The Rockies may be divided into four principal sections-Southern, Central, Northern, and Canadian. The Southern Rockies, which include the system's broadest and highest regions, extend from central New Mexico, through Colorado, to the Great Divide, or Wyoming, Basin, in southern Wyoming. This section, which encompasses Rocky Mountain National Park, is composed chiefly of two northern-southern belts of mountain ranges with several basins, or parks, between the belts. The component parts include the Sangre de Cristo and Laramie mountains and the Front R

Sagebrush, common name applied to any of several related aromatic, bitter shrubs, native to the plains and mountains of western North America, but especially to the Great Basin, the extensive desert region west of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. Sagebrush are some of the few woody members of their family (see Composite Flowers). The most common species in the United States is the common sagebrush, a many-branched plant that grows from 0.3 to 6 m (1 to 20 ft) in height. It has silvery, toothed leaves and terminal clusters of small, yellow flowers. A similar species, the low sagebrush, attains a maximum height of 30 cm (1 ft) and is abundant in the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. Because sagebrush often grows in regions where there are few other woody plants, it is sometimes used for fuel. In some areas the foliage is used as winter forage. Overgrazing of native grasses has caused a proportionate increase in sagebrush.

Scientific classification: Solitaires belong to the family Turdidae of the order Passeriformes. Townsend's solitaire is classified as Myadestes townsendi. The solitaire that is now extinct belongs to the family Raphidae, order Columbiformes, and is classified as Pezophaps solitaria.

An adult gray wolf measures up to 2 m (6.5 ft) in length, including the tail (less than half the body length), and weighs up to 80 kg (175 lb). The fur of the gray wolf is red-yellow or yellow-gray with black patches on its back and sides, and white on its chest and abdomen. There are also black or brown gray wolves, and those in the far north may be pure white. The red wolf is smaller in size and usually darker in color.

Pikes Peak, one of the most famous peaks in the Rocky Mountains, located in the Front Range, central Colorado, near Colorado Springs. Although the elevation (4301 m/14,110 ft) of the peak is not the highest in the state, Pikes Peak is noted for a commanding view. Tourists can ascend the mountain by three different means: by horseback, by a cog railway approximately 14 km (9 mi) long, or by automobile over a well-constructed road. Two springs, Manitou and Colorado, are located near the foot of the mountain. On the summit of Pikes Peak is a meteorological station. The peak was discovered in 1806 by the American explorer and army officer Zebulon Montgomery Pike. It was first climbed in 1820.

In 1995 and 1996 the USFWS reintroduced Canadian gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the Sawtooth Mountain region in central Idaho, despite protests from nearby ranchers and some biologists. The reintroduced wolves are producing more offspring than expected. When ten breeding pairs reside in these regions for three years, the gray wolf will be taken off the list of endangered species in the northern Rocky Mountains. Wolf biologists estimate that this goal may be met by the year 2002 without transplanting additional wolves from Canada. By 1997 these reintroduction efforts were succeeding beyond expectations of wolf biologists.

Athabasca, river and lake, in western Canada, that form part of the Mackenzie River system. The Athabasca River, 1231 km (765 mi) long, begins in Jasper National Park in southwestern Alberta. Its source is the Columbia Icefield, high in the Rocky Mountains. The river flows northeast across Alberta and empties through a shallow delta into Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta. The river was once an important route for fur traders. Lake Athabasca, which straddles the AlbertaSaskatchewan- border, is about 320 km (about 200 mi) long and covers about 7936 sq km (about 3064 sq mi). Fort Chipewyan, which was built along the southwestern shore of the lake in 1788, became one of the region's most important fur-trading posts. Today Lake Athabasca is used for commercial fishing. It is drained to the north by the Slave River. Large deposits of petroleum-bearing sand are located along the lower Athabasca River, near Fort McMurray. Long known but untapped because of high extraction costs, th

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rocky Mountains, North American, Europe Russia, North America, Rocky Mountain, British Columbia, Andes Indian, Fraser Valley, United Alaska, Ground Squirrel, rocky mountains, scientific classification, rocky mountain, range rocky mountains, north america, common name, british columbia, range rocky, river flows, mountain range, national park, mountains mountain range, glen canyon dam, called rocky mountain, mountain range western,
Approximate Word count = 7466
Approximate Pages = 30 (250 words per page double spaced)