Introduction: The Mysterious Labyrinth of the Arches National Park
Clearly one of the most surreal places on Earth, the Arches National Park, also known as a Red Rock Wonderland (A Red Rock Wonderland para. 1) is more than a bunch of weird-looking squiggly rocks – it is a place where quite complex processes are unceasingly taking place.
At the first glance, the park does not differ from a range of similar Southern landscapes; however, as soon as the alleged travelers reach the magnificent domes, a breathtaking view will be opened in front of them. Because of complex geological processes caused by erosion and salt beds beneath the surface, the Arches National Park has a very specific look and provides a sand-and-clay soil type for the Park inhabitants.
Arches Formation and the Processes behind It: A Salt Bed
As researchers explain, the Arches National Park owes its weird look, or, to be more exact, the arched rocks that are scattered all over the park area, to the huge salt beds located underneath the park surface (Bergoff and Vana-Miller 8).
As the researches on the formation of arches in the park explain, the anticlines emerged after the overlying layers collapsed into the elongated crests created by the salt under the park surface (Arches National Park Utah para. 3). The erosion caused by wind, sun radiation and groundwater, in its turn, has contributed to making the arches even thinner, thus, making the Arches National Park landscape even more surreal.
Biological Soil Crust and What It Is Caused by: Live Organisms
Apart from the processes of erosion, which, combined with the effects that evaporations from salt beds have on the surface of the area, the park is also famous for its unusual type of soil cover. Defined as “knobby black” (Arches National Park para. 8), the given piece of soil is, in fact, alive. Consisting of “algae, lichens, and cyanobacteria” (Arches National Park para. 8), it makes a perfect environment for desert plants to grow in and owes its uniqueness to the process of nutrient (minerals) cycling in the specified area.
Since the surface of the area is rarely disturbed during the periods of draught, the evaporation rates are quite low, and, therefore, the chances for the soil to become a habitable environment for a number of organisms, including bacteria, algae and other microorganisms (Arches National Park – Cryptobiotic Soil para. 3).
Unforgettable Experience and Thought Provoking News
To be honest, the information about the Arches National Park was not a complete surprise to me. I have heard of the weird Utah landscape, yet never bothered to Google the pictures of this unbelievable place. As a result, wheat I learned about the geological processes behind the arches formation was a unique, curious and admittedly valuable experience for me.
The controversy regarding the negative effects that industry induced soil change has had on the park (Arches National Park – Cryptobiotic Soil para. 5), however, has been an unpleasant surprise for me. I am positively certain that the given paper is not the last research that I will do on the Arch National Park.
Conclusion: Watching the Earth Change
There is no doubt that the Arches National Park is one of the most amazing places in the world. However, it would be wrong to assume that the magnificent arches will stay in their places forever, just as it would be a mistake to claim that the biological soil crust is not going to be destructed by the increases in the average Arch Park temperature and longer and more severe draughts. Such changes are a sad yet inevitable element of the geological cycles, and the effects of these changes, both human induced and natural, are yet to be evaluated.
Arches National Park – Cryptobiotic Soil. n. d. Web.
Arches National Park Utah. n. d. Web.
Bergoff, Kevin and David Vana-Miller. Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument. Washington, DC: National Park Service. 1997. Print.
The Connection between Vegetation Recovery and Burning Severity of Fires
Before analyzing the images produced by means of remote sensing, it is necessary to analyze the aspects and criteria according to which the images can detect various patterns of vegetation recovery after the fire. Specifically, much research has been done on the analysis of connection between biodiversity and remote sensing techniques as well as other methods for types of recovery vegetation.
According to Kennedy, remote sensing contributes greatly to the analysis of vegetation cover and provides sufficient information about atmospheric chemistry (133). In particular, satellite remote sensing techniques can provide exhaustive data on the patterns and criteria necessary for analyzing sophisticated interactions and mechanisms connecting fire density, vegetation cover, atmospheric chemistry, and climate.
The researcher has found that gas emitted into atmosphere as well as shifts occurred to the atmospheric ratio is possible to effectively detect with the help of remote sensing. However, the examination of such dependencies does not provide viable solutions to the analysis of vegetation recovery in relation to temporal scales. Still, there is a possibility to identify the nature of gasses emitted.
More detailed information on this issue is provided by Turner et al. who have managed to provide sufficient justification to remote sensing images and how they can be used to identify various types of forests and vegetation (306). According to the researcher, “…recording numerous densities at different heights throughout the canopy and enables three-dimensional profiles of vegetation structure to be made” (Turner et al. 307).
With the help of this data, it is possible to detect the potential for such techniques as mapping of sub-canopy layers and emergent tree species.
A great contribution to the analysis of distribution patterns and habitat categorizations carried with the help of remote sensing techniques. This examination has been provided by Debinsky, Kindsher, and Jakubauskas (3281). The researchers have also applied to Landsat TM data analysis in order to evaluate various forest and meadow types in Yellowstone Park.
Importantly, the studies also seek to define the relation between vegetations areas and animal species distribution which is quite essential because the foci of birds and animals can be the indicators of dense vegetation.
Particular species can be affiliated to a particular vegetation pattern. Interestingly, the research conducted by Debinski et al, reveals “large differences in species distribution patterns among remotely sensed meadow types” in different temporal dimensions (3283). The same concerns are considered by Gould (1861).
White et al have also been more consistent and pertinent to our research considerations (125). In their studies, they emphasize that aside from vegetations patterns, there are also burning severity patterns resulted in different topographic vegetation. The patterns are received with the help of satellite data that show significant changes in physical characteristics of burnt areas.
The researchers have discovered that it is necessary to be knowledgeable about electromagnetic energy. In this respect, they have also defined that “…more severely burned areas have less vegetation cover and different radiation budgets in post-fire years” (White et al.124).
Such important deductions will be of great relevance to our research because different patterns of burning severity will assist in analyzing the patterns presented in Yellowstone National Park.
With regard to the consideration presented above, it should be emphasized that the vegetation recovery change patterns largely depend on the burning severity of fire. This linkage is revealed through carbon dioxide density, biophysical characteristics of burnt areas, radiation and spectral analysis, and electromagnetic energy.
Spectral Analysis with Regard to Vegetation Recovery Patterns
A possibility to distinguish the changing patterns of vegetation recovery and burning severity cannot be solely relied because such factors as the process of spectral analysis and carbon dioxide density are crucial in providing an accurate and consistent examination of temporal characteristics of vegetation recovery.
In this respect, it is necessary to analyze the connection between carbon dioxide emission, and how they relate to fires and vegetation patterns. It is also imperative to prove why remote sensing, spectral analysis and Landsat TM techniques are crucial in identifying the influences of fire on vegetation recovery.
The research provided by Jakubauskas and Price offer a clear picture of the relations between biotic factors and spectral analysis of forests in the Park (1375). With the help of multiple regression models, the researchers have provided the correlation of digital spectral analysis and biotical factors.
The results have revealed that “tree height and diameter combined to form an index of crown volume, which in turn combined with density for an index of canopy volume” (Jakubauskas and Price 1379). The scholars have also detected other crucial, though less significant, factors and dimensions of spectral analysis such as leaf area index and vegetation index.
Although the research provided by Jakubauskas and Price is of great value for further examination, it can be supported by the studies analyzing vegetation dynamics with regard to temporal scales (1378). In particular, Shannon and Lawrence are more close to the analysis of vegetation recovery patterns in relation to temporal scale (551).
The value of their research consists in presenting change vector analysis with help of 1985 and 1999 images. This analysis is “a rule-based change detection method that examines the angle and magnitude of change between dates in spectra space” (Shannon and Lawrence 551).
The process of change detection has succeed in presenting the changes within herbaceous and shrub land vegetation. The spectral and change vector analyses have detected that “there was a decrease in grass lands and a relative increase in srublands” (Shannon and Lawrence 554). The presented research can greatly assist in the exploration of vegetation recovery patters of change in Yellowstone National Park.
The above-presented research provides consistent information about pattern distributions, but it lacks information about fire factor and its impact on vegetation recovery and accuracy of the research. This gap can be complemented with the explorations provided by Turner, Hargrove, Gardiner, and Romme (731).
In general, spectral analysis plays an important role in identifying the changing patterns of vegetation recovery. It is also significant in defining various species of vegetation and describing pattern distributions on a particular geographic area.
Technical possibilities and Limitations of Remote Sensing Techniques
Remote sensing approaches can differ with regard to various resolutions of remotely sensed images. In order to succeed in researching our objectives, the analysis of advantages and limitations of these techniques is crucial. The studies presented by Wright and Gallant (582), Asner (2), Cohen and Goward (535), and Murtaugh and Philips (99). All scholars provide a comprehensive evaluation of all limitations to using remote sensing tools.
In order to critically assess the technical possibility of remote sensing techniques, Wright and Gallant have provided a historical background of previous researches dedicated to the efficiency assessment (582).
The results show that “remote sensing is the moderate spatial and spectral resolution of multispectral instruments like TM sensor” (Wright and Gallant 584) Therefore, it will be difficult to distinguish forested upland and forested wetland in spectral terms. The application of remote sensing techniques cannot be solely applied, but in combination with ancillary data.
Due to the fact that carbon dioxide is considered to be the indicator of vegetation recovery and burning severity of fire, ancillary technique should also involve carbon mapping as well which will back up the date collected form remotely sensed images (Asner 2).
Such devices are quite relevant and applicable to the temporal analysis of vegetation because carbon spectral patterns of change can also be the signifiers of vegetation recovery stage. In particular, carbon densities can be easily correlated with burning severities, and vegetation recovery, and species analysis. More importantly, the carbon analysis includes the acquisition of maps depicting types of forest, disturbance, and deforestation.
