Essential Park Guide Fall 2017 by Kurt Repanshek

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Inside Essential Park Guide / Fall 2017

Back to the Desert By Kurt Repanshek Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, once shunned due to security concerns, is back on the park circuit with desert lovers.

Capturing Fall Wildlife By Rebecca Latson Carry these photographic tips with you when you head into the parks this fall to capture stellar wildlife images.

Retracing A Monumental Survey A century after Joseph Grinnell conducted an amazing survey of Yosemite National Park’s wildlife, you can follow in his tracks.

Three Days In Paradise By Rebecca Latson Three days likely aren’t enough to fully explore Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, but if that’s all you’ve got, here’s a strategy to follow.

Dry Turtles? How did Dry Tortugas gain its name? This article will clue you in. On The Road Again… By Patrick Cone & Kurt Repanshek A quartet of monumental settings just outside Flagstaff, Arizona, will fill your weekend with ancient cultures and geologic wonders. Take A Dive By Erika Zambello Winter is a perfect time to go in search of warmer climes, and if you’re like our writer, a great time to go below the surface at Fowl Cays National Park in the Bahamas.

Friends of the Parks Youth engagement is a key part of the job for both the Grand Teton National Park Foundation and Friends of Saguaro National Park. Worthy Of Review By NPT Staff SARs, Colorado currents, the Grandfather, and an American Wolf all merit space on your bookshelves.

EDITOR: Kurt Repanshek ART DIRECTOR: Courtney Cooper SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Patrick Cone SENIOR EDITOR: Scott Johnson CONTRIBUTORS: Rebecca Latson Erika Zambello

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Essential Park Guides are published by National Parks Traveler to showcase how best to enjoy and explore the National Park System. National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098. ©2017 Essential Park Guide, Fall 2017. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

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•••• from the publisher

Thinking About Fall in Summer

etting publications out on time requires a lot of advance work. At National Parks Traveler, that means working on our spring Essential Guide in winter, the summer guide in spring, and the fall guide in summer, and the winter guide in fall. With that sort of timing, we’re always daydreaming months down the road. For much of July and into August the thought of looking for wildlife in October in the National Park System was always on my mind. Rebecca Latson’s piece that opens on page 14 covers some great photo tips to use while you’re stalking park wildlife. While editing it I was wishing not only that it was already fall, but that Rebecca could guide a group of park travelers on a photo expedition so she could drill her tips into us in the field. That’s so much easier than reading and teaching yourself, no?

To keep you thinking about fall trips, and maybe even some winter ones, we persuaded Rebecca to come up with a threeday itinerary (beginning on page 22) for visiting Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Along with Special Projects Editor Patrick Cone, I was able to visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument early this year to both get a feel for border security there and to sample this wonderful unit of the park system. Our words and photos open on the next page and just might convince you to head to Organ Pipe Cactus this winter. It’s an incredible destination. For those thinking a warm, wet break from winter would be nicer, Erika Zambello details her experience scuba diving at Fowl Cays National Park in the Bahamas. The story, which starts on page 36, also touches on the threats posed by coral bleaching, and how that impacts the marine ecosystem.

Finally, as we announced in the summer guide, National Parks Traveler is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization. As such, we hope to grow our quarterly Essential Guides significantly, and so provide you with a greater number of stories from the National Park System every season of the year. Your support is key to helping us achieve that goal, as well as to greatly expand our daily coverage of the parks. You can use Paypal or mail a tax-deductible donation to National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, UT 84098. With your ongoing support, we can expand the depth and breadth of our parks coverage significantly.

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Border security concerns long had overshadowed the beauty and wonders of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. But hard work by the Border Patrol and the National Park Service has made this national monument a great winter destination once again. Patrick Cone photo.

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

~ Kurt Repanshek

NationalParksTraveler @ParksTraveler @National_Parks_Traveler

Organ Pipe Cactus A Sonoran Desert Treasure By Kurt Repanshek

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he blue fluttering banner was whipping in the hot, dry, desert wind. It was easily spotted above the cactus garden. It did not signal a restricted zone but, rather, salvation. Beneath the flag was a barrel of water, or aqua. Border jumpers heading north from Mexico who couldn’t carry enough water to last through the trek would most likely find this life-saving liquid. Standing there, surrounded by whip-like ocotillo stalks, barrel cactus, and saguaros, the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument landscape in southern Arizona embraced us with its serenity and beauty. But this land can be intimidating, threatening, and even deadly, not only for those on foot seeking a new life or those criminals running drugs, but also for visitors whose vehicles have run out of gas, or broken down, under the blazing afternoon sun. Southern border parks such as Organ Pipe Cactus, Big Bend, and Coronado National Memorial have been thrust

Barrels of life-saving water are placed by the nonprofit group Humane Borders in some areas of the national monument commonly used by migrants / Kurt Repanshek Previous page: The landscape along Ajo Mountain Drive in the Diablo Mountains is both enchanting and imposing / Patrick Cone

into the news by threats posed by drug runners and illegal immigrants. That’s unfortunate, however, as the furor over border security obscures the parks’ stark beauty and historical significance. The Sonoran Desert cradled by Organ Pipe Cactus is unlike most other deserts in the world. It receives more rainfall, on average, than other deserts, and is biologically rich, with more than 600 plant species and more than 50 mammalian species. Nearly 300 bird species, and 50 types of amphibian and reptilian species, also have been counted in the monument. Taken as a whole, it’s understandable why the park in 1976 was designated an International Biosphere Reserve. There’s rich human history here, too, dating back 15,000 years. The Old Salt Trail was used by cultures down through the centuries to bring salt, seashells, and obsidian gathered from Sea of Cortez salt beds at Sonora, Mexico, northward through this landscape. The Tohono O’odham culture relied on the fruit of the saguaros and organ pipe cactus for food, notes the Park Service. More recent history is seen in the clutter of abandoned mines that prospectors had hoped would make them rich in gold and copper. Early ranchers also impacted the landscape, as cattle overgrazed many areas before the animals were finally removed in 1975. It was this rich history and unique ecology that led President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to designate the 520-square-mile Organ Pipe Cactus as a national monument in April 1937. A wild desert garden grows here, unlike any other in the United States. There are plenty of cacti, from the Saguaro and Organ Pipe to Senita and hedgehogs. Even the rare Acuna cactus grows here. And the vegetation nurtures native animals. Tenuous populations of Sonoran pronghorn come and go through the monument, and Lesser Long-nosed bats (another species protected by the Endangered Species Act) flit among the Saguaros and Organ Pipe cactus.

The landscape surrounding the campground at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument offers time for meditation and bird watching / Patrick Cone

On The Road To Organ Pipe To reach the national monument, you’ll pass through the slumbering town of Ajo, Arizona. Once fueled by copper — the state’s first copper mine was here, launched in the mid-1850s — Ajo (pronounced AH-ho, either takes its name from the Spanish word for garlic, or from o’oho, the native Tohono O’odham word for paint) took a substantial hit in 1985 when Phelps Dodge closed its copper mine. Now the town of some 4,000 residents caters to Park Service and Border Patrol employees, travelers heading for a long weekend at Puerto Penasco on the Gulf of California, and snowbirds fleeing northern blizzards. Today Mexican travel insurance vendors stand out on the main drag. But the picturesque town square, its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture well maintained and appealing, recalls better economic times when Ajo wasn’t so sleepy. Two churches — one Catholic built in 1924, and another,

the Federal Church built two years later — front the square practically side-by-side, while vibrant pastelcolored miners’ bungalows line the surrounding streets. The Curley School, built in 1919 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the centerpiece of an effort to transform Ajo into an artists’ community. It rents out 30 apartments to struggling artists and artisans. Though the Agave Grill’s menu tilts towards Asian-American fusion, not Southwestern, it does offer burgers and chicken and beef skewers. Up the street on the west side stands the American Citizens Social Club, which opened in 1946 and could reflect in some eyes the consternation over the state of the international border.

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We had the plaza to ourselves on a Friday morning, the only locals we encountered were two old men walking the streets, followed a few paces back by their two old dogs. A hand-lettered sign on a glass door proclaimed, “Yes, let it be coffee!” The national monument is 25 miles south of Ajo, beyond the eye-blink way station of Why. Once inside the monument, while many visitors want to head immediately to the historic Quitobaquito oasis in the park’s southwestern corner, where the only fish in the monument swims in the warm spring waters, Rijk Morawe sent us in another direction: the Senita Basin. “That, to me, is like the jewel,” said Morawe, the park’s natural and cultural resources chief. “Go to the Senita Basin. That’s where you’re going to see the height of the Sonoran Desert. You won’t see this in Tucson, you won’t see it in Phoenix.” It was on our way to the basin that we encountered a lazy gopher snake, easily approaching five feet in length, slowly slithering across the road. We came upon a solar-powered emergency beacon, with a big red button to push if you’re in trouble, and then the ruffling blue flag and water barrel surrounded by cactus, just a few paces from a sketchy route heading north through the monument. Five minutes down the dusty, bumpy gravel road brought us to Senita Basin. Road’s end featured a lone picnic table and a placard with a short overview of the Senita cactus found in the basin as well as of the prospecting claims that once pockmarked the area. Chief Morawe had told us we’d find all three columnar cactus species that are protected by Organ Pipe Cactus — Saguaro, Senita, and Organ Pipe — along with Elephant tree and Ironwood in the basin. We also found quiet. It was early April, just past the busy high season that the winter months support, and we were alone under the glaring sun on the 1.2-mile trail that loops through the basin. As we meandered the trail that rose and fell slightly, our gaze took in the Puerto Blanco Mountains rising to the north and east and the Sonoyta Mountains to the south. While the ocotillo stalks scattered here and there along the trail had dropped their most wands of tubular red flowers and were heading into dormancy, some of the cholla cacti were expanding their footprint in the basin; spiny segments that had dropped off the plant were now rooted.

The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church fronts the plaza in Ajo, while a Harris Hawk stands guard atop a Saguaro in Organ Pipe Cactus NM / Kurt Repanshek (top) and Patrick Cone

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

Ajo’s main street is a colorful amalgamation of buidlings, including the American Citizens Social Club / Patrick Cone

Almo Canyon on the east side of the monument is less visited and offers a primitive campground / NPS

A Dangerous Past Gives Way To Hopeful Future Though Organ Pipe Cactus is one of the park system’s oldest national monuments, for more than a decade earlier in this century it was forbidden for backcountry travel due to the 2002 murder of Ranger Kris Eggle. Just 28 years old at the time of his death, he had nurtured a deep love for the out-of-doors while growing up on the family farm in Michigan. Not surprisingly, his schooling focused on the outdoors; as a member of the Student Conservation Association he helped track feral hogs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a student in 1995. After launching his Park Service career at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan, followed by a

stint at Canyonlands National Park in Utah, he arrived at Organ Pipe Cactus in 2000. The young ranger came to the national monument after attending the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and though he had graduated at the top of his class, he wasn’t headed to a national park where law enforcement rangers might deal with noisy campgrounds, speeding visitors, or hikers’ injuries. Instead, Organ Pipe Cactus was a funnel for illegal immigrants and heavily armed drug runners heading north from Mexico. It was a hot day early in August 2002 when he was shot while chasing a Mexican gunman said to be trying to execute a $15,000 murder contract

A somber memorial to Ranger Kris Eggle reminds visitors to Organ Pipe Cactus of the dangers of patrolling a border park / Kurt Repanshek

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Normandy-style barriers, named after those on the beaches of Normandy during World War II, can be found along the monumentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s border with Mexico / Patrick Cone

The hike up Arch Canyon is a test for legs and lungs / Patrick Cone

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

on a rival drug lord. The gunman and an accomplice were fleeing Mexican authorities when they drove into Organ Pipe Cactus just to the east of the border gateway of Lukeville. Ranger Eggle and three Border Patrol agents went after the two, and in the ensuing chase the ranger was shot, the bullet entering his body just below his bulletproof vest. In the wake of the rangerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, heavy lobbying convinced Congress to provide $18 million to build a vehicle barrier along the US-Mexico border. Officials say it has succeeded in ending illegal vehicular border crossings while allowing wildlife to pass through. The travel of upwards of 1,000 illegal aliens a day led the Fraternal Order of Police to declare Organ Pipe our most dangerous park for a time early in this century. Indeed, at one point 95 percent of the park was closed to the traveling public because of the danger posed by the illegals. But in 2014, the entire park was reopened after the National Park Service and Border

Patrol conceived a plan to allow continued surveillance by the Patrol while Park Service crews erased hundreds of miles of illegal roads and road traces that had been woven through Organ Pipe Cactus. “It was different groups, it was even visitors,” Superintendent Brent Range replied when asked who created the illegal routes. “Everything related to this cross-border activity. And these things were created over time. So now we have a lot of these routes out here, and we were tasked with restoring a lot of this.” Rising from the conference table in his office, the superintendent went to a wall covered with maps of the monument, and pointed to many of the areas that were crisscrossed with illegal routes. With funding from Homeland Security, staff from the Park Service and Border Patrol pored over maps of the national monument to decide which routes would remain, and which would be erased. Complicating the effort was the fact that 95 percent of the park is official wilderness. In theory, all of the routes should have been removed, but visitor safety dictated that some remain. “We had to reopen the park, because it needed to be open, it’s public land,” the superintendent said. “We found no significant reason why it should be closed any longer.” A key priority for the restoration work was to improve habitat for two endangered species: the Sonoran pronghorn (listed in 1967) and the Lesser Long-nosed bat (listed in 1988). “So we started zoning it out. It seems logical, but to come up with that it took years,” Superintendent Range recalled. “In order to restore those routes, we had to work with Homeland Security because we don’t want to restore routes they need. We want them to have maximum access down here. We need for them to have the access. That keeps the park safer, cleaner for the visitor, for the resource, for the staff, for everybody that comes here.” Because nearly the entire park is officially designated wilderness, the restoration efforts required some specialized equipment. “It’s designated wilderness, so we don’t want to create new stuff out there, so we worked with a company that went out on the route, and then restored it as they came back with equipment attachments that they created for this task,” which, in effect, erased the routes, the superintendent said.

By removing wheel ruts and restoring the natural topography of the landscape, the work even cut down on erosion by allowing the natural sheet flow of rainwater to return after cloudbursts. “This is a success, and shows great inter-agency cooperation,” Kevin Dahl, the National Parks Conservation Association’s senior program manager in Arizona, had told me as I prepared for my trip to Organ Pipe Cactus. The route restoration work, mostly complete today, involves both erasing the paths and planting cactus and other native vegetation, explained Chief Morawe. The park even set up a plant nursery; it temporarily held cacti that were removed when the vehicle barrier fence was installed along the southern boundary of the monument and then replanted in the restoration effort, and also is used to nurture cactus for use in restoration areas and cottonwoods for use at Quitobaquito. “Cactus do really well from cuttings. These were saved before they got run

Crews from Saguaro National Park helped with the restoration work at Organ Pipe Cactus / NPS

over,” said the chief as he led us through a portion of the monument, pointing to some cactus growing in an area where an illegal route once ran. Among the beneficiaries of the work are the Long-nosed bats, which use Saguaros and Organ Pipe Cactus for food (they eat the cacti’s fruit) and cavity nesting. At the Sierra Club, which put pressure on the Park Service to remove the illegal routes, Dan Millis said the national monument has come a long way in recent years in terms of access and safety. “Things have definitely improved now that the park is 100 percent open to the public. It was ridiculous that they kept it closed for so long in the first place,” he said in an email.“There have been some positive developments, such as the roads restoration, and for a while there was a border wall interpretive program offered by monument personnel. Unauthorized cross-border traffic is at very low levels border-wide, with the exception of asylum seekers

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

turning themselves in, mostly in South Texas. “Border deaths continue to plague the area,” he added,“but humanitarian groups have a larger presence there than ever before, which may be causing the land managers some initial stress. But I think it’s a very good thing in the long run.We have to stop the deaths.” Of course, President Trump wants a wall, possibly dozens of feet tall and maybe lined with solar panels, built along the U.S.-Mexico border in a bid to halt illegal border crossing.Today, the border is lined with Normandy-style metal barriers. But Superintendent Range doesn’t debate border wall politics. His focus is to ensure a safe setting for visitors. Safety does seem paramount at Organ Pipe Cactus. As we crisscrossed the park to visit different areas we saw the constant presence of Border Patrol, particularly along the southern leg of the Puerto Blanco Drive. So visible is that presence, said Mr. Dahl, that he feels the safest out of all the parks he

Organ Pipe Cactus’s wide-open landscape offers stellar sunsets / NPS

visits in Organ Pipe Cactus. Well-placed signs alert the visiting public to the possibility of encountering illegals. While the only illegals we saw were two stray dogs exploring the U.S. side of the border, at one point en route to the Senita Basin we came upon vestiges of clothing that had been dropped, presumably, by someone heading north through the challenging landscape. Along with visitors and university researchers returning to Organ Pipe Cactus in big numbers are outfitters who are interested in obtaining permits to run guided hiking programs and van tours, Superintendent Range said. “We have the momentum and the vibe, if you will, of just this really neat atmosphere, and it shows,” he said.“The visitors are excited.”

Getting Around Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Exploring Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a days’long endeavor. No lodging exists within the monument, but the 208-site campground not far from the visitor center is a great basecamp. It’s picturesque, thanks to the surrounding cactus forests and peaks, and clean, thanks to volunteers. You’ll find water spigots every three sites or so, so you shouldn’t want for water. Too, the campground’s sites have sunshades and tent pads, and there are three restrooms, complete with showers. With water heated by the sun, the showers can be scalding in summer if you’re not careful, but during the cooler winter months no doubt a refreshing option after a day in the monument. From the campground you can hike down to the Senita Basin via the Victoria Mine Trail. Armed with a good trail map (we used National Geographic’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument map, No. 224), a daylong drive-andhike in the park can lead you to the remains of several mines and some great trailheads that direct you up some lung-testing hikes. Drive the not-quite-40-mile Puerto Blanco Road loop and you can hike to Dripping Springs, a perennial water source critical for wildlife (it also attracts border jumpers, so be alert). The mostly one-way road also runs past the remains of the Dripping Springs and Golden Bell mines, and takes you to the Quitobaquito Springs. Quitobaquito has attracted life— human, mammalian, avian, and reptilian—for centuries. This is a true oasis, but the land here has been, as the Park Service notes, “manipulated” by humans. When it came to the Park Service in 1958, the water impoundment filled by springs that ran down from the surrounding hillsides needed work to address leaks.

Remnants of a different era can be found at the Victoria Mine site / NPS

Now the water in places flows to the pond through PVC tubing. Look into the waters and you might spot endangered Sonoran mud turtles, while in the surrounding vegetation and overhead you can add significantly to your birding life list, as the oasis attracts “one of the highest number of bird species in the Sonoran Desert Network of parks,” according to the Park Service. Above the pond on the hillsides, we noted the many small rivulets coursing down from above. Bending over for a closer look into these streams, we saw schools of little blue fish—the Sonoyta pupfish, also known as the Quitobaquito pupfish. Listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, these warm-water fish are thought to exist nowhere else outside the monument (though you can find some out behind the visitor center where middle school students worked with park staff back in 2005 to create a very small pond for the very small fish.) To help bolster the pupfish population, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rebuilt some of the Quitobaquito streams to improve habitat. On one hillside we came upon the final resting place of Jose Lorenzo Sestier, a Frenchman who died here on February 9, 1900, aged 74 years. He had lived at Quitobaquito, the merchant of a store opened just to the east of the pond in 1888 by Mikul G. Levy.

