What types of natural features are considered for NNL designation?
Natural features include terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; geological features, exposures, and landforms that record active geological processes or portions of earth history; and fossil evidence of biological evolution. Features fall within major natural history “themes” that can be further subdivided into various sub-themes. For example, subthemes for the overall theme “Lakes, Ponds, and Wetlands” include large deep lakes, large shallow lakes, lakes of complex shape, crater lakes, kettle lake and potholes, oxbow lakes, dune lakes, Sphagnum-bog lakes, lakes fed by thermal streams, tundra lakes and ponds, sinkhole lakes, unusually productive lakes, lakes of high productivity and high clarity, swamps, marshes, bogs, fens, wet meadows, and springs.