Remote sensing techniques are also applicable to temporal analysis of vegetation patterns. In this regard, Murtaugh and Philips provide a bivariate binary model for evaluating the shifts in land cover with the help of satellite images received at different times (99).
Such classification is aimed at correlating random variables that are dependent on the pixel resolution. Importantly, the researchers have applied to Landsat imaging for pixel classification and its correlation with land cover changes.
Cohen and Goward also emphasize the importance of using remote sensing to assess temporal and spatial characteristics of ecological environment (535). In the particular, they used date obtained from Landsat sensors for constructing biogeochemical cycles and for characterizing vegetation biophysical attributes with regard to biodiversity.
The research find remote sensing valid and reliable for analyzing vegetation and land cover change. In contrast, Ravan and Roy consider it necessary to introduce Geographic information systems for the analysis of various vegetation patterns and obtaining relevant information (129). The combined approach is much more efficient in detecting such characteristics as vegetation shape, size, patch density and porosity.
The research results has revealed significant different between different zones of Madhav National Part of India (Ravan and Roy 130). The structural analysis has provided vegetation recovery also largely dependent of biomass distribution and species diversity. Arising from this research, remote sensing and GIS can be successfully applicable to the temporal analysis of vegetation providing more accurate information.
Innes and Koch state that remote sensing is considered the most efficient tool in assessing vegetation, and other biophysical characteristics such as structural criteria of forest stands, the canopy type and the present of coarse woody debris (397). The researchers emphasize that it is possibly to rely solely on remote sensing when investigating the spatial and temporal characteristics of vegetations.
Interesting discoveries are offered by Turner, Ollinger, and Kimball who also approve remote sensing techniques for evaluating spatial characteristics of vegetation (574). In particular, the researchers resort to remote sensing tools and ecosystem modeling to study the terrestrial carbon cycling.
Pursuant to remote sensing limitation, explain that this device is constantly upgrading and it is possible to select the appropriate resolution of images to analyze the reflectance properties of vegetation and assess biogeochemical processes controlling carbon transformation.
In general, the majority of the above-described researchers prove that remote sensing is one of the most efficient instruments in conducting the assessment of vegetation recovery with regard to its temporal and spatial characteristics. Nevertheless, the analysis will be much more successful if to apply this technique together with GIS approach.
Overall Recommendations and Conclusion
The analysis of image obtained by remote sensing allows to detect various patterns of vegetation recovery with regard to temporal characteristics. The Yellowstone National Park has been analyzed in three various time – 1989, 1999, and 2010. The image obtained from Landsat TM, ISODATA being an ancillary mechanism revealed that there significant changes in vegetation recovery patterns in relation to temporal characteristics.
In addition, classification scheme of vegetation used to shrub land, herbaceous vegetation, sparse vegetation, and bare land has turned out to be flexible and relevant for the research. The presented research proves conducted by Jakubauska and Price (1375)
The results have also show that vegetation recovery patterns are closely connected with burning severity of fire. Importantly, the spectral analysis and Landsat TM show biophysical characteristics of burnt areas. The evaluation has also succeeded in defining the changes of species allocation on the territory of Yellowstone National Park. The technical approach used for the data analysis still had some limitations.
In particular, it was difficult information without geographic information system because some characteristics were impossible to detect, such carbon dioxide cycle. Nevertheless, the classification of species was successfully identified and carefully analyzed with regard to temporal characteristics.
In future, we plan to investigate this area and other territories, but with another combination of techniques either to justify or disapprove the effectiveness of those as compared with the above presented ones. This area is quite wide and, therefore, there is much store for investigation.
Works Cited
Asner, Gregory P. Tropical Forest Carbon Assessment: Integrating Satellite and Airborne Mapping Approaches. Environmental Research Letters 4 (2009):1-11
Cohen, Warren D., and Samuel N. Goward. Landsat’s Role in Ecological Applications of Remote Sensing. BioScience. 54.6 (2004): 535-545.
Debinski, D. M. and Kindscher, K., and Mark Jakubauskas. A Remote Sensing and GIS-based model of habitats and biodiversity in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosysyem. Journal of Remote Sensing. 20.17 (1999): 3281-3291.
Gould, William. Remote Sensing of Vegetation, Plant Species Richness, and Regional Biodiversity Hotspots. Ecological Applications. 10.6 (2000): 1861-1870.
Innes John L., and Barbara Koch. Forest Biodiversity and Its Assessment by Remote Sensing. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters. 7.6 (1998): 397-419.
Jakubauskas, Mark, and Kevin P. Price. Empirical Relationships between Structural and Spectral Factors of Yellowstone Lodgepole Pine Forests. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. 63.12 (1997, December): 1375-1381
Kennedy, Pam. Biomass Burning Studies: The Use of Remote Sensing. Ecological Bulletins. 15 (1992): 133-148.
Murtaugh, Paul A. and Donald L. Philips. Temporal Correlation of Classification in Remote Sensing. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics. 3.1. (1999, March): 99-110
Ravan, Shirish, A., and P. S. Roy. Satellite Remote Sensing for Ecological Analysis of Forested Landscape. Plant Ecology. 131.2 (1997): 129-141;
Savage, Shannon L., and Rick L. Lawrence. Vegetation Dynamics in Yellostone’s Northern Range: 1985 to 1999. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing. 76.5 (2010): 547-556.
Turner, David P., Ollinger Scott V., and John S. Kimball. Integrating Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Process Models for Landscape- to Regional-Scale Analysis of the Carbon Cycle. BioScience. 54.6 (2004, June): 573-584.
Turner, Monica G., Hargrove Willia W., Gardiner Robert H., and William H. Romme. Effects of fire on landscape heterogeneity in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Journal of Vegetation Science. 5 (1994): 731-742.
Turner, Woody, Spector Sasha, Gardiner Ned, Fladeland Matthew, Sterling Eleanor, and Mark Steininger. Remote Sensing for Biodiversity Science and Conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 18.6. (2003, June): 306-314
White, Joseph D., Ryan, Kevin C., Key, Carl C., and Steven W. Running. Remote Sensing of Forest Fire Severity and Vegetation Recovery. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 6.1 (1996): 125-136.
Wright, Christ and Alisa Gallant. Improved Wetland Remote Sensing in Yellowstone National Park Using Classification Trees to Combine TM imagery and Ancillary Environmental Data. Remote Sensing of Environment. 107 (2007): 582-605.
Yosemite National Park can be found in the Northern California, in the counties of Mariposa, Madera, and Tuolumne, and is located across the western side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is a worldwide-known national park which is comprised of breathtaking landscapes including cliffs, rocky intrusions, waterfalls, and dales. These landscapes were formed over hundreds of millions of year to stand as they do today. In this paper, the history of the geological formation of the park and its contemporary geological features will be discussed.
The bedrock of Yosemite National Park, which consists mainly of granite, was mainly formed approximately 100 million years ago in a subduction zone (Glazner and Stock, 2013). Before the subduction, this area was a part of a continental margin; being in the shallow waters led to the formation of sedimentary rocks that were later subjected to metamorphism. At a certain point, the Farallon tectonic plate started going under the North American Plate (Waltham, 2012).
This process, together with the volcanic activity resulting from it, caused the formation of a number of volcanic islands located to the west from the North American coast. Later, these volcanic isles were again covered by magma because of the volcanic activity, which led to the beginning of the formation of the batholiths, intrusive igneous rocks, which later shaped the contemporary Sierra Nevada mountains. Also, a number of volcanic eruptions took place somewhat later, which became the cause of the territories located to the north of the contemporary Yosemite National Park being covered with magmatic rocks (Huber, 2007).
Approximately 10 million years ago tectonic movements started raising the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, which also resulted in the increased amounts of water currents going downwards and leading to the quicker formation of valleys and canyons. Nearly two million years ago, the pace of the Sierra Nevada’s rising increased further. It is also noteworthy that the granite mountains, due to being raised, started being influenced by higher pressure, which led to the spalling of the rocks. Also, landslides started taking place, which caused the cracks in the intrusive rocks (Huber, 2007).
It is stated that the formation of the Yosemite National Park’s landscape was also significantly influenced by glaciers. For instance, Yosemite Valley and some other well-known territories in the Sierra Nevada were formed due to the glacial erosion; glaciers moved downwards from mountains or peaks either by sliding or by deformation, and eroded the landscape by plucking or abrasion (Glazner and Stock, 2013).
The melting glaciers also very often led to the formation of moraines, which are nowadays often filled with water, thus forming lakes. Today, however, glaciers are few, and they occupy only the highest points of the area. It is stressed that approximately 500 glaciers were to be found in the Sierra Nevada in 1980, but even in 1999, this number was smaller, due to the effects of the global warming in particular (Kiver and Harris, 1999).
This geological history led to the formation of the contemporary Yosemite National Park’s geological characteristics. On the whole, it should be emphasized that a distinctive feature of the landscape of the Yosemite territories is a significant amount of bare, exposed granite (which also leads to the sparse vegetation in the area). It is also important to stress that the term “granite” is very general and includes various kinds of minerals such as diorites, granodiorites, tonalities; these are present inside the ten plutons which can be found in the walls of the Yosemite Valley (Waltham, 2012). The geological composition of the area is shown in Fig 1.
Figure 1. A map showing the main topographical features of the Yosemite Valley, and its bedrock geology (Waltham, 2012).
Another noteworthy feature of the Yosemite rocky formations is the continuous exfoliation of the rock masses. The exfoliation takes place due to the expansion of the rock resulting from the relief of the confining pressure. As a result of this, the curved joints of the Yosemite emerge; when erosion removes the exfoliated layers of the granite, new joints come into existence, and they become more and more rounded with time (Waltham, 2012).
As it was noted, glaciers and rivers also influenced the Yosemite’s landscape. Rivers led to the formation of valleys and canyons, and glaciers also added to their depth. Another effect of the presence of the glaciers is the polished granite on the slopes from which the glaciers were moving down (Glazner and Stock, 2013). Yosemite is also famous for its waterfalls (Cook, 2011); the movement of the water continues to shape the landscape of the national park nowadays (Waltham, 2012).
It also should be emphasized that erosion, which is also caused by rainfalls, earthquakes, and high levels of groundwater, can trigger rock slides and rock avalanches (Putirka, 2013); these can lead to fatalities and damage to property (Harp et al., 2008).
To sum up, it should be stressed that the history of the Yosemite’s landscape began nearly a hundred million years ago in a continental margin that was later raised due to subduction. Volcanic activity and tectonic movements led to the formation of the Sierra Nevada, and the Yosemite with it. Erosion and glaciers shaped numerous features of the landscape as it is known today. As a result, the area with its mountains, granite intrusions, and valleys was formed.
References
Cook, Robert B. “Geology Underfoot in Yosemite National Park by Allen F. Glazner and Greg M. Stock.” Rocks & Minerals 86.1 (2011): 71. MasterFILE Premier. Web.
Glazner, Allen F., and Greg M. Stock. Geology Underfoot in Yosemite National Park. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2013. Print.
Harp, Edwin L., Mark E. Reid, Jonathan W. Godt, Jerome V. DeGraff, and Alan J. Gallegos. “Ferguson Rock Slide Buries California State Highway Near Yosemite National Park.” Landslides 5.3 (2008): 331-337. ProQuest. Web.
Huber, N. King. Geological Ramblings in Yosemite. Berkeley, CA: Heyday, 2007. Print.
Kiver, Eugene. P., and David V. Harris. Geology of U.S. Parklands. 5th ed. 1999. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Print.
Putirka, Keith. D., ed. Geologic Excursions from Fresno, California, and the Central Valley: A Tour of California’s Iconic Geology. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, 2013. Print.
Every year Yellowstone National Park attracts numerous visitors who come not only from the USA but also from a range of foreign countries. It looks so alluringly to the public mainly because of the fact that it is located on a fiery mass of magma that used to cause terrible extinctions (Daniel, 2015). Nowadays, a threat of detonation still exists, which makes people willing to see the park and experience the emotions they cannot feel being elsewhere.
Yellowstone became the first national park of the USA at the end of the 1800s under the rule of President Ulysses S. Grant (“Park Geology”, 2005). It is mostly located in Wyoming (96%) but also reaches the territory of two other states. The bigger part can be found in Montana (3%) while its smallest part is in Idaho (1%). Thus, it seems to be clear that the park covers a huge area. Geography expert Amanda Britney states that Yellowstone is almost 9,000 sq km, and it is made up of “various geothermal features like geysers, as well as mountains, lakes, canyons and rivers” (2014).
The park was explored many times starting with the beginning of the 1800s so that today a lot of information about its geography, geology, flora and fauna is available for scientists and the general public. It was concluded that while the whole territory of the park extends through three states, 5% of it refers to the bodies of water. Yellowstone Lake is considered to be the largest reservoir that covers about 350 sq km.
Even though its depth is not consistent, the average measure is 42 m while the deepest point equals 120 m. Lake’s altitude elevation is almost 2,360 m, which allows to claim that it is the highest lake in the Northern part of the USA. The rest of the park is represented mainly by forests, but grassland can be also found in some places. Except for that, there are lots of mountains and canyons, which cause variations in altitude that result in climate changes (Britney, 2014).
Being located on the North American plate that used to move due to the tectonic changes, the park got its unique geography. “The Washburn Range in Yellowstone forms the skyline between canyon village and tower fall” (“Yellowstone National Park”, 2013, para. 7). The old road can lead the visitors through the park, allowing them to reach the summit of Mt. Washburn at 3,122 m. A dark breccia can be found in this way. It consists of angular volcanic stones and was formed about 50 million years ago.
The park is full of volcanic mudflows. They form the Washburn Range and other mountains deposited more than 10 million years ago. Mount Washburn and Sheridan are not far away. The Washburn Range seems to be a residue of a larger range that was expanding to the south of the current location and belonged to the Absaroka volcanic field. It also forms the mountainous terrain. The rock between Dunraven Pass and Canyon Village is rhyolite. It differs from the volcanic rocks of Mount Washburn greatly as it consists of the lava form of granite.
Canyon Village is built on one of the tens of rhyolite lava flows (“Old Faithful”, 2016). Elephant Back Mountain is located on the other one. In this way, they created the plateau between Canyon Village and Norris. “Flows enclose Lewis and Shoshone lakes; they form the wooded boundaries of the geyser basins” (“Yellowstone National Park”, 2013, para. 11).
When analyzing radioactive elements of lava flows between the Washburn Range and the Red Mountains, it was found that their age is 500,000 years or even less while Absaroka volcanic exist for about 50 million years and is much older. For a long time, professionals who studied the geology of Yellowstone were reluctant to admit a striking difference in the age of the breccia and lava flows related to the plateau. Only in the middle of the 1900s, the current version occurred under the guidance of Francis Boyd.
This place is also full of geysers and hot springs. Scientists believe that they occurred because of geologic instability and the hotspot. Old Faithful is known to the majority of the public as the greatest geyser; still there are hundreds of them on the territory of the park. It erupts once an hour as a rule but generally the intervals vary from half an hour to 2 hours.
It is also indicative that earthquakes happen on the territory of Yellowstone from time to time. Some of them are small, and people do not even notice them as a rule. However, several were of magnitudes 6.0 and greater; they are able to cause geyser eruptions and landslides (“Park Geology”, 2005).
Thus, it can be concluded that the geology of Yellowstone National Park is varied, which attracts not only numerous travelers but also professionals willing to deepen into the history of this place. The park is known for volcanism, geysers, hot springs, canyons, and many other remarkable things, the age of which differs greatly.
Anthropology is the study of humans and their cultural, sociocultural, environmental, and geographical dimensions of survival in the past and present. Enhanced applicability of historical context nurtures traditional aboriginal production. It encourages reproduction, repetition, research, and recreation of items and sites to develop a worldwide presence and develop indigenous identity. Tourism is critical for heritage conservation and the sustainability of local culture. Culture is increasingly crucial to the tourism business, adding to its distinctiveness in a worldwide market. Conversely, tourism is crucial for fostering culture and producing cash that may be used to further the promotion and enhancement of national heritage, cultural activity, and innovation. Historic architecture and monuments can be considered an attraction for tourism growth, which functions as a platform for stressing the quality of the ambiance and recreation activities. However, the unregulated quantity and intensity of tourists regularly degrades the environment’s quality and jeopardizes the ecosystem’s functions of the national park.
Introduction
Anthropology is the science that examines people and their historical, sociological, ecological, and geographical facets of existence in the past and modern. Cultural anthropology forms the four subfields of anthropology: archeology, biochemical and biophysical anthropology, and linguistics. Evolutionary psychologists are experts in culture and individuals’ ideals, customs, and psychological and behavioral organization. As a conversation, a cultural legacy has been ingrained in a community through mythology and hallowed locations, and the creation of a historic environment. Cultural legacy components are progressively being converted into financial power, allowing towns, communities, and countries to participate in worldwide economic transactions such as barter and tourism. Increased relevance of cultural history fosters traditional indigenous output and promotes replication, duplication, exploration, and recreating of artifacts and sites to establish their place on the global map and generate local identities. This paper aims to develop an inquiry process into Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado by highlighting the impacts of tourism on the historical site and the residents’ local culture.
Inquiry Process
The relevant assertions explain why the elements and qualities of Mesa Verde National Park are significant enough to deserve national park unit classification. Arguments of importance explain why a particular topic is significant from a global, provincial, local, and comprehensive system perspective. These assertions are connected to the park unit’s mission and are backed up by facts, investigation, and agreement. For example, Mesa Verde, being the first national park devoted entirely to the achievements of prehistoric civilization, was instrumental in establishing the field of restoration archeology. This illustrious tradition stretches all the way back to the early years of the conservation area, with key publications by famous scholars, and it remains an integral aspect of park management today. In addition, the park being a historic preservation site, attracts most tourists from all walks of life.
Annual listings of World Heritage Site (WHS) assets and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) components are published by UNESCO’s cultural delegations in Paris. Conversely, while the primary goal of these UNESCO acknowledgments is to protect and maintain these sites, they have frequently resulted in a considerable surge in travelers (Santa-Cruz, Francisco, and Tomás, 2017). The increase is particularly from neighboring nations to these locations, establishing a strong link between these designations and tourism (Santa-Cruz, Francisco, and Tomás, 2017). Thus, it is counterintuitive that, while UNESCO’s primary goal in designating WHS is to encourage their conservation and preservation, certain places place a higher premium on visitor growth (Dans, Eva, and Pablo, 2018). In this sense, heritage becomes a crucial factor in visitors’ decision to visit a specific area. Moreover, there has been a rise in concern about the effects of tourism on historical monuments in recent years. Thus, it is vital to bolstering scientific research on the features of heritage tourism.
Discussion
Tourism is an essential factor when it comes to historic preservation and the culture of residents. Additionally, tourism presents both positive and negative effects on heritage and cultural sites. The positive influences work towards the improvement and sustainability of the place. On the other hand, adverse impacts are seen to threaten the continued existence of the tourist attraction site. Under this section, the essay analyzes the various effects tourism has had on Mesa Verde National Park and the culture of people living around the cultural site.
Impacts of Tourism on Local Culture
Culture is becoming an exceptionally crucial component of the tourism industry, contributing to its uniqueness in a competitive globalized economy. Simultaneously, tourism is critical for promoting culture and generating revenue that may be used to promote and enhance cultural identity, cultural output, and creativity (Chen et al. 498). In both the short and long term, the influx of transient visitors with different aims and capabilities than the native population affects the local society and its people’s standard of living and culture (Chen et al. 499). Numerous beneficial and destructive repercussions have been recorded in areas where tourism has developed enormously. The higher the society’s reliance on tourism, the more likely inhabitants and the local tourist sector are to modify local customs and behaviors to accommodate visitors’ wants (Chang et al. 2). Any progress entails some degree of intervention with nature, and thus, overdevelopment is detrimental to nature. There is a possibility that the native flora and animals may be harmed. Local residents have been displaced due to a lack of coastal development.
With more individuals in a region, more ecological resources may be required, resulting in biodiversity loss. Landfill disposal issues arise, and if not appropriately addressed, they can deteriorate the situation (Chang et al. 10). Due to increased foot traffic, increased transportation, increased noise, and inappropriate, illegal dumping, pollution levels in the area rise, disrupting the region’s natural balance. Due to the region’s significant traffic, the infrastructure may not keep up with the increasing demand, resulting in overcrowding, poor cleanliness, and illness outbreaks among visitors and locals (Chang et al. 10). The presence of strangers in the region can disrupt the indigenous culture and cause discontent among the populace. Residents may adopt tourist-style lives due to the demonstration impact, resulting in the erosion of indigenous cultural practices (Chang et al. 12). Specific individuals may engage in illegal activity to profit from visitors, resulting in a rise in crime and anti-social behavior, as well as a degradation of cultural and ethical values.
Impacts of Tourism on Historical Preservation
A progressive feedback system defines the interaction between historic preservation and the condition of the surrounding environment. Historic structures and monuments may be viewed as a magnet for tourist development, which in turn serves as a vehicle for emphasizing the atmosphere’s quality and recreational areas. The unrestricted volume and concentration of tourists frequently harm the ecosystem’s quality and endanger the heritage ecological diversity. Therefore, the following, as discussed herein, are the various impacts tourism has on historic preservation. First, contamination within cultural heritage sites occurs due to inadequate environmental considerations in building designs, resulting in an unstable environment from an urban scape perspective (Sawant 2017). As a result, advertising for some activities such as motels, eateries, and recreational spaces that are established as profitable primarily results in the transformation of the surroundings, whether from an aesthetic or commercial standpoint.
Second, tourism aids in the repair and maintenance of historic structures and places. Thus, this is accomplished by collecting admission fees, merchandise sales, and contributions (Fu 2019). International tourism has boosted efforts to restore and preserve historical buildings and monuments in the USA. For instance, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and the Olympic National Park in Washington are among the most famous historical sites in the country. Lastly, increased affluence of economic operations, leisure time, and urban growth, alone or in combination, all exert pressure on historically significant locations utilized for tourist development, particularly those that incorporate natural habitats (Fu 2019). These forces may wreak havoc on the natural ecosystem through trash, contamination, erosion, plant biodiversity loss, animal eviction, and widespread misuse. When these issues grow prevalent, the affected region may be demolished.
Conclusion
The information that anthropology imparts is priceless, particularly in the interconnected age. Individuals from many origins come into incredible encounters in various situations, from tourism to movement and institutional work. Anthropology helps the study of every element of human activity. Furthermore, it enables individuals to understand themselves, their past, current, and future. Anthropology enhances the global community to communicate with one another. Culture is increasingly essential to the tourist business, adding to its distinctiveness in a worldwide market. Conversely, tourism is crucial for fostering culture and producing cash that may be utilized to promote further and enhance national heritage, cultural production, and innovation. For instance, numerous helpful and detrimental consequences have been documented in locations where tourism has exploded in popularity.
Tourism contributes to the rehabilitation and preservation of ancient buildings and locations. Thus, entry fees, retail sales, and donations are used to attain this. Mesa Verde National Park is a dynamic connection between the past and the present, reflecting the breadth of humanity. Verde’s protected areas serve as an environmental laboratory for studying the museum’s diverse species composition, natural environment, formation, and physical functions while preserving wilderness characteristics and stunning views. However, individuals may embrace tourist-style lifestyles due to the demonstration’s influence, eroding local traditional customs. People may participate in unlawful activities to benefit from tourists, increasing criminality, sociopathic behavior, and deterioration of moral and social norms. Additionally, the uncontrolled quantity and intensity of tourists regularly degrade the ecosystem’s integrity and jeopardize the natural variety of the cultural legacy.
References
Chang, Kaowen Grace, Hungju Chien, Hungyao Cheng, and Hsin-I. Chen. 2018. “The Impacts of Tourism Development in Rural Indigenous Destinations: An Investigation of the Local Residents’ Perception Using Choice Modeling.” Sustainability 10(12): 1-15.
Chen, Joseph S., Wei Wang, Oystein Jensen, Hyangmi Kim, and Wan-Yu Liu. 2021. “Perceived Impacts of Tourism in the Arctic.” Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change 19(4): 494-508.
Dans, Eva Parga, and Pablo Alonso González. 2018. “The Altamira Controversy: Assessing the Economic Impact of a World Heritage Site for Planning and Tourism Management.” Journal of Cultural Heritage no. 30, 180-189.
Fu, Xiaoxiao. 2019. “Existential Authenticity and Destination Loyalty: Evidence from Heritage Tourists.” Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, no. 12, 84-94.
Santa-Cruz, Francisco González, and Tomás López-Guzmán. 2017. “Culture, Tourism and World Heritage Sites.” Tourism Management Perspectives no. 24, 111-116.
Sawant, Madhuri. 2018. “Socio-economic impacts of tourism development at Aurangabad district.” Research & Consultancy, Marathwada University: Aurangabad, India. 1-8.
This is a descriptive essay on a national park. I chose a national park situated in a country which is well known for its fauna and flora to make the whole descriptive process great and beautiful. Nairobi National Park receives thousands of tourists from Europe and America; they flock into this country to admire the natural beauty of the national park. The free roaming wildlife and beautiful scenery at the park provide a great opportunity for a beautiful descriptive essay to be written.
Nairobi National Park
Nairobi national park was the fist to be established in Kenya in 1946 during the British colonial reign in the then East Africa region. The national park sits on a vast piece of land covering over 117 square kilometers. It is surrounded by an electric fence all round to contain the animals within the park and keep off poachers and any other intruders.
The park can be accessed through seven gates though two are only used by the Kenya Wildlife Services officials only. The park has an animal orphanage where young animals left behind by their parents are kept: life at the park is survival for the fittest and if, for instance, a zebra is ambushed by a leopard it has to outrun the leopard otherwise it turns into a good leopard food.
The position of the park is very strategic as it only takes less than ten minutes drive to be at the downtown of the capital city. For international visitors, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport can be used and for those with light aircrafts the Wilson airstrip will be handy.
The park offers extremely beautiful features; all around within the park are trees of different species with different characteristics, there are thick bushes and the grass is either green or dry depending on the season at hand. With a pair of binocular, birds can be seen hovering over the bushes with some trying to outdo each other through their songs.
If the binoculars has sharp lens, then you are likely to see a race between a bird and an insect with the bird defeating its prey in most cases. If you project your eyes beyond the horizon of the park you will see Nairobi’s tall buildings. If you farther raise you head up you will see a light aircraft passing over the park on its way to an airstrip which is nearby. The park is relatively dry but has a rich collection of fauna and flora.
There are streams which run through the park and more often than not animals are witnessed coming to quench their thirst at these streams. This happens most in the afternoons when the sun is a bit strong.
The Park Flora and Fauna
The park environment mainly consists of an open plain consisting of grass with an average height of one meter from the ground. It is like hundreds of soccer pitches laid next to each other. Herbivorous like buffaloes, zebras, antelopes among others feed on this grass. The grass is also used tactically by the big cats especially the lions and leopards.
One thing that a careful observer will note is that the herbivorous will always appear distracted; they never absolutely focus on feeding on the grass, they keep on jabbing their heads up- it is the rule of this place.
A leopard can keep its body as low as an envelop and move stealthily towards a grazing zebra and if the zebra is not on the look out it is caught unawares but if its sixth sense raises an alarm the leopard will have lost the day – it is survival for the fittest. Watching the unfolding of all these through binoculars is unbelievable; it makes the experience at this place memorable (KWS 1).
The park tracks are not tarmac and off road vehicles are often used in cruising through the park. Driving at relatively high speeds through the park tracks creates a good experience and elevates the feel of cool air cool as it brushes over your face incase you are viewing the park through the roof of the car. The animals at this place are the greatest treasure. It these animals which have made park what it is.
Park Activity Options
The park has selected spots where picnics can be held. Some of the picnic activities which can be carried out in the picnic sites include bush dinners, team building sessions, weddings, video and filming sessions. The park also maintains a three star restaurant where visitors to the park enjoy their meals while enjoying the view of the park.
The picnic spots are quite awesome and everything about them is great. The sites are quiet, the air is cool and sun is not very strong – it presents the right environment for outdoor activities. Playing badminton might be disappointing because the winds are likely to take the shuttlecock on a tour.
Soccer and volleyball will be good options and probably hide and seek is not a bad idea as the bushes around the picnic sites can perfectly offers some hiding spots. Holding a wedding in this place will be unforgettable experience.
