Cottonwood trees along the Rio Grande in autumn, New Mexico
© Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures
Cottonwood trees along the Rio Grande in autumn, New Mexico
Exactly 49 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the national Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which was formed to help preserve natural scenes like this one on the Rio Grande as it winds through New Mexico. The Rio Grande is just one of more than 200 US rivers now preserved as part of the program, which is gearing up for its 50th anniversary in 2018. From its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado, the Rio Grande flows through New Mexico and Texas, then shares a border with Mexico before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Across the border, it’s known as Rio Bravo, with bravo meaning ‘agitated’ or ‘furious.’ That may be an apt description along some parts of the river’s course, but it’s certainly ‘wild and scenic’ on this stretch.
Related Images
Blossoming cherry trees at a tea plantation in Longyan, China
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Almond orchards in bloom, Sacramento Valley, California
For International Beaver Day, a beaver swimming in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Circular agricultural fields in Morgan County, Colorado
Lake Dobson in Mount Field National Park of Tasmania
Water wheels in the Tashkurgan Grassland, Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang, China
Leopard snoozing in a tree in Namibia for National Napping Day
Bing Today Images
