Public Lands Institute

Public Lands Institute is an ongoing photographic index of public lands. All Public Lands Institute images are dedicated to the Public Domain under the Creative Commons CC0 (Public Domain Dedication) license.

Locations

Big South Fork National River and Recreation AreaTN Images

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area I

Geological age: ~310 Mya Pennsylvanian sandstone and conglomerate
Epoch: Pennsylvanian
Taxa: 644 plants, 89 birds, 661 insects, 18 mammals, 154 fungi, 27 reptiles, 21 amphibians, 68 arachnids
Native lands: Cherokee (Aniyunwiya) held the Cumberland Plateau as ancestral hunting territory, with rockshelter camps documented throughout the gorge zone; Yuchi (Tsoyaha) occupied the plateau prior to Cherokee dominance; Shawnee (Shawanwaki) used the region as hunting grounds following the Beaver Wars in the 1660s; Cherokee ceded adjacent plateau lands via the First Treaty of Tellico 1798 and remaining Cumberland Plateau territory via the Third Treaty of Tellico 1805; Cherokee removed to Oklahoma via the Trail of Tears 1838-1839
Ecology: Mixed mesophytic and oak-hickory forest dominates the upland plateau, with hemlock ravine forest and floodplain forest in the gorge zone; mountain laurel and rhododendron are prominent understory species, and sandstone cliffs host rare endemics including Cumberland cliff sedge and Appalachian shoestring fern.
Hydrology: Cumberland River watershed via the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, a 76-mile free-flowing river formed by the confluence of the New River and Clear Fork in Scott County, Tennessee; the gorge system features steep-walled sandstone canyons, waterfalls, and seeps across 472+ miles of streams.
Acreage: 125,000
GPS: 36.5072° N, 84.7025° W

Mammoth Cave National ParkKY Images

Geological age: ~340 million years ago (limestone bedrock); cave passages formed over last 10 million years
Epoch: Mississippian period; St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve limestone formations; karst dissolution ongoing since Pliocene
Taxa: 629 plants, 106 birds, 546 insects, 22 mammals, 137 fungi, 26 reptiles, 25 amphibians, 60 arachnids
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Cherokee · Chickasaw · Osage; cave known to indigenous peoples 4,000+ years; mummified remains recovered from deep passages; forced removal from Kentucky by early 19th century
Ecology: Temperate deciduous forest above; cave ecosystem with endemic troglobitic species; endangered Indiana bat and Kentucky cave shrimp; Green River corridor
Hydrology: Green River and Nolin River; vast karst aquifer; 400+ miles of surveyed passages; Echo River flows underground
Acreage: 54,012 acres
GPS: 37.1877° N, 86.1000° W

Sea Rim State ParkTX Images

Geological age: ~11,700 years ago – present
Epoch: Holocene (Meghalayan age); Quaternary period
Taxa: 158 plants, 216 birds, 128 insects, 12 mammals, 9 fungi, 16 reptiles, 8 amphibians, 13 arachnids
Native lands: Ishak (Atakapa-Ishak) · Akokisa (Eastern Atakapa) peoples; Gulf coastal territory occupied continuously since the end of the last Ice Age
Ecology: Tidal salt marsh; chenier ridge; Gulf beach; critical migratory bird corridor (Central Flyway)
Hydrology: Gulf of Mexico shoreline; Sabine Lake; Intracoastal Waterway; tidal marsh drainage
Acreage: 15,109 acres
GPS: 29.6776° N, 93.9308° W

Caprock Canyon State ParkTX Images

Geological age: ~299–2.6 million years ago (surface strata)
Epoch: Permian through Pliocene; Quartermaster Formation (Permian, ~280 Mya); caliche caprock (Pliocene, ~5 Mya)
Taxa: 17 plants, 6 birds, 1 insects, 3 reptiles, 1 amphibians
Native lands: Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) · Kiowa · Apache; territory of the Comancheria; Caprock Canyons part of the southern Comanche range; forced removal to Oklahoma reservations 1874–75
Ecology: Shortgrass prairie; canyon riparian; home to the official Texas State Bison Herd — last free-ranging southern plains bison lineage
Hydrology: South Prong Little Red River; Lake Theo (reservoir); playa lakes; intermittent canyon streams
Acreage: 15,313 acres
GPS: 33.9778° N, 101.0578° W