For a wedding it will be advisable that the months of April through October are avoided as they are quite wet. The picnic sites are not very nice during the wet months as the ground is often wet and it is always raining. During the dry period, the ground is dry and one can sit down comfortably (KWS 1).
Within the park, there is a safari walk. This consists of a long trail of a pavement made of wood; the pavement which is raised above the ground by an average of eight meters. The pavement meanders in an ox-bow manner through trees and bushes; walking over this pavement gives a feeling of walking through the sky.
Conclusion
Nairobi National Park is a great place. It offers a great scenic view which leaves an unforgettable experience. The ever flourishing vegetation makes the place appear evergreen. Trees are all over, the grass stand tall and bushes are spread around.
The place provides one great and detailed ecosystem which sustains itself in an amazing wonderful manner: predators depend on the herbivores for their food and herbivores in turn depend on the vegetation for food. The park management has done great to enhance the beauty and entertainment value of the park by creating picnic sites and a safari walk.
The safari walk and the picnic sites give a great opportunity for people to relax in a soothing environment which is quiet and with a lot of fresh air. The park is a great place to visit.
Work Cited
KWS. Nairobi National Park. Kenya Wildlife Service, 2011. Web.
This is a report on the Grand Canyon National Park. This report covers the diversity of life forms found in this region and the biological interrelationship that exists among them. Light is shade on the effect of human intrusion and protection measures that have been taken to reduce the intrusion. Suggestions are made on what ought to be done to preserve the region from human encroachment. The report sends a warning on what is likely to happen if human intrusions are allowed to go on without being checked.
Diversity of Life Forms
The Grand Canyon National Park has been described as a “world heritage site” (Nature & Science, 2010, Para. 1). It is located in northwestern Arizona at the Colorado Plateau and covers approximately 1, 218, 375 acres. The Grand Canyon National park is richly diverse in life forms. Scientists have identified several major ecosystems at the park. It has been reported that the biological diversity in this park is sustained by the five life zones namely “Lower Sonoran, Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian” (Nature & Science, 2010, Para. 1) and three desserts. The park has been described as an ecological refuge sustaining “undisturbed remnants of dwindling ecosystems” (Nature & Science, 2010, Para. 1) which include the “boreal forest and desert riparian communities” (Nature & Science, 2010, Para. 1). The park is famed for hosting some of the rarest and endangered animal and plant species on earth. In general the park hosts “over 1,500 plant, 355 bird, 89 mammalian, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian, and 17 fish species” (Nature & Science, 2010, Para. 1).
Biological Interrelationships
It is worth noting that the natural setting at the park plays a significant role in ensuring that the ecosystems survive in this region. For instance, it has been noted that the range of elevation displayed by the landscape has made it possible for a multitude of habitats to be formed where wildlife can strive well. The springs and seeps out of the canyon walls sustain eleven percent of the plants in the park. It has been reported that the canyon has acted as a barrier to some species for instance the tasseled eared squirrels. The amphibians in these regions use the Colorado River for breeding purposes. The region contains over 373 species of birds. The birds feed on insects and some feed on fish from the Colorado River. The peregrine falcons have been said to feed on “bats, swifts, and suitable eyrie sites” (Nature & Science, 2010, Para. 1) which are reported to be available in plenty along the river Colorado. The condors have been reported to be opportunistic scavengers feeding on dead animals. There are 33 species of crustaceans in the Colorado River that serve as a significant source of food for the larval rainbow trout, benthic invertebrates larval bluehead and flannelmouth suckers. The mammals in this region feed on vegetation while others like the bats feed on insects along the river. The lions feed on animals such as dears (Nature & Science, 2010). In general, the vegetation provides food for a few herbivores such as dears which are in turn feed by lions and foxes. The carcasses left behind are food for some birds such as the condors. Other birds mainly feed on insects while others on bats and fish.
Human Intrusions
Human intrusion comes in a variety of forms. The national park management is doing its best to educate visitors who frequent the park on the proper management of the wildlife. UNEP (2009) has raised concerns about the number of visitors who frequent the park. It has been argued that the presence of “four to five million annual visitors, their vehicles and wastes, are gradually degrading the Park’s resources both natural and cultural” (UNEP, 2009, para. 1). Visitors are prohibited from feeding animals as this will make them lose their hunting skills. Visitors are also advised not to let lose their pets as they are likely to kill the young ones of animals and can also get killed by aggressive animals. Fishing without a license is prohibited. It has been reported that logging activities elsewhere have threatened the Goshawks and spotted owls (Nature & Science, 2010; Newsome, Moore, & Dowling, 2002).
More intrusions have been comprehensively noted by UNEP
Alien flora and fauna which compete with and sometimes exclude native plants are being systematically extirpated although they number 171 species, and campaigns have been needed to eliminate the feral burros and introduced trout. Destructive fires are reduced by thinning the forests which will allow the beneficial use of controlled burns. The air quality is affected by coal-powered plants in the region and copper smelters in Northern Mexico; regional haze results which can cut visibility by two-thirds. The construction of Glen Canyon dam upstream noticeably reduced the rate of water flow and the amounts of silt and sediment carried down Colorado, lowering the rate and pattern of sediment aggradation and the camping beaches used by river-runners; it has also affected the breeding of sediment-adapted native fish and reproduction of flood-dispersed cottonwoods, favoring invasion by exotic clearwater fish and the proliferation of tamarisk. (UNEP, 2009, para. 1)
The Protections that exist for Safeguarding and Preserving
The Grand Canyon region is under the jurisdiction of the Federal government. The Federal government manages the region through “the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of Land Management, all in the Department of the Interior, and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture” (UNEP, para. 1). Since 1924 the region has been continuously under management with various plans being implemented since then. The park management is based on laws that established the National Park Service. In some of the management activities, local citizens and volunteers have been involved (Graf, 2002). Useful divisions of the region have been carried out for management efficiency:
The Park has been zoned for management purposes. These comprise a natural zone including a proposed Wilderness area (over 90%); Havasupai Uselands and non-wilderness areas and corridors; and a Development zone. Studies of potential boundary adjustments may result in recommendations to revise park boundaries. (UNEP, 2009, para. 1)
Efforts that have been made to further this Preservation
There are many programs run within the Grand Canyon National Park meant to ensure the area is preserved. A good example is the wildlife program which aims at preserving native wildlife populations. The program also aims at reducing the level of human intrusion in the park. Under the program biologists have carried out studies to understand the ecosystem in the park; this knowledge will make it possible for better management of the park (National Park Service, 2008).
Some of the additional activities which can be used to enhance the preservation of the region include planting more of the native plants in regions where they do not exist. There should replanting of regions that are distressed and creation of hiking paths. Appeals should be made to volunteers and the rich to help in the preservation activities. Fundraising activities should be encouraged to fund activities such as the Glen Canyon Dam which has made it possible for floods to be controlled and led to the growth of plants in regions not habitable before.
What will be lost if the human intrusion goes unchecked
It has been noted that already a lot has been lost due to human activities:
Human activities in the Grand Canyon region have eliminated or seriously reduced many of its large predator populations, including black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and Colorado River otters. Of these animals, the Colorado River otter was restricted to the Colorado River drainage and is now likely extinct. It was never abundant in historic times and did not receive Federal designation under the Endangered Species Act. Despite occasional reported sightings of Colorado River otters in the Grand Canyon, no reliable documentation existed since the 1970s, and recent searches for this otter species have been unsuccessful. The causes of the probable extinction of Colorado River otters include habitat fragmentation, inbreeding, and trapping. (The Grand Canyon National Park Foundation, 2005, para. 1)
If human activities are not regulated then more species are prone to be eliminated. It should be noted that once a species is eliminated it cannot be replaced forever. It is wise if human intrusion which comes in the form of tourism and other means is kept at minimal levels to avoid disturbance of fauna and flora (Roos, Gibbons, & Jones, 2008). It should be noted that any system survives by interdependence. The ecosystem in this region cannot survive if some of its constituents are disturbed or eliminated. Disturbance of some of the elements in the ecosystem will lead to loss of balance of the whole ecosystem which might be catastrophic in the region.
Conclusion
The Grand Canyon National Park is a rich heritage site located in northwestern Arizona at the Colorado Plateau and covers approximately 1, 218, 375 acres. The park is famed for hosting some of the rarest and endangered animal and plant species on earth. It has been observed that the biological interrelationships in this region are quite detailed. For instance, it has been noted that the range of elevation displayed by the landscape has made it possible for a multitude of habitats to be formed where wildlife can strive well. The vegetation provides food for a few herbivores such as dears which are in turn fed on by lions and foxes. The carcasses left behind are food for some birds such as the condors. Other birds mainly feed on insects while others on bats and fish. The bats feed on insects. The insects live along the river because of the water. Water sustains crustaceans which are in turn fed on by fish and some larvae.
Concerns have been raised about the intrusion of human activities in the region and the effect it has on the region. As a precautionary measure, tourists are advised not to feed animals as this will interfere with their natural feeding habits. The region is managed by the Federal government. A number of programs are run in the region to step up preservation measures and save flora and fauna species from extinction. Already some species have been eliminated and the authorities are working hard to educate people on the significance of the ecosystem and taking measures to avoid further losses.
References
Graf, M. (2002). Grand Canyon National Park. New York, NY: Capstone Press.
Nature & Science. (2010). Grand Canyon.National Park Service. Web.
Newsome, D., Moore, S., & Dowling, R. (2002). Natural area tourism: ecology, impacts, and management. New York, NY: Channel View Publications.
