Flora & Fauna

Wind Cave National Park bison arrive in Mexico
November 18, 2009, 2:48 pm
Twenty-three bison from Wind Cave National Park recently arrived at their new home in northern Mexico. El Uno Ecological Reserve, a 46,000 acre reserve managed by The Nature Conservancy - Mexico, is the herd's new home. The reserve is in the northern Janos Valley in the State of Chihuahua. The bison are part of a cooperative effort between the two countries to restore bison to their historical range in Mexico.
Group works to get rid of invasive plant in Utah
November 17, 2009, 3:44 pm
A new partnership will fight the spread of Russian olive and other invasive weeds on private and public lands in southern Utah's Escalante River watershed. The Escalante River Watershed Partnership was formed in June. Using seed money from the National Park Foundation the group will work to combat the spread of Russian olive. The plant absorbs large amounts of water and creates impenetrable thickets along streams. It also pushes out native plants that provide habitat for other plants and animals.
Fewer whooping cranes expected in Texas
November 17, 2009, 3:43 pm
As the first of the area's beloved, endangered whooping cranes make their annual descent into the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, it's likely there will be fewer of the tourist draws to whoop and holler over. The flock is the only naturally occurring whooping crane population in the world. Every fall it migrates south to the refuge north of Rockport with youngsters in tow. They stay through early spring before heading back to Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada where they nest and raise babies.
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Capitol Reef, Waterpocket Fold, Land of the Sleeping Rainbow—all are colorful names to describe a park with many striking characteristics.

Waterpocket Fold, the main feature of the park, is the name of a 100-mile-long fold in the earth's surface. This uplift contains innumerable eroded basins or pockets that hold thousands of gallons of rainwater. These pockets of water have affected the history of humanity within the park and the flora and fauna of the region.

Entering the park from the west gives the most impressive view of the 1,000-foot-high stone barrier into which erosive forces have sculpted fascinating canyons, mesas, buttes and mazes. Once in the park, other astonishing panoramas await you.

Within a short distance of the visitor center, you will see Capitol Dome, Chimney Rock, the Goosenecks and the Egyptian Temple. Hickman Bridge, the Golden Throne and Capitol Gorge reward you after easy to moderate hikes. Prehistoric petroglyphs, the Fruita Schoolhouse, the Gifford Farmhouse and the Behunin Cabin speak of bygone eras and can be reached by car. The 20-mile round-trip Scenic Drive will take you past the Ripple Rock Nature Center and many of the park's features.

If you are seeking a remote wilderness experience, Capitol Reef has it. To the north of Route 24, dirt roads, which generally require high-clearance or 4-wheel-drive vehicles, lead into the park's north end through the heart of Cathedral Valley, an area of monolithic formations of Entrada and Curtis sandstones, some of which are 500 feet high. South of Route 24, graded roads, usually suitable for high-clearance vehicles, lead into some very fine hiking country. Besides good hiking opportunities, the southern part of the park also offers spectacular views of the folded strata of Capitol Reef and the Henry Mountains. Muley Twist Canyon is in the southern end of the park, as is Brimhall Bridge. Check with a park ranger before setting out for any of these more remote locations. Weather conditions may make the roads slick and impassable.

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Whose scat is that? “Mammal Tracks & Sign” is a best bet on the trail
November 13, 2009, 5:08 pm
Whose scat is that? What critter made those tracks? Are these berries an animal’s unfinished snack? Find the answers to these questions and more in Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch.
Winter Travel Deals: The Grand Canyon and Mexico
November 13, 2009, 4:58 pm
Entering the busiest travel weeks of the season, it may come as a surprise that there are a lot of great deals to be found, especially in the few-week period between the peaks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The vast majority of national park visits occur between May and October, so a visit during the slower season will give you a chance to have the park all to yourself.
Species Spotlight: American Bison
November 12, 2009, 8:06 pm
Perhaps no other animal symbolizes the West as dramatically as the American bison, which has roamed the North American Continent from the Great Slave Lake in northern Canada, south into Mexico and from coast to coast for millions of years. Bison are part of the family Bovidae, to which cattle and goats belong. Often referred to as buffalo, this name is in fact a misnomer as they are not in the same family that includes “true” buffaloes—Asian and African buffalo. One of the physical differences between the old world buffalo and the American bison is the large shoulder hump of the bison.
Smokies taking volunteers to map ash trees
November 6, 2009, 3:39 pm
Researchers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are inviting people to volunteer as Citizen Scientists from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to map locations of ash trees in the park.
Surprising New Connection Made Between Predators and Ecosystems
November 6, 2009, 3:28 pm
Moose eat plants; wolves kill moose. What difference does this classic predator-prey interaction make to biodiversity? A large and unexpected one, say wildlife biologists from Michigan Technological University. Joseph Bump, Rolf Peterson and John Vucetich report in the November 2009 issue of the journal Ecology that the carcasses of moose killed by wolves at Isle Royale National Park enrich the soil in “hot spots” of forest fertility around the kills, causing rapid microbial and fungal growth that provide increased nutrients for plants in the area.
Study: Airborne nitrogen producing junk food for fish in Rocky Mountain Park lakes
November 6, 2009, 3:24 pm
A study says increasing nitrogen pollution is turning algae in Rocky Mountain National Park's alpine lakes into junk food for fish. Arizona State University professor James Elser, the study's lead author, says the effect of airborne nitrogen on once-pristine lakes in the park is greater than previously believed. The nitrogen comes from vehicle exhaust, fertilizer used on farms and livestock feed lots.
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