Pictures: 8 National Parks Threatened by Oil Spill

Big Cypress National Preserve

Photograph by Raul Touzon, National Geographic

American alligators gather near the submerged roots of a cypress tree in Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve, one of the eight national parks that the U.S. National Park Service is monitoring for signs of damage from the Gulf oil spill (file photo).

The parks selected for special monitoring all lie along the U.S. Gulf Coast, which stretches from Texas to Florida. (See a Gulf of Mexico map.) The list could grow depending on how the oil spill's impact area changes, officials say.

"It will depend on what the currents of the Gulf do," the Park Service's Amzelmo said.

As a result of being mostly inland, Big Cypress National Preserve has not yet been affected by the Gulf oil spill.

In addition to alligators, the park's swampy environment is also home to bobcats, black bears, herons, and egrets.

Published June 11, 2010

Everglades National Park

Photograph by Medford Taylor, National Geographic

Florida's Everglades National Park encompasses a wide assortment of habitats, including mangrove swamps and marshlands, such as the one pictured above in an undated photo.

So far the Everglades (see Everglades pictures) have suffered no direct impacts from the Gulf oil spill, and remains open to visitors.

(See: "Python 'Nightmare': New Giant Species Invading Florida.")

Nevertheless, U.S. National Park Service crews are monitoring the park for any signs that the oil has reached Everglades shores.

(Take a U.S. national parks quiz.)

Published June 11, 2010

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Photograph by Raymond Gehman, National Geographic

Birds fly over Park Service facility on Santa Rosa Island, parts of which fall within Florida's Gulf Islands National Seashore (file photo).

Oil from the Gulf spill has reached the national seashore, including parts of Santa Rosa Island.

The refuge remains open, but visitors can see offshore oil booms intended to keep the oil at bay.

Most of the oil that ends up on beaches arrives in coagulated clumps known as tarballs and moose patties, Park Service officials say. If these objects are spotted on the beach, a cleanup crew is dispatched to shovel them up. (See pictures of tarballs washing ashore from the Gulf oil spill.)

"It's pretty tedious work," the U.S. National Park Service's Amzelmo said. "They're literally manually cleaning up all the oil on the beach."

Published June 11, 2010

Padre Island Seashore

Photograph by Tyrone Turner, National Geographic

Crowds watch as sea turtle hatchlings are released back into the ocean at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas (file photo).

The park is the country's longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island—a sandy island that runs parallel to the coast and is backed by a marsh, bay, lagoon, or tidal flat.

According to the latest computer models, large amounts of crude from the Gulf oil spill aren't expected to move far enough westward to impact the seashore, which remains open to visitors, the Park Service says.

However, "if the volume of the spill increases significantly, currents and strong winds could potentially bring remnants of the spill to the Texas coast during the coming months," according to the National Park Service website.

Published June 11, 2010

De Soto National Memorial

Photograph by Andre Jenny, Alamy

Gulf Coast waters are visible from this lookout point in Florida's De Soto National Memorial, named for Hernando De Soto, the Spanish conquistador who explored much of the state in the early 1500s.

The park, a popular fishing and kayaking spot, remains open and still appears to be unaffected by the Gulf oil spill.

Roughly 80 percent of the park is mangrove swamps, with the rest consisting of pine flatlands and mixed hardwood forests. Serving as nurseries for much of the fish in the Gulf, mangroves are crucial to the region's ecological future—and to the fishing industry.

Published June 11, 2010

Jean LaFitte Park and Preserve

Photograph by Joy Tessman, National Geographic

A girl lies on a boardwalk in Louisiana's Jean LaFitte National Historical Park and Preserve (file photo), named for Jean LaFitte, a French pirate-turned-patriot who helped the U.S. during the War of 1812.

The park lies directly in the path of the Gulf oil spill, and its Barataria Bay is especially vulnerable, because it's linked to the Gulf of Mexico via waterways, according to the U.S. National Park Service. Upper reaches of that bay are now lined by floating booms, intended to protect the shore from oil.

The park is home to songbirds, as well as swamp rabbits, mink, coyotes, and deer. So far, no animals that live in U.S. national parks have been affected by the Gulf oil spill, the Park Service's Amzelmo said—but that could change.

"To my knowledge, we haven't had [any wildlife affected] on the shores of the national parks," she said. "But we are preparing for that."

Published June 11, 2010

Biscayne National Park

Photograph by Raul Touzon, National Geographic

A man fishes in Gulf Coast waters in Florida's Biscayne National Park (file photo).

No oil has been spotted on the park's shores yet, but U.S. National Park Service staff are preparing for its arrival.

As with many of the monitored areas, soil and water samples have been collected from Biscayne National Park to serve as baselines for future comparisons.

"We have been involved from the very beginning," Amzelmo said of the Park Service's role in the Gulf oil spill cleanup efforts.

"National parks have been here before, and they will be here after [the Gulf oil spill]. We're a presence in the Gulf. We have been for over a hundred years."

(See State of the Park: Biscayne National Park.)

Published June 11, 2010