Palo Duro Canyon State ParkTX Images

Geological age: ~252–201 million years ago (exposed strata)
Epoch: Triassic (Carnian–Norian); Tecovas Formation (~225 Mya) and Trujillo Formation (~218 Mya); canyon incision began Pliocene (~5 Mya)
Taxa: 308 plants, 97 birds, 353 insects, 23 mammals, 8 fungi, 31 reptiles, 7 amphibians, 25 arachnids
Native lands: Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) · Kiowa · Southern Cheyenne · Arapaho; earlier Apache; canyon occupied 12,000+ years; Battle of Palo Duro Canyon 1874 ended Comanche and Kiowa presence on the Southern Plains
Ecology: Chihuahuan Desert transition; juniper-mesquite canyon scrub; cottonwood riparian corridor; pronghorn, mule deer, aoudad sheep
Hydrology: Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River; ephemeral tributaries; canyon springs
Acreage: 29,182 acres
GPS: 34.8873° N, 101.6713° W

Johnson's Shut-Ins State ParkMO Images

Geological age: ~1.47 billion years ago (bedrock)
Epoch: Proterozoic eon; Rhyacian period; St. Francois Mountains rhyolite and granite among the oldest exposed rock in Missouri; river incision Quaternary
Taxa: 297 plants, 57 birds, 212 insects, 7 mammals, 47 fungi, 24 reptiles, 10 amphibians, 20 arachnids
Native lands: Osage Nation (Wazhazhe) · earlier Paleo-Indian peoples; Osage hunted throughout the St. Francois Mountains; ceded territory via 1808 treaty under duress
Ecology: Ozark Highland; dolomite glades; dry chert woodland; rare endemic species in igneous glade communities
Hydrology: East Fork Black River; Taum Sauk Reservoir (upstream); shut-in pools and cascades; 2005 reservoir breach reshaped lower park terrain
Acreage: 8,916 acres
GPS: 37.5530° N, 90.8480° W

Elephant Rocks State ParkMO Images

Geological age: ~1.47 billion years ago (granite intrusion)
Epoch: Proterozoic eon; Rhyacian period; Graniteville Granite pluton emplaced during Midcontinent Rift precursor activity; spheroidal weathering forms developed over millions of subsequent years
Taxa: 127 plants, 20 birds, 59 insects, 4 mammals, 23 fungi, 18 reptiles, 4 amphibians, 7 arachnids
Native lands: Osage Nation (Wazhazhe) · earlier Archaic and Woodland period peoples; Osage ancestral domain included all of southern Missouri; forced removal 1825
Ecology: Igneous glade and savanna; rare lichen communities on granite surfaces; St. Francois Mountains endemic flora
Hydrology: Headwaters of Stout Creek; ephemeral drainage between boulder fields
Acreage: 132 acres
GPS: 37.6370° N, 90.7260° W

Charon's Garden Wilderness AreaOK Images

Geological age: ~525 million years ago (bedrock)
Epoch: Cambrian period; Furongian epoch; among the oldest exposed rock in the southern Great Plains; basement exhumed through erosion of overlying Paleozoic and Mesozoic cover
Taxa: 388 plants, 167 birds, 552 insects, 22 mammals, 27 fungi, 38 reptiles, 10 amphibians, 34 arachnids
Native lands: Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) · Kiowa · Wichita (Kitikiti'sh) · Apache; Wichita Mountains used as refuge and gathering ground; Comanche and Kiowa held this territory until Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation established 1867
Ecology: Mixed-grass prairie; post oak savanna; granite outcrop community; federally listed black-capped vireo habitat; no mechanized access
Hydrology: Ephemeral streams draining granite uplands; vernal pools in boulder depressions; no permanent surface water
Acreage: 5,723 acres
GPS: 34.7260° N, 98.6880° W

Wichita Mountains National Wildlife RefugeOK Images

Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge I

Geological age: ~525 million years ago (bedrock); mountains re-exhumed ~300 Mya
Epoch: Cambrian bedrock (Furongian); Wichita Mountains uplifted during Pennsylvanian Ouachita Orogeny (~300 Mya), then buried and re-exhumed — one of the most geologically complex mountain histories in the U.S.
Taxa: 170 birds, 22 mammals, 38 reptiles, 10 amphibians
Native lands: Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) · Kiowa · Wichita (Kitikiti'sh) · Apache · Fort Sill Apache; Quanah Parker (Comanche) called the Wichitas home; mountains set aside from Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation lands in 1901
Ecology: Mixed-grass and shortgrass prairie; cross timbers; American bison herd (reintroduced 1907, ~650 animals); longhorn cattle; Rocky Mountain elk; prairie dogs
Hydrology: Parallel streams draining east; Lake Elmer Thomas; Quanah Parker Lake; Comanche County watershed
Acreage: 59,020 acres
GPS: 34.7690° N, 98.6730° W

