A NASA astronaut captured an image of a forest in Idaho that appears as a giant chessboard from space, due to a 200-year-old grid-based land management system involving alternating clearings and replanting, accentuated by snow and seasonal changes.
The Dark Canyon complex in southeastern Utah, part of Bears Ears National Monument, is a remote landscape with distinctive geology, ecology, and archeology. The canyons have been shaped by erosion over thousands of years, with sandstone walls towering up to 3,000 feet. The area contains cultural and archaeological sites, including cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and lithic scatters. The complex is home to a wide range of wildlife, including golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and the Mexican spotted owl. An astronaut photo captured the deep canyons that cut through the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah.