later, the house was occupied by Nazis. Heinrich Himmler used the house as his summer residence until 1945.


Himmler was the second most powerful man of the Third Reich. Himmler set up and ran the Nazi concentration camps. The house was surrounded by armed guards and barbed wires. A barracks for the SS was built in the garden. Himmler also built the white wall around the house using slave labor. After the wall was completed, he had those who constructed the wall shot. Very monstrous.

Now, the von Trapp house is a more peaceful place. In 1947, the property was purchased from the von Trapp family by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. In 2008, it opened to the public as a hotel.



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While the house has a heavy history, the previous residents of the property took satisfaction in knowing the von Trapps resisted the Nazi party. "What Himmler did here is a heavy weight on the house," Precious Blood Fr. Andreas Hasenburger, the rector of the Kolleg St. Josef, told the National Catholic Reporter. "But we are also proud to live in the von Trapp house, the house of the man who said no to the Führer."

It takes a lot of guts to stand up for what you believe in, especially when you're pressured to forfeit your integrity. Knowing that the family gave up their life to stay true to their principals makes The Sound of Music so much better.


This article originally appeared on 10.28.19

Joy

Bear breaks into a Pittsburg nursing home and tries out the beds, Goldilocks-style

A brave aid that coaxed the bear out with a Rice Krispy Treat.

Bear breaks into nursing home trying out beds like Goldilocks

Goldilocks is a classic children's story about a little girl who makes herself at home in the house of a family of bears. She tries the food left out on the table before climbing into all three beds to see which felt best. Of course, this was a fairytale with a lesson to be gleaned in the end but it would seem that a black bear in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania thought he'd try to imitate art by breaking into a nursing home.

The bear, while large is still a cub, broke one of the windows at St. Andrew’s Village in Indiana County before snooping around the facility. He found residents' bedrooms and crawled into several different beds presumably to get comfortable or look for food. It wasn't until a staff member heard a loud bang that the bear was discovered. Charlene Elliott, a lead certified nursing assistant is the one that heard the loud noise and rushed to see if someone fell but much to her surprise, it was a bear.

bear; black bear break in; black bear; bear in nursing home; Pittsburgh nursing homeCurious bear peeks around a tree trunk.Photo credit: Canva

"I was sitting there at our nursing station and I heard a big crash, so I thought it was one of the aides that fell and I got up and I seen that it was a bear coming down the hall towards me," Elliott tells WPXI. "Going through my mind was get the thing out of here."

While Elliott was startled by the bear's presence, she didn't panic scaring the bear or the residents. Instead she told the residents and aides to get all the doors in the building shut in an attempt to keep the bear from hiding out in a room. The baby black bear was loose in the facility for about fifteen minutes and though the nursing assistant attempted to get the rooms closed off in time, the bear still found his way into some of the residents' beds. Yes, the residents were still occupying the beds when the bear climbed in for a quick snuggle.

Elliott told the residents not to move or touch the bear for fear that he would maul them out of fear. That's certainly one way to get your heart rate up, wake up with a bear in your bed. Thankfully none of the residents the bear got cozy with were harmed in the bear's Goldilocks-style adventure. Surprisingly, the residents also remained calm with one of them offering for the nursing assistant to feed the bear her sandwich so he would hopefully leave the the facility.

Instead of feeding the bear a sandwich, they decided to use Rice Krispy treats to lure the bear out of the facility with the help of one of the resident's walkers. As the bear snacked on the cereal covered in melted marshmallows, the workers moved him along by pushing him on the rear with the walker until he was completely outside of the facility. The bear ran away but to make sure the cub didn't find it's way back to demand more treats, the facility contacted the game warden which came out and set up a trap outside of the building.

bear; black bear break in; black bear; bear in nursing home; Pittsburgh nursing homeBear family portrait in their natural habitat.Photo credit: Canva

You'd think they'd put things in there like berries, salmon and other things bears like to eat in order to trick him into going inside, but they didn't. The bear clearly enjoyed sweet treats so the game warden filled the bear trap with donuts and other pastries which must've smelled delightful because the bear was trapped quickly. They plan to take the bear far away from St. Andrew’s Village to a place with less processed food but plenty of room for a bear cub to become a bear without interacting with humans.

Thanks to the quick thinking of the workers and residents at St. Andrew’s Village, everyone remained unharmed, including their furry visitor.