John Bryan State ParkOH Images

Geological age: ~430–420 million years ago (bedrock); gorge carved ~12,000–14,000 years ago
Epoch: Silurian period (Llandovery–Wenlock); dolomite formed in shallow tropical sea; gorge incised during Late Pleistocene and early Holocene by glacial meltwater drainage
Taxa: 498 plants, 101 birds, 645 insects, 19 mammals, 14 reptiles, 11 amphibians
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Miami · Adena and Hopewell cultures (500 BCE–500 CE); Little Miami River corridor a major Shawnee territory; Shawnee ceded Ohio lands via Treaty of Greene Ville 1795
Ecology: Gorge microclimate supporting relict northern plant communities; Canadian yew, white cedar, walking fern — species absent from surrounding landscape; National Natural Landmark
Hydrology: Little Miami River (Ohio State Scenic River; National Wild & Scenic River); Yellow Spring iron-rich seep; Jacoby Creek tributary
Acreage: 752 acres (park); 268 acres (Clifton Gorge SNP)
GPS: 39.7960° N, 83.8310° W

Hocking Hills State ParkOH Images

Geological age: ~330 million years ago (sandstone); caves and gorges carved ~14,000–18,000 years ago
Epoch: Mississippian period (Osagean–Meramecian); Black Hand sandstone deposited in deltaic system; recess caves and gorges formed by Pleistocene periglacial weathering and glacial meltwater during Wisconsin glaciation
Taxa: 649 plants, 1,582 insects, 428 fungi, 23 amphibians
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Delaware (Lenape) · Wyandot (Wendat) · Adena (700 BCE–100 CE) · Hopewell (100 BCE–500 CE); 'Hockhocking' a Shawnee/Delaware place name; all tribes removed from Ohio by 1843
Ecology: Hemlock-dominated gorge; Canadian hemlock at southern range limit; rock shelter communities; old-growth hemlock remnants; high biodiversity microclimate
Hydrology: Old Man's Creek; Queer Creek; Cedar Fork; multiple seasonal waterfalls; cave seeps maintaining year-round moisture; Cedar Falls (50 ft wide)
Acreage: 2,356 acres (park); adjacent 9,267-acre Hocking State Forest
GPS: 39.4354° N, 82.5408° W

Arc of AppalachiaOH Images

Geological age: ~485–420 million years ago (bedrock)
Epoch: Ordovician and Silurian periods; limestone and dolomite deposited in shallow Iapetus Ocean; terrain never covered by Pleistocene glaciation — landscape continuity extending back millions of years
Taxa: 443 plants, 462 insects, 74 fungi, 15 amphibians
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Adena and Hopewell mound-building cultures; unglaciated Adams County at southern edge of Shawnee territory; proximity to Serpent Mound (Adena/Fort Ancient, ~300 BCE–1200 CE)
Ecology: One of the most biodiverse landscapes in Ohio; 114 rare or endangered species; dry limestone prairie (Lynx Prairie); eastern red cedar savanna; unglaciated forest; relict Appalachian flora
Hydrology: Brush Creek watershed; Rocky Fork Creek; numerous limestone seeps and springs; Serpent Mound crypto-explosion structure (nearby)
Acreage: 7,000+ acres across preserve system
GPS: 38.8200° N, 83.5400° W

Mount Airy ForestOH Images

Geological age: ~450 million years ago (Ordovician bedrock); surface soils entirely reworked by 19th-century agricultural erosion and 20th-century reforestation
Epoch: Ordovician period (Cincinnatian); overlain by Wisconsin glacial till; original forest cleared by 1900 through farming and grazing; reforestation begun 1911 — one of the first municipal reforestation projects in the United States
Taxa: 693 plants, 1,506 insects, 19 mammals, 18 reptiles, 104 arachnids
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Fort Ancient culture (900–1650 CE); upland forest ridge a known hunting and travel corridor; Shawnee ceded Hamilton County lands via Treaty of Greene Ville 1795
Ecology: Reforested mixed hardwood and evergreen; 700 acres hardwoods, 200 acres evergreens, 269 acres native woodland; 120-acre arboretum with 1,600+ species; CCC plantings 1935–42; National Register of Historic Places 2010
Hydrology: West Fork Mill Creek headwaters; steep ravine drainage; historically severe sheet erosion prior to reforestation; upland watershed now stabilized by forest canopy
Acreage: 1,459 acres
GPS: 39.1680° N, 84.5870° W