Roos, C., Gibbons, B., & Jones, S. (2008). The Grand Canyon and the American Southwest: Trekking in the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. New York, NY: Cicerone.
The Grand Canyon National Park Foundation. (2005). River Otter Reintroduction Feasibility Study. The Grand Canyon National Park Foundation. Web.
UNEP. (2009). Grand Canyon National Park, United States. The Encyclopedia of Earth. Web.
The concept of the ranger is ancient. The professions similar to this appeared all over the world – in Africa, Asia and Europe. The rangers of all times had the same basic functions and purposes – to protect and patrol the lands belonging to their country.
The history of American rangers counts at least three hundred and fifty years. The first rangers were used to fight England in the times when the American Revolution was happening. The first groups of American rangers consisted of civilian volunteers willing to help preserve and protect the park territories and people there.
The National Park Service has been closely connected to the U. S. Army. The fellowship of the protectors of the national parks has a noble heritage that lasts for generations. These special people deserve admiration for the desire to protect all kinds of parks on the territory of the country with devotion and vigilance (Farabee, 8). The task of the National Park Service is to preserve the beauty of the diversity of the land.
The protectors, which are called rangers, carry multiple functions and serve as managers, firemen, educators, policemen, rescuers, and caretakers (Farabee, 11). There are many disciplines and occupations a ranger could devote their career to. There is a broad range of responsibilities for the rangers to manage, and this is why they are a great help for their country.
During their career park rangers are involved in many missions, investigations, and rescues that can be dangerous for their lives. These people are heroes; they are brave, wise, and highly professional. To choose a career of a ranger, a person needs to have a sophisticated and sharp mind, be ready to face difficulties and love people and nature.
In its early history, the park protection service had many troubles due to the lack of resources and organization. The Rangers did not have enough experience and failed to protect the lands from vandals and criminals. Congress saw the incompetence and ineffectiveness of the service and refused to provide funds for it (Farabee, 30).
This was when the help from the military was requested. The units of troops were based on the territories of the parks, creating Forts, stations and headquarters. The U. S. army helped to increase the effectiveness of the service and minimize the number of acts of vandalism and poaching. The National Park Service started its work officially in 1916.
In the present days, the protectors of the national parks and forests have a lot to do every day. They have the duties enhanced by the military influence as well as the civilian missions.
Patrolling the territory is only one occupation on the long list of tasks they have to accomplish. Rangers communicate and teach, they hire and manage, they meet people, have interviews, provide information, participate in rescue missions, co-operate with other services, take care of their lands and clean them up.
To my mind, the presence of the U. S. Army on the territories of the national parks was highly useful because it provided the National Park Service with many well-trained, highly-organized, devoted and patriotic workers, who were qualified to deal with criminals, not afraid of hard work, had good endurance and stamina. They were appropriate for the difficult duty of the protector of the national parks.
Nowadays, the military influence on the National Park Service remained in the roles or rangers, their customs and rules, and their uniform of green and gray. I respect the customs and work of the rangers by never creating a fire hazard in the forests or parks, never throwing away trash in nature, never hunting or trapping animals that belong in the wild; this is my small contribution to the role of the “guardian of the land
Work Cited
Farabee, Charles, R. National Park Ranger: An American Icon. New York, New York: Robert Reinhart Publishers, 2003. Print.
Historical artifacts are preserved to maintain their existing state primarily to protect the historical narrative’s integrity for future generations. The responsibility to safeguarding the treasures is generally carried out covertly by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which seeks to advance global peace and security. This essay adopts the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe, investigating how the administration can meet the UNESCO criteria while reconstructing the site for relevance. The primary goal is to examine all the regulations and determine what appropriate actions should be taken within the legal, moral and economic context. The discussion aims to demystify how the regulations support each other, contradict each other and the most informed course of action for the NPS to optimize the site’s value. Similar to other prehistoric sites across the world, there is a workaround that would allow the administration at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park to meet the intent of the regulations but satisfy the need to show a site worthy of World Heritage designation.
The UNESCO Criteria
The management of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park shall take 10 provisions under the UNESCO selection criteria into account. Explorers should ensure proof of excellent prehistoric human works since the site must first represent a masterpiece of human creative brilliance. The location must demonstrate a significant exchange of human values on advancements in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning, or landscape design over time or within a particular cultural region of the globe. Similarly, the administration must position the site to provide a unique or at least extraordinary testament to a live or extinct civilization, cultural heritage, or both.
The fourth criterion asks the management of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park to show that the park is an excellent example of a kind of building, architectural or technical ensemble, or landscape that depicts important junctures in human history. The location must be an exceptional illustration of a traditional human habitation, land usage, or marine use that reflects culture, culture, or human connection with the environment, particularly when that environment has become fragile due to irreversible change. Similarly, UNESCO demands that the site be directly or visibly linked to historical occurrences, contemporary customs, concepts, or beliefs and to exceptional works of literature and art with global value.
The location must meet the seventh selection criterion, which calls for it to have exceptional natural occurrences or regions of great natural beauty and aesthetic significance. The location must also exhibit exceptional originality in depicting crucial epochs in the earth’s history, such as the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the formation of landforms, or noteworthy geomorphic or physiographic characteristics. In a similar vein, the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park ought to make an effort to demonstrate its ability to represent important ongoing ecological and biological processes in the growth and evolution of terrestrial, surface water, seaside, and underwater ecosystems, community members of plants and animals. The site must have the most significant and vital natural habitats for the in-situ conservation of biological diversity, especially those home to vulnerable species that have exceptional importance from a scientific or conservation standpoint.
Evaluating Hopewell Culture National Historical Park against the UNESCO Criteria
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park meets most of the UNESCO selection. For instance, per provisions I, III and VII of the UNESCO criteria, the site is characterized by evidence of a sophisticated culture that met two thousand years ago to perform religious rites and rituals important to their community. They constructed a massive earthwork structure covering over 130 acres at this location (NPS, 2022a). An enormous holy area with 29 burial mounds was surrounded by an earthen wall over two miles long. Countless works of exquisitely produced art made of rare elements were interred here as part of ceremonial funeral rites. In the late 1800s, the archaeological field had never encountered the civilization unearthed at this site (NPS, 2022a). Previously undiscovered civilizations are often given their original location’s name.
Similarly, under provisions VI and VIII of the UNESCO Criteria, the site has evidence of agricultural land, which at the time belonged to a young man named Mordecai Hopewell, which was thus chosen as the inspiration for the culture’s appellation. In honor of a primarily unknown Chillicothe landowner, a spectacular American Indian culture that is said to have spanned from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico was named (NPS, 2022a). Although the tribe names of these people have been forgotten through the ages, the prehistoric American Indians who constructed this massive edifice were a part of a cultural heyday in this area beginning in A.D. 1 through 400 (NPS, 2022c). A zenith of success in the disciplines of art, psychology, arithmetic, and manufacturing, the equivalent of which were rarely again shown through eastern North America, may be found in the enormous structures and treasures of the Hopewell tribe.
Hopewell Archeology is per Provisions VII and X
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park has extracted evidence of artifacts that demonstrate compliance with provisions VII and X of the UNESCO Criteria. For the benefit of the American people, the National Park Service is responsible for handling the nation’s priceless ecological and historic treasures. Several scholars working for Hopewell Culture National Historical Park are responsible for preserving the commemoration, instructional, analytical, and customary cultural qualities of archaeological treasures for future generations. The data from their studies is used as a resource for accurate and precise public interpretations; their work is a vital component of park management and improves the park’s resources.
Hopewell Materials As Evidence for Compliance with UNESCO Criteria VI
UNESCO criteria VI requires that the site demonstrates tangible ties to great, universally significant works of art and literature, historical occurrences or ongoing traditions, ideas or beliefs. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park has evidence that the People of the Hopewell civilization-built earthworks as meeting spots and ceremonial sites. Archaeologists frequently discover objects within and around these structures that had probably great significance to the individuals who set them there. Intricate ceremonial artifacts were made from these components 2000 years ago (NPS, 2022e). Individuals who belonged to the Hopewell Culture travelled to and from what is now Ohio, carrying these “mysterious” elements with them (NPS, 2022e). They met individuals from various native civilizations as far north as the upper peninsula of what became the state of Michigan and as far southward as the Gulf of Mexico as they journeyed on foot and by watercraft as far west as the Rocky Mountains.
History and Culture
Similarly, following selection criteria VI and IX, the park preserves the ancient artifacts of vibrant social and cultural phenomena that thrived in eastern North America’s forests between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D. (NPS, 2022d). Various Native American communities’ shared economic, governmental, and spiritual ideas and practices are referred to as “Hopewell” in this context. The building of enclosures with earthen walls, which frequently have geometric shapes built in, and heaps of varied incarnations are characteristics of the civilization. The people of this culture were connected to other cultures through a network that spanned the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast (NPS, 2022d). The Hopewell gathered various objects, including mica, shark’s teeth, obsidian, copper, and marine shells, because of their network of connections.
Legal, Moral and Economic Justifications for Reconstruction
Despite meeting most of the UNESCO selection criteria, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park fails to satisfy prevision I, which requires the site to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. UNESCO acknowledges the need for reconstruction of the site to demonstrate evidence of works of genius that might be beyond imagination from the current setting. Native Americans want accessibility to and restoration of cultural objects and ancestors’ remains that are crucial to the well-being of their communities. The impact of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park on local and international communication provided a basis for reconstruction that could be justified from the legal, moral and economic perceptive.
