ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATURE ASSOCIATION Summer 2011 $2.00 QUARTERLY

QUIET VOICES fighting fires. If I recall correctly, Jim’s by C.W. Buchholtz father had committed suicide earlier On a quiet day, the sound of voices that year. In the face of that tragedy, I can carry for a mile or more in the can remember Jim’s singing. mountains. Silence, stillness, and This week, another buddy from my tranquility are treasures we seek as we fire days sent a letter with a clipping explore the wilderness. But sounds from a Montana newspaper. The made by other humans—coming from clipping was Jim Kanzler’s obituary. It trains, planes, or motorcycles—can told of his attendance at Montana State, strike a distant forest the way an his becoming a climbing guide in the annoying ring of a discourteous cell Grand Tetons, and of his achievements phone disrupts a concert. as a mountaineer. But it also hinted at Perhaps I was just having a bad his lifelong troubles in coping with his day after a tough week of work. I had father’s loss, to say nothing of his hiked quite a distance to find a younger brother’s early demise in a peaceful place for contemplation. I’d 1969 avalanche. Here was the sad tramped for a couple of hours up a trail truth: At age 63, Jim, too, took his and scrambled another half mile up a own life. ridge to be away from people. Earlier “Lord,” came the song in my in the week I had also received news of memory, “we don’t need another the death of an old friend. Hoping for mountain. There are mountains and the solace of open spaces, I felt I hillsides enough to climb.” (Now I needed to think things over. recall other fire crew members chiming Now as I sat on a rocky outcrop, in.) “There are oceans and rivers going through my mind was a song enough to cross. Enough to last until from the Sixties. “What the world the end of time.” Then the refrain, needs now, is love, sweet love. It’s the “What the world needs….” only thing that there’s just too little Those soulful voices, to be sure, of….” And singing it, over and over, were all in my head. Their sound did was Jim Kanzler. For a short time he not echo through the forest. My had been a crewman on my fire squad. memories of Jackie Deshannon’s hit The year was 1967 and that summer tune being mimicked by Kanzler and a we worked for six straight weeks (Quiet Voices, continued on page 2 ) 2 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly Photo: Walt Kaesler Photo: Walt (Quiet Voices, cont.) squad of Montana firefighters simply being quiet is a sign that everyone here Anyone reading this report might rolled through my brain. But that is hard at work.” conclude that I need help, perhaps a memory made me smile as I mourned Of course there may be a downside therapist. “This guy’s going nuts,” they Jim’s passing. to being too quiet. This past week I might suggest. “He’s out there sitting What snapped me back from my attended a meeting in Washington, DC near a cliff, contemplating a friend’s mournful moment, however, was the with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. He death. Old songs are running through sound of actual voices. Perhaps a half explained that sometimes it’s really his head. His meanderings recall mile from where I sat came the chatter important for people who love public Secretary Salazar’s pep rally for of two talkative hikers strolling down a lands to speak out about them. It’s a conservation. He whines about a couple trail, simply having fun. At first a laudatory thing, he argued, to raise of hikers making noise in the surprise, almost annoying, their laughter money and fix trails and to buy land for backcountry. This guy is off his rocker.” drifted my way. parks and forests and wildlife refuges. This observation could be correct. I went back to thinking about But it is equally as important to let our But once in a while each of us needs to voices, the hikers I had just heard, the members of Congress know how much find a place for peace and quiet. You voice of memory, Jim’s voice repeating these places mean to us as citizens. We will find few such spaces like that in that song. In the wilderness, there’s the need to raise our voices. Washington, DC. Indeed, I use a noise of nature and the noise we bring Exercising our voices in favor of national park as my rocking chair. with us. conservation is not a familiar refrain in These mountains are my therapist. The My mind drifted back to work. The our mountains. We take protection of poet wrote, “We don’t need another voice of the Rocky Mountain Nature our public lands for granted. Even in mountain.” But I don’t agree. I’m Association tends toward the quiet side, Washington, DC, the politics of certain that my friend Jim Kanzler, even muffled sometimes, like hikers on conservation rarely rates high on the regardless of his troubles, would have a faraway trail. As I’ve explained to legislative agenda. It pales in raised his voice with me to say that we people who’ve never heard of our comparison to budgets and wars and the need mountains and wild spaces today organization, “We are quiet other stresses of government. But now, as much as ever. Tomorrow and in the conservationists. We don’t generate a as Congress contemplates its budget years to come we will need them even lot of publicity. We’re not flashy. We woes, advised Salazar, parks and forests more. are rarely in the newspapers or on TV. and refuges may not get the attention We’re behind the scenes, but we are they deserve. Now is the time for quiet Curt Buchholtz is the Executive Director of doing great projects. Fixing trails. conservationists to raise their volume. the Rocky Mountain Nature Association. Saving historical structures. Connecting My morning in the mountains people with nature. I like to think that resulted in all these random thoughts. Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly 3

ANNOUNCING THE ANNUAL ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATURE ASSOCIATION Ask Nancy [RMNA Quarterly Editor Nancy Wilson will attempt to Membership Picnic unearth answers to any questions asked by RMNA members and park visitors. If you are curious about July 30, 2011 something in or about the park, write: Nancy Wilson, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM RMNA, PO Box 3100, Estes Park, CO 80517. Or email her at [email protected] ] at the Stanley Park Pavilion With lynx now reported in the park, how can we distinguish Members $10.00; Guests $15.00 them from bobcats and is it possible to discern their tracks Kids 6-12 $5: Kids 5 and under free! from a bobcat’s? Two fail-safe ways to distinguish bobcat and Canada lynx...neither particularly easy if the observation is the 11:00 - 12:00 Meet, greet and shop usual 2 or 3 second look: 1. Bobcats’ tail-tips are black only on top, 12:00 - 12:45 Picnic lunch light beneath. The lynx tail-tip is totally black (think “dipped in an inkwell”); 2. Bobcats have 6 mammaries, lynx have 4 (but be 12:45 - 2:00 Special Programs careful when counting!). Although the lynx’s ear tufts are often noted, bobcats have them, too. Lynx feet appear oversized in Joining us this year for musical relation to their body. Their tracks, greater than 3 1/2 inches, up to entertainment is Cowboy Brad Fitch. 4 1/2 or even 5 inches in diameter, are more likely to be confused Brad will perform original songs as with an adult female mountain lion rather than a bobcat, which are typically less than 3 inches. The studies of radio-collared lynx well as many western and folk favorites, reintroduced to southwestern Colorado found them to use mostly including songs from seminal Rocky the upper montane and subalpine areas. But since we seem to be Mountain songwriter John Denver. experiencing an upward spike in bobcat numbers, “either-or” Jubilations catering of Estes Park will provide a delicious sightings in the lower elevations of the park would more likely be barbeque lunch featuring burgers, hot dogs, and barbequed bobcat. We are interested in receiving reports of lynx sightings chicken breast. (All plates, utensils, and food will be within the park, and the state Division of Wildlife has an on-line compostable in order to make our event as green as data collection form for lynx (and wolf, wolverine, river otter) thought to be seen anywhere in the state. Check out wildlife.state. possible.) Browse through the on-site RMNA bookstore co.us/WildlifeSpecies/—RMNP Biologist Gary C. Miller where members receive a special 20% discount. Join us for this wonderful event! Why doesn’t the park use controlled burns on the west side of RMNP to reduce potential large scale fires that threaten the area from all the dead and standing trees that remain? We do ~ RSVP by July 20 if you plan to attend ~ have plans to implement fuels treatments on the west side, but the If you need to cancel, please let us know. issue is environmental compliance. Our current Environmental Assessment (EA) does not allow for much in the way of prescribed burning on the west side of the park right now. We are in the Please make your reservation (and pay ahead) by process of writing a new EA which will allow prescribed burning. calling 970-586-0108, or visit our website at This EA is expected to be approved later this year, but even then, rmna.org to make your reservation online. the planning process takes time. I would not expect to begin burning there for another full year or two. As of right now, however, there is no research that validates the assumption that We hope to see you there! beetle killed trees equals bigger wildfires. There are theories of differing timelines in relation to fire danger, such as that red needles are much more flammable, then when they fall off, fire danger goes down...then years later when trees fall and wood is on Cover photo credits the ground fire danger may go up. Historic large fires in the area were usually preceded by years of drought, then hot/dry spells. If Cover photos (clockwise from lower left to upper right): we have those conditions, forests are susceptible to burning, beetle “Roaring River,” by RMNA Member Joan Nesselroad, Estes or no beetles. Our plan to address this issue is to implement fuels Park; “Paintbrush Extravaganza” by RMNA Lisa Thompson, mitigation on the park boundary, so that managing larger wildfires Boulder, CO; “Twin Bear Cubs,” by RMNA Member Dick in the future may not place communities at as high of a risk.—Mike Orleans, Estes Park, CO. Please send photos or high resolution Lewelling, RMNP Fire Management Officer scans to [email protected] by September 1 for publication in the Autumn 2011 Quarterly. Is there any information about why some trees are attacked by pine beetles and others, even those very close by, are exempt? Photos are always appreciated! Scenery, wildlife and Several factors may contribute to whether a mountain pine beetle wildflowers greatly enhance this publication so take a hike and carry your camera with you! Think simple and high attack will kill one tree and not an adjacent neighbor. A major contrast for best reproduction results. Thank You! defensive compound produced by trees is resin, and the amount of (Pine Beetles, continued on page 15) 4 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly Park Employees Treated to Lodging Once Enjoyed by Park Guests Historic Preservation Crews Restore Onahu Lodge by Suzanne Silverthorn From sunrise to sunset, views of the Kawuneeche Valley are as spectacular as ever from the Onahu Lodge’s north facing windows. Moose, elk and other wildlife add to the majestic landscape on the park’s west side. It’s a treat once reserved for guests of the Onahu Ranch until it was acquired by the National Park Service in the late 1960s. Today, those rooms are being enjoyed once again following a four-year restoration of the main lodge building by the park’s historic preservation crew. The lodge now houses seasonal park employees as it did before the building was condemned in 2005 following deterioration of the structure. The two-story building was built in the 1940s and is located just west of the Green Mountain Trailhead, Preservation crew members take a break outside the about four miles from the park’s west historic Onahu Lodge last summer as the four-year side entry. It is the centerpiece of a renovation drew to a close. Not since the renovation of small, wooded seasonal housing the McGraw Ranch Research Center in 2000 has the crew enclave that includes several rustic undertaken such a vast project within the park. cabins that were once part of another supervised the $300,000 renovation. He nearby guest ranch. These days, park credits the skills of Chuck Tubb, a employees are living in a setting where maintenance worker, who has been The dining room, which occupies one of the two hexagonal-shaped rooms within the more than 50 years ago guests paid up to involved in every step of the restoration. $90 per week to experience such a building, has been restored to its original Chuck talks with pride about the splendor, including the unusual floor which beautiful place. transformation and how rewarding it is to is made of log rounds encased in concrete. The new summer residents of Onahu see the reaction from people who are Guests of the Onahu Ranch enjoyed home- Lodge are also enjoying some of the seeing the property for the first time since cooked meals here as part of their Western original craftsmanship refurbished by the it was closed. “The ‘wow’ we get is pretty vacation. In a brochure from the 1950s, hosts Joe and Myrtle Bolder describe the park crews, according to Historic amazing,” he said. Preservationist Bob Maitland, who dining room as “large and cheerful and the The renovation includes five food is well planned and prepared, served bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen, plus family style in an attractive manner, for two hexagonal-shaped rooms, originally outdoor appetites.” used as a dining hall and a recreation Very rarely does a project of this room, which give the log-sided building magnitude come along for the historic its symmetrical shape. Yellow pine, much preservation crew, with its four full-time of it original, was retained throughout the employees and three seasonal workers. interior of the 3,700 square foot structure “Most of what we do are deficiency-type to preserve its rustic ambiance. There are projects such as window restoration and four stone fireplaces, two of which are log work,” says Bob, whose team is found in the hexagonal rooms, the responsible for the upkeep of 132 historic remaining ones grace the bedrooms buildings throughout the park, including upstairs. Eleven picture windows provide the Holzwarth Historic District on the views of the Never Summer Range. Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly 5 west side and buildings in the Park In 1939, attempts by the Park Headquarters Historic District on the east Service to purchase the property were side, such as Quarters 48 which currently unsuccessful and the land was sold to the houses the Rocky Mountain Nature Sargents in 1940 for use as a cattle and Association. In fact, not since the horse ranch. The Colorado Dude and renovation of the McGraw Ranch Guest Ranch Association listed the 160- Research Center in 2000 has the crew acre property as Colorado’s newest dude undertaken such a vast project. ranch in a 1947 brochure, announcing the The Onahu Lodge restoration required addition of a “new lodge, beautifully that original windows, doors and frames finished, and all modern accommoda- be carefully rebuilt to preserve the tions.” Activities included “outdoor building’s historic integrity. Structural beefsteak fries, riding, fishing or just plain repairs were also necessary, as well as a sitting.” The ranch also had six modern The main lodge structure features eleven new roof and the relocation of the water guest cabins with indoor bathrooms. mammoth picture windows that look out across tank to improve the water pressure The ranch was sold to Joe and Myrtle the meadows to a wonderful panorama of required to operate the new fire sup- Bloder in the early 1950s. In a 1955 mountains against the sky in nearly every pression system. In addition, a bedroom brochure listing, the Bloders wrote, “For a direction. and bath were retrofitted to meet most enjoyable, long-to-be-remembered eligible for the National Register during a American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) western vacation, spend yours at Onahu field study in 1997. Mold and water standards. Ranch, located in scenic Rocky Mountain damage forced the closure of the main The restoration also attracted interest National Park, the wonderland of lodge in 2005 which was followed by a from a National Park Service historic Colorado.” Rates were $70 to $90 weekly, decision to restore the property beginning preservation mentor-trainee program including horses. The property was in 2007. which assisted in repairs to the dining purchased by the Park Service in the room floor, an unusual design made of log 1960s to be used for seasonal housing. Suzanne Silverthorn is a frequent contributor to the Quarterly. She’s a part-time resident of rounds encased in concrete, similar to The buildings were determined to be Grand Lake and serves full-time as the what was once found in the Bear Lake Community Information Officer for the Town Lodge dining room in the 1920s. The of Vail. project repairs required expertise in carpentry, painting and masonry to analyze Saving Bits of History original materials, and to work within historic preservation parameters. The Rocky Mountain Nature Given its comprehensive scope and Association’s Historical Preservation Fund attention to detail, the Onahu Lodge has already saved a number of important restoration exemplifies the park’s mission park structures. Starting with the restoration of the Moraine Park Museum and the to preserve important historic structures Shadow Mountain Lookout, several dozen that help tell the park’s story. In this case, structures have now been preserved. from 1908 to the early 1970s, guest Most important, buildings at the ranches in Rocky Mountain National Park McGraw Ranch, the Holzwarth Ranch, and marked a time in history when travelers the William Allen White site have not only from across the country came to been saved, but also put to good use. experience pristine mountains and warm We enjoy telling people about Quarters Western hospitality. The legacy includes 48, in particular, because it was an historical Camp Wheeler (Phantom Valley Ranch), building in the park headquarters compound. Holzwarth’s Trout Lodge (Neversummer Severely damaged by fire, it sat vacant for six Ranch), Green Mountain Ranch, years. The Park Service offered the building Kawuneeche Ranch and Onahu Ranch. to RMNA, provided we fix it up. In short Horseback riding was the featured order donors provided the $145,000 needed to Onahu Lodge History attraction for guests of Onahu Ranch during restore the structure. And it’s been our main According to records from the RMNP the 1950s where guided trail rides for all office ever since. Please stop by anytime. archives, the history of Onahu Lodge can ages and abilities were offered. Onahu also It’s our favorite story of “adaptive reuse” of a be traced back to owners Merle and Mable sponsored a Sunday rodeo in which historic structure. cowboys from the surrounding ranches Hall when the property was being used as When people ask us which historic competed in various events to entertain the a ranch in the 1930s, possibly dating back visitors. Square dancing, campfire preservation project do we like the most, we to the turn of the century. The ranch got its singalongs, card games and horseshoes always say, “The next one!” name from nearby Onahu Creek, a were also enjoyed, reminiscent of simpler —RMNA Executive Director Curt tributary of the North Fork of the times. Postcard from the collection of Buchholtz, RMNP Fund Colorado River. Bobbie Heisterkamp, Estes Park. 6 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly The Place of Technology in Wilderness: Young People Debate Andrea Schneider Geoffrey King For those of us who enjoy hiking, Human advances in technology it’s a familiar scene: “Hey, guess where I over the past ten years have changed am!” shouts an excited hiker into their cell the nature of the world we live in. phone. It may be on the summit of Longs Cell phones, computers, GPS units, Peak or while enjoying the view from iPods, iPads, and countless other Emerald Lake, but chances are, you, or electronics are a part of our world. someone you know, has made a call from The question of how technology the wild. I’ve got nothing against a hiker influences a culture of conservation sharing their enthusiasm with someone and the enjoyment of our from the top of a mountain, but this environment therefore becomes example prompts me to consider the place of technology in nature. important. As someone who shares a strong interest in both the Today’s society is over-stimulated; growing increasingly enjoyment of our natural world and technological advancement, dependent on devices such as cell phones, smart phones, GPS units, this question has figured prominently in my life. I have found iPods, and iPads. All of these devices have their place and can help that while tension may exist between these two objectives the educate and connect us. Lots of phone applications are available to integration of technological tools into nature is inevitable and help identify alpine flowers or birdsongs or take us on a virtual tour. must be managed in a responsible manner. A smart phone could let our friends on Facebook know that we made There are so many possible ways that this technology, with it to the top of Flattop Mountain. A GPS could show us a shortcut all its bells and whistles, can be useful for enjoying and back to the trailhead. But is all this necessary? At what point does preserving the natural world. An app or virtual tool can provide technology stop enhancing and start detracting from our experience in access to people that might not otherwise make a trip to Rocky nature? Mountain National Park. It offers educational programs, such as For me, if a device is not related to safety (i.e. GPS, SPOT phone, seminars, to increase peoples’ awareness and appreciation of the or cell phone), I leave it at home. Even the devices I do bring are environment. Perhaps there could be an app that would also alert turned off unless they are needed in an emergency. Many people, me people to opportunities to donate to support a national park. included, spend time in nature to refresh themselves and take a break Certainly some of us use nature as a way to escape from the from constantly being plugged in. Personally, I would rather do some technology that exists in our society. Ignoring the growing trend preparation and study before a trip so I can fully immerse myself in towards increased integration of technology seems irresponsible, the experience once I arrive. I don’t want the answers to my flower and a wasted opportunity, for those of us who care the most questions handed to me on a little screen—and my friends don’t need about our National Parks. to know the exact minute I summit Flattop Mountain. I prefer to Growing up in the Internet age, living through the rapid embrace the adventure that nature offers and all the dangers and joys change of technology has shaped who I am today. I am in the that come with it. first generation to live with cell phones. I watched them grow Kurt Repanshek, the founder of and a regular columnist for the from thick, candy bar-like Nokia’s to the incredibly more National Parks Traveler website asks the key question: “…are we advanced iPhone. No doubt, the capability of these devices losing sight of what it means to not just be self-sufficient, but also to would seem like magic to someone growing up in the early part be able to enjoy and relish in nature on nature’s terms without training of the 20th century. This technology, however, can be used wheels?”. responsibly or irresponsibly. I have friends who have some of Technological devices can definitely aid us in our pursuits of the worst iPhone etiquette imaginable, who spend most of their nature, but they can also hinder us, making us overly dependent on time texting, web browsing, or playing games rather than technology and distracting us from the actual experience of being appreciating the people around them. While this technology is outdoors. But whether you’re leaving everything with a battery at good and is here to stay, proper habits and etiquette are home, or you’re taking a whole family of devices on the trail, there imperative, both in society and in our natural areas, so that are really no right or wrong answers to the questions posed here. humans are managing the technology – not the other way They’re just to make you think. When it comes to technology in around. nature, ask yourself: How will this device affect my experience and the experiences of those around me? When will I use it and how? Geoff King is a recent former Olson Family Fellow through And finally, is this device really necessary? Ponder this on your next RMNA. hike up Longs Peak, to Emerald Lake, or elsewhere! Have an opinion on this subject? Want to weigh in? Send it to [email protected] and include a picture of you, Andrea Schneider is the former Development Associate for RMNA, if you want! Send no more than 500 words and we’ll print and also a former ACC Crew Leader and Crew Member. what we can! Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly 7 Summer Member Hikes! New RMNA Publication Highlights Join Membership Manager Curtis Carman Activities in the Kawuneeche Valley for RMNA Member hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park throughout the The Rocky Mountain Nature Association is proud to year! present its newest publication, The Best of the Kawuneeche Valley, published in June of 2011. Outings explore a different site in the The book is the second in a series of park regional park each month and participants discuss publications to be published that now includes The Best of current RMNA projects, park Bear Lake Country, published in 2009. These books management issues and park natural highlight various park regions’ special places, their lakes, history. This free hiking series is limited waterfalls, peaks, passes, wildlife, plant life and rich to 15 people per hike. human history by featuring each site and offering the “Inside Summer Schedule Scoop” gleaned from park ranger-naturalists who know the areas best. July 15 - Fern Falls In this new book about the park’s west side, hikers will appreciate the insights August 26 - Colorado River Trail about such destinations as Lone Pine Lake, Lake Nanita, Mount Ida and La Poudre to Lulu City Pass. Winter enthusiasts can learn about options for skiing and accessible winter sites. September 30 - Elk Viewing in Families will enjoy the options for easier hikes, such as Coyote Valley and Adams Moraine Park Falls, as well as the human history story found at the Holzwarth Historic Site. Written by John Gunn, a veteran author of numerous park publications, The To sign up for a hike, call Curtis Carman Best of the Kawuneeche Valley is the perfect primer for anyone seeking to explore at (970) 586-0108 or email him at the park’s wild, wonderful west side in hiking boots, on skis or on snowshoes. [email protected]. Order by phone at 800-816-7662, or purchase at any park visitor center bookstore. Available online soon! Softcover, 24 pages. $5.95 plus shipping.

6. This RMNP mountain, covered by a jumble of dead trees killed in an 1872 fire, Park Puzzler resembled a giant version of pick-up sticks to its namer, Park Superintendent Roger by RMNA Member Joel Kaplow Toll. 10. Here’s a toughie: The 9-Across “eats” some snow by melting it, but it also ACROSS converts some directly into water vapor, bypassing the liquid stage. What’s this 2. There is a lake and waterfall in Wild Basin, and a mountain and pass in the Never process called? Summer Range named for this, lightning’s rumble. 12. “Krummholz” vegetation is found in the ecotone, or transition zone, between 7. The Park’s yellow-bellied ___ hibernates for up to eight months while living off RMNP’s 10-Across and 4-Down life zones. It is German for “twisted ___.” its stored fat, and emerges in the spring at about half its summer weight. 13. The ___ is the name of the sharp, craggy high points on Lumpy Ridge. 8. The large, rounded mountain forming Grand Lake’s picturesque backdrop to the 15. Due to the fierce winds found near treeline, some trees will not grow branches east was named for Reverend William Bayard ___. on their windward side. This asymmetry results in a flaglike appearance for these 9. A warm, dry downslope wind flowing west-to-east over mountains in western ___ trees. North America is called a ___, named by the Chehalis Indians of the Pacific 18. The diminutive ___ of RMNP gathers vegetation and piles the “haystacks” Northwest. Its meaning is “snow-eater.” under rocks to eat during the winter, as it doesn’t hibernate. Flowering alpine avens 10. Can you name the life zone found in the Park between 9,000 and 11,400 feet? contains a chemical that acts as a natural preservative for the haystacks. 11. Rachel Carson’s landmark book of 1962, “___ Spring,” is considered to be the catalyst of the environmental movement, exposing DDT as the killer of birds. 14. This blue tundra flower, whose name is synonymous with “aviator” likes to grow in disturbed soil. Its less-than-appealing scent gave rise to its nickname: skunkweed. (2 wds.) 16. The Park’s ___ flower, an early bloomer with grey-blue fuzzy petals, is considered by some to be the first sign of spring. 17. Tatra National Park, RMNP’s sister park, straddles the border between Slovakia and what other European country? 19. Members of several ___ species frequent the Park, including flammulated, northern pygmy, long-eared and boreal. 20. What’s another name for one of RMNP’s resident rodents, the red squirrel? 21. It looks cute and cuddly to the unwary, but the Park’s carnivorous pine ___ can flip a porcupine over and tear into its belly in seconds. DOWN 1. The beautiful ___ Wilderness is RMNP’s neighbor immediately south of the border. (2 wds.) 3. A new volunteer group called the “Tundra ___” helps keep folks informed and in line along Trail Ridge Road. 4. While strolling through the Park one day you notice that the trees have disappeared and there’s tundra everywhere, you’re breathing hard, and your altimeter says you’re above 11,400 feet. You’re not in the Twilight Zone, but in this one, which comprises about one-third of RMNP. 5. The lowest life zone in RMNP lies below 9,000 feet. What is it? 8 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly TheThe LandLand AboveAbove thethe Trees:Trees: AnAn ExoticExotic WonderlandWonderland ofof ExtremesExtremes

by Leanne Benton by July snows. In her book Song of the Many years ago, my family and I Alpine, alpine ecologist Joyce Gellhorn hiked up Longs Peak on a sparkling describes the alpine climate as the most midsummer day. We rested on the severe anywhere on earth. The summit, enjoying our combination of frigid cold, harsh winds, accomplishment and the views, when deep snows, brilliant ultra-violet light, and nearby a hiking group of teenage rugged terrain create an environment girls gathered in a circle, arms where only specialized plants and animals entwined and began to sing. High on live. It is too harsh for trees. It is too harsh this mountain, the clouds down for humans to live year-round. below, I’m feeling so strong and The word tundra comes from tundar, alive. From this rocky perch I’ll a Russian or Lappish word that means, continue to search for the wind and “land of no trees.” Originally the term was the snow and the sky. Those familiar applied to arctic tundra, but scientists Yellow-bellied Marmot Photo: Dick Coe lyrics from Dan Fogelberg’s song found that similar plants and animals lived Netherlands resonated in high mountains, giving rise to the term that day like they never alpine tundra. In tundra ecosystems, trees had before. Standing are limited primarily by cold temperatures. atop the park’s highest A universal climate constraint on trees is mountain with views in that they cannot survive where the mean all directions of tundra, (average) temperature during the warmest rock, snow and sky, my summer month is below approximately imagination soared with 49º F. Temperatures colder than this the lyrics and I felt like translate into a growing season that is too I wanted to remain short for trees to repair from the previous Photo: Linda Wold forever. Yet, even winter, grow larger, and prepare for the Alpine forget-me-nots though it was just upcoming winter. Near treeline, trees grow morning, clouds were already forming very slowly in twisted stunted shapes. to the west and the wind was brisk – Winter is never far away in the alpine. telling us that it was time to descend and Spring usually arrives in June and by

Elephantella reminding me that we are but temporary August autumn golds and maroons color Although hardy, tiny alpine plants are visitors to the alpine. the tundra. The growing season is a brief surprisingly fragile under human traffic. Nearly one-third of Rocky Mountain but glorious six to twelve weeks in length. Continuous foot traffic may kill alpine National Park is alpine tundra, a Under such conditions, each alpine plant plants, leaving a scar that can take fascinating treeless expanse of tiny plants and animal has special adaptations and decades to regrow. Helpful Tip: To protect that carpet the park’s mountain summits strategies for survival. alpine tundra, stay on trails where they are and ridges. It is a land of extremes. The The most common plant adaptation is provided. In locations away from Tundra Protection Areas where you are permitted views are huge, yet the plants and animals height – or, rather, to be short. Most alpine to walk on the tundra, walk spread out are so very small. Gentle summer days plants are only a couple of inches tall. rather than single-file and step on rocks can rapidly become windy and stormy and Living close to the ground enables them to and gravel when possible. delicate alpine flowers may be blanketed thrive in a warm layer of air that can be Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly 9 30º warmer near the surface, and much then storing it under the talus to feed from caused us to pick up our pace. Below less windy. While some plants may only for the next nine to ten months. treeline, the rain began. We donned our produce two to four new leaves each year, Numerous insect species, including ponchos and kept moving. Soon hail was about 90% of their growth is invisible butterflies, bees, ants, and grasshoppers bouncing all around. Drenched, but happy underground as an extensive root system live here, spending the winter dormant in we arrived back at the trailhead and our anchoring them against the wind, seeking leaf debris or underground holes. Several awaiting car. water, and providing energy storage over bird species – American pipit, horned lark, Images of that day remain with me winter. Many plants form tight cushion rosy finch, white crowned sparrow, and now – the brilliance of the stars as we shapes, streamlined to let wind flow over ptarmigan – nest in the tundra. All but the climbed upward in the pre-dawn darkness, them. Many sport hairs on their stems and ptarmigan migrate to warmer locations at the sunrise over Twin Sisters peaks, leaves to reflect harmful UV light and lower elevations or to the south by late marmots basking on rocks in morning protect tissues against drying winds. summer. The ptarmigan, a hen-sized, light, the kaleidoscope colors of alpine During the short growing season, the grouse-like bird, remains on the tundra flowers, a pair of ptarmigan below Granite tundra bursts into color as alpine plants during the winter, growing white feathers Pass, a family of young weasels bounding hurry to flower and produce seed before which insulate and serve as camouflage. through the Boulderfield, the high-pitched winter returns. Yellow alpine avens, alpine Bighorn sheep are the only large mammal squeaks of pikas in the talus, and the sunflowers, drabas, and wallflowers mix to remain in the alpine during winter. The gathering clouds and afternoon downpour. with blue alpine forget-me-nots, sky pilots sheep’s four-chambered stomach enables it The alpine world had revealed so many and chiming bells, pink moss campions, to digest dry tundra plants while a dense facets of itself – its beauty, its amazing life and white alpine sandworts and bistorts to fur coat provides insulation, and flexible forms, and of course, a hint of its form a brilliant mosaic. skid-resistant hooves allows it to climb signature weather extremes. Summer is a time of activity for rocky cliffs. alpine animals. For most animals, Other residents are migratory. Elk Leanne Benton is an Interpretive Park Ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. courtship and raising young occurs early move up to the tundra in summer to in the season, and preparing for winter escape the heat and the insects and to feed occupies the remainder of the short on the nutritious alpine plants. Coyotes, summer. Marmots emerge from bears and mountain lions migrate up to hibernation in May, mate and give birth to hunt prey such as marmots, ground their young about a month later. The rest squirrels, pikas, young elk and birds. The of the season is spent eating, sleeping, and only year-round predator is the weasel, Photo: Linda Wold basking on rocks, all essential activities which grows white fur for winter, and for accumulating nearly half their body tirelessly hunts for mice and other small weight in fat before hibernation in animals during the winter to avoid October. Pikas, tiny relatives of the rabbit, starvation. Pika remain active all year but live under snow Rocky Mountain National Park covered talus piles during the winter. contains some of the most accessible Scientists are concerned that From summer green-up in July until the alpine tundra in the country. When Trail changing climate conditions may snow buries the tundra in October, pikas Ridge Road is open, generally from late impact alpine ecosystems. Warmer are busy gathering and drying vegetation, May to mid-October, visitors can drive up temperatures, and additional factors to this “land above the trees.” such as nitrogen deposition in the Hiking trails lead to alpine park, may favor grasses over summits. But even during the wildflower species and ultimately summer, it is important to be allow tree species to migrate uphill. prepared with layered clothing, Heat sensitive animals such as water, sunscreen and sunglasses. pikas and ptarmigan may lose Always remember: the weather suitable habitat. The park recently can change rapidly and established a GLORIA (Global dramatically. Afternoon Research Initiative in Alpine thunderstorms are common and Environments) site, part of an snowstorms can temporarily international program to monitor close Trail Ridge Road any soil temperatures and vegetation month of the year. changes in alpine areas worldwide. As my family and I The park is also hosting research to hastily made our descent off of document current baseline pika Longs Peak, the thunderstorm populations which can be Kings crown, chiming bells and alpine avens are among moved in as we neared treeline. A monitored for future changes. the kaleidescope of colors to be visually consumed on single sharp crack of thunder the tundra. Photo: Nancy Wilson 10 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly AWintery Ascent of Longs by Jim Detterline thin sheet of ice off my It seemed like a good lower body with a ski pole idea at the time…Longs and continued on to the Peak with Lisa. Winter’s summit anyway. long, icy grip was Today, Lisa got a boot loosening up in the High wet but her feet remained Peaks, or at least the dry. We continued on weather forecast for April towards the red alpenglow 2, 2011 sounded like it was. shape of Longs Peak and her The winter of 2010- court of lesser 2011 had been long and mountains. It was so bitter, accompanied by bizarre to experience never-ending gale force such a calm and winds since October. I had beautiful day given been blown off of the peak this winter’s history, numerous times, sometimes yet it was cold enough solo and sometimes with to force us to put on good climbing partners. our next layers while Just after Christmas I had stopped at Battle over-stretched my right hip while skiing deep part of the day ahead of us. Mountain Junction. powder down the old phone line. I took a The Longs Peak Trail was Jim Detterline and Lisa Foster There were two hiatus of three months, confining myself to packed from the hordes of winter other cars parked at the technical ice climbs with short approaches. hikers and snowshoers who had pounded it Longs Peak Trailhead when we started up, Now, with my hip feeling much better, I into ice for the two and a half miles sheltered but we saw no one above treeline, a contrast couldn’t stay away from Longs Peak any by the trees. We didn’t even remove our to summer’s continuous long line of hikers longer. snowshoes from our packs, and Lisa and I making the pilgrimage to the summit from Neither could Lisa Foster. The lauded moved up quickly to the Alpen Brook Bridge. the Fourth of July to Labor Day. Nor were author of Rocky Mountain National Park: Winter travel is best accomplished by there any fresh tracks from this point on. The The Complete Hiking Guide also had been on following drainages, especially in those snow had been packed by the wind into a hiatus from Longs Peak, tending to her one transition areas like the krummholz of Longs rippled slope of firm snow. The snowshoes and a half-year-old daughter Ellie, and Peak between the bridge and the Battle stayed on our backpacks as we continued up husband Alex, yet she always had a special Mountain junction. The wind blows snow the drainage to the left of Jim’s Grove, and place in her heart for Longs Peak. Lisa had from the alpine zone into this area like a then beyond up the rocky east slope of Mt. climbed Longs Peak catchment basin, trapping the Lady Washington. numerous times, via As we gathered our deep snow in the short trees. It Then things started to change. It became numerous technical routes equipment on the belay dramatically affects both more breezy and the temperature began to visibility and the following of drop. A few small puffs of white cloud now including the Diamond, and ledge, we heard a in every season of the year. your own tracks back to the appeared, shooting over the top of Longs We planned our return to horrible rumbling from protection of the forest. Staying Peak at high velocity. These changes crept up Longs Peak for Saturday the Keyhole formation. in the drainage allows you to be on us bit by bit, subtle yet obvious. The April 2. The weather was It was the wind. The sure of your position, even storm was not supposed to set in until after predicted to be warm and upper peak was now during the worst whiteout. dark. With blind faith in the weather lady Few people had tracked and the innate stubbornness of old calm, a rare break between enveloped in a rapidly winter storms. However, the and packed this area, yet it was mountaineers, we continued our push towards next blizzard was due for late growing gale. sufficiently solid to hike without the summit. in the day. It would be a snowshoes. The roar of the At the base of the old Cables Route on narrow window of opportunity. Alpen Brook beneath the ice was loud, and the North Face (actually the east side of the We left the Longs Peak Trailhead at 7:30 one spot had opened up to provide a small north ridge) of Longs Peak, we stopped to a.m. For winter season attempts there is no hole of rushing water. Years ago, I had fallen don crampons, harnesses, helmets and a sense in setting out at the recommended through an area of thin coverage and into the skinny rope. I started up first to lead the summer starting time of 3 a.m., as there is icy stream to my hips. I quickly rolled out of mixed pitch of rock and ice. The steep little hazard of thunderstorms. Also, the the hole and then stood up in the bitterly cold dihedral was only partially plastered with ice, storm from the previous day needed the night dry air. The water of the stream flash froze a crumbly layer of tsastrugi that didn’t give a to clear itself out. So, we started out on this on the outside of my waterproof pants and whole lot of confidence for our ice axe and lovely clear and calm morning, with the best plastic double boots without penetrating crampon placements. Five of the seven old deeper into my layers of clothing. I beat the 1925 bolts were visible through the thin Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly 11 cover, but only three of these were useful to avalanche us towards the than others, but I had me. In over twenty years of winter climbing deep void. We were glad to dismissed this as a warp on Longs Peak, I had never seen the snow reach the final approach of of weakness on my part. cover this thin. I clipped one of the bolts low angled rock scramble to Now we both knew that partway up the dihedral, and continued up the summit. our perceptions were true. into the sluice-like area above. My worn-out Just below the summit, The climb is never crampon points got little purchase on the thin in a slight gully-like completed until you see crumbly ice. If I kicked too hard, the ice depression, I saw something the soap run between your broke out and left only tiny crystals for the the likes of which I had toes in the shower. The steels nubbins to claw against. Near the never seen in the high descent, with its easier overlap I set my only cam, a spring-loaded mountains. A strong direction in the path of device that spread out its four grooved heads whirlwind about 100 feet least resistance, should be to lock itself into the icy crack, as protection high blew off the summit less strenuous and to clip my rope into. With a tenuous move up and down this depression. complicated than the and left to a small ledge, I exited the dihedral. It was an anti-cyclonic wind ascent. Today it was not. I ignored the last bent bolt as I moved over with the appearance of a The winds continued to the last steep section to the most commonly small tornado. Perhaps it increase in intensity and used belay ledge with bolt number five. was a microburst like the frequency, roaring at us I called “on belay” to Lisa as I guarded sudden extreme wind that I with a most horrible the progress of her end of the rope through once experienced at the noise. It was all that we The old cable route now navigated the big metal eight ring attached to my Longs Peak parking lot that could do to keep our technically, with ropes. harness. Lisa carefully worked her way up affected a very small area movements confined to the slick dihedral, her skill and years of and blew out the windows on the steps that we had experience overcoming the difficulties of the just one car. This much I do know about the kicked on the north face. Lisa began the technical terrain. Yet even Lisa was surprised Longs Peak “tornado”: it was brown with air- rappels first when we got back to the dihedral at the level of difficulty encountered today. borne gravel and rocks the size of plums, and area. With my hood tucked firmly around my As we gathered our equipment on the it was within 50 feet of us. I yelled for Lisa helmet, I began to get cold hands in working belay ledge, we heard a horrible rumbling to take cover as I also ducked the rope through the rappel from the Keyhole formation. It was the wind. behind a small boulder for anchors. Eventually we The upper peak was now enveloped in a protection. To get hit with were finally free of the rapidly growing gale. We were glad that we one of those rocks could mean upper mountain. had decided against ascending the Keyhole certain death. Fortunately, the As we worked our way Route. Certainly we would’ve been forced to Longs Peak “tornado” did not across the non-technical turn around. On the Cables Route, at least we come over us, but instead snow-covered rocks of the were afforded some protection from the continued down the Boulder Field, the storm prevailing westerly winds by the geographical depression where it followed us, driving snow orientation of the protective ridge. Yet strong disappeared over the Diamond with the wind. We gusts were still reaching us, causing us to with its load of rocks. regressed to an ape-like stop and plunge our axe shafts deep into the Lisa and I pulled up onto posture in our resistance to snow pack to avoid being blown off and over the flat summit directly at the remain upright as we the top of the Diamond as we traversed the highpoint, a five foot boulder walked down hill. My ski snowfields of the upper mountain towards the that stood towering above the poles aided me in staying summit. The wind-crusted snow seemed vast peneplain. The winds on my feet in a number of stable, yet we had to be careful, as the layers were gusting over 75 miles instances where the winds could pull apart from each other and per hour. As I was photographing Lisa sitting pushed me hard enough to have knocked me on the summit boulder, a huge gust came up over. This downhill fight made us weary that flattened me out and made Lisa grab onto beyond belief. We were both sore, the rock to prevent being tossed down on her particularly in leg and back muscles, just head. We knew that we had to leave as soon from trying to remain upright. The wind also as possible, but there was one more little hastened our dehydration and hunger. chore to be done. Eleven and a half hours after starting our We opened up the summit register to sign journey, we returned to the Longs Peak in and check the passage of winter climbers. parking lot, weary yet happy. It was a good We were stunned to see that we were only the day; no one had gotten hurt. And Longs Peak second party of the year to have signed in. had continued to challenge us in different Furthermore, there had been only one party ways with every ascent. entered per month for December and Jim Detterline is a former Longs Peak November. Not everyone signs the register in Ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. winter but most do. I had thought that this He’s climbed this iconic peak 362 times - and winter had perhaps been windier and colder counting! 12 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK closed areas that are not being used by birds of hold the winter population to a sustainable range prey and rescind those closures where human of 600 to 800 (131 have been removed during the disturbance should not cause a problem. past 3 years) and erecting elk exclosures to allow Happily, the support this minimalist management the recovery of over-browsed, poorly-reproducing approach has garnered from many members of willow and aspen communities are the largest- the climbing community has been gratifying. scale direct management interventions conducted by Gary C. Miller Besides raptors, park wildlife biologists in the park. These actions are taken to offset At first blush, is there anything more monitor boreal toads, bighorn sheep, winter elk human negative influence from the past, including oxymoronic than attempting to “manage” herds, and follow up and maintain databases on a reduction in the suite of natural predators, and Rocky Mountain National Park’s wildlife? reports of various species of concern such as land-use changes that have reduced the availability Isn’t Rocky where we expect to see the natural wolverine, lynx, river otter, gray wolf and of historical elk ranges outside the park. world operate … well …naturally? A place moose on the east side of the park. Other management activities associated where wild things exist free from human with the program include intensive vegetation Moderate Intervention – A puma kills an interventions, including “management?” monitoring to assess how well the program’s For the most part, park biologists hold fast elk next to a popular trail. Do we remove the fundamental objective – bringing elk, willows, aspen, and associated species such as beaver to that philosophy. But, because many things carcass so park visitors won’t be disturbed? and riparian birds back into a more natural we humans do, directly or indirectly, Nope. The sight and smell of predation is part balance – is working. The thousands of intentionally or unintentionally, do “intervene” of the naturalness visitors must accept when vegetation measurements we take each year will with wildlife and their life processes, we take visiting Rocky. However, as managers, we also alert us to when the vegetation has steps to offset those effects to provide millions may move it a short distance away from the rebounded to a point at which we can move or of park visitors the experience of the closest trail so the puma can continue to visit the remove the exclosures. (For more detail see possible approximation of naturalness to our carcass periodically for several days to feed www.nps.gov/romo/parkmgmt/elkvegetation.htm). wild systems. In other words, we “manage.” undisturbed. The puma will still find its food and the risk of a hiker and puma surprising one Other examples of intensive intervention Minimal Intervention - A pair of falcons another is minimized. that park biologists undertake at times include scan the cliffs of Lumpy Ridge looking for a Pumas are most active during hours of the capture and removal of non-native species good nesting site, or eyrie. They see a perfect darkness and typically avoid people, so human- (e.g. wandering mountain goats), the capture combination of safety from predators and a puma encounters are rare. Still, visitor and removal of human-habituated wildlife that nearby prey source (e.g., cliff-nesting white- protection rangers will post signs at endangers public safety (garbage throated swifts). Below them, recreation-seeking trailheads and junctions alerting bears) and the re-introduction of humans have a different view – an ideal physically visitors to puma activity in the area At first blush, is boreal toads to sites free of chytrid challenging climb on a warm spring day. and reinforcing the safety messages there anything fungus (the agent most responsible Very few climbers would ever of how to behave in puma country. more oxymoronic for the precipitous decline of this Our interpretive, information and species throughout the west, most intentionally interfere with nesting falcons. But than attempting to climbers sometimes disturb the falcons during backcountry office staff also weigh likely proliferating as a result of nesting, or as they brood (if cold) or shade (if in to further convey those safety “manage” Rocky climate change or pollutants). By and large, the park’s hot) their young. And it’s possible that climbers messages to visitors, such as: Don’t Mountain National wildlife continues to exist wild and could disrupt the reproduction of the birds’ hike alone; carry a staff; keep Park’s wildlife? free from human intervention, prey, which may result in slim pickings for the children CLOSE! (Check out the including the activities of wildlife falcons in future years. All this could mean guidelines in the park newspaper or biologists. Management that does occur ranges jeopardizing the huge investment these birds the website for more information). from the benign to intensive, and is focused have made in energy as well as compromising Other moderate interventions we or visitor toward maintaining or restoring naturalness to their future efforts dedicated to replacing protection rangers undertake include: hazing biological systems consistent with human themselves with a new generation of falcons. (adversive conditioning) bears away from enjoyment and the effects of human activities In this case, the park’s management campgrounds or picnic areas to prevent them outside the park. The degree to which we practice, which often focus more on people from becoming habituated to humans or conduct “hands-on” interventions generally is management than wildlife management, is to seeking unnatural human food, and moving reflective of the level of human influences on annually close to human intrusions large road-killed carcasses away from roadways to natural systems and is carried out to offset those segments of Lumpy Ridge beginning about avoid attracting scavengers to a dangerous influences. In the words of the National Park March 1, and enforce these closures with situation. Service mission, this is one way we intend to keep climbing rangers. In addition, with the Intensive Intervention – Rocky’s Elk and the park “unimpaired for future generations.” invaluable assistance of park volunteers, we spend hours and hours monitoring the falcons’ Vegetation Management program is the most RMNA Member Gary C. Miller is an RMNP reproductive progress from afar, eyeballs obvious example of this level of park wildlife Wildlife Biologist in the Natural Resources screwed to the spotting scope. We also monitor management. Lethally removing elk to help Management Branch. Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly 13 2011 American Conservation Corps Meet Julie Klett, RMNA Crew Hits the Ground Running Development Associate Julie Klett joined us in April and brings with her a wealth of diverse experience in the nonprofit and corporate arenas. Most recently she was communications director at New Hampshire Audubon and also working freelance, doing everything from writing to print and web design and media relations. Julie will be working on a variety of development tasks including database management, donor cultivation (she prefers the term “friendraising”), foundation and corporate relations, grant writing, planned giving, and memorial gifts and opportunities. “I have been hiking, backpacking and photographing RMNP for nearly 20 years,” said Klett. “I am pleased and proud to be a part of the RMNA team and contributing to all it does to preserve and improve the Park. I look forward to meeting and 2011 American Conservation Crew Members: Bottom Row, left to right: Drew Ley, working with our dedicated members and supporters.” Brad Nuse, Gabby Bailado, Christine Bauer, Kari Lanphier, Lindsay Anderson, Aprill Bodlak, Adam Blatt. Middle Row: Jake Hargis, Kathleen Torso, Anna Murray, Elizabeth Smith, Emelia Lewis, Lanaia Carveth. Top Row: Connor Lockwood, James Haiyaha/Alberta Falls Wilkerson, Brian Case, Troy Raisanen, Daniel Peter, Walker Furpahs, Andrew Trail Project: Work Morris, Sarah Hakkenberg, Brian Inglis. Not pictured: Kelley Ferguson. Summer #3 in Progress Rocky Mountain National Park’s North District Trail Crew, led by Doug New Field Seminars Bus Parker, is scheduled to be working full Coming Soon! time on this important reconstruction effort, started the week of June 20. Thanks to the family of our long-time Parker and his six-person crew will Board Member Walt Emery and several dozen be addressing trail deficiencies, generous donors, our Rocky Mountain Field including constructing causeways Seminars Program will soon have a 14-passenger bus. through wet areas, removing protruding The concept of the Field Seminar bus is as shown. Its final details, including rocks and boulders, and building some color, size, or shape – even the lettering on its side – has yet to be decided. In the rock “paver” or “riprap” sections of next few months we’ll find a bus meeting our specifications. elevated rock walking surfaces. Long dreamed about, this Field Seminars bus will provide carpooling to our The National Park Service trail crew field classes, giving instructors and participants a comfortable “classroom on will be assisted throughout the summer wheels” in which groups can be together for added benefits. The bus will also by this year’s American Conservation help us expand our kids’ programs. Corps. Additionally, one day each week As many people know, Walt Emery’s family created a legacy in the history of an 11-member team of the Larimer the National Park System when Walt’s father, Roe Emery, introduced the famous County Youth Conservation Corps will red colored jammer buses in Glacier National Park in 1912. In the early 1920s join in this effort. the Emerys started the Rocky Mountain Transportation Company in Estes Park, Work is expected to continue using similar buses to carry visitors across Fall River Pass. through September 30, weather In addition to the Emery Family, special gifts were received from permitting. It is likely a fourth Anonymous, Marvin and Hannah Woolf, and several dozen other supporters to summer’s effort will be required to meet the project budget of $64,975. finish this $470,588 project. At this It is expected that the Field Seminars Bus may have to be custom built. We time, $128,557 still needs to be raised hope to have it in service by this coming September. Stay tuned! for the final push in 2012. 14 Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly The Rocky Mountain National Park Fund expresses special thanks to the following people for their donations to RMNP projects:

Loveland Mountain Club, Loveland, CO Elizabeth Middleton and Roger Reese, Stacy Dunn, Denver, CO NEXT GENERATION FUND: Powell Foundation, Houston, TX Monument, CO Federal Supply USA, Waukegan, IL Robert Raffel, Celebration, FL Sharon Miles, Denver, CO: PRIDE Marketing and Procurement, MILLION MILE CHALLENGE Eugenia Siegel In Memory of Ginger Springer Metaire, LA The Anschutz Foundation, Denver, CO Lori Miller, Denver, CO Tom and Carol Reed, Castle Rock, CO Juanita R. Muntz, Tualatin, OR: Donald and Judith Renner, Columbus, OH Tom & Barb Macgillivray, Windsor, CO Belinda Voit, Fort Collins, CO In Memory of Geoff Muntz Doug and Sheryl Tomlinson, Oskaloosa, IA Allen & Mary Anne Sanborn, Barbara L. Walker, Mobile, AL Timothy J. Nolan, Elkton, MD Jo Ann & Darrel Van Roekel, Santa Fe, NM Kelli Davis, Littleton, CO: Carla Pederson, Estes Park, CO Pea Ridge, AR Robert E. Gammon, Estes Park, CO In Memory of David Reznicek Pfizer Foundation Matching Gifts Program, John Rossie, Ottumwa, IA Roger Walton and Helen Anderson, Princeton, NJ All in Memory of Ted Stuart: (For American Conservation Corps) Lakewood, CO: Qualcomm Matching Gift Program, Susan and Gilbert Garcia, Loveland, CO John Billing, Louisville, KY In Memory of Jean Arthur Princeton, NJ Dorothy Gibbs, Estes Park, CO The Boeing Company, Princeton, NJ Carlen Schenk and Barry Brezan, J. Paul and Marjorie Roberts, Houston, TX Roger Gunlikson, Fort Collins, CO Susan Carrick, Longmont, CO New Berlin, WI: Allen & Mary Anne Sanborn, Santa Fe, NM Susan and Ronald Harris, Estes Park, CO Mr. Donald Cohn, Los Altos, CA In Memory of Monika Carothers Larry and Sue Sonner, Urbandale, IA Beverly Henderson, Estes Park, CO Lynn Coleman, Olympia, WA Marcus and Joan Sessel, Clayton, MO: John Stauffer, Topeka, KS Donald Irwin, Estes Park, CO Majken Eckels, Huron, SD In Memory of Ted Stuart Elisabeth C. Wittman, Chicago, IL Linda C. Johnson, Glen Haven, CO William & Elizabeth Fore, Alice and Tom Woodrum, Greeley, CO Jim and Deb Kiple, Estes Park, CO Claremont, CA Omitted from 2011 Spring Quarterly List: David Platt, Ft. Collins, CO, on behalf of Audrey and Dick Putney, Estes Park, CO Dieter & Renita Heinzl, Saint Louis, MO Phillip and Nancy Burns, Parker, CO Wayne Barthel: Jay and Caroline Smith, Loveland, CO Laura Hiebenthal, Greeley, CO Stephen and Sharon Freeman, in Memory of George F. Platt Mr. and Mrs. William E. Webb III, James & Marcia Hoffmeister, Centennial, CO Tammy Weaver, Westminster, CO: Statesville, NC Boulder, CO In Memory of David Reznicek Stan Wehrli & Cheryl Wagner, IBM Corporation, Raleigh, NC UNRESTRICTED GIFTS Estes Park, CO Gerald & Donna Klinefelter, ESIGNATED IGHEST PRIORITY D H : Omitted from 2011 Spring Quarterly List: Kewadin, MI EXT ENERATION UND ALBERTA FALLS-LAKE Roland and Carol Miller, Houston, TX N G F Charlene Byers, Denver, CO Carol Mouché and Barbara Pollock, Jayne E. Coover, Camp Hill, PA HAIYAHA TRAIL PROJECT Temple, TX Inge R. Adam, Estes Park, CO Dona Hildebrand, Monument, CO Newmont Mining Corporation, American Express Gift Matching Program, Ulla and Mani Lee, Loveland, CO Sally and David Austin, Akron, PA Denver, CO New York, NY Bettie Wilcox, Fort Collins, CO: Aurel L. Burtis, Grand Lake, CO Joan Henley O’Neall, Denver, CO Anonymous In Memory of Art Wilcox, and In Jack and Lynn Dailey, Montgomery, TX Jeanne Paradeis, Littleton, CO Jon Autiello, Saugus, MA Honor of Rick Wilcox, Ban Wilcox and John and Dolores Dolan, Mahwah, NJ Jacqueline Spindler, Washington, DC Automatic Data Processing, Roseland, NJ Sandra Goodin Van Grotenhuis and Kathryn Moore, Barbara Vriezelaar, Monroe, IA Lynda Price Bohager, Hanover, PA: Eden Prairie, MN Dorothy Gibbs, Estes Park, CO: In Honor of Z.Q.P., Forest Fire Technician All in Memory of Foster (Frosty) Dorothy Kingsmore, Colorado Springs, CO In Memory of George Gibbs, William and Louise Bradley, Boulder, CO Freeman: Loveland Mountain Club, Loveland, CO from Lyle and Lynn Reynolds Margaret Bunde, Lincoln, NE David and C.J. Essex, Estes Park, CO, Ronald and Rebecca Reeve, Palatine, IL Joanne Tusa, Fort Collins, CO: Peggy Carr, Denton, TX Joseph and Barbara Rumburg, Rio Rico, AZ Bob and Donna Ricklefs, Olathe, KS In Memory of Georgia M. Paskach Carol Cartwright, Richmond, TX Margaret Freeman, Aurora, CO Marla Schiebout , Loveland, CO Ruth A. Smith, Tucson, AZ: Caterpillar Foundation, Peoria, IL Sally J. Ketcham, Ft. Collins, CO Michelle and Scott Shonbeck, Bellaire, TX In Memory of Gerald Rosenthal Cheley Colorado Camps, Inc., Arle Mae Mogren, Ft. Collins, CO State Trails Program, Littleton, CO Dody Kois, Prue Miller, Tim Taylor, and Estes Park, CO Barbara & Thomas Andersen, Lancaster, PA Chuck and Rebecca Theobald, Debbie Taylor, Glen Allen, VA: Pamela Cramer, Loveland, CO Len and Mary Gottliebsen, Lancaster, PA Colorado Springs, CO: In Memory Uncle George Gibbs Peter and Joan Dawson, Boulder, CO In Memory of George M. Gibbs Anonymous: Joan Donner, Colorado Springs, CO All in Memory of George F. Platt: Bruce Friend, Winter Park, CO: In Memory of Ted Stuart William & Gretchen Edwards, Lisa and Eric Adsit, Fort Collins, CO In Memory of Sidney Friend Centennial, CO C. D. and G. M. Ham, Fort Collins, CO Omitted from 2011 Spring Quarterly List: ExxonMobil Foundation, Princeton, NJ John and Annie Hoffmann, Estes Park, CO Omitted from 2011 Spring Quarterly List: Steve & Barbara Coles, Allenspark, CO Steven M. Fishburn, Austin, TX Marion I. McIlwain, New Canaan, CT Doug and Marcia Nelson, (for Conservation Corps) Alan Folz, Dallas, TX Adrian and Mary Offinger, Wilton, CT Rock Island, IL Ruth Hess, Loveland, CO: The Giving Campaign, Norfolk, VA Dorothy M. Pramer, Norwalk, CT In Honor of Inez Kelley, Helen & Darrell & Wanda Grossman, Garfield, WA: Daniel G. and Julia W. Wilson, Greeley, CO HISTORIC In Memory of Ginger Springer Rocky Lee, Richard & Shirley Tucker RESERVATION UND Rosemary and Daniel Gruber, Belleville, IL: P F Nancy Hyde, Houston, TX All in Memory of George Gibbs: In Memory of Robert W. Brooks Caroline A. Wilkinson, Denver, CO Connie Dedon, Estes Park, CO El Pomar Foundation, Margaret & George Guthrie, Estes Park, CO Renate Edmundson, Estes Park, CO Colorado Springs, CO Franklin & Ruth L. Harold, Edmonds, WA NEXT GENERATION FUND Donald Irwin, Estes Park, CO Robert and Gail Keesecker, Tehra and Marcin Hiolski, Oak Park, IL: William and Virginia Kavage, Sanbury, OH Willoughby, OH In Honor of Linda Van Dyke’s birthday Jax Mercantile, Loveland, CO Dianne Olix, Kettering, OH Jesse and Martha Hord, Windsor, CO Rosemary Padlow, Kettering, OH LAND PRESERVATION FUND (For American Conservation Corps) IBM Corporation, Raleigh, NC El Pomar Foundation, Marcus and Joan Sessel, Clayton, MO Chris and George Judson, Durango, CO Brandon Caldwell, San Marcos, TX: Colorado Springs, CO Mr. and Mrs. William E. Webb III, Kurt and Lisa Knutson, Vernon Hills, IL Happy Mother’s Day to Cheems Estes Park Women’s Club, Statesville, NC Rob and Cathy Leach, Carrollton, TX Margy and Thomas Lininger, Estes Park, CO Helen Minturn, Rainelle, WV Beth and John Lombardi, East Windsor, NJ Greeley, CO Kathleen Kase and Dan DeBlasio, Tony and Julie Mahon, Fort Collins, CO Paul W. Poston, Denver, CO Estes Park, CO: All in Memory of Lynn Renner: Anita Mapes, Austin, TX Allen & Mary Anne Sanborn, In Honor of Robert Kase’s Birthday Gary and Beverly Cammarata, Sedalia, CO Raymond & Margaret McMahon, Donald Christian, Greeley, CO Santa Fe, NM Omaha, NE Carolyn and Terry Dunn, Castle Rock Troy and Sue Smith Jr. MD, Dallas, TX Rocky Mountain Nature Association Quarterly 15 LEGACY ENDOWMENT FUND Quick Fix Science Colleen A. McLaren, Hygiene, CO (Actually, a thinly disguised Mr. and Mrs. David E. Rosenson, Ask Nancy Question....) Lakewood, CO What made moose start crossing the FIELD SEMINARS BUS FUND Continental Divide in the first place if this natural barrier has prevented them in the past? Anonymous David and Mary Ann Bliley, Erie, PA Moose are wide ranging wanderers and the Douglas & Patricia Campbell, Greeley, CO Michael Conley, Leucadia, CA Continental Divide is not, in fact, a natural Margaret Dellinger, Indianapolis, IN barrier. Elk and deer commonly cross back and Reginald Fogg, Fallbrook, CA James & Margery Giguere, Estes Park, CO forth over the Divide, so it’s no surprise that Julie and Martin Harrington, Denver, CO moose would as well. Moose are not considered Photo: Jon Clarke Robert and Ellen Hostetler, Monument, CO Sylvia Kuhns, Estes Park, CO to be native to Colorado — in the late 1800s and early 1900s only an occasional moose Mary Lamy, Hygiene, CO wandered into Colorado, probably from Utah and Wyoming. They were introduced in Susan N. Moore, Estes Park, CO Richard and Kathleen Prucha, Erie, CO 1978 and 1979 in the North Park area. They started moving into the Colorado River Elmer Sprague, Brookline, MA District in 1980 but were only observed during the summer months. It wasn’t until the Anita Tannuzzo, Tampa, FL Marvin and Hannah Woolf, Boulder, CO winter of 1985-86 that moose were observed in the Kawuneeche Valley and then considered to be year round residents. Starting at about the summer of 1985 moose were occasionally observed on the alpine SPECIAL PROJECTS tundra near Timber Lake, around the Mount Ida Ridge area and in the upper Hague Creek & PROGRAMS and Cache La Poudre area. The Hague/Cache La Poudre is on the eastside of the Barbara Linville Estate, Geneva, IL Continental Divide. During this time they were also observed in the upper reaches of the Graig and Janet McHendrie, Palo Alto, CA East and North Inlet on the westside. Mary Lynn Oliver, Wichita, KS: In Memory of Howard Burkhart It was not until October 1988 that moose were observed on somewhat of a regular Dr. and Mrs. John Christiano, Jupiter, FL: basis into the further reaches of the eastside of the park. The first observations were in the In Memory of John Christiano and In Honor of Marilyn Hubbard Wild Basin area. They were also observed the following summer in the North Fork area. In 2011 we now have year round moose on both sides of the park with regular observations Memorial Bench, All in Memory of Gregory (Greg) Hansen for the eastside in the Bear Lake/Glacier Gorge/Glacier Creek corridor, Wild Basin and Nina Anderson, Marquette, NE North Fork. We even had a moose drop by headquarters one year wandering through the The Brian Bacon Family, Thornton, CO Mr. and Mrs. Curt Barner, Thornton, CO housing and utility area.—Resources Management Specialist Jeff Connor. Mr. and Mrs. Roy Brinkley, San Diego, CA Ms. Susan Brinkley, San Diego, CA Mr. & Mrs. Ken Clemens, Westminster, CO (Pine Beetles, cont. from page 3) Friends from Hunters Glen, Westminster, CO resin produced by each tree often varies within a grove of trees. Resin is the gooey substance Mandi and Debbie Gaudian, Thornton, CO that comes out of trees when they are wounded and contains several chemicals toxic to the Julie Grasser and Friends, Thornton, CO Stephanie Greene, Rachel Raymond, and mountain pine beetle. The tree’s ability to produce resin is one of the primary means of Lynne Werde, Thornton, CO defending itself. The beetles battle through the resin to gain access to its food source, the phloem Carl and Barbara Hansen, Thornton, CO Ms. Gaylynn Jameson, Westminster, CO layer, under the bark. Some scientific studies have shown that trees that produced more resin Sharon Johnson, Fort Collins, CO deterred beetles better than trees with less resin, and yet other studies have not been able to The Mark Kosmicki Family, replicate this finding. Since mountain pine beetles carry a suite of fungi, yeast, and bacteria, Wood River, NE The Russ Kosmicki Family, St. Paul, NE which act in concert with the beetle mining the tree’s Mr. and Mrs. Terry Kosmicki, St. Paul, NE phloem to kill the tree, the individual tree’s ability to ARK UZZLE NSWERS Ms. Laura Malsom, Thornton, CO P P A Mr. and Mrs. Tom Mersch, Aurora, NE defend itself against the blue stain fungi vectored by Ms. Doris Plummer, Central City, NE the mountain pine beetle may be just as important as The Fish and The Frog Rooms at Riverdale Elementary, Thornton, CO keeping the beetle out. Another factor in tree The Scott Varvir Family, Thornton, CO defense may be genetic variation within pine species. Ms. Karen Weber, Thornton, CO Studies examining genetic variation within pine Mr. and Mrs. Randy Weiche, Thornton, CO The Craig Wilkening Family, Thornton, CO species are on-going and have indicated that Mrs. Melinda Younger, Thornton, CO mountain pine beetle reacts differently to different host genotypes. Maybe one day we will be able to do a simple test and determine how resistant a pine tree is to mountain pine beetles. Then again, as we do more research we often discover how complex these biological systems are. —Sheryl L. Costello, USDA Forest Service, Entomologist For comments or questions contact: Curt Buchholtz, Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Nancy Wilson, Quarterly Editor US Postage Rocky Mountain Nature Association PAID PO Box 3100 Permit #184 Estes Park, Colorado 80517 Estes Park, CO (970) 586-0108 www.rmna.org

This red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, was spotted by Park Biologist Gary C. Miller and Park Volunteer Rich Gilliland at the end of May in the West Alluvial Fan area. While not rare east of Colorado, this bird is very rare in the Rocky Mountains. Photo: Richard Hahn

Summer lenticulars Photo: RMNA Member Dick Coe Nature Association Notes... Summer is here!!!! All the early rains made for a very green spring, with golden firmly in its mouth and swam banner and purple iris on full display. Heavy clouds still lurk over the Continental back to the bank from where it Divide, as if reminding us that weather in the Rