Death Valley National Park
The Death Valley National Park is located amid two states California and Nevada. The park is within an interface region in the middle of the arid Great Basin and Mojave deserts. It occupies over five thousand square miles hence possessing desert features such as salt-flats, sand dunes badlands along with valleys, gorges and mountains. It is also the hottest and driest park in the United States of America. Almost ninety five percent of the National Park is considered a wilderness area. It harbours an array of species both from the flora and fauna which thrive in the harsh desert milieu. Examples of these living things include the creosote bush, bighorn sheep as well as the Death Valley pupfish.
The park actually possess two major valleys, these are the Death Valley and the Panamint Valley both surrounded by north-south trending mountain ranges. The Death Valley contains the Badwater Basin which is the lowest point in the entire western hemisphere standing at 282 feet below sea level. The basin is named Badwater as a result of the accumulation of water arising from the springs of the surrounding mountains. The water has accumulated soluble salts making it unsuitable for drinking. The basin also contains aquatic animals inhabiting the accumulated salty water such as the pickleweed, aquatic insects together with larvae (United States Geological Survey, 2000).
The valleys were formed over three million years ago as a result of crustal movements previously compressing but began to pull apart. Subsequently, the earth’s crust made way for huge blocks of land to gradually slide separately along faults leading to the formation of valleys. Concomitant with the collapse there has been progressive erosion with the water transporting rocks, gravel as well as sand and depositing them on top of the valley floor this has lead to the formation of the Badwater basin which is highly concentrated in salt.
Badwater basin is the most interesting physical feature concerning the park. This is due to the fact that it is the lowest point in the entire North America below sea level; it is therefore unique to any low laying land around the region. The basin also has immense salt deposition due to frequent erosion from the surrounding mountains and the evaporation of the lakes that existed in the region during the ice age period leaving behind huge salt deposits. As aforementioned the highly concentrated salty region still supports life as there are some aquatic species that thrive within the basin. Aside from the basin, the scenery of the surrounding mountains creates a breath taking view for tourists making it the most viewed feature in the entire park.
However, despite the beauty that is showcased in the nature of the park, there have been some changes made due to the revisions proposed under the National Park policy. These changes are aimed at augmenting commercial activity, snowmobiles together with off-road motor vehicles within the park. In as much as this eases movement in the park, it also wanes the security of natural resources. This is true because human activity deprives nature not only of its authenticity but also the very essence of heritage. Moreover, modifications of the park encourage activities such as the development of mobile phone towers, low-flying tour aircraft as well as illegal mining (Cart, 2005). Thus, a move toward alteration of the park should be prohibited.

Reference
Cart, J. (2005, August 26). Controversy Over Plans for Changes in U.S. Parks. Retrieved
July 16, 2014, from Los Angeles Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2005/aug/26/nation/na-parks26
United States Geological Survey. (2000, October 10). USGS Geology in the Parks . Retrieved
July 16, 2014, from United States Geological Survey: http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/usgsnps/project/home.html