Scotts Bluff National Monument

Hiram Scott

Rebecca Winters

William Henry Jackson

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) did for National Park Service (NPS) education programs what the better-known Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did for park roads, trails, and buildings. Many artists—including a large number of women—were hired with WPA funding to create art and exhibits in parks around the country. Natasha D. Smith was one of those women. She led a life dedicated to art, wildlife, and environmental conservation.

The National Park Service (NPS) was only 26 years old when the United States entered World War II. The young bureau faced very real threats to its mission, with increasing pressure to contribute its natural and cultural resources to the war effort even as its budget and staff were slashed. Under the leadership of Director Newton B. Drury, the NPS was able to do its part for the war while maintaining its public trust responsibilities to the American people.

The Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors bats at Scotts Bluff National Monument using acoustic recorders to detect trends in bat populations. Long-term monitoring is critical to understanding the bat communities that live here, and to help protect their habitat.

Across six Northern Great Plains parks, education and outreach for bats was conducted.

Learn about bighorn sheep in western Nebraska and the challenges that they face.

Black-tailed prairie dogs play a significant role in prairie ecosytems.

The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths.

By the end of the 1930s, skirts were the common exemption to the standard uniform for women. As they ditched the breeches, they also lost their iconic Stetson hats. Women wanted more comfortable, better fitting, and more flattering uniforms. Many of the details of how changes came about are fuzzy, and it seems that the first separate women’s uniform adopted in 1941 was never implemented.