Our week of explaining the different types of America’s public lands and why they’re all so special continues with national battlefields and military parks. These historic places act as memorials to the fallen and powerful classrooms to help us understand important stories of courage and sacrifice. Long after the guns fell silent, you can still hear their echoes on these peaceful fields. The landscape, artifacts and living history demonstrations connect us to the past struggles that shaped our nation. Visiting places like Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War, will leave you humbled.

Learn more about the different types of public lands: on.doi.gov/1PpdkFx

Photo by National Park Service.

If national parks are America’s best idea, then national wildlife refuges are America’s best kept secret. Wildlife refuges conserve America’s fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats – and often provide amazing recreation opportunities. Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is one of 7 national wildlife refuges at the heart of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. While Johnston Atoll is hard to get to – it may be the most isolated atoll in the world – the refuge is an oasis for coral reef and bird life. Several dozen coral species and hundreds of different fish species reside in Johnston’s offshore reefs, and onshore plants provide essential nesting habitat and cover for seabirds from the extreme heat and wind. Learn more about the different types of public lands: on.doi.gov/1PpdkFx. Photo by Laura M. Beauregard, USFWS.

Ever wonder what’s the difference between a national park, monument and forest? All this week, we’re breaking down the different types of America’s public lands and why they’re all so special. First up: National monuments – they protect a specific natural, cultural or historic feature. For example, the Sonoran Desert National Monument in Arizona is the most biologically diverse of the North American deserts, and its namesake monument protects an extensive saguaro cactus forest that visitors can hike through to see classic desert vistas. Photo of the Milky Way shining above saguaro cacti by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands