Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act marks 42 years Dec 2, 2022

Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act marks 42 years

On this day in 1980, the single largest expansion of protected lands in history doubled the size of the US National Park System. As a result, Alaska now has eight national parks, plus numerous monuments and preserves that protect more than 157 million total acres. When President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the public was granted the right to appreciate stunning locations like the one in today"s photo: the braided river delta of the 51-mile-long Tlikakila River in Lake Clark National Park.

© Dawn Wilson Photography/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 2, 2018Winter in Old Nuuk
Dec 2, 2019Wild and beautiful Alaska
Dec 2, 2020Protecting Alaska
Dec 2, 2021Denali National Park
Dec 2, 2023Angkor, Cambodia
Dec 2, 2024Moose, Denali National Park, Alaska
Dec 2, 2025Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act anniversary

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 11, 2025International Mountain Day
Nov 22, 2018Tom Turkey takes Manhattan
Mar 28, 2020The meeting point of the winds
May 29, 2020It s Bermuda s big day
Aug 4, 2019Pups of the prairie
Feb 26, 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
Jul 2, 2023Its Halfway Day!
Mar 22, 2022World Water Day
Apr 9, 2024Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Jul 19, 2023Crescent Lake near Dunhuang, China
Jun 19, 2021Surf s up—Down Under
Oct 15, 2018The story of a rediscovered redwood
Apr 15, 2022World Art Day
May 15, 2021Happy Astronomy Day!
Jul 20, 2025Moon Day
Aug 27, 2019Remembering Krakatoa
Sep 4, 2025Grizzly bears in Alaska for National Wildlife Day
Jul 10, 2025Independence Day of the Bahamas
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Jun 13, 2022Okavango Delta, Botswana
Dec 16, 2021Dancing in The Nutcracker
Apr 18, 2025International Day for Monuments and Sites
Jun 21, 2023Summer solstice
Dec 6, 2023Computer Science Education Week
Dec 10, 2023Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
Jan 12, 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
Oct 14, 2019Canadian Thanksgiving
Sep 26, 2018Art in the chapel
Jul 5, 2025Tour de France begins
Aug 15, 2025Spotted eagle rays in the Galápagos Islands