Recently completed outreach programs at Badlands National Park involved nearly 6,000 students for the 2008-09 school year.

A park news release said rangers visited schools within 100 miles of the park, some schools made field trips to the Badlands, and 62 classes in seven states made "virtual visits" during online video conferencing sessions.

"We just wrapped up our unit on Native Americans, and all the students can talk about is the Badlands presentation," Chris Allmer, a fourth-grade teacher from New Jersey, said in a news release.

Other topics included park fossils and park wildlife, including buffalo and swift fox.

Teachers are encouraged to visit www.nps.gov/badl//forteachers to learn more about the park's educational programming.