DOCSLIB.ORG

The Role of Wildfire in Shaping the Structure and Function of California ‘Mediterranean’ Stream-Riparian Ecosystems in Yosemite National Park

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

The role of wildfire in shaping the structure and function of California ‘Mediterranean’ stream-riparian ecosystems in Yosemite National Park DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Breeanne Kathleen Jackson Graduate Program in Environment and Natural Resources The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: S. Mažeika P. Sullivan, Advisor Amanda D. Rodewald Desheng Liu Copyrighted by Breeanne Kathleen Jackson 2015 Abstract Although fire severity has been shown to be a key disturbance to stream-riparian ecosystems in temperate zones, the effects of fire severity on stream-riparian structure and function in Mediterranean-type systems remains less well resolved. Mediterranean ecosystems of California are characterized by high interannual variability in precipitation and susceptibility to frequent high-intensity wildfires. From 2011 to 2014, I investigated the influence of wildfire occurring in the last 3-15 years across 70 study reaches on stream-riparian ecosystems in Yosemite National Park (YNP), located in the central Sierra Nevada, California, USA. At 12 stream reaches paired by fire-severity (one high- severity burned, one low-severity burned), I found no significant differences in riparian plant community structure and composition, stream geomorphology, or benthic macroinvertebrate density or community composition. Tree cover was significantly lower at reaches burned with high-severity fire, however this is expected because removal of the conifer canopy partly determined study-reach selection. Further, I found no difference in density, trophic position, mercury (Hg) body loading, or reliance on aquatically- derived energy (i.e., nutritional subsidies derived from benthic algal pathways) of/by riparian spiders of the family Tetragnathidae, a streamside consumer that can rely heavily on emerging aquatic insect prey. In addition, I observed minimal changes in the above responses at a subset of study locations in the first summer following the extensive and severe Rim Fire of 2013, although shrub cover at one location burned with low-severity ii fire was significantly reduced. Furthermore, fire frequency at the catchment scale was significantly correlated with fluvial geomorphic characteristics (embeddedness, D50, entrenchment, and width-to-depth ratio) and model-selection results indicated that variability in benthic macroinvertebrate density, catchment-scale fire frequency, and precipitation were important drivers of tetragnathid spider density and trophic position. Along a gradient of drainage area in two rivers located in the same catchment (also located in YNP), I also measured wildfire as a potential agent of disturbance within a food-chain length (FCL) framework, where I quantified the relative effects of wildfire characteristics (frequency, timing, and magnitude) as well as classic drivers of FCL including hydrologic disturbance, ecosystem size, and productivity on trophic position (here, a proxy for FLC) as well as reliance on aquatically-derived energy of/by aquatic benthic insect predators and riparian tetragnathid spiders. Ecosystem size (i.e., drainage area and channel width) received strong support as an environmental determinant of both trophic measures, with variability in flood magnitude emerging as an important mechanism linking ecosystem size and invertebrate trophic responses. Fire metrics were highly correlated with drainage area (positive relationship) as there was greater historic fire extent lower in the catchment. Fire did not emerge as a significant driver of trophic responses by invertebrate predators, however initial evidence suggests that non-linear effects of fire may shed further insight into these relationships. I also estimated reliance on aquatically-derived energy and trophic position of the American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) – a species intimately tied to stream systems for energetic and habitat requirements – in 27 mountain streams of the western slope of the iii central Sierra Nevada affected by frequent, recent, or severe wildfire. Aquatic birds are considered landscape integrators and are constrained by different ecological processes than aquatic organisms, therefore assessment of the trophic dynamics of aquatic-obligate birds may illuminate divergent patterns and processes related to both fire and food-web dynamics. Model-selection results indicated that dippers occupying territories that were longer and within larger catchments relied more heavily on aquatically-derived energy. Dipper reliance on aquatically-derived energy was also greater in territories draining catchments with a greater proportion of recent, frequent, or severe wildfire, especially in smaller headwater streams (i.e., < 3rd order) possibily indicating a shift toward greater benthic primary poductivity resulting from removal of the riparian canopy by fire. Precipitation was a strong predictor of dipper reliance on aquatically-derived energy (negative relationship), especially in network streams (i.e., > 3rd order) which may be driven by shifts in water quality (e.g., turbidity) or assemblages of available prey items. For dipper trophic position, these same independent variables received support, but were weaker predictors. Taken together, these results, combined with the long period of time since fire at some study reaches, indicate support for interactions between wildfire and climate across complex spatial and temporal scales as drivers of both structural and functional responses of stream-riparian ecosystems to fire. Generally, stream-riparian organisms are highly adapted to natural disturbance processes, and there is a growing body of literature that suggests that the occurrence of dynamic, mixed-severity fire regimes may be necessary to maintain ecological function and native biodiversity. However, in this study, precipitation iv and flood magnitude generally were more influential drivers of riparian spider density and reliance on aquatically-derived energy and trophic position of dippers and tetragnathid spiders, indicating that climate variability and hydrology could outweigh the influence of fire in stream-riparian ecosystems of California’s Mediterranean-type climate. v Dedicated to cowboys, mermaids, stowaways, and monkeys: you know who you are! vi Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor Mažeika Sullivan, who has been my mentor for a decade. I would also like to thank my committee members, Amanda Rodewald and Desheng Liu for their contributions, and Eric Toman for helping me with the proposal and candidacy portion of my program. Thank you to the faculty, staff, and students of The Ohio State University and the School of Environment and Natural Resources. In Yosemite National Park I received invaluable support from Gus Smith, Sarah Stock, and Kent Van Wagtendonk. I would surely never re-emerge from the Yosemite Wilderness without the humor and stamina of Dulcinea Groff and Madeleine Ledford, and I deeply appreciate additional field and laboratory assistance received from Lars Meyer, Katherine Hossler, Melissa Hickson, Danielle Vent, Kai Zhao, Adam Kautza, and Paradzayi Tagwireyi. I give special thanks to teachers who inspired me to be a scientist: Jim Durando, Ron Olowin, Steve Bachofer, Carla Bossard, Steve Takata, Penny Morgan, and Jeff Braatne and thanks to Adam Sowards for teaching me that the humanities contribute essential knowledge and perspectives that inform our world view where science cannot. Thanks to my mom, Kathy Jackson, for always saying I am the best daughter ever even when I am a brat; thanks to my husband, Paul Koubek, for inspiring me to live a life of adventure without compromise or apology; thanks to my friends for always making me vii laugh; and special thanks to my dad, Curtis Jackson, for raising me in a fire truck and being my hero. viii Vita June 2000…………………………………………………………..….Sierra High School May 2004…………………….B.S. Environmental Science: Earth Science Concentration, Saint Mary’s College of California December 2008………………….M.S. Leadership in Physical Education and Recreation, University of Idaho December 2009……………………………………………...M.S. Environmental Science, University of Idaho Publications Jackson, B.K., S.M.P. Sullivan, C. Baxter, and R. Malison (In press) Stream-riparian ecosystems: mixed- and high-severity fire in DeLaSalla, D. and C. Hanson, editors. The Ecological Importance of Mixed-Severity Fires: Nature’s Phoenix. Elsevier Jackson, B.K. and S.M.P. Sullivan (In press) Responses of riparian tetragnathid spiders to wildfire in forested ecosystems of the California Mediterranean climate region, USA. Freshwater Science. Jackson B.K., S.M.P. Sullivan, and R. Malison (2012) Wildfire severity mediates fluxes of plant material and terrestrial invertebrate to mountain streams. Forest Ecology and Management. 278, 27-34. Jackson, B.K. and S.M.P. Sullivan (2009) Influence of fire severity on riparian vegetation heterogeneity in an Idaho, U.S.A. wilderness. Forest Ecology and Management. 259, 24-32. Field of Study Environment and Natural Resources Major field Ecosystem Science ix Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... vii Vita ....................................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • The George Wright Forum

    The George Wright Forum

    The George Wright Forum The GWS Journal of Parks, Protected Areas & Cultural Sites volume 34 number 3 • 2017 Society News, Notes & Mail • 243 Announcing the Richard West Sellars Fund for the Forum Jennifer Palmer • 245 Letter from Woodstock Values We Hold Dear Rolf Diamant • 247 Civic Engagement, Shared Authority, and Intellectual Courage Rebecca Conard and John H. Sprinkle, Jr., guest editors Dedication•252 Planned Obsolescence: Maintenance of the National Park Service’s History Infrastructure John H. Sprinkle, Jr. • 254 Shining Light on Civil War Battlefield Preservation and Interpretation: From the “Dark Ages” to the Present at Stones River National Battlefield Angela Sirna • 261 Farming in the Sweet Spot: Integrating Interpretation, Preservation, and Food Production at National Parks Cathy Stanton • 275 The Changing Cape: Using History to Engage Coastal Residents in Community Conversations about Climate Change David Glassberg • 285 Interpreting the Contributions of Chinese Immigrants in Yosemite National Park’s History Yenyen F. Chan • 299 Nānā I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source) M. Melia Lane-Kamahele • 308 A Perilous View Shelton Johnson • 315 (continued) Civic Engagement, Shared Authority, and Intellectual Courage (cont’d) Some Challenges of Preserving and Exhibiting the African American Experience: Reflections on Working with the National Park Service and the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Pero Gaglo Dagbovie • 323 Exploring American Places with the Discovery Journal: A Guide to Co-Creating Meaningful Interpretation Katie Crawford-Lackey and Barbara Little • 335 Indigenous Cultural Landscapes: A 21st-Century Landscape-scale Conservation and Stewardship Framework Deanna Beacham, Suzanne Copping, John Reynolds, and Carolyn Black • 343 A Framework for Understanding Off-trail Trampling Impacts in Mountain Environments Ross Martin and David R.
  • Centennial Issue

    Centennial Issue

    YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Centennial Issue is been 100 years ture an appearance by since President Ben- President George Bush, jamin Harrison who has been invited. A I signed into law the number of other dig- act that established a large nitaries will also be in area around Yosemite attendance, and about Valley and the Mariposa the time of the ceremony, Big Trees as Yosemite a time capsule will be National Park. For the buried in front of the remainder of 1990 and Yosemite Valley Visitor until October, 1991, the Center. National Park Service Other centennial pro- will be celebrating the grams include a major park's centennial and ask- symposium that has been ing people to contemplate scheduled from October Yosemite's history and 13 to 19 in Concord and how the preservation Yosemite . The focus of idea, engendered in the symposium will be Yosemite, has taken on on natural and cultural new meaning in the face resource issues and on of global environmental future directions for park changes . There are hopes management. There are that from history we can also at least two museum learn the Iessons that will exhibits that will be open allow us to manage and through the end of the use Yosemite with the year. One is at the Califor- same foresight and wis- nia Academy of Sciences dom exemplified by those in San Francisco, the who first legislated the other at Yosemite 's own preservation of the place. museum . Please call the Participation in Yosemite Association at Yosemite's centennial (209) 379-2317 for infor- celebration is open to mation about any of everyone, and a variety of these programs or events.
  • Investigating the El Capitan Rock Avalanche

    Investigating the El Capitan Rock Avalanche

    BY GREG STOCK INVESTIGATING THE EL CapITAN ROCK AVALANCHE t 2:25 on the morning of March 26, 1872, one of avalanche, an especially large rockfall or rockslide that the largest earthquakes recorded in California extends far beyond the cliff where it originated. Most Ahistory struck along the Owens Valley fault near Yosemite Valley rockfall debris accumulates at the base the town of Lone Pine just east of the Sierra Nevada. The of the cliffs, forming a wedge-shaped deposit of talus. earthquake leveled most buildings in Lone Pine and sur- Occasionally, however, debris from a rock avalanche will rounding settlements, and killed 23 people. Although extend out much farther across the valley floor. seismographs weren’t yet available, the earthquake is esti- Geologist Gerald Wieczorek of the U.S. Geological mated to have been about a magnitude 7.5. Shock waves Survey and colleagues have identified at least five rock from the tembler radiated out across the Sierra Nevada. avalanche deposits in Yosemite Valley. The largest of these On that fateful morning, John Muir was sleeping in occurred in Tenaya Canyon, at the site of present-day a cabin near Black’s Hotel on the south side of Yosemite Mirror Lake. Sometime in the past, a rock formation on Valley, near present-day Swinging Bridge. The earth- the north wall of the canyon just east of and probably quake shook the naturalist out of bed. Realizing what similar in size to Washington Column collapsed into was happening, Muir bolted outside, feeling “both glad Tenaya Canyon. The rock debris piled up against the and frightened” and shouting “A noble earthquake!” He south canyon wall to a depth of over 100 feet.
  • Mechanisms and Rate of Emplacement of the Half Dome Granodiorite