On the eastern side of the monument, the Arch Canyon Trail climbs high above Ajo Mountain Drive. While the first six-tenths of the trail is fairly routine, after that it’s a heart-pounding scramble to the roof of the canyon and its panoramic views of the monument. Not for the unprepared or unfit, this half-day hike is strenuous but absolutely rewarding. Several other trails head out from the drive, while Alamo Canyon not far to the north offers a primitive camping experience for those with a tent or willing to spread their sleeping bag out among the Saguaros and Organ Pipes and under the stars. There’s no water at the four-site campground, so bring plenty of your own, and wood fires and ground fires are not permitted. While roaming the desert any time of year can be rewarding with its views, diverse vegetation, and history, good times to visit are during the winter months, when it’s not so blazing hot; in February through April when many perennials and annuals are blooming; or from April through August when the Saguaros, Organ Pipe, Cholla, and Prickly Pear cacti are blooming. Whenever you come, travel the monument with more water than you think you could ever drink.

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Black Skimmers are some of the most beautiful, elegant, and interesting seabirds you’ll find at Padre Island National Seashore / Rebecca Latson

Shooting Wildlife In Fall…With Your Camera Words and Photos by Rebecca Latson

I’ve written more than once that fall is my favorite time of year for photography. Landscapes are sublime, with brilliant yellow, gold, orange and red foliage adorning aspen, maple, huckleberry, sumac and sassafras. It’s not just landscapes, however, that make autumn such a spectacular season for you and your camera. The wildlife opportunities are wonderful, as well. Elk emerge from higher elevations for the rut, birds like the ptarmigan begin changing to their winter colors, and you’ll see fox, bears, marmots, and coyotes, many of them feeding and fattening up before entering their winter hibernation.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

Practically no matter where you live in the country there’s a unit of the National Park System nearby to stalk the scenery with your cameras. Chasing that majestic photo of a bull elk, his antler-heavy head tilted back as his bugle pierces the landscape? Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, and Great Smoky Mountains national parks are all good bets. But so are Buffalo National River in Arkansas, Olympic

National Park in Washington state, Point Reyes National Seashore in California, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, and Niobrara National Scenic River in Nebraska. Prefer feathered models? Wild turkeys are plentiful in Great Smoky, Shenandoah in Virginia, Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri, Bluestone National Scenic River in West Virginia, Acadia National Park in Maine, and Zion National Park

in Utah. Shenandoah, Great Smoky, and Glacier National Park all are good places to scan the fall skies overhead for migrating raptors, too. Black bears become more visible, too, in Great Smoky and Shenandoah, and in dozens of other parks, as well, as they work to put on the pounds. You might spot some along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Acadia, Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, and Amistad National Recreation Area, just to name several other park locations. Oh, itching for that ptarmigan shot? Head to the roof of Rocky Mountain National Park on Trail Ridge Road and scan the tundra with binoculars or your long lens to spot one of these unique birds. To help you get the most out of your autumn wildlife photography experience, here are some tips for your use.

v First and foremost, exercise patience and keep your expectations realistic. Don’t expect to see wildlife emerging from around every corner of the road. Check with the visitor center and the rangers to learn about recent wildlife sightings. Drive the speed limit. The slow speeds through the national parks are set for a reason. You want to photograph the wildlife, not injure it. v Respect the wildlife. Don’t crowd them, don’t chase them, don’t antagonize them, and don’t try to get them to move closer or pose for your camera by throwing things, yelling, waving your arms or acting in any sort of manner perceived as threatening. Not only will it stress the wildlife, but also you run the risk of harming yourself in addition to the animals. And definitely, do NOT feed the wildlife. Habituating a wild animal to human food sources endangers you, others, and the animal(s) you want to photograph.

You have to be quick, and steady handed, to photograph birds in flight, such as these brown pelicans at Padre Island / Rebecca Latson

v Be considerate of other viewers, photographers and non-photographers alike, who might be near you. They want to see the wildlife just as much as you. National parks are for everyone to enjoy, and you want to leave others with a good impression of yourself as a photographer. v Use the biggest lens you can carry with you, which would be anywhere from 70-200mm, 100-400mm or even larger, like the 500mm, 600mm, and 800mm super-telephotos. You can rent these lenses for a fraction of the retail price from places like lensrentals. com, borrowlenses.com, and lensprotogo.com. With these super-telephotos, you can keep your distance from the wildlife and still get great headshots. v Set your camera’s AF mode to focus while tracking moving subjects. Canon calls it AI Servo, Nikon calls it AF-F (full-time servo AF), Sony calls it AF-C (continuous AF), Pentax calls it AF.C (continuous mode).

v Consider utilizing a lens extender (aka teleconverter). Lens extenders screw onto the rear of a lens, which then attaches to your camera. They add a bit of magnifying “oomph” and come in various magnification factors. Multiply that factor by your lens focal length to get the new magnification. For example, a 1.4x teleconverter attached to a 500mm lens will give you a new focal length of 700mm. Not all lenses allow for extenders, however, and the auto focus may be affected on some lenses. Also, some photographers report their image results are a little less sharp when a teleconverter is added. My advice is for you to rent or borrow an extender and try it out before deciding whether you’d like to purchase one.

v Use a tripod. While I often handhold my 100-400 or 70-200mm lenses, I use a tripod with a gimbal head for my 500mm lens. A gimbal is a special tripod head that not only supports a large, heavy lens, but also allows you to pan and move the lens and camera up and down as easily as if you were handholding, but without weighing down your arms. v Portrait photographers say the most important points to focus on are the eyes. A wildlife close-up is, indeed, a portrait. So, focus on those eyes. v Incorporate your subject into the overall landscape if you can’t manage a close headshot. The results are lovely as you capture both subject and the environment in which your subject dwells.

I guarantee that these few tips will help you achieve some fantastic wildlife shots during your fall venture into a national park. Have fun, stay safe and keep the wildlife safe, too.

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Fall Wildlife In The National Park System:

Acadia National Park, Maine

Most likely, you’re well aware that Yellowstone National Park is a great destination to see elk and bison in fall, and that Glacier National Park will reward you with mountain goat and bighorn sheep sightings. But where else can you head in the National Park System, preferably someplace without so many crowds? Let’s take a quick look at some of the options:

Channel Islands National Park, California

Birders know fall is a great season to head to Acadia, as migratory raptors including kestrels and Bald eagles ride the northerly winds south for the winter. Head up to Cadillac Mountain where Hawk Watch personnel will help you identify what you’re seeing. The migration peaks in September.

While you’re in California for butterflies at Muir Woods NM, stick around to look for whales off this line of islands. Migrating gray whales pass the park most often in mid-to-late December, according to the National Park Service. Northern elephant seals also start arriving at their rookery sites on the islands in late fall.

Biscayne National Park, Florida

Whether you want underwater wildlife encounters or need to add to your birding life list, this park can meet your needs. Underwater there’s a reef snorkelers and scuba divers can explore, with yellow-striped porkfish and neon-hued grunts among the reef fish to count. The park also boasts a birding trail, along which you might spy Yellowcrowned night herons. Elephant seals can be both raucous and intimating at Channel Islands National Park / NPS

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Reef fish at Biscayne, such as this Queen Angel Fish, require a steady hand to photograph / NPS

This is another park with beavers. Head out around sunrise looking for them in the park’s wetlands and along the Cuyahoga River, and also watch for river otters. Try the appropriately named Beaver Marsh. The elevated boardwalk here serves as a great viewing platform. And keep a lookout for migrating birds, especially in November.

Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Looking for some unusual wildlife? Visit Cape Lookout in late fall and stroll the beaches and you just might spot a Western Atlantic Harbor Seal. Park staff say these seals sometimes will come ashore to warm themselves in the sun. They’re trying to conserve energy and calories, so observe from a distance.

Moose are one of the locals, and you often can spot them in the marshy area behind Jackson Lake Lodge or across the road around Christian Pond. Bison, pronghorn, and often elk can be spotted along River Road, where it’s a good idea to drive a four-wheel-drive rig.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Texas Desert bighorn sheep are reliably visible along Checkerboard Mesa in Zion National Park / Kurt Repanshek

One of the most incredible wildlife displays across the National Park System occurs here, where thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats exit the cave en masse at sunset to hunt their dinner. Rangers offer free nightly programs through October. Thousands of bats put on nightly shows at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico / NPS NationalParksTraveler.org

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes you can snare two species with one photo at Theodore Roosevelt National Park / NPS

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota Bison? Check. Elk? Check. Feral horses? Check. Prairie dogs? Check. Heck, there are even Longhorn steers at Theodore Roosevelt, so you aren’t likely to go home disappointed. Birders can possibly spot golden eagles, wild turkeys, and great-horned owls.

Voyageurs National Park, Minneosta Yellow-bellied marmots are another regular at Grand Teton and can be seen in rocky areas of the park / NPS

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee

You can easily snag a trifecta — black bears, elk, and wild turkeys — with a visit to Great Smoky in North Carolina and Tennessee. Black bears and turkeys are reliably found in Cades Cove, while elk can be seen in Cataloochee Valley.

Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama

This jewel has a diverse array of wildlife, from feral pigs and coyotes to bobcats and striped skunks as well as black bear. A number of bat species — Big Brown Bat, Eastern Red Bat, Gray Bat, Northern Bat, Evening Bat, and TriColored Bat — also can be found here. Check with the visitor center to see where you’re most likely to encounter some of these critters in fall.

Muir Woods National Monument, California

Just north of San Francisco Bay, the monument is a great spot for an unusual fall wildlife subject: Monarch butterflies. These insects, some of which winter on the California coast, begin fluttering through the monument in late August and September.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

Padre Island National Seashore, Texas

Birding tours are popular in Fall at this seashore when 10,000 or more birds, such as Western sandpipers and possibly the Northern Aplomado Falcon, an endangered species, take a rest here.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

This beautiful park practically overflows with elk, which you can spot in Horseshoe Park, Moraine Park, and often along Trail Ridge Road. If you look for them in Horseshoe Park, keep an eye out for the bighorn sheep that come off the flanks for aptly named Bighorn Mountain for the mineral licks there. To really challenge yourself, look for White-tailed ptarmigans on the tundra on either side of Trail Ridge Road near the roof of the park.

Wildlife not usually on everyone’s watch list are beavers, and you stand a chance of spotting them, or signs of them, here. Fall is the season when these guys are fixing any damage to their lodges before winter arrives. They make the repairs with freshly cut tree branches, so keep a look out for wood chips. Hike the Black Bay Beaver Pond Trail or the Cruiser Lake Trail and you’ll find beaver ponds to scan for these rodents.

Zion National Park, Utah

Looking for desert bighorn sheep? Zion has more than a few, and a good place to look for them is on the eastern side of the park along the Checkerboard Mesa.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Shenandoah also has plenty of black bears and wild turkeys. Walk the Rapidan Road along Big Meadow and loop around on Stony Mountain Trail and you should have some luck spotting gobblers.

Black bears are most often spotted in Shenandoah National, while only the lucky spot bobcats / NPS

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YOSEMITE’S WILD SIDE A Fall Wildlife Sampler Change is coming to Yosemite National Park. You can feel it in the cool night air, see it in the drying vegetation, hear it in the rustle of leaves, and sense it in the shortening days.

ildlife knows winter isn’t far off too. They’re getting ready, whether it’s squirrels caching nuts, bears putting on pounds, or coyotes who are spending more of their waking hours hunting. Though Yosemite is not mentioned in the same breath as Yellowstone, Glacier, or Denali when it comes to wildlife watching, the Sierran jewel’s animals will surprise you. Zoologist Joseph Grinnell recognized this early in the 20th century when he received Interior Department permission in 1913 to conduct a survey across the park, from the Yosemite Valley to Mono Lake. The original survey, conducted from 1914-1920, involved more than 950 “person-days of fieldwork,” and produced roughly 2,000 pages of

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

Black bears often can be spotted in Yosemite’s meadows / NPS

field notes, 817 photographs, and 2,795 specimens. During their work, the field crews spotted the usual suspects— black bears, coyotes, fox, the California wildcat (aka bobcat), and striped skunks—but they also spotted the unusual—the California ring-tailed cat, the Sierra Nevada wolverine, and even Coral King snakes (aka today’s Sierra Mountain Kingsnake). Today’s wildlife watchers might spot black bears, certainly mule deer, yellow-bellied marmots, some of the four species of squirrels (Douglas, Western gray, Golden-mantled ground, and California), and if they’re lucky,

mountain lions. Also on the park’s landscape, though much more difficult to spot, are the Sierra Red Fox (one was captured on a remote camera in December 2014, the first sighting of this species in the park in nearly a century, though not recorded by Grinnell), Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (some of which were “restored” to the park’s Cathedral Range in 2015), and Pacific fishers, though they are extremely rare. However, while grizzlies once roamed California, they are long gone. Where should you look for wildlife this fall in Yosemite? Park officials note that, “(I)n Yosemite Valley, you’ll find

California ground squirrels stay busy in the fall loading up their winter foods, while keeping a wary eye out for coyotes on the hunt / NPS photos

You sometimes hear, before you see, downy woodpeckers in Yosemite’s forests / NPS

species that depend upon meadow habitat. Predators, in turn, are attracted to these areas. The interface between meadow and forest is also favored by many animal species because of the proximity of open areas for foraging, and cover for protection.” Head into the park’s forests and you might see a California spotted owl or, with luck, perhaps even a Great grey owl. There also are ubiquitous jays (Steller’s, Western Scrub, and Clark’s Nutcracker), and if you walk along the streams you might come upon American dippers (aka water ouzel) dunking beneath the surface to search

the streambed for a meal. And while not strictly wildlife watching, fishing is a popular fall pastime. In the park the season runs through November 15, with rainbow and brown trout among the species anglers seek. Rainbows are catch-andrelease only, though, while browns have a five-per-day limit. Be sure to review the park’s fishing regulations, as bait is not allowed, you can’t fish from bridges, and there are size limits on the Tuolumne River. Outside the park, consider Bass Lake just a bit east of Oakhurst and about 50 miles south of the Yosemite

Valley. It’s stocked with trout, kokanee salmon, bluegill, catfish, and crappie. Of course, it also holds Spotted and Black bass, which bring anglers to the shorelines in during the fall. And when you’re ready to call it a day of wildlife watching or fishing, consider making heading home to one of the more than 100 rental properties managed by Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders Vacation Rentals. With properties in Yosemite West, Wawona, and by Oakhurst/Bass Lake, they’ll get you away from the park crowds while keeping Yosemite out the front door.

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EXPLORING PARADISE IN THREE DAYS

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park has, you could say, a personality disorder. There are few national parks that offer so many varied experiences — seacoast, rain forest, volcanism, even snowfields — as does Hawai’i Volcanoes. Written and Photographed by Rebecca Latson

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

visited the park in October 2014 and again in February 2017. The thing that struck me both times was how humid and rainy it was on the Hilo side of the Big Island during that stretch of time—much like my neck of the woods in southeast Texas. Driving into the higher elevation of the national park (about 4,000 feet), however, saw me largely replace the humidity with much cooler, drier weather. If you choose to visit this national park during the fall or winter months, be prepared for this sort of diversity. Pack a light rain jacket and a long-sleeve T-shirt next to the tropical shirt and sunscreen. Don’t forget either beach sandals or a good, sturdy pair of hiking boots (lava is not kind to unprotected feet!). Upon landing, it’s approximately 30 miles to the park from Hilo International Airport, or 90 miles from Kona International Airport if you choose to arrive on the drier side of the island. The speed limit varies from 35 mph to 55 mph, so don’t be in a rush; it’s Hawaii, after all. “Hang loose.” The only brick-and-mortar lodging inside the park is the 33-room Volcano House. Reserve your room far ahead of your travel plans. A little more than 3 miles from the park entrance on the Hilo side, Volcano Village hosts several bed-and-breakfast options, and there are two drive-in campgrounds within the park: N’makanipaio Campground and Kulanaokuaiki Campground. If your stay is short, say three days, you’ll want a fairly good outline of where you want to go, what you want to see, and even what you should photograph during your time in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Here’s a suggested itinerary for three days in the park.

The “fire hose” of molten rock pouring out of a cliff at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park will leave you spellbound / Rebecca Latson

DAY

HIT THE ROAD

Drive the Chain of Craters Road during the day, and then visit Jagger Museum in the evening. As you navigate Chain of Craters Road, you’ll leave the higher elevation and lush rain forest behind to drive through wide, barren swaths of old lava flows, both ‘a’a and pahoehoe, as you head down to the coast. Stop at Thurston Lava Tube to wander through this 400-year-old, 600-foot long tunnel created from a rushing river of lava, just like the “fire hose” that streamed into the ocean from the Kamokuna lava delta earlier this year. There are dim lights spaced throughout the tunnel, but the ground is uneven and the ceiling low in some places, so watch your step and your head. Arrive no later than 9 a.m. to have the tunnel to yourself before the tour buses appear. Continue your drive along the road, where you’ll see pit craters, “golden” lava fields, and a beautiful sea arch cut from ancient lava at journey’s end. Don’t be surprised if your ears plug up as you change elevation from 4,000 feet down to sea level. A trick to equalize the pressure is to hold your nose shut, keep your mouth shut, and blow hard. You’ll feel, as much as hear, your ears pop! Find a place to pull the car over and spend a little time walking upon the Mauna Ulu flow—an expansive pahoehoe lava flow literally

Active lava flows can be artistic, as well as geologic / Rebecca Latson

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

As you walk through Thurston Lava Tube, try to imagine islanders doing the same three centuries ago / Rebecca Latson

shimmering with a gold sheen as the sun reflects off the cooled pahoehoe’s surface layer of silica (glass). If you walk among the pahoehoe flows, note how grippy the pillowed and ropy surface feels to your feet. Lean down to touch the surface and you’ll feel that sticky grip. Do use caution, though, over the uneven ground. Stop at the overlooks along the road to take in the vast horizon of cooled lava and coastland beyond. Photo Tip #1: The winds are extremely strong. If your tripod is not sturdy (i.e. weighty), your entire camera/tripod setup might blow over… like mine did when I was getting a selfie standing on this flow of gold. I now know what the interior configuration of a zoom lens looks like. Upon your return, enjoy a meal in Volcano House’s restaurant or lounge, then drive up to Jaggar Museum around 4 p.m.-4:30 p.m. before all the museum’s parking spaces are filled. Because the crowds increase the closer it gets to sunset, you might wish to stake out a good vantage point overlooking K’lauea caldera and Halema’uma’u, crater. Capture photos of the crater’s orange-red glow, which becomes brighter the lower the sun sinks.

Photo Tip #2: If you read my article regarding photographing lava, you’ll know to reduce contrast in-camera as much as possible; too much contrast hides the details in the lava. Have your camera on a tripod and make use of a graduated neutral density (grad ND) filter to keep the sky from blowing out as you set your exposure for the steaming crater during your sunset and evening photography. Photo Tip #3: As night descends, you’ll need to switch from auto focus (AF) to manual focus (MF) for images of the glowing crater, since auto focus will be difficult the darker it gets. You’ll want to crank up the ISO anywhere from 3200-6400, open up your aperture and decrease your shutter speed to get some star and glowing crater shots. Experiment with exposure settings and try using your grad ND filter upside down to keep the orange glow from blowing out as you use lengthier shutter speeds to expose for the night sky. Photo Tip #4: If you choose to eschew sunset shots because of the heavy crowds at the museum, return to the viewpoint sometime after 9 p.m. or even later to have the entire area to yourself and your camera. On a clear night, the glittering stars will look close enough to touch.

While nighttime shots of the Kilauea crater are dramatic due to the crater’s glow, late afternoon shots can be rewarding, too / Rebecca Latson

DAY

TAKE A HIKE Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park offers trails of both short and long distances to accommodate varying fitness levels and desired trail length. Each hike provides volcanic wonders on display. For a nice short jaunt, try the paved trail across from the visitor center. You’ll follow the path through a forest teeming with ferns and the brilliant red, frilled `ōhi’a lehua blooms (Hawaii’s state flower) down to a strong-smelling field of sulfur, then onward to the less noxious steam vents across the road. Although much of Crater Rim Trail is closed due to higher levels of dangerous gas emissions, a good part remains open, with trailheads on either side of

Volcano House. Make note of the orchids and ferns lining the trail and stop to photograph the active steam vents while feeling the warm, wet volcanic heat emanating from those vents. Enjoy the numerous viewpoints overlooking the steaming Kīlauea caldera from different angles. Photo Tip #5: When photographing steam vents along the more-forested portion of Crater Rim Trail, experiment with increasing your camera’s ISO and/or open your aperture (f-stop) anywhere from 5.6 to 4 to capture the white, translucent steam as it floats out of the dark vent. Photo Tip #6: The steam vents carry a wide array of particulate matter potentially damaging to your camera gear. Wipe camera and lens with a damp, clean cloth at the end of the day. Don’t take my word for it, though – just look at the rusty railings of the fences separating portions of the trail from the vents to see what can happen during prolonged exposure to volcanic steam.

The views along the Chain of Craters Road encourage frequent stops and photos / Rebecca Latson NationalParksTraveler.org

A longer hike you might choose is the Mauna Ulu / Pu’u Huluhulu Trail, which is 2.5 miles round trip. You’ll hike next to an ‘a‘a lava field, a tephra field (ejecta from a volcanic eruption), walk over pahoehoe lava, and pass by lava tree molds. As you walk the trail, watch for the bright orange and red-spattered ōhelo ‘ai berries. It’s fine to pick them, but sample, don’t gorge. These berries are an important food source for the nēnē geese. Make sure you offer the first berry to Pele to thank her for her generosity. Mauna Ulu shield cone will be on your right. Adhere to the warning signs and don’t climb up to the rim—the cooled lava covering is deceptive; it might look sturdy, but actually can be thin in places and could break through, causing ankle and leg injury. Follow the ahu (stacked rocks, aka cairns) to stay on the correct route. Do take the side trail zig-zagging up to the viewpoint next to Pu’u Huluhulu (hairy hill) cinder cone for an expansive view of Mauna Ulu. My favorite hike is the 4-mile loop Kilauea Iki Trail (recommended route is counterclockwise, so take the trailhead to your right at the Kilauea Iki Overlook). This trail leads the hiker through a fern-filled rainforest down to ‘a’a and pahoehoe, then over the expanse of a cooled, smooth lava lake before making the trek back up into the rainforest. Think about it for a moment: As you cross the flat plain from one side to the other, you are walking on what used to be a lake of glowing, roiling lava! You’ll pass an active steam vent and the huge cinder-andspatter cone Pu’u Pua’i (gushing hill). The reddish-brown coloration at

Changing volcanic conditions can lead to different appearances of the Puu Oo vent / Rebecca Latson

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

Don’t spend all your time driving. Pull over and walk the boardwalk through steaming volcanic vents / Rebecca Latson

the base of the cone was the main vent from which the lava erupted. Guiding you across the lava lake will be several ahu; the ones near the end of the lava plain are taller than I am (I’m 5’2”)! Photo Tip 7: Lava is dark. Lava also has detail that you’ll want to capture. Keep your contrast as low as you can and use a grad ND filter for your landscape images to balance the light and dark parts of your composition

(lava vs. a brighter horizon). Trail Advice: During your hikes, you might be tempted to take a sample of pumice, ‘a’a, or pahoehoe, back as a souvenir. Don’t do it. It is illegal to take any rock, mineral or plant from the park. Besides that, it’s just plain bad luck. Believe it or not, there are numerous stories recounted by park rangers of receiving envelopes of lava rock returned to them in the mail.

DAY TAKE A TOUR

Schedule a ride with a lava tour boat and/or a helicopter flight over active lava. To really feel the power and splendor of this volcanicallydynamic national park, reserve a spot on one of the lava boat tours to view active lava flows spilling over into the ocean from the Kamokuna lava delta. Take a boat ride or snag a spot on one of the helicopter tours that fly over the “fire hose” as well as other lava flows emanating from

the active Pu’u O’o vent at the periphery of the park. The experience of floating or flying close enough to feel the lava’s heat as you capture amazing photos will remain with you long after you return home. If a boat tour or helicopter flight doesn’t appeal to you, then take it easy and visit the Volcano Art Center Gallery for lovely examples of local art. Go watch a video in the visitor center next door and check out their selection of books. Check to see if a hula demonstration is scheduled. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is as much about culture as it is scenery and geology. Before you head back to the airport and your flight home, remember to say mahalo (thank you) to Pele, the Goddess of Fire, for granting such a wonderful time in this national park.

By taking either a boat or aerial tour of the park you can get quite dynamic photographs. However, it’s not guaranteed that your trip will coincide with a “fire hose” display / Rebecca Latson

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INTERESTING FACTS YOU DIDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T KNOW

About Dry Tortugas National Park

Located 70 miles west of Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the most remote national parks in the United States. Visitors can only access the park via boat, seaplane, or aboard the official Dry Tortugas National Park ferry, the Yankee Freedom III.

Dry Tortugas National Park

Open year-round, the national park is a unique combination of exotic habitats and historic artifacts that attract more than 80,000 people annually. In addition to scuba diving and snorkeling, visitors can swim, bird watch, saltwater fish and picnic.

1. Known for its spectacular reefs and marine life, Dry Tortugas National Park encompasses a seven-island archipelago. The explorer Ponce de Leon was the first European on the islands, situated in the Gulf of Mexico, during his fabled quest for the elusive fountain of youth. The abundant sea turtle population inspired the name Las Tortugas, and the scarcity of fresh water prompted the Dry Tortugas designation. In 1822 the area was annexed by the United States and, 24 years later, the Navy began building a fort to protect the Florida coastline. Although the garrison was never finished, it remains an iconic symbol of the national park.

3. The area possesses one of the richest concentrations of shipwrecks in North America. Nearly 200 ships sank in the surrounding waters before and shortly after the construction of the Garden Key Lighthouse in 1825. These include several vessels from the famed Spanish gold convoy of 1622, such as the Buen Jesus y Nuestra Senora del Rosario. Submerged artifacts include anchors, cannons, pottery, and other maritime items.

2. President Franklin Roosevelt created Fort Jefferson National Monument in 1935, which was expanded 48 years later to protect the islands and their surrounding marine habitats. In 1992, the conservation area was renamed Dry Tortugas National Park. It is renowned for its shipwrecks, sunken treasure, and Civil Warera fort, as well as its pristine water, abundant sea life, and tropical bird breeding grounds.

4. Because of the long history of shipwrecks, the Dry Tortugas is home to two of the most historic lighthouses in Florida. Built in 1826, the Garden Key Lighthouse was the first in the Dry Tortugas and stands 65 feet tall. After continued shipwrecks, a second, larger lighthouse was illuminated in 1858. It stands 150 feet tall and is located 3 miles to the west on Loggerhead Key.

5. Covering 67,400 acres,

the national park is 99 percent water. Totaling approximately 100 acres, the seven main islands comprise just 1 percent of the park. The islands are Loggerhead, Garden, Bush, Long and Hospital keys, as well as the East and Middle keys. While the shape of the remaining islands perpetually changes, tidal erosion has submerged four islets, including Southwest, Bird, North and Northeast keys. The park is part of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program that also includes the Everglades. 6. For three decades, marauding bandits used turtle eggs and adult turtle meat as currency. One of these buccaneers was Jean Lafitte, the pirate who aided General Jackson in the defense of New Orleans. The American naval base was the last stop before the ill-fated USS Maine sailed to Havana Harbor in 1898.

Above: Seemingly afloat in the Gulf of Mexico, Dry Tortugas National Park is hard to reach but well worth the effort / Yankee Freedom III

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

Fort Jefferson

1. Situated on Garden Key, the fort is one of the largest masonry structures in the Western Hemisphere. Named after Thomas Jefferson, the bastion housed 25-ton Rodman cannons, rifled Parrott guns, and several hundred other pieces of heavy artillery. The fort, which remained in Union hands during the Civil War, never fired a shot during combat. It was constructed of 16 million bricks over three decades. During its peak occupancy in the early 1860s Fort Jefferson housed almost 2,000 soldiers and civilians. 2. Captain Montgomery Meigs drew up

They say 16 million bricks went into construction of Fort Jefferson, which never was fully constructed / Yankee Freedom III

Eco-System 1. The Dry Tortugas feature a borderline

subtropical/tropical ecosystem that hosts numerous rare, endangered, and endemic species that do not normally breed anywhere else in the United States.

2. The park’s colorful coral reefs are home

to barracudas, sharks and wahoos, as well as lobsters, sponges, and sea anemones. The regal coral of this majestic marine sanctuary is easily accessible from the white sand beach near Fort Jefferson.

