Answer to Question 1
Mormons were persecuted for their doctrines and practices, including polygyny, that were different from prevailing Christian practices. Following Joseph Smith's death in 1844, the Mormons decided to move to an unsettled area outside the United States to avoid further persecution. Led by Brigham Young, the Mormons chose an isolated region near the Great Salt Lake, which at that time was still a part of Mexico. Brigham Young's intention was to create a Mormon-controlled region that would be known as Deseret.
Answer to Question 2
Early Spanish-speaking explorers and settlers in the southwestern part of the Intermontane West introduced mining and ranching to the region. The cultural impacts of the Hispanic era can still be seen in architectural styles, restaurants, place-names, town plans, and the abundance of Catholic churches and cathedrals in small towns and large cities.
Photoidentification and the North Atlantic humpback whale population.
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