Clifton Gorge State Nature PreserveOH Images

Geological age: ~445–430 million years ago (bedrock); gorge carved ~15,000 years ago
Epoch: Silurian period (Llandovery–Wenlock); Cedarville Dolomite, Springfield Dolomite, and interbedded shale; gorge cut by Wisconsin glacial meltwater; National Natural Landmark 1968
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Miami · Adena and Hopewell cultures; Little Miami River a principal Shawnee waterway and travel corridor; Shawnee ceded Ohio lands via Treaty of Greene Ville 1795
Ecology: Gorge microclimate; relict northern flora including red baneberry, walking fern, Canadian yew; old-growth forest remnants; cool moist conditions maintain species absent from surrounding landscape
Hydrology: Little Miami River (Ohio’s first State Scenic River, 1968; National Wild & Scenic River); cascading falls and rapids through dolomite narrows; Steamboat Rock slump block; slump cave
Acreage: 268 acres
GPS: 39.7993° N, 83.8328° W

Glen Helen Nature PreserveOH Images

Geological age: ~445–430 million years ago (bedrock); gorge and ravine system formed by glacial meltwater ~15,000 years ago
Epoch: Silurian period (Llandovery–Wenlock); same dolomite and limestone formations as Clifton Gorge; Holocene iron precipitation at Yellow Spring actively ongoing — visible as orange mineral staining on rock surfaces
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Miami · Adena culture; Orators Mound (Adena burial mound) within preserve boundaries; Yellow Spring a known Shawnee waypoint; Little Miami River a principal Shawnee waterway
Ecology: Mixed mesophytic gorge forest; 400-year-old trees; regionally significant old-growth stands; beaver wetland; Raptor Center (Ohio’s first raptor rehabilitation facility); 20+ miles of trail connecting to John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge
Hydrology: Little Miami River (2.5 miles; National Wild & Scenic River); Yellow Spring Creek; Birch Creek; iron-rich Yellow Spring seep; beaver impoundment; Cascades waterfall
Acreage: 1,147 acres
GPS: 39.8030° N, 83.8910° W

Otto Armleder Memorial ParkOH Images

Geological age: ~450 million years ago (Ordovician bedrock); floodplain deposits Holocene
Epoch: Ordovician period (Cincinnatian); overlain by Quaternary glacial outwash and Holocene alluvium; site lies on Little Miami River floodplain shaped by Wisconsin glaciation meltwater
Taxa: 738 plants, 990 insects, 21 mammals, 18 reptiles, 101 arachnids
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · Fort Ancient culture (900–1650 CE); Little Miami River a principal Shawnee corridor; Shawnee ceded Ohio lands via Treaty of Greene Ville 1795
Ecology: Floodplain wetland; bottomland hardwood forest; willow, cottonwood, silver maple, boxelder; critical migratory bird stopover on the Ohio flyway; 76+ documented bird species
Hydrology: Little Miami River floodplain; subject to periodic inundation; adjacent to Lunken Airfield oxbow; Mill Creek watershed confluence nearby
Acreage: 347 acres
GPS: 39.1020° N, 84.4280° W

Bender Mountain Nature PreserveOH Images

Geological age: ~450 million years ago (Ordovician bedrock); ridge morphology shaped by Illinoian glaciation ~400,000 years ago
Epoch: Ordovician period (Cincinnatian); Ohio River rerouted during Illinoian glaciation created oversteepened valley walls; Pleistocene colluvium mantles bedrock slopes
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · earlier Adena and Hopewell peoples; Ohio River ridge a known travel and hunting corridor; Shawnee ceded Hamilton County lands via Treaty of Greene Ville 1795
Ecology: Mixed mesophytic forest; steep south-facing Ohio River bluff; 390+ vascular plant species; described as best site in Hamilton County for native wildflowers; invasive honeysuckle removal ongoing since 2003
Hydrology: Rapid Run Creek drainage to the north; Ohio River corridor to the south; steep slope hydrology with seasonal seeps
Acreage: 130+ acres
GPS: 39.1100° N, 84.6200° W