Please join us in welcoming the White House to Tumblr!

whitehouse:

We see some great things here at the White House every day, and sharing that stuff with you is one of the best parts of our jobs. That’s why we’re launching a Tumblr. We’ll post things like the best quotes from President Obama, or video of young scientists visiting the White House for the science…

Lets start the week off right with a gorgeous sunrise photo at Tipsoo Pond in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington.

Photo: Bob Kim

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived.  Peak bloom of the cherry blossoms on the National Mall and Memorial Parks!

Photo: National Park Service

Some images are just plain extraordinary — and often, the photographer has invested a great deal of time and effort to make that image happen. Photographer Dave Morrow describes the process of making this image from Mount Rainier National Park in early October 2012:

“I went up to Sunrise Point at Mt. Rainier last weekend with my buddy Keith. After a lame sunset, we waited for the Milky Way to come out. The placement was just perfect & the sky was pitch black! Time to jack up the ISO and shoot some stars… This was one of many from the night:)”

Visit Rainier on a beautiful day, and you’ll get a great photograph. Stick around for the sunset, and you’ll often get an exceptional photograph. Wait till the chill of October sets in on a clear night, and stand around fiddling with your camera for a few hours in the dark… and the results just might be extraordinary.

Photo by Dave Morrow - www.DaveMorrowPhotography.com

Dennis Davenport’s photo of a great horned owlet from Ridgefield National WIldlife Refuge in Washington was a finalist in the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s 2012 photo contest. See more amazing finalist photos here. 

Have you visited the National Christmas Tree this year? Make sure you visit Santa’s Workshop and see some of the free musical entertainment offered at the National Christmas Tree this year! 

Find more info here: http://go.usa.gov/gyaA

Photo: National Park Service 

The Tragedy at Pearl Harbor happened on this date in 1941. We thought we would share this picture of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC as we remember those brave men and women who lost their lives on that terrible day.

Photo: National Park Service 

How cool is this photo of a Burrowing Owl? These owls from Washington are making their way to Canada, where the birds are endangered, to participate in the country’s owl breeding program. The conservation effort is a result of coordination between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of International Affairs and several other USFWS programs. 

Photo: Matthew Paulson 

The Hoh Rain Forest is located in the stretch of the Pacific Northwest rainforest which once spanned the Pacific coast from southeastern Alaska to the central coast of California. The Hoh is one of the finest remaining examples of temperate rainforest in the United States and is one of the park’s most popular destinations (including the Hall of Mosses pictured above).

Photo: National Park Service

Olympic National Park is a collection of very diverse landscapes such as mountains, beaches, and forests. It has also been home to many different groups of people for generations, starting with the hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago up to today. The Park is currently home to multiple American Indian tribes such as the Hoh, the Makah, and the Quileute. These tribes work together with the National Park Service to preserve the cultural history of the park and its resources. A landmark case in 1974 gave local tribes the right to fish in the park. However, due to the dwindling of fish levels in the area, both the tribes and the park are devoted to protecting these fish communities.

Photo: National Park Service