Legal Justifications for Reconstruction
The Hopewell Culture National Historical Park administration needs to recognize that the U.S. government has several statutory provisions that demonstrate official guidelines and legislation, especially regarding safeguarding historical and ecological resources. These laws and regulations also call for regard to the potential effects that governmental actions may have on these resources. The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) highlights the need for establishing national guidance in furthering historic preservation as an essential American policy (Redaelli, 2021). The NHPA gives the federal government the mandate to oversee the national welfare model in collaboration with state and municipal governments, promoting the protection of historical and archaeological treasures.
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Native Americans based on cultural items must be returned to grandchildren and ethnically associated American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and Native Hawaiian groups under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which applies to all governmental institutions and agencies that receive government funding (Williams, 2021). Skeletal bones, funeral things, religious goods, and cultural heritage items are all examples of traditional items (NPS, 2022b). The repatriation process is accompanied by a government funding program and institutions that do not comply with legal risk fines from the Secretary of the Interior. On government or tribal properties, the NAGPRA specifies protocols for the unintentional discovery or deliberate extraction of Native American cultural artifacts (NPS, 2022b). The collecting requirements of the Act may apply to Native American cultural objects if they fall under the control of an organization that gets federal support, even if these restrictions do not extend to finds or explorations on government or private property.
The law makes an effort to resolve a substantial conflict between the communities’ collective interests in treating their departed relatives and associated cultural objects with respect and the scientific community’s interests in studying those same human bones and objects. The statute establishes two fundamental categories for how American Indian body bones, funeral artifacts, holy objects, and cultural heritage objects should be handled (NPS, 2022b). Federal officials must seek advice from potential lineal descendants or American Indian tribal representatives as part of their compliance obligations under the unintentional exploration and scheduled archaeological dig element of the Act and regulations if they believe that operations on national and tribal lands may have an impact on American Indian burials.
Land Management Law
Native Americans must be informed of the laws mandating federal property management to create plans for managing resources and the land. The National Forest Management Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and the National Park Service Organic Act (Keiter & McKinney, 2019). All require the creation of planning processes that consider scenic, contextual, and cultural issues in addition to consulting with Indian tribes about their sacred places (Schultz et al., 2019). For instance, the Bureau of Land Management’s directive organization involves Manuals, Handbooks, Guidance Memoranda, and Information Bulletins that outline standards controlling agency processes and Native American engagement procedures.
Actions of Public Administrators on Law
Cultural connections can be demonstrated using a variety of evidence types, such as geographic, familial, biological, archaeological, anthropological, linguistic, oral tradition, historical, or other pertinent data, or expert opinion. To establish that the claimants have a legitimate link to the items, there must be continuity between materials from modern Indian tribes and those from historical or ancient Indian tribes. The advisory board is fully conscious that, when it comes to human remnants and funerary items, it may be complicated, unfair, or even unattainable for petitioners to demonstrate an exact line of descent from modern Indian tribes to older dinosaur fossil continues to remain without some comprehensible gaping holes in the historical or antediluvian record. In such cases, a determination of cultural affinity should not be disregarded only due to discrepancies in the record but should be founded on an overall assessment of the facts. The evidence relevant to the link between the claimant and the claimed object must be interrogated.
Moral Justifications for Reconstruction
Cooperation with Natives
Restoration of the historical glory of a community has a moral angle as it reestablishes a sense of meaning and belonging for the community. In such efforts under the UNESCO provisions, Native Americans must be consulted early in the development’s planning stages and given information about the project’s objectives by federal authorities. Native Americans must be open and honest about their issues to respect their religious and cultural standards so that appropriate action may be taken to address them (Weibel-Orlando, 2020). Whenever a development may impact properties listed in or considered for inclusion in the National Register, a government agency is required to confer with any Indian tribes that may be interested in the project (Weibel-Orlando, 2020). This necessitates a sincere attempt to discover tribes that could attach religious and cultural value to locations on and off-reservation land.
More than just physical harm to the property or its cultural resources might have a negative impact. For instance, it might entail altering the setting’s physical characteristics, such as a visual, acoustic, or auditory intrusion brought on by the building projects of a nearby area cellphone tower or hydropower plant, logging or quarrying of environmental assets, explorative drilling, or even a rise in the number of trucks using roads to transport logs or carry out drilling operations. Without sufficient safeguards for Native American places, the sale, rent, or transference of a property outside of government ownership or control may have unfavorable consequences.
Protecting Native American Resources Against Private Organizations
Protecting native American resources against exploitation by private organizations has a moral impact on the aboriginal communities. There are concerns that many of the laws and rules governing the return of Native American bodies and the preservation of their cultural artifacts have a criminal bent. From amoral perspective, the process of repatriating certain types of American Indian historical items from museums around the world preserves the lineal ancestors and Indian tribe’s dignity (Keiter & McKinney, 2019). Common issues include religious artifacts, items used in burial rituals, human bones, and other relics from past civilizations. The cultural value or rights associated with specific goods can quickly go unnoticed without input.
Before granting a license for excavating or demolition work, a federal public administration must give at least 30 days’ notice to the chief executive officer or authorized tribal representative of any Indian tribe that could regard the site to have religious or cultural significance. Other Native American tribes that the federal land administrator is aware of may also get a notice from the land management to evaluate possibly impacted sites to be of religious or cultural significance (Wilkins & Stark, 2017). In order to address their concerns and potential measures to prevent, lessen, or mitigate any harm or devastation, such as omitting sites from the permission area, leading members of a Native American tribe or group may seek to speak with federal land management in person (Wilkins & Stark, 2017). Any mitigating actions that the management accepts must be outlined in the permit’s contract terms.
Preserving Historic America
Preserving the history of the country provides a basis for moral principles that could be learnt from ancient knowledge. In preserving the moral insights from history, a property’s historic charm must be given the highest priority. A property’s distinctive characteristics, spaces, and spatial relationships should not be altered or replaced with new, salvageable historical elements. Each piece of real estate should be seen as a tangible record of its place, function, and history. Existing historical elements and characteristics should be stabilized, consolidated, and conserved as much as possible (DeSantis, 2020). The current state of historic features will soon be assessed to determine the necessary amount of intervention (DeSantis, 2020). The new material will be identical in composition to the old when the severity of degradation necessitates repair or limited replacement of a distinguishing characteristic.
Economic Justifications for Reconstruction
Tourism Administration of the Native American Historical Preservation
Improving the economic relevance of archeological sites is critical in the long-term impact of the facility as a resource in the community. UNESCO is a proponent of rebuilding acknowledging the need for economic relevance for archaeological sites for sustenance and relevance. Part of the purpose of the World Heritage Grant is to increase tourism so the experience a person has is as important as the preservation aspect. With locals, tourism frequently leads to conflict and anger, especially once it is actual effects become apparent. Indigenous peoples have seen several instances of tourism’s detrimental effects throughout antiquity, and these effects are still being felt today. The existence of indigenous peoples has been challenged for more than a century in the United States by the establishment of nature reserves, safe havens, and national parks (Nilson & Thorell, 2018). These regions were created with ideas that forbade following customary practices. The people who had long since lived there and conserved the environment were driven from their homes.
Indigenous peoples’ dependence on local resources decreases as a result of tourism, which increases their reliance on a globalized economy. The traditional tourist business has pushed a conditioned emotional on a foreigner, cyclical, season economy, which encourages industrialization, and imports and creates a mechanism for selling community suppliers outside of the community (Nilson & Thorell, 2018). The globalization of tourism puts at risk indigenous peoples’ experience and understanding and proprietary rights, as well as their techniques, capacity to transform, belief systems, holy sites, social, institutional, wildlife, ecosystems, financial systems, and fundamental rights to knowledgeable comprehension. It also turns indigenous peoples into just another consumer good that is quickly running out of resources.
Today, many proponents of indigenous rights think that all progress should be founded on respecting each community’s rights and sovereignty. Additionally, it must be based on a properly informed agreement. As more indigenous peoples get the chance to address these crucial topics together, the discourse is changing. While some indigenous tribes in the North claim to favor adopting the Western way, others make it quite evident that they are opposed to a fair distribution of rewards.
Native Americans are on the cusp of the new millennium with a combination of “modern” and “traditional” understandings. Concerns and knowledge about ongoing environmental degradation are growing. More “development” such as road construction, forestry, oil extraction, and additional tourism is frequently paved over by tourism (Richards, 2018). Health issues are also a problem since visitors expose native people to illnesses like T.B. They should request acknowledgment as legitimate designers and collaborators of conservation and development plans that have an impact on their areas. They are creating global legislation, world-changing suggestions, and educational initiatives. They are dealing with very complicated issues that impact human rights, the environment, biodiversity, and intellectual property protection.
The monetization of culture, land displacement or expropriation, and adjustments to local populations’ values and way of life are all potential effects of tourism and tourist development. When the tourist sector expands, indigenous tribes frequently experience these repercussions. High rate of visitations can lower people’s quality of life by driving up housing costs, restricting their access to employment prospects, and exposing them to improper usage of public places. Tourism has an impact on social transformation, management of natural resources, political economics, and culture and identity (Richards, 2018). Only a small number of nations and civilizations today have not experienced tourism or its effects. As a consequence, tourism is becoming more prevalent in the more isolated locations that generally fascinate anthropologists the most.
NPS and Tribal Tourism
Due to geography, history, and culture, national parks and the stories and traditions of the early inhabitants of the country regularly cross paths in different parts of the United States. Numerous national parks serve as ancestral homes and are crucial for preserving cultural identity (Stoffle et al., 2020). Numerous partnerships between communities and the NPS have recently centered on enhancing native perspectives in park tourist experiences and promoting the growth of tribal tourism.
