The Trump administration spent $14.2 million to fix leaks and paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool “American flag blue.” As of Sunday, just days after the pool’s completion, algae has turned the pool bright green.
The project was one of President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s many vanity projects taking place in Washington D.C. in preparation for America’s 250th birthday. The Reflecting Pool project aimed to fix leaks and algal blooms, but after just a few days, the algae returned.
After the renovations were complete last week, Burgum said in an interview with Salem News that the pool was “updated with the latest technology” to prevent algal blooms from forming. He noted that the pool was full of algae just weeks after its last renovation in 2012. “President Trump was like, no,” Burgum said.
The New York Times interviewed Jessica Lea, a first-time visitor to the landmark, who said she was disappointed. “It’s pretty swampy,” she said. “It could be cleaner. And I can’t see any reflecting.”
Quick hits
Trump ordered ‘American flag blue’ for the Reflecting Pool. It’s green again
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Quote of the day
If they’re willing to do this in a national park, where virtually no one is crossing the border, where won’t they?”
—Laiken Jordahl, a national public lands advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, on the border wall through Big Bend National Park, Public Domain
Picture This
Today we launch a short series looking at the different types of sand dunes found in the dune fields of Kobuk Valley National Park.
Say hello to the classic “croissant of the dune world”—the barchan dune!
These crescent‑shaped dunes form perpendicular to steady winds, with their pointed “horns” stretching downwind, showing exactly which way the sand is on the move. They’re the most common crescent‑style dune and pop up in places where the wind is consistent, but sand is in short supply.
See if you can spot the barchan dunes within the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes?
Think of them as nature’s windswept sculptures: simple, elegant, and always on the go.
NPS Photo – Barchan dunes at the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes.
(Featured image: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in April, 2023. Ali Khan, Wikimedia Commons)