4. During peak nesting, there can be

100,000 sooty terns on Bush Key all at once. In addition to the sooty tern, some other commonly observed birds at the Dry Tortugas include the brown noddy, black noddy, magnificent frigatebird, and masked booby.

5. Dry Tortugas National Park is the most productive nesting region for the green and loggerhead turtles in the entire Florida Keys. Five different species of sea turtles in the Florida Keys are listed on the Endangered Species Act.

3. Over 200 avian species migrate through the park each year and it’s not uncommon to see 70 species in one day during peak migration. Flamingos, warblers, nighthawks, owls, terns, falcons, pelicans, and cuckoos are some of the families of birds you might see.

the plans for Fort Jefferson that included the existing Garden Key Lighthouse and keeper’s quarters. Rising through the ranks, General Meigs was instrumental in creating Arlington National Cemetery during the Civil War. In addition to civilian carpenters, masons, and other skilled laborers, the fort also used African-American slaves from Key West during construction. The black workers on the island were freed after the Emancipation Proclamation.

3. Dr. Samuel Mudd was the most famous prisoner at Fort Jefferson and was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in helping John Wilkes Booth during the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Mudd was granted a pardon from the prison in 1869 after only serving about four years because he was instrumental in helping the Fort recover from a yellow fever epidemic in 1867. 4. During a tropical storm, Ernest

Hemingway and a group of friends were stranded at Fort Jefferson for 17 days with only a short supply of canned goods, liquor, coffee, and the fish they caught from the ocean.

To learn more interesting facts about Dry Tortugas National Park or find information about booking a day trip from Key West aboard the Yankee Freedom III, please visit www.drytortugas.com. We hope to see you soon! A stopping point for many migratory species, Dry Tortugas is a bird lover’s destination / Yankee Freedom III NationalParksTraveler.org

A Monumental Road Trip IN NORTHERN ARIZONA Immerse yourself within the history of long-gone cultures in the Southwest by exploring their ruins, such as these at Wupatki National Monument / NPS

ool Ponderosa pine forests, ancient life, and volcanism are all within reach this fall in Arizona’s high country. The gateway town of Flagstaff makes a perfect basecamp to visit four national monuments that protect ancient Native American dwellings and tell the stories of their occupants’ lives. Or course, the Grand Canyon to the north is the main draw for many visitors, but take some time to explore these lesser-known sites as well.

The stories within these monuments—Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki, and Montezuma Castle—overlap, but a long weekend tour will provide you with a deeper understanding of some of the cultural and geologic mysteries of the Southwest. Designated by four different presidents, the monuments embrace a landscape dotted with well-sheltered cliff dwellings and shaped by volcanoes, while nearby you can view a meteor crater from 50,000 years ago.

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Wupatki National Monument Start your tour with a visit to Wupatki. Designated December 9, 1924, by President Calvin Coolidge, Wupatki is approximately an hour’s drive north of Flagstaff. Take Highway 89A north for a few dozen miles, and make the turn to the east to reach this unusual monument. (This is a 35-mile loop road that also accesses Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, so you can choose not to backtrack.) The visitor center is located next to the three-story Wupatki Pueblo, with its more than 100 rooms that once housed 300 people. There are more than 800 identified ruins here, tucked between the Ponderosa-dotted mountains and Painted Desert, and all with a distinctive dark red color of the native Moenkopi sandstone, punctuated with black volcanic sand. Though first inhabited around 500 CE, there was an influx of residents after the volcanic eruptions of Sunset Crater in the 11th century; it was abandoned by 1215 CE. The Wupatki Pueblo is thought to have been the largest, tallest, and most influential pueblo during those times. Hopi may have inhabited the buildings afterwards, and in the 1880s sheepherders used some of the structures as a camp. There are five accessible ruins, and you might visit the Lomaki and Box Canyon pueblos via an easy half-mile trail. These pueblos are built on the edge of a deep canyon. The Citadel Pueblo is built on a small hill, with a limestone sinkhole to the south. Once you take a walk to one of these pueblos, you’ll spot other ruins dotting the desert. For a view, take the half-mile Doney Mountain Trail to the top of a volcanic cinder cone. The park rangers also offer guided hikes during the cooler months, which will allow you to see areas of the monument otherwise not open to the public. Discovery Hikes are short day hikes, available on some Saturdays from November through March, where you’ll explore petroglyphs, archaeology, and the flora and fauna of the area. During four weekends in October, the Crack in the Rock hikes are a two-day, weekend adventure into the backcountry, with participants chosen by lottery. This 25-mile, strenuous hike is limited to 12 people, and you must be able to carry your own backpack. A highlight of the trek is visiting the remote Crack-in-the-Rock Pueblo.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2017

It’s too late to enter the lottery for this fall’s hikes, but check the park’s website next summer for the 2018 schedule. The hikes are also offered in April, so check in early spring if this sounds appealing. There is no lodging, overnight parking, or camping at Wupatki, and there is a $5 per person entrance fee, that covers both Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano national monuments. Hiking schedules and more information are available at the visitor center, and online. — Patrick Cone

Wupatki National Monument holds more than 800 ruins, some of which you can inspect up close / NPS photos

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Walnut Canyon National Monument

From Wupatki, continue along the loop road and access the eastern entrance to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. On the way, stop at the Painted Desert Vista view, photograph the unique landscape, and marvel at the Kana-a lava flow. Stop again within the monument at the Cinder Hills Overlook, and look over the mix of volcanic flows, cones, and tubes, with meadows and Ponderosa pines interspersed between. This monument was designated May 26, 1930, by President Herbert Hoover after a movie company proposed to blow up an area of this unique geologic area. You can take in a number of interpretive programs, and spend time at the visitor center getting acquainted with the natural and human history of the monument. The monument embraces rugged terrain; in 1917, Grace Spradling wrote of a climb, “Well, it’s one of the queerest trails you ever saw for the whole mt in nothing but cinders. The trail goes nearly straight up the side of mt. and the cinders make it so you take 3 steps up slide back 2.” For hikers, much of the rocky terrain is sharp, brittle, and unforgiving. Head to the Lava Flow Trail and you’ll find a self-guided, one-mile trail. Be sure to grab one of the interpretive booklets available at the visitor center before you take the hike. Other options include two trails that leave the Lenox Crater trailhead. The Lenox Crater Trail is a one-mile, steep trail, and the Aa Flow Trail winds a quarter-mile through the lava flows. If you want a long hike, hike the seven miles to the top of O’Leary Peak, accessible from U.S. Forest Service lands. Sunrise and sunsets here are spectacular—a photographer’s dream—with dark, starry skies and in the winter, a covering of snow. Then, complete your loop back to Flagstaff in 20 minutes along Highway 89. — Patrick Cone

Just 10 minutes east of Flagstaff, on a densely forested plateau, the serpentine chasms of Walnut Canyon long ago gave refuge to hundreds of Native Americans. Once the Transcontinental Railroad reached northern Arizona, Walnut Canyon became a popular tourist spot and, in order to protect it from overuse, a section of the canyon was set aside with a declaration from President Woodrow Wilson on November 30, 1915. Autumn mornings can be cool here, at over 6,600 feet, but by afternoon the sun has warmed the limestone and sandstone walls and canyons, perfect for a walk.

Occupied from approximately 1100 to 1250 CE, the Sinagua people were experts in growing crops and living in an arid environment. There are nearly 400 species of plants that they relied upon, including the Arizona black walnut and Prickly Pear cactus. The rims are forested with Ponderosa pine and Gambel oak, along with pinyon and juniper. Along the trail it’s a simple matter to imagine life in these canyons; hauling water from the creek, tending fields on the rim, and sheltering from cold winds inside these stone rooms. Since the rooms were built under limestone overhangs, there are no roof beams, and they were also constructed with a front stone porch. Inside the visitor center,

Above right: The Island Trail at Walnut lets you explore several cliff dwellings and offers great views down into the bottom of the canyon / Patrick Cone Right: Sunset Crater is one of quite a few volcanic craters near Flagstaff / NPS NationalParksTraveler.org

a wall-to-floor glass wall lets you gaze down into the 400-foot deep canyon. The visitor center showcases artifacts ranging from hunting points, metate grinding stones, and even items affected by the nearby eruptions from Sunset Crater. You can walk the 0.7-mile Rim Trail with its sprawling views into the canyons, or head down the one-mile Island Trail loop, which is more strenuous. The paved loop trail drops 185 feet, with more than 240 steps, but it’s worth the effort. You’ll pass more than 25 cliff dwellings, with a steep climb to come back up to the rim. In the late fall and winter, this trail is sometimes closed due to snow and ice.

Left: After exploring inside Montezuma Well, hike down and around to where the outlet drains the pool/Patrick Cone

Some of the cliff dwellings along the Island Trail at Walnut Canyon can be entered / Patrick Cone

Montezuma Castle National Monument First off, Montezuma never made it this far north, but that didn’t keep 19th century settlers from naming this spectacular cliff dwelling after the Aztec leader. An hour south of Flagstaff, it was designated on December 8, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. The dwelling rises five stories, tucked nicely within an alcove 50 feet above the valley floor. The Southern Sinagua people (who lived in this towering residence from about 1125 AD-1400 CE) chose their location wisely: they 34

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had protection from the elements, the south-facing dwelling was warmed in winter by the sun, and the height provided a great perspective of the surrounding landscape. A nearby creek provided water for their crops.

