It’s World Sea Turtle Day – a perfect chance to share this video of a baby sea turtle release. This release of Kemp’s ridley hatchings from Padre Island National Seashore in Texas is just one example of how the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are aiding the recovery of these magnificent animals. Sea turtles can live for decades and swim thousands of miles in their lifetimes. Kemp’s ridley are small, but leatherback turtles can weigh in at over 1,000 pounds. Video by National Park Service.

Over millions of years, wind and rain have eroded sediments from the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, exposing the limestone of an ancient reef. Embedded in the stone just below the state’s highest peak, fossils records give evidence of Earth’s largest extinction. That’s just one chapter of this amazing landscape’s history, which also includes 10,000 years of human history from bloody conflicts between Mescalero Apaches and Buffalo Soldiers, the coming of ranchers and settlers, and finally, the making of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Photo by Brandon Cozart (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

It’s Flag Day! One of the best stories about Old Glory is from Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Maryland. During the 1814 Battle of Baltimore, a massive flag measuring 30 feet high and 42 feet long flew over the fort. After a night of British bombardment, Francis Scott Key saw the flag still waving above the fort and was inspired to write the words for the “Star Spangled Banner.” It remains a moving sight to this day. Photo of a Blue Angels demonstration over Fort McHenry by Trent Pitsenbarger (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska is a true wilderness filled with mountains, glaciers, historic sites, and several living cultures. A trip here can be quite different from a park in the lower 48. Flexibility and patience are required – visitor services are limited, access can be challenging, weather varies widely – but the reward is worth the effort! Photo courtesy of Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.

If not for the foresight of a few individuals including Theodore Roosevelt, the American bison could have become extinct. Hunted to the edge of annihilation, by the early 20th century only a few small herds remained. In 1956, 29 bison were brought from Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska and released in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Here they roam freely on 46,000 acres and number in the hundreds. Photo by National Park Service.

Sometimes the most fleeting of sunrises are the most beautiful. Crystal Brindle captured this stunner near Bowen Pass at North Cascades National Park in Washington. It was her last sunrise as a ranger in the park’s backcountry. It was definitely a memory that’ll last a lifetime. Photo courtesy of Crystal Brindle.

We’re celebrating National Get Outdoors Day with this beautiful pic from Rae Lakes Loop – one of the most popular hikes at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California. The trail is 41.4 miles long and climbs more than 6,000 feet. Along the way, you can see canyons, high alpine lakes and breathtaking vistas. Photo by Vivek Vijaykumar (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Spring green joins nature’s vibrant palette at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Late spring is one of the more visually stunning times of the year at the park, when aspen and cottonwoods show bright new leaves, Medano Creek is flowing and the mountains are still snowcapped. The unexpected combination of these diverse elements brings a response of awe, along with a desire to share the experience with others. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service.

Oceans are vital to wildlife and our planet. Containing 99 percent of the living space on earth, oceans are vast habitats for an impressive array of life. To celebrate World Ocean Day, we’re sharing this remarkable picture of bioluminescent plankton near Haystack Rock at Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge. From moments like this to surfing, sailing, fishing and diving, oceans are essential to our lives, economy and natural understanding. Photo courtesy of Jeff Berkes.

The Bruneau River in Idaho flows through a deep, wild and remote desert canyon and abuts several Bureau of Land Management wilderness areas. Forty miles of the Bruneau are designated as a wild and scenic river, offering challenging whitewater, evidence of thousands of years of Native American habitation and amazing geologic history. It also looks really cool. Photo by Bureau of Land Management – Idaho (@mypubliclands).