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Indiana dunes, other national parks in danger

The Associated Press
10:02 AM PDT, October 07, 2009

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NEW YORK -- The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization say 25 national parks are threatened by climate change.

A report called "National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption" says the changes in landscapes and ecosystems are harming plants, trees and wildlife, but also threaten human activity in the parks and manmade structures. The factors include a loss of ice and snow, including melting glaciers; a loss of water, especially in the West; and higher seas and stronger coastal storms, which leads to flooding in coastal areas.

The parks on the list are Acadia National Park, Maine; Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia; Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico; Biscayne National Park, Florida; Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina; Colonial National Historical Park, Virginia; Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska; Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida; Ellis Island National Monument, New York Harbor; Everglades National Park, Florida; Glacier National Park, Montana; Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee; Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana; Joshua Tree National Park, California; Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada; Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado; Mount Rainier National Park, Washington; Padre Island National Seashore, Texas; Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; Saguaro National Park, Arizona; Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota; Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands; Coral Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands; Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; Yosemite National Park, California; and Zion National Park, Utah.