A short sidewalk leads from the visitor center to some nice vantage points of the castle, which probably housed about 35 people. Take a seat on a bench for a few minutes and ponder the craftsmanship of the Sinagua people, who built this 20-room dwelling so high off the valley floor. “This was a pretty heavily populated area, lots of dwelling spaces,” National Park Service volunteer Judith Biery said. She said that the area in and around today’s national monument was a melting pot of sorts roughly 1,000 years ago. They were hunter-gatherers, migratory cultures, and farmers, she explained. Ten miles to the north, a deep spring named Montezuma Well is part of the monument and was well

A trail along the rim allows great views down to Montezuma Well, and lets you see how cliff dwellings were engineered just beneath the rim / Patrick Cone

used by Native Americans. At Montezuma Well, a few cliff dwellings can be seen just beneath the rim that rises above and encircles the water, and some pueblos existed above the rim. More dwelling spaces can be found inside the rim down near the water. One, the Swallet Cave Ruin, is a rock shelter that had nine rooms.

The farmers who lived here from roughly 900 CE to about 1400 CE made great use of the water source, which puts out an estimated 1.5 million gallons of water a day. From a small drain across from the Swallet ruin, water courses underground for a short distance before feeding a tributary of the Verde River. From there a system

of irrigation ditches channeled the water to crops. Nearly two miles of canals have been identified. Take a walk down to the water, and then head to the drain (and don’t miss a photo studio’s advertisement that was painted onto the rock face in 1896). These four monuments make for a history rich weekend exploration of the landscape around Flagstaff. And by heading out on the road in the fall, you’re likely to escape the crowds found here during the summer months. For longer excursions, explore the San Francisco Peaks just west of these four monuments, or venture to the meteor crater a bit to the east of Walnut Canyon. — Kurt Repanshek

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Exploring The Underwater Wonders Of

FOWL CAYS NATIONAL PARK By Erika Zambello

To me, a rather novice scuba diver, the waves rolling across Fowl Cays National Park in the Bahamas looked a little big. We had motored out of Marsh Harbor on Abaco at exactly 9:30 a.m., blue skies doing nothing to distract me from the growing anxiety in the pit of my stomach. Water quality looked good, and as we prepared our equipment it was easy to see the large reef beneath the surface. Apprehension now mixed with pure excitement.

had trained as an open water diver over a year before, completing two dives in calm currents off the Gulf of Mexico in Destin, Florida. Now aboard Dive Abaco’s boat, under the guidance of Captain Keith Rogers, I was preparing to descend 2530 feet to follow Rogers as we circled the reef counter-clockwise. This was a family dive, and my mother, brother, and husband were diving as well. On the surface, my father, sister, grandmother, brother’s friend, and sister’s boyfriend were preparing their snorkels for a much shallower swim. Of the four of us with tanks strapped to our backs, I had the least amount of experience, and my husband (a former Navy diver) made sure to check my equipment before I hoisted the heavy scuba rig onto my back. Was I still nervous? Definitely, but I wasn’t going to let my little brother know (he’s 6’2 and 21 years old, but he’ll always be my little brother). So without further ado, I faced the water, placed the regulator in my mouth, and leapt in. Bubbles ascended as I began to move downward, already surrounded by a handful

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of gold and white Yellowtail Snapper coming right at my mask. I’d love to say that I remembered everything about diving, that it was like riding a bike, that I’m a natural. But, that would be a lie. I didn’t have a beautiful descent. About 30 seconds in I felt I couldn’t get enough oxygen, and quickly kicked my flippers to reach the surface. Had I come all this way to flounder in the first five minutes? Deciding in a matter of fact manner that I was not going to panic, I took a few long gulps of air before trying again. Once I remembered that I had to relax in order to breathe evenly, I found myself smiling as I sunk to the sandy bottom. I have to say, I felt like a mermaid. Once we made it down to the ocean floor and I had cleared my ears a half dozen times, we prepared to follow Rogers as he slowly finned forward, the snorkelers circling above us. Fowl Cays National Park was founded in 2009 by the Bahamas National Trust, which is tasked with building and managing the Bahamas’ national park system. Encompassing more than 2,300 acres, Fowl Cays protects both coral reefs and seagrass beds, as well

Exploring Fowl Cays with a scuba tank on your back opens up a wondrous underwater realm / Dive Abaco

Though not terribly large, Fowl Cays National Park (blue rectangle) protects a rich underwater ecosystem / Google Earth

A family trip—some snorkeling, some scuba diving— made for a perfect outing at Fowl Cays National Park / Dive Abaco

Being able to stay underwater for extended periods brings the locals into view, as the writer (left in bottom photo) discovered / Dive Abaco

as parts of a rocky shore and sand bottom. The park is mostly made up of open water, making diving and snorkeling the ideal form of exploration. I love the geometry of coral. The reef stretched far above my head, almost like I looked up the side of a building. Large sea fans with purple-vein-structures waved in the current; pillar coral reached up to us with finger-like branches. Between their structures multi-colored fish of all shapes and sizes darted in and out of crevices, looking at us for just one moment before going about their business. My favorite sighting came when we discovered a cluster of a thousand tiny, silverblue, shimmering minnows, smaller than my palm, moving as one entity in the way of flocking birds. Time seemed to halt as we made our way around the reef, and every instant there was something new to gaze upon. I was exalted, enthused, exuberated, but I was also sad. Even during the dive I could not escape a reality I knew was waiting for me as soon as I surfaced: coral reefs like the one I explored are in trouble. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef—the world’s largest coral reef system—suffered a massbleaching event in 2016, another one has already begun, and a recent article in Nature states that if coral reefs are going to survive, the future “ultimately requires urgent and rapid action to reduce global warming.” Coral gains its color through a symbiotic relationship with algae. The algae—in addition to being colorful—live in the coral tissues and provide food. When coral becomes stressed by abnormally high ocean temperatures or pollution, the algae leave and the coral bleaches white. At this stage, the coral becomes vulnerable to disease and

death. However, if conditions quickly return to normal, reefs can recover from bleaching events. In fact, some patches can recover more quickly than others, especially those in deeper waters or with more seaweed grazer species. Additionally, reducing nutrients, sediments, and fishing impacts can boost a reef’s resiliency. Nicholas Graham, a coral researcher at James Cook University, told Scientific American, “(R)educing local impacts as much as possible will give [the reefs] the best chance of survival.” He added that, “(M) anaging the impacts to reefs is really about understanding and managing human actions.” Though reef protection, like that within the borders of Fowl Cays National Park, is essential, it will do little if ocean warming trends continue. The Bahamas have not escaped these bleaching events, but Felicity Burrows of the Nature Conservancy notes that “there are positive signs of reef resilience in the Bahamas, such as around the north and northwestern parts of the country and within the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, where healthy corals support ecosystems in very good health.” If you’re like me, you don’t need a reason to support aggressive efforts to reduce the human causes of climate change. However, the beautiful array of fish, coral, and sea life I left before slowly making my way to the surface remains in my mind’s eye, and reminds me to keep writing letters, calling my representatives, and supporting groups working to advance climate change measures. Hauling myself back on the boat, I was first thankful that I avoided drowning with my scuba equipment, and then thankful that I had had a successful dive. I admit it, I’m hooked! Onward to the next reef!

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FRIENDS OF THE PARKS Grand Teton National Park Foundation Engages American Indian Teens in New Tribal Youth Corps Making connections with new generations is key to the future of national parks, and at Grand Teton National Park the outreach includes working with teens from the nearby Wind River Reservation. This summer two crews of the new Tribal Youth Corps spent time in the park. Each crew of students spent three weeks working, learning, and recreating in the park, leaving with a greater understanding of what it takes to maintain and protect this stunning resource. The paid internship provides participants with new job skills and a better idea of potential careers within the National Park Service. Both Tribal Youth Corps crews spent their terms maintaining Grand Teton’s cultural resources and trail system. Mormon Row, Hunter Hereford Ranch, Lucas Fabian Homestead, and Menor’s Ferry received some much-needed attention from the groups. While working on these historical treasures, students learned how to repair and replace various types of fencing, mitigate erosion and invasive species around buildings, and stabilize walls and structures. Crew members also acquired skills in brushing corridors, building drains, and finishing tread on trails at Death Canyon, Taggart Lake, and Triangle X Ranch. Each Tribal Youth Corps participant contributed more than 120 hours to these projects that the park would not have accomplished otherwise. In addition to completing renewal tasks throughout Grand Teton, Tribal Youth Corps participants learned about different professional opportunities within the park service. Crew members completed a twoday archaeological survey in the Colter Bay area. They assisted park archaeologists by walking transects across the survey area 40

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New Tribal Youth Corps programs at Grand Teton National Park bring new visitors into the park and turns them into advocates and stewards / Grand Teton National Park Foundation

and identifying and recording any prehistoric or historic material that they found. Interns also attended a science and resource management division meeting, which included introductions, program overviews, and safety protocols. Tribal Youth Corps members greatly benefit from these opportunities by gaining a diversity of skills and experiences that will help them make future educational and career choices. Although the main focus of this program is to provide a paid internship and job skills training for young American Indians, participants also get to spend their weekends taking advantage of outdoor

recreation opportunities in Grand Teton National Park. Backpacking, boating, and camping are just some of the many adventures these teens get to experience during their time off. Thanks to all of the Tribal Youth Corps participants and our partners—Grand Teton National Park and Montana Conservation Corps—for helping the Grand Teton National Park Foundation make the 2017 program a huge success. Want to learn more about this program and support next year’s Tribal Youth Corps? Visit the Grand Teton National Park Foundation website.

Younger generations also are introduced and engaged at Saguaro National Park thanks to Friends of Saguaro National Park / Friends of Saguaro

Fall’s Moderating Temperatures Bring Youth Education Programs Back Into Saguaro National Park For many families, fall is back-to-school time—and with moderating temperatures in Tucson, Arizona, and an end to summer rains, students in southern Arizona can again experience the outdoor classroom that is Saguaro National Park. With funding support from the nonprofit Friends of Saguaro National Park the park’s youth engagement and environmental education programs are designed to actively connect young people to nature; promote hands-on experiential learning, recreation and conservation activities; and enable all children—including currently underserved youth —to achieve a greater understanding of environmental stewardship and the park’s conservation mission. In the last academic year, financial support from Friends of Saguaro allowed the national park to extend its multi-faceted environmental education programs to more than 15,000 youth throughout the community. Taking advantage of the park’s close proximity to the urban area, these environmental education programs focused on the incredible biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert / Sky Island eco-region, and helped expand student awareness of how their own individual actions can lead to a more sustainable society, and how they can achieve a greater level of conservation engagement with the park. New in 2016 and 2017, Friends of Saguaro has partnered with the Women in Science & Engineering Program at the University of Arizona, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, to develop the Bio/ Diversity Project, in which 16 university students work with ten teachers in five local schools to teach more than 500 K-12 students about environmental science. One of the goals of the program—funded by a

Programs made possible by Friends of Saguaro National Park provide hands-on experiences for youth in the greater Tuscon area / Friends of Saguaro

2-year grant from the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice—is to cultivate an interest in science in underrepresented student populations, as women Latino/a, and Native American populations are significantly underrepresented among those receiving university degrees and entering the workforce in environmental science and related fields. By combining this Bio/Diversity Project with the Friends of Saguaro Next Generation Ranger Corps, this program is

leveraging the power of university-community partnerships in order to increase participant knowledge of the importance of biodiversity, foster a sense of environmental responsibility to create ecosystems that enable a diverse range of living things to live and thrive, and strengthen opportunities for environmental science-related educational and work opportunities for youth from populations currently underrepresented in environmental science fields and careers. NationalParksTraveler.org

Books Worth Considering Big Walls, Swift Waters When the Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) men and women head out, they might be plucking a hiker from icy waters, evacuating a climber from a sheer cliff, or recovering the body of someone who wasn’t even that lucky. While the technical rescues are pored over on social media, many of their rescues are more mundane: a broken arm after a slippery mistake on the Mist Trail, an elderly gent who is short-of-breath on the Glacier Point trail, or a lost child in the mayhem of Yosemite Valley. This group trains, trains, and trains some more so it’s ready for anything when the call comes, and Butch Farabee has described the hazards, rescues, and history of YOSAR in this new book from the Yosemite Conservancy. He describes dozens of rescues with helicopters, ropes, boats, scuba gear, and even pack animals. There are stories of climbing rescues, fast water rescues, disappearances, and even of animals that need to be saved. Farabee, a retired ranger, also describes the early search-and-rescue days in the 1970s, and how events led to this full-time, professional rescue team. Today, Yosemite National Park has nearly 4 million visitors per year, and for most it’s a wonderful experience. But for others it’s the worst day, or last day, of their lives. Farabee writes of the successful rescues, and others with worse outcomes. For instance, in 1966 a nuclear scientist, Quin Frizell, disappeared on a hike from Tenaya Lake to Yosemite Valley. The search involved more than 100 personnel in rugged terrain, complicated by the fact that Frizell had a top-secret security clearance. Five years later his skeleton was discovered by the author, with bones still inside boots, and to the wishes of his wife, he was buried in place. In his career in Yosemite, Farabee went on more than 800 SAR missions, and received the Harry Yount Lifetime Achievement Award,

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honoring rangers who are the National Park Service’s best. He is also the co-author of Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite and author of Death, Daring, and Disaster: Search and Rescue in the National Parks.

Within its 224 pages, this softcover book has a glossary, notes, and indexes as well. — Patrick Cone

American Wolf: A True Story Of Survival And Obsession in the West It’s been more than two decades since the wolf recovery operation was launched in Yellowstone National Park, and interest in the predators has not ebbed at all. Park visitors continue to congregate in the predawn and pre-sunset hours in the Lamar Valley on the northern end of Yellowstone. Magazine features and books are still being written about the ongoing fate of the wolves. Among these titles, The Killing of Wolf Number Ten: The True Story, documents the shooting death of a founding member of the Yellowstone packs, Decade of the Wolf: Returning The Wild to Yellowstone was written by the biologist who oversaw the early days of the wolf program in the park, and Charting Yellowstone Wolves is a collection of charts that trace the genealogy of the park’s various wolf packs. This October another book will be released: American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West. Written by Nate Blakeslee, a Texan, the book follows the life of O-Six, an alpha female and oftenseen Yellowstone wolf; some would say among the most famous of Yellowstone’s wolves. Mr. Blakeslee weaves together the various controversial and essential elements of the park’s wolf recovery program as he tells her tale. There are the livestock industry and elk hunters, who see wolves as rapacious predators impacting their bottom line and way of life. There are territorial battles between the Yellowstone packs themselves, as well as conflicts between wolves and grizzlies. Then there are the legal and political battles on the protection of these wolves, and other endangered species. Key to Mr. Blakeslee’s page-turning narrative are copious notes he borrowed from Rick McIntyre, a Yellowstone ranger who probably has spent more days than anyone observing the park’s wolves, and Laurie Lyman, who shared 2,500 pages of her Yellowstone wolf observations.

Grandfather Mountain: The History And Guide to An Appalachian Icon

With those resources, along with his own experiences, Mr. Blakeslee has composed a rich, poignant story of wolf recovery in Yellowstone and its impacts on the surrounding countryside and communities. He takes the reader into the wolf dens, to their rendezvous sites, on the hunt with them, and observes their territorial wars up close. Mr. Blakeslee also tries to understand those opposed to Yellowstone wolves and who would rather put a bullet through them than admire them. American Wolf is a bittersweet story, one that soars with the richness of unadulterated wildness, but which also crashes to the ground with the death of this one wolf. Some will take pause at the story and O-Six’s legacy, while others might wonder about the fuss. At day’s end, in this ever-shrinking world, preserving wildness matters, if for no other reason than that we can still glimpse the primeval. — Kurt Repanshek

Springer Mountain, Katahdin, the Presidential Range, and the White Mountains are all iconic, all dramatic, in their own geologic and cultural heft, each with their own stories. And then there’s Grandfather Mountain. From a distance, this western North Carolina massif cuts a hard and welldefined profile on the horizon. But to truly appreciate its substance, its history, you need to hike its forests, stand on its peaks, and soak up its rich Appalachian history. Randy Johnson has done that, over a period of more than four decades, leaving sweat and likely a little blood on the mountain as he chronicled its past, resurrected some of its historic trails, and helped implement a backcountry management plan to preserve its essence. There is substance in the Appalachian landscape, the hollows and caverns, the dense forests, ridges, balds, trails and cultures that hold it all together. And there are many tales to be told. These are easy to dismiss from the distance, or when surrounded by a city, but these are the places from which our forefathers formed a country. Johnson, in this handsome hardcover from the University of North Carolina Press, strives to ensure that that history and natural setting are not merely an afterthought or overlooked. He takes somewhat of an encyclopedic approach to dissecting Grandfather Mountain, which towers above this landscape in a 50-square-mile swath. He ticks off the early wanderers who explored the region, the entrepreneurs who knew people would pay to experience and enjoy the setting, the hikers who crisscrossed its hefty back, and he even touches on some of the controversies that understandably rise up around these endeavors. There also is a section on natural history that showcases the flora and fauna of Grandfather Mountain, of course, and another that explains to us why, and how, Johnson developed the backcountry management plan for this mountain.

NationalParksTraveler.org

He does so, though, not with a simple encyclopedic page after page listing, but by pulling all the threads together into a quilt that in sum total of its individual patches tells a story befitting this ancient mountain. And to entice you onto Grandfather’s flanks, he includes a hiking guide to the mountain, and a photographer’s guide, pointing you to some of the stunning vistas and close-ups to be captured. There are, no doubt, other notable mountains in the East, those deserving of their own story. And with Grandfather Mountain, The History And Guide To An Appalachian Icon, Johnson shows why those stories should be told, too. — Kurt Repanshek

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The Mighty Colorado River: from the Glaciers to the Gulf The Colorado River rolls and tumbles more than 1,400 miles, and drains around 8 percent of the United States; an area of around 244,000 square miles. More than 50 rivers and streams from seven states feed the Colorado River, from the snow-capped peaks to the scarred red-rock deserts. It provides water for tens of millions of people downstream, and Jim Turner tells its story. Turner has written a wonderful biography of this river, with gorgeous photography, following its flow from the headwaters to the Gulf of California, beginning with its main tributary, the Green River. With its modest beginnings in the high alpine peaks of Wyoming, the Green winds

its way through a stark landscape and deep gorges like Lodore, Desolation, and Gray canyons before finding the Colorado deep within Canyonlands National Park. From this confluence, the Colorado carves its way through geologic history through the Grand Canyon and on to the California fields, deserts, and finally the Pacific Ocean. Turner is an historian, author, and public speaker from Arizona, where he learned how important water is in the American West. He writes of how dependent we are upon the Colorado River, as well as the wildlife refuges, recreation areas, and cities along its length. He also takes the time to describe its natural and human history. This human history, of course, would not be complete without the description of the dams, irrigation, and flood control projects along its length. I would like to see some changes in the second edition, of course. Primarily, though this is a large paperback book of 104 pages, I would love to see this as a large format, hardcover book, and imagine the author would as well. Secondly, some readers without a keen geographic knowledge of the West may wonder why the book leads with the Green River, and not the Colorado River. Perhaps this section could have been placed further back in the book. But the photography easily steals the show here, with full-page views of the high peaks, beautiful images of the Colorado River winding through the Grand Canyon, and the photos of recreationists on the water. The image of the confluence of the Green River and Colorado River is especially striking, as the red waters of the Colorado and green water of the Green River join. This is overall a wonderful book for your library for anyone interested in the desert Southwest and its primary river. — Patrick Cone

Parting Shot

Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam...in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Photo by Jeff Zylland, NPS