Dunes of white gypsum crystals have engulfed 275 square miles of desert forming one of the great landscapes of the western United States. President Herbert Hoover created White Sands National Monument in 1933 by using his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906.

The monument was tentatively added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2008. Controversy fearing the numerous military bases that surrond White Sands would be closed due to international pressure culminated in the Otero County Commission passing an ordinance making it illegal to for WSNM to become a World Heritage Site. The military bases have had a long standing relationship with the areas residents providing high-quality jobs and adding lots of money to the local economy.

I was in New Mexico with my Mother on Christmas one year and didn't really spend the time a place like this deserves. It was the middle of the morning and so the light wasn't that great. I only walked in a couple hundred yards to get this shot, so I only saw a small faction of the park.