Today's featured article
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The Redwood National and State Parks are located in the United States, along the Pacific Ocean coast of northern California. The parks consist of a combined area of 131,983 acres (534.12 km²) and they protect 45% of all remaining Coastal Redwood old-growth forests. These trees are the tallest and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. In addition, the parks preserve other indigenous flora, fauna, grassland prairie, cultural resources, portions of rivers and other streams, and 37 miles (60 km) of pristine coastline. In 1850, old growth redwood forest covered more than 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km²) of the California coast. The northern portion of that area, originally inhabited by Native Americans, attracted many lumbermen and others turned gold miners when a minor gold rush brought them to the region. After many decades of unobstructed clear-cut logging, serious efforts toward conservation began. Redwood National Park was created in 1968, by which time nearly 90% of the original redwood trees had been logged. The ecosystem of the RNSP preserves a number of threatened animal species such as the Brown Pelican, Tidewater Goby, Bald Eagle, Chinook Salmon, Northern-spotted Owl, and Steller's Sea Lion. In recognition of the rare ecosystem and cultural history found in the parks, the United Nations has designated them a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. (more...)
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In the news
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- A series of bomb blasts in Jaipur, India, kills at least 80 people.
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- President Boris Tadić's coalition For a European Serbia wins a plurality in Serbia's first parliamentary election since the Kosovo declaration of independence, displacing the Serbian Radical Party as the largest party.
- Sudan cuts diplomatic relations with Chad, blaming it for helping rebels from Darfur to launch an attack on Sudan's capital, Khartoum.
- An international relief operation begins after Cyclone Nargis strikes Burma, with at least 100,000 people reported killed or missing. The Burmese military regime conducts a constitutional referendum days after the cyclone's strike.
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On this day...
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May 17: Armed Forces Day in the United States (2008); Constitution Day in Norway; Galician Literature Day in Galicia, Spain
More events: May 16 – May 17 – May 18
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