    Mechanisms and Rate of Emplacement of the Half Dome Granodiorite

    Mechanisms and rate of emplacement of the Half Dome Granodiorite Kyle J. Krajewski Chapel Hill 2019 Approved by: Allen F. Glazner Introduction Continental crust is largely composed of high-silica intrusive rocks such as granite, and understanding the mechanisms of granitic pluton emplacement is essential for understanding the formation of continental crust. With its incredible exposure, few places are comparable to the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite (TIS) in Yosemite National Park for studying these mechanisms. The TIS is interpreted as a comagmatic assemblage of concentric intrusions (Bateman and Dodge, 1970). The silica contents of the plutons increase from the margins inwards, transitioning from tonalities to granites, through both abrupt and gradational boundaries (Bateman and Chappell, 1979; Fig. 1). The age of the TIS also has a distinct trend, with the oldest rocks cropping out at the margins and the youngest toward the center. To accommodate this time variation, the TIS is hypothesized to have formed from multiple pulses of magma (Bateman and Chappell, 1979) . Understanding the volume, timing, and interaction of these pulses with one another has led to the formation of three main hypotheses to explain the evolution of the TIS. Figure 1. Simplified geologic map of the TIS. Insets of rocks on the right illustrate petrographic variation through the suite. Bateman and Chappell (1979) hypothesized that as the suite cooled, it solidified from the margins inward. Solidification of the chamber was prolonged by additional pulses of magma. These pulses expanded the chamber through erosion of the wall rock and breaking through the overlying carapace, creating a ballooning magma chamber.
  • 2021 National Meeting Welcome

    2021 National Meeting Welcome

    2021 National Meeting Welcome 2021 National Meeting Lucy Ito, President/CEO, NASCUS Opening Remarks Rose Conner, Administrator, North Carolina Credit Union Opening Remarks Division Lucy Ito, Brian Knight, Esq., Alicia Valencia Erb, President/CEO Executive Vice President & Vice President, Member General Counsel Relations Your NASCUS Team Nichole Seabron, Liz Evans, Vice President, Legislative Vice President of State and Regulatory Counsel Programs & Supervisory Policy Isaida Woo, Ed.D, Doug McGuckin, Amanda Tuckey, Vice President, Education Vice President, Sr. Director of Corporate Affairs Communications & Marketing Your NASCUS Team Pamela Jordan, Shellee Mitchell, Executive Assistant Program Specialist Around the States 2021 National Meeting NATIONAL DATA POINTS Credit Union Total # SCUs 2,022 (39%) Charter-based Total # FCUs 3,185 (61%) National Data States without State-Chartered Credit Unions: Total SCU Assets $934,191,661,322 (50.1%) Delaware, South Dakota, Wyoming, Arkansas, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia Total FCU Assets $931,208,988,975 (49.9%) Total U.S. Assets $1,865,400,650,297 Total # U.S. CUs 5,207 STATE DATA POINTS TOTAL # SCUs 58 TOTAL # FCUs 45 SCU % OF TOTAL (SCUS #/STATE TOTAL #) 56% of 103 AL CUs TOTAL $ SCU ASSETS $16,244,020,159 TOTAL $ FCU ASSETS $12,577,206,511 Alabama TOTAL ASSETS $28,821,226,670 AGENCY: Alabama Credit SCU % OF TOTAL ASSETS 56% Union Administration (SCUS $/STATE TOTAL $) FUN FACT: The Alabama Department of Archives is the oldest state-funded archival agency in the nation. STATE DATA POINTS TOTAL # SCUs 1 TOTAL # FCUs 9 SCU % OF TOTAL (SCUS #/STATE TOTAL #) 10% of 10 AK CUs TOTAL $ SCU ASSETS $1,293,913,722 TOTAL $ FCU ASSETS $11,330,142,835 Alaska TOTAL ASSETS $12,624,056,557 AGENCY: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and SCU % OF TOTAL ASSETS Economic Development; Division (SCUS $/STATE TOTAL $) 10% of Banking and Securities FUN FACT: 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
  • The George Wright Forum

    The George Wright Forum

    The George Wright Forum The GWS Journal of Parks, Protected Areas & Cultural Sites volume 27 number 1 • 2010 Origins Founded in 1980, the George Wright Society is organized for the pur­ poses of promoting the application of knowledge, fostering communica­ tion, improving resource management, and providing information to improve public understanding and appreciation of the basic purposes of natural and cultural parks and equivalent reserves. The Society is dedicat­ ed to the protection, preservation, and management of cultural and natural parks and reserves through research and education. Mission The George Wright Society advances the scientific and heritage values of parks and protected areas. The Society promotes professional research and resource stewardship across natural and cultural disciplines, provides avenues of communication, and encourages public policies that embrace these values. Our Goal The Society strives to he the premier organization connecting people, places, knowledge, and ideas to foster excellence in natural and cultural resource management, research, protection, and interpretation in parks and equivalent reserves. Board of Directors ROLF DIA.MANT, President • Woodstock, Vermont STEPHANIE T(K)"1'1IMAN, Vice President • Seattle, Washington DAVID GKXW.R, Secretary * Three Rivers, California JOHN WAITHAKA, Treasurer * Ottawa, Ontario BRAD BARR • Woods Hole, Massachusetts MELIA LANE-KAMAHELE • Honolulu, Hawaii SUZANNE LEWIS • Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming BRENT A. MITCHELL • Ipswich, Massachusetts FRANK J. PRIZNAR • Gaithershnrg, Maryland JAN W. VAN WAGTENDONK • El Portal, California ROBERT A. WINFREE • Anchorage, Alaska Graduate Student Representative to the Board REBECCA E. STANFIELD MCCOWN • Burlington, Vermont Executive Office DAVID HARMON,Executive Director EMILY DEKKER-FIALA, Conference Coordinator P. O. Box 65 • Hancock, Michigan 49930-0065 USA 1-906-487-9722 • infoldgeorgewright.org • www.georgewright.org Tfie George Wright Forum REBECCA CONARD & DAVID HARMON, Editors © 2010 The George Wright Society, Inc.
  • Work House a Science and Indian Education Program with Glacier National Park National Park Service U.S

    Work House a Science and Indian Education Program with Glacier National Park National Park Service U.S

    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Glacier National Park Work House a Science and Indian Education Program with Glacier National Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Glacier National Park “Work House: Apotoki Oyis - Education for Life” A Glacier National Park Science and Indian Education Program Glacier National Park P.O. Box 128 West Glacier, MT 59936 www.nps.gov/glac/ Produced by the Division of Interpretation and Education Glacier National Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, DC Revised 2015 Cover Artwork by Chris Daley, St. Ignatius School Student, 1992 This project was made possible thanks to support from the Glacier National Park Conservancy P.O. Box 1696 Columbia Falls, MT 59912 www.glacier.org 2 Education National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Glacier National Park Acknowledgments This project would not have been possible without the assistance of many people over the past few years. The Appendices contain the original list of contributors from the 1992 edition. Noted here are the teachers and tribal members who participated in multi-day teacher workshops to review the lessons, answer questions about background information and provide additional resources. Tony Incashola (CSKT) pointed me in the right direc- tion for using the St. Mary Visitor Center Exhibit information. Vernon Finley presented training sessions to park staff and assisted with the lan- guage translations. Darnell and Smoky Rides-At-The-Door also conducted trainings for our education staff. Thank you to the seasonal education staff for their patience with my work on this and for their review of the mate- rial.
  • BEDROCK GEOLOGY of the YOSEMITE VALLEY AREA YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA Prepared by N

    BEDROCK GEOLOGY of the YOSEMITE VALLEY AREA YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA Prepared by N

    DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR TO ACCOMPANY MAP I-1639 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BEDROCK GEOLOGY OF THE YOSEMITE VALLEY AREA YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA Prepared by N. King Huber and Julie A. Roller From the writings of Frank C. Calkins and other sources PREFACE INTRODUCTION Frank Calkins' work in Yosemite was preceded by Yosemite Valley, one of the world's great natural works Henry W. Turner, also of the U.S. Geological Survey, of rock sculpture, is carved into the west slope of the who began mapping the Yosemite and Mount Lyell 30- Sierra Nevada. Immense cliffs, domes, and waterfalls minute quadrangles in 1897 and laid the foundation that tower over forest, meadows, and a meandering river, Calkins' work was built on. Although Turner never creating one of the most scenic natural landscapes in completed this sizable assignment, he recognized the North America (fig. 1). In Yosemite Valley and the differing types of plutonic rocks and, for example, named adjoining uplands, the forces of erosion have exposed, the El Capitan Granite. with exceptional clarity, a highly complex assemblage of Calkins mapped the valley and adjacent areas of granitic rocks. The accompanying geologic map shows the Yosemite National Park during the period 1913 through distribution of some of the different rocks that make up 1916, at the same time that Francois Matthes was this assemblage. This pamphlet briefly describes those studying the glacial geology of Yosemite. Calkins rocks and discusses how they differ, both in composition summarized the bedrock geology of part of Yosemite in and structure, and the role they played in the evolution the appendix of Matthes' classic volume "Geologic History of the valley.
  • Yosemite Spring Fling

    Yosemite Spring Fling

    Santa Ana College Community Services Program Presents.... YOSEMITE SPRING FLING FEATURING 2 NIGHTS AT THE TENAYA LODGE, WATERFALLS & THE SUGAR PINE RAILROAD APRIL 28-30, 2013 ~ 3 DAY TOUR Via TOUR PACE ACTIVITY LEVEL AY Y AY TINERARY Leisurely On the Go Low High ~D B D I ~ Yosemite is magnificent in the Spring! Renowned for TOUR HIGHLIGHTS its magnificent valley, great granite domes and peaks, w Two nights at the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite – waterfalls and giant sequoias, Yosemite National an elegant and secluded 4-star mountain Park is a national treasure. This 3-day getaway offers resort featuring an indoor pool and spa a truly wonderful combination of natural wonders, w Extensive guided sightseeing with a local spring bloom and rustic elegance with two nights at guide to see Yosemite Valley to see the beauty the Tenaya Lodge. of El Capitan, Half Dome and the spectac- ular waterfalls – overflowing this time of year w Ride the rails through the Sierra Nevada Tenaya Lodge Lobby Forest’s majestic woods aboard the historic narrow gauge Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine wDAY 2 ~ YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARKw Railroad Following an included breakfast buffet at the w A traditional Basque lunch in the Central Valley hotel, a local guide will join us for the day to provide a guided tour of the Yosemite Valley. FINE HOTELS / GREAT LOCATIONS Welcome to Yosemite National Park, embracing Yosemite Valley a spectacular tract of of mountain-and-valley scen- w Nights 1-2 Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite ery in the Sierra Nevada. Set aside as a national Yosemite South Entrance, CA wDAY 1 ~ ARRIVE YOSEMITEw park in 1890, the park harbors a grand collection After meeting at our departure points this TOUR INCLUSIONS of waterfalls, meadows and forests.
  • The Great Divide Free

    The Great Divide Free

    FREE THE GREAT DIVIDE PDF Dodds | 32 pages | 03 Feb 2005 | Candlewick Press,U.S. | 9780763615925 | English | Massachusetts, United States The Great Divide The Continental Divide extends from the Bering The Great Divide to the Strait of Magellanand separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean The Great Divide those river systems that drain into the Atlantic Ocean including those that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and, along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems that drain into the Arctic The Great Divide and Hudson Bay. Although there are many other hydrological divides in the Americas, the Continental Divide is by far the most prominent of these because it tends to follow a line of high peaks along the main ranges of the Rocky Mountains and Andesat a generally much higher elevation than the other hydrological divisions. From there the Divide traverses the McGregor Plateau to the spine of the Rockies, following the crest of the Canadian Rockies southeast to the th meridian westfrom The Great Divide forming the boundary between southern British Columbia and southern Alberta. Further south, the Divide forms the backbone of the Rocky Mountain Front Front Range in the Bob Marshall Wildernessheads south towards Helena and Buttethen west past the namesake community of Divide, Montanathrough the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the Bitterroot Rangewhere it forms the eastern third of the state The Great Divide between Idaho and Montana. The Divide then proceeds south into western New Mexicopassing along the western boundary of the endorheic Plains of San Agustin.
  • John Muir Writings My First Summer in the Sierra

    John Muir Writings My First Summer in the Sierra

    ‘My First Summer in the Sierra’ by John Muir (1911) - John Muir Writings A - Art Online Discussion Home FAQ Muir Weather Maps Lodging About Search Tweet Like 26 Z Prints Library Forum John Muir Writings Muir-o-Matic: Search Muir Writings John Muir Exhibit CalHotels.US Lowest Hotel Rates Guaranteed. Click Here For Yours! Hotel photos, maps, reviews, & discount rates. U.S. Hotels in California (Yosemite, L. A., San Francisco ), AL, AK, AR, AS, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, FM, GA, GU, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OK, NV, MH, MP, NM, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, PR, PW, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI WA, WV, WI, WY John Muir Writings My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir (1911) Contents 1. Through the Foothills with a Flock of Sheep 2. In Camp on the North Fork of the Merced 3. A Bread Famine 4. To the High Mountains 5. The Yosemite 6. Mount Hoffman and Lake Tenaya 7. A Strange Experience 8. The Mono Trail 9. Bloody Canon and Mono Lake 10. The Tuolumne Camp 11. Back to the Lowlands http://www.yosemite.ca.us/john_muir_writings/my_first_summer_in_the_sierra/[5/3/2013 4:05:48 PM] ‘My First Summer in the Sierra’ by John Muir (1911) - John Muir Writings Liberty Cap, with Vernal and Nevada Falls With Illustrations from Drawings made by the Author in 1869 and from Photographs by Herbert W. Gleason Houghton Mifflin Company Boston and New York The Riverside Press Cambridge Published June 1911 Copyright, 1911, by John Muir All Rights Reserved To The Sierra Club of California, Faithful Defender of the People’s Playgrounds Illustrations in the Text Plates Reproduced from photographs by Herbert W.
  • DUNLAP, CA 93621 This Study Explores the Use of Proxy Environmental Data — Fire-Scarred Trees — to Provide a Way for Archaeo

    DUNLAP, CA 93621 This Study Explores the Use of Proxy Environmental Data — Fire-Scarred Trees — to Provide a Way for Archaeo

    NATIVE AMERICAN FIRE PATTERNS IN YOSEMITE VALLEY: ARCHAEOLOGY, DENDROCHRONOLOGY, SUBSISTENCE, AND CULTURE CHANGE IN THE SIERRA NEVADA LINN GASSAWAY SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST DUNLAP, CA 93621 This study explores the use of proxy environmental data — fire-scarred trees — to provide a way for archaeologists to examine a cultural phenomenon normally unavailable in material culture studies, by conducting a dendrochronological fire history study focused on three different land-use types: village sites, gathering areas, and areas of no known use. The study explores whether the Southern Sierra Miwok of Yosemite Valley used fire differently over the landscape. Difference observed between modern lightning igniting patterns and the prehistoric fire history record of Yosemite Valley confirm ethnographic data indicating intensive fire use for proto-agricultural purposes. For this location, the Southern Sierra Miwok appear to have used a rotation system of small, low-intensity ground fires in all areas, regardless of differences in the archaeologically identified occupation intensity. Lack of significant differences between fire return intervals in different land-use areas indicates that fire history data could expand our ability to identify site catchment zones surrounding village sites, thus enabling a greater understanding of hunter-gather subsistence patterns. Two significant changes in fire return intervals suggest that, following cultural change in the Late Prehistoric period, cultural burning practices remained relatively stable from the Proto-historic period until 1890. Within California and the Sierra Nevada, anthropological studies have shown that Native Californians used fire to manipulate vegetation for various reasons (Anderson 1988; Anderson and Moratto 1996; Gruell 1985; Lewis 1973; Pyne 1983; Reynolds 1959; Roper Wickstrom 1987; Williams 2003).