1. By: Morgan Townsend
Date: May 19, 2010
Death Valley, California
Have you ever seen the ocean so blue, or felt the sand so soft? Well,
at this park you'll find everything your looking for. This park may just be all
sand and mountains, but its more than that. It's one of the biggest national
parks in the whole united states of America. It's fun for the whole family
and its relaxing for you to get away for a awhile. So sit back relax and enjoy
the beauty of death valley.
History
This park has amazing history inside of it. Death valley has a very
interesting name but there's a story behind that name.The 1st non native
Americans arrived in Death Valley in 1849 looking for a shortcut in the
California gold fields. Although one member died the name Death Valley was
givin to the area. Not only does death valley have a beautiful sight but it also
has mining business in the name. And to make the park even more interesting
they made a tourism. When mining prospects went sour the Pacific Coast
Borax company lobbied for federal protection of death valley in order to

2. develop tourism.
Plants and Animals
Death Valley has a lot of animals that are very unique to what we usually find
or see.. Like amphibians, birds, butterflies, mammals, reptiles, and fish.For
the amphibians there are frogs, salamanders and toads. For birds there are
more than 100 kinds of birds in death valley. For fish, there are amargosa
pup fish, saratoga pup fish, salt creek pup fish, cotton ball marsh pup fish,
and western mosquito fish. For butterflies there are square-spotted blue,
sagebrush checker spot, Ingra swallowtail, western pygmry blue, checkered
white, and Becker's white. For the mammals there are bats, goats, sheep,
goghers, mice, kangaroo, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, porcupines, lions,
skunks, bobcats, deer, and horses. And finally for the reptiles there are,
geckos, iguana, lizards, stinks,and snakes ( boas, and rattlesnakes.)
Death Valley also has a lot of plants that are also very unique.. Like,
cactuses, wildflowers, and a lot of different kinds of bushes. Death valley
has over 1000 plants over the entire area. The plants are one of the most
beautiful plants in the world but there very hard to keep them a live.
Because, some of the plants can only live with shade and in death valley
there isn't as much shade as other national parks. All the plants in death
valley are very unique. That's why they're very hard to keep them alive,
since they need so much care to live for at least 30 years.
Cultures

3. Death valley has very interesting history and culture into it. Although
the Twenty Mule Teams, prospectors with their burros, and lost pioneers
represent the extent of human history in Death Valley to most people, it
actually started long before and continues today. Native people have been
here since at least the end of the last Ice Age. Towns and mining camps have
come and gone. Mining companies have moved from harvesting the mineral
wealth to developing the valley for tourism. Most recently, Death Valley has
become a cherished National Park, visited by humans from around the
globe.That's also why no one really knows death valley as they know the
grand canyon, or Kensington or all those populated national parks. And that's
is why there are so many mining businesses in death valley today or even in
the past.
Challenges
Death valley has had a lot of challenges on the way to make it what it is
now. Death Valley in California is a national park of legendary extremes. It
holds the record for being the hottest - 134° Fahrenheit, driest - it
receives only 1.9 inches of rainfall per year, and lowest - 282 feet below sea
level, national park in North America. Average temperatures in the valley can
range from a high of 115° Fahrenheit in July to a low of 39° Fahrenheit in
January. Death Valley is nearly 150 miles long and the terrain rises from
below sea level in the Bad water Basin to the magnificent 11,049 foot snow
capped summit of Telescope Peak - the crown of the Panamint Range.
Because of this two mile difference in elevation park visitors who descend
from the snowy mountain peaks to the shimmering salt pans on the valley
floor can sometimes experience temperature fluctuations of as much as 50
degrees! With the expansion of the park in 1994 Death Valley became the
largest National Park within the contiguous United States. Death Valley
hasn't really had a lot of challenges for a while but who knows may be that
will change someday.

4. Conclusion
Now that I have shown you all that i can show you about Death valley,
its your turn to go and check it out yourself. When you get there, all you'll
see is paradise, beautiful land, soft sand, amazing animals, and gorgeous
plants. Death Valley is an amazing sight and I hope you realize that once you
visit Death Valley National Park in California. HAVE FUN!!!!