Geology 101 Tues/Thur 8:25

Parks Project

Chelsea Brost

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF STATE AND NATIONAL PARKS?

The value of our state and national parks are completelypriceless. There is no where else in our country that has been asunchanged as the wilderness that lies within these parks. Ourhistory lies within the park borders and if following generationstake care of it, it will never be erased. Every state within ournation has a forest, canyon, lake, mountain, volcano, glacier orother beautiful piece of nature that is worth preserving. Thesewonderful treasures have been passed down and will continueto be passed down as an American legacy.

THE KEN BURNS DOCUMENTARY: THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA

Both Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan knew they needed to express the importance of state and national parks to the rest of America. Over a period of six years, they filmed in some of natures most spectacular spots in order to deliver the message. Appearing on PBS, the documentary presented a story of people who had nothing in common, other than the land they loved and why it needed to be saved.

Ken Burns

Dayton Duncan

HISTORY• Each episode of the documentary covers a different time period.

• Episode 1: 1851-1890 The Scripture of Nature• From the discovery of Yosemite, to the first appearance by John Muir, Episode 1 covers

the very first fight and drive for preserving National Parks.• Episode 2: 1890-1915 The Last Refuge

• As the National Parks are established, there are not out of danger. The rush to conquer and tame the land would become detrimental in keeping the parks idea alive. Episode 2 also shows the role President Theodore Roosevelt played in the preservation of America

• Episode 3: 1915-1919 The Empire of Grandeur• The untimely death of parks-enthusiast, John Muir, left the country wondering who would

lead the fight for preservation. New-comer Stephen Mather accepted the challenge.• Episode 4: 1920-1933 Going Home

• The park systems begin to incorporate rangers. Battles begin for each individual national park.

• Episode 5 1933-1945 Great Nature• As America entered the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps was created to

help the National Parks thrive.• Episode 6: 1946-1980 The Morning of Creation

• The fight continue for animal preservation in the parks. More and more parks are declared National Parks!

Episode 1 : 1851

Episode 2: 1890

Episode 3: 1915

Episode 4: 1920

Episode 5: 1933

Episode 6: 1946

PEOPLE

John Muir, Stephen Mather and Theodore Roosevelt played vital roles in keeping the park-dream alive. John Muir(April 1838-December 1914) was known as the father of the National Park System. After his death, Stephen Mather (July 1867-January 1930) took his place as the leader of the parks movement. President Theodore Roosevelt (October 1858-January 1919) was one of the lead supporters of the preservation movement. All three men made tremendous contributions to the National Park dream, and helped to convince many Americans that preservation was the only way to save their country.

PARKS

Grand CanyonEvergladesAcadia Biscayne Denali

Mesa Verde Yosemite The Great Smoky Mountains Yellowstone Kenai Fjords

Although there are over 50 national parks within the United States, Ken Burn and Dayton Duncan picked 10 of the most beautiful spots around the

country for their documentary.

PARKS FIELD TRIPAlong with researching about the Parks Project, I was also fortunate enough to attend a field trip to the Lost Dutchman State Park. In the short hike up to Green Rock, I was amazed at how many felsic rocks I found, specifically, Scoria.

Green Rock

SCORIAScoria is a felsic rock with small vesicles or holes all over it’s surface. Theses holes appear after the rock has been heated to a liquid or near liquid phase and then rapidly cooled. This process is most commonly an effect of a volcanic eruption. The scoria is heated by the volcanic activity and when the volcano erupts, the scoria is cool extremely fast.

THEREFORE…

Because of the abundance of scoria found along the trail to the Green

Rock, it is safe to say that it is very possible The Lost Dutchman State

Park is home to an inactive volcano!

Mt. Rainier National Park

•Mt. Rainier National Park is named after it’s massive volcano

•Volcano named after Peter Rainier in 1972

•Also known by the Native Americans as Talol, or Tacoma

Located southeast of Seattle, Washington, Mt. Rainier National park experiences cool and rainy weather all year round. Because the park is roughly 14,410 ft. above sea level, annual snowfall averages at 53.6 ft.

Mount Rainier National Park encompasses 235,625 acres or 368 square miles. 97% of the park has been designated as Wilderness.

Mt. Rainier National Park is split into five different regions:

ParadiseLongmireSunriseOhanapecoshCarbon River

GEOLOGY OF THE PARKAlthough the park is centered around a massive volcano, there are many other geological features such as glaciers, ice caves and springsGLACIERS-Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice masses. The Emmons Glacier is the largest in Mt. Rainier National ParkICE CAVES- Ice caves are similar to other caves other than the large amount of perennial ice. The most popular ice caves of Mt. Rainier are the Paradise Ice Caves.SPRINGS- Springs form whenever the water-table intersects the grounds surface. One of the many picturesque springs in the park is the Ohanapecosh River

The most interesting thing about the park is the fact that Mt. Rainier is an extremely active volcano that could erupt at any time. Other than that danger, the pictures show the park as being near perfection. I hope I have

the opportunity to see it’s beauty first hand.

http://www.globeimages.net/data/media/5/paradise_river_mount_rainier_national_park_washington_us.jpg

http://www.globeimages.net/data/media/5/paradise_river__mount_rainier_national_park__washington_us.jpg

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/ohanapecosh-river-on-mount-rainier-rich-leighton.jpg

John Muir1838-1914

The Father of our National Parks

WHO WAS JOHN MUIR?John Muir was most accurately described as a very influential naturalist and conservationist. • Born in 1838, Muir lived in Scotland until 1849

when his family moved to New York.• Leaves home at the age of 22 to exhibit his

inventions • Age 25, Muir takes his first foot journey from the

Wisconsin River to the Mississippi• 1866 Muir becomes invested in Yosemite National

Park in California

THE FATHER OF NATIONAL PARKS

Along with being a wilderness explorer, John Muir was also a writer. His published work help to illustrate both the beauty of Yosemite, Sequoia, Mount Rainier, The Petrified Forest, and The Grand Canyon National Parks, and the need to preserve them. His words inspired Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation programs. His work also became the outline for the Sierra Club. He held the title of Sierra Club President up until his death.

Picture: John Muir met with Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite National Park in 1903

HIS LEGACYJohn Muir left behind a beautiful land that we as American s should strive to preserve. Many National Parks have been explored by John Muir himself and it’s safe to say he has left his mark. He is the reason these beautiful pockets of nature accessible to every person living here.

Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts. - John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, (1938), p. 337.

SUMMARY

As I reflect on the journey that America has taken, I notice how much has changed; the definition of freedom, opinions, jobs, money, roles and life in general. But if you look specifically look at America’s National Parks, you’ll notice they haven’t really changed. That’s the beauty of the park system. It’s keeping an original piece of America alive. Many things will change in the future. As long as Americans do what they can to protect the parks, the natural beauty won’t be one of the changes.

WORKS CITEDKEN BURNS

DOCUMENTARYKen Burns Photo http://www.backpacker.com/media/originals/ken_burns_445x260.jpg

Dayton Duncan Photo http://www.florentinefilms.com/fffotos/DD.jpg Theodore Roosevelt http://troutunlimitedblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/theodore-roosevelt2.jpgJohn Muir http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/John_Muir_by_Taber_%26_Boyd,_c1880.jpgStephen Matherhttp://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/people/images/mather.jpgAcadia http://www.newenglandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Acadia-National-Park.jpgBiscayne http://www.greendiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/biscayne-national-park_ArMMg_48.jpgDenali http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eAP-vgjN8-k/TY_ncmBT5JI/AAAAAAAAAIw/hcP3KLX6MSQ/s1600/0-fondos-escritorio-cataratas-1280.jpgEverglades http://bioserv.fiu.edu/~ecology/images/FreeGreatPicture.com-19913-everglades-national-park39s-mangrove-forests.jpgGrand Canyon http://www.usastatestravel.com/images/grand.jpg

Great Smoky Mountains http://www.everettpotter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/GreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark.jpgMesa Verde http://www.rockymountainmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Mesa-Verde-National-Park.jpgYellowstone http://famouswonders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/yellowstone-national-park.jpgYosemite https://alpineshop.webconnex.com/uploads/wysiwyg/1400/images/Yosemite%202.jpgKenai Fjords http://anha.efellemedia.com/uploads/images/kenaifjordsnationalpark.jpg

FIELD TRIPSCORIA PHOTO http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/villagers/hank1/images/scoria.jpgLAST SLIDE PHOTO http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/3246319590_1cef276ca9.jpg

NATIONAL PARKOpening Photo http://mrsammy7.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/mt-rainier-f.jpgMap http://www.go-washington.com/media/legacy/WA/images/maps/Mount-Rainier-map-small.gif Map2 http://tri-city.com/Main/-Images/Washington_State.gif

Ice caves http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lhuBzDDJDX

o/SQUAJtx3KeI/AAAAAAAAAEo/oVy-FpkbL_s/s400/ice_cave.jpg

Glaciers http://www.sverdina.com/images/rainier5/emmons_intro.jpg

Springs http://www.photography-match.com/views/images/gallery/Ohanapecosh_River_Mt_Rainier_National_Park_Washington.jpg

Interesting pictures: Top left http://worldislandparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Hidden_Lake_in_Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Washington.jpg

Top Righthttp://www.globeimages.net/data/media/5/paradise_river_mount_rainier_national_park_washington_us.jpg

Bottom Lefthttp://www.globeimages.net/data/media/5/paradise_river__mount_rainier_national_park__washington_us.jpg

Bottom Right http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/ohanapecosh-river-on-mount-rainier-rich-leighton.jpg

JOHN MUIROpening photo: http://sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/John Muir and TR http://sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/about/Muir http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/portrait-john-muir-photo.jpg