The National Park Service says some parts of Big Bend National Park in West Texas will be temporarily closed to allow endangered peregrine falcons to nest free of human disturbance.
In a statement released Monday, the National Park Service says that from Feb. 1 to May 31 some trails and campsites along the Southeast Rim Trail and Northeast Rim Trail will be closed.
Other areas of the park may be restricted if the falcons' traditional nesting patterns change.
Peregrine falcons were placed on the federal endangered species list in 1970 and were removed from it in 1999 after a comeback. However, there are fewer than a dozen known nesting pairs of falcons in Texas and the species remains on the state's endangered list.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