These partnerships may assist Indian Country in connecting its historical perspectives and traditional vibrancy to contemporary settings, exhibiting native viewpoints and stories that are woven throughout the history of the United States. The National Park Service, now in its second century of governance, keeps working with tribal collaborators and assisting native tourism in recognition of the rise in popularity of travel to Indian Country and the advantages of economic growth, and the appearance and retention of native history and culture that follow.
Actions of Public Administrators on Tourism
Although tourism entails advertising places to visit, which helps to tell people about history, it has many disadvantages when viewed from the other side. The job of a public administrator is to listen to public opinion and make sure that their requests find a way to be fulfilled in real life (Baptista et al., 2019). This indicates that from the point of view of tourism, it is better to take into account the opinions of the indigenous population, which are the direct descendants of this place, to ask: is it worth developing tourism in this place? Obviously, this option is the easiest as an additional income because locals just need to equip the infrastructure around the sites. The public administrator must take care that the impact of tourism does not change the atmospheric perception of the sites and does not harm the indigenous people for whom this place is not just a site but part of their culture.
Indigenous people should be interested in promoting a place that means more to other people. The public administrator must make the maximum possible amount of effort so that if they start developing tourism, then such that it does not harm the sites (Baptista et al., 2019). The public administrator must make sure that the territory of the sites is not damaged in any way during the construction of tourism infrastructure; otherwise, this will lead to damage to the cultural heritage, which will lead to resentment not only among the indigenous people.
Funding of Historic Preservation
For a tribe running a tribal heritage conservation office, finance is frequently one of the critical challenges because they are a non-profit corporation. Although the National Park Service offers cash to tribes that adhere to the grant’s conditions and submit a replacement request each fiscal year, the amount of funding is modest (Tyler et al., 2018). Less money is available for each community as more tribes take up the duties of tribal heritage preservation. Tribes must thus take into account financial possibilities while creating their tribal heritage conservation strategy in order to guarantee that they can adequately support the aims of heritage areas; alternative sources of funding do exist (Tyler et al., 2018). To augment funding from the National Park Service, the majority of tribal heritage conservation offices run their programs with alternate funding sources. Various financing possibilities are possible, depending on the objectives of the tribal program.
Numerous initiatives receive partial funding from the tribe for whom they are run. The tribe will eventually decide if financing is available. Nevertheless, the tribe is often ready to pay for a portion of the staff members’ salaries and benefits. If more personnel are obliged to take out the heritage conservation plan and the tribe is unable to support all of the workers financially, there are various alternative sources of financing available.
Tribal Historical Preservation
Cultural and traditional education can be facilitated by tribal heritage conservation agencies for both tribe members and non-tribal members. Programs are utilized to teach tribe members respectful treatment of human remains and non-intrusive archeological techniques (DeSantis, 2020). Elders have the chance to participate in the program through participating in oral history projects. Working with elders gives respondents the chance to interact with different seniors from different groups; as a consequence, investigators learn culturally suitable techniques to ask questions (DeSantis, 2020). Indirect benefits of many tribes’ collaboration with government departments and agencies include the promotion of non-tribal people’s consciousness of and enlightenment about the tribe’s values and culture.
Tribal Economic Development
Although the relationship between tribal heritage conservation and tribe economic growth is not well understood, specific initiatives may have some influence. In indigenous communities, some programs create heritage tourism initiatives (Jorgenson, 2020). Traveling to or stopping by locations that symbolize both past and contemporary cultures can be presented as heritage. These locations could have historical, economic, or environmental values. Providing tourists with a culturally rich encounter that people can only get from that site is the aim of tourism destinations.
Programs can help tribal economies grow, but it is essential to remember that they can sometimes work against them. Many tribes want to maintain and preserve important cultural and historical sites, and therefore occasionally, this desire might get in the way of an economic endeavor (Jorgenson, 2020). This may occur, for instance, if a scheduled forestry wood sale takes place in the center of a culturally significant landmark. If the feature is essential and the tribe wants to conserve it, a sizable portion of the timber sale can be cut out, resulting in fewer acres available for sale and, eventually, less money.
Emerging Contradictions
Despite the benefits from reconstruction as recommended by the UNESCO, such efforts contradict some of the legal provisions such as the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. Besides providing guidance on permits, the ARPA prohibits the trafficking of archaeological resources that were removed wrongfully under federal law and makes illegal the trafficking in interstate or foreign commerce of resources which were obtained wrongfully under state or local law. The effect of an elaborated reconstruction is however often preferred over the truthfulness of the underlying sources. Although there are guidelines and charters promoting a good way of documenting and presenting, they are often ignored. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park needs to make deliberate attempts to adhere to the NHPA and the UNESCO provision in managing the site.
Conclusion
The NPS should go forward in restoring the value of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in accordance with the 10 stipulations under the UNESCO selection criteria based on the proposed legal, moral, and economic perspective. In order to demonstrate that the claimants have a legitimate relationship to the goods, consistency between the artifacts from modern Indian tribes and those from ancient or antique Indian tribes is required. The Working Group is fully aware that, in the absence of any understandable gaps in the chronological or atavistic history of human remains and burial items, it may be difficult, unfair, or even impossible for complainants to demonstrate an exact line of descent from modern Indian tribes to older dinosaur skeletons.
In such cases, a determination of shared culture should not be made solely on the basis of discrepancies in the supporting documentation, but rather on a thorough examination of all the information and supporting documentation relevant to the relationship between the applicant and the object in question. The native population’s concern and perception of the situation at the site should be the public administrator’s main concern. In order for the development of the site to be in line with the locals as direct ancestors, the NPS must continue to communicate with the indigenous people. The indigenous people must have a direct say in this part of the site’s development, and the public administrator must recognize that tourism is both important and contentious.
References
Baptista, J. L., Pocinho, M., & Nechita, F. (2019). Tourism and public policy.Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Series V: Economic Sciences, 77-86. Web.
Tyler, N., Tyler, I. R., & Ligibel, T. J. (2018). Historic preservation: An introduction to its history, principles, and practice. WW Norton & Company.
I have several favorite places in the USA, but I believe that Yellowstone National Park is the one that is really worth mentioning. I was attracted by this place because it is known almost to every person in the world, and those who visited it seem to be deeply impressed by all its beauties and mysteries. Several years ago I finally managed to encourage my whole family to go to Yellowstone on holidays. We spent a couple of days exploring its magnificent scenes and then discussed them for more than three weeks. Since that time, I am willing to go back there with my friends to have shared impressions and experiences.
This assay describes Yellowstone National Park with its unspeakable and breathtaking views using my experience and several rhetorical terms, including metaphor, personification, simile, and alliteration. Please, follow me on the way to my favorite place.
Yellowstone National Park is a place that impresses all visitors with its beautiful nature. This site is so huge that it is located in three states at the same time, so you should go by car or rent it and spend several days traveling through it if you want to see everything. The park is full of various mountains and canyons that seem to form waves in the landscape and turn it into the illimitable ocean of green plants and brown rocks. Except for that, when driving along the old road, you can literary get into the clouds, as some places of interest are very high. When you look through this milk-white pall, the world around seems to fade so that nature becomes even more bright and vivacious as you come into the sunlight.
A park is a pleasant place for plants, as it does not lack water resources. A wide range of different trees, bushes, and flowers can capture the attention of true flora lovers. Along with the rivers, waterfalls, and geysers, they create an unspeakable atmosphere that can be experienced only in Yellowstone.
They sing songs together, share emotions, and complain about the things they do not like, as the wind changes. Water and plant music mean much for this park, as it allows the visitors to listen to Yellowstone’s heart beating. The sounds of volcanoes and geysers resemble one’s sniffing and blowing, representing the park as a slipping monster that is extremely dangerous when it wakes up but enormously adorable while watching dreams.
Being a reservation, Yellowstone tends to leave the environment in its natural state, not affected by human beings and their technologies. Unlike all those zoos that you can visit in your hometown where animals are held in cages and aviaries, the park provides an opportunity to get acquainted with different species of ungulates, fish, and birds. Personally, I had a chance to pet a real bison that was fearless enough to come close. Its harsh and thick wool cannot be compared to that any domestic animal has, which allows us to feel how the worlds of freedom and domestication differ even within one country. A lot of animals that leave in Yellowstone National Park got used to people around and are not afraid of them. Thus, it is even possible to touch the rough and hard antlers of elks that walk nearby.
It is impossible to call Yellowstone an ugly place that has nothing interesting to see; however, some sites in the park are full of sulfur and smell as a rotten egg, which affects people’s impressions adversely. Unfortunately, the odor is mainly gathered near the things that attract visitors’ attention, such as the Mud Volcano.
Even near the geysers, one cannot enjoy the smell of freshwater or grass because of the high degree of sulfur impregnation. Still, they say that several years ago the Park Service decided to implement changes to cope with this drawback. They started to dispense air freshener in order to make this odor not so unpleasant and noticeable, which appealed to the majority of the visitors. Even though the small remained, you should not be frightened by this fact, as some territories of Yellowstone reveal the true fresh scent of nature.
The majority of the visitors come to Yellowstone for several days that is why the Park Services made sure that everyone can have an opportunity not to stay hungry and find a huge variety of different products both in shops and restaurants. My family cooked for itself almost always so that the taste of Yellowstone does not really differ to me from the other places in the USA. Even in the restaurant, you can order a dish that represents international cuisine and is not extraordinary.
It is strictly forbidden to hunt in the park so Yellowstone is not the place where you can try one of the representatives of the fauna. Still, I recommend you to order fresh fruit and vegetables that are in season in the states. I am looking forward to seeing Yellowstone National Park again because it has an inexhaustible source of nature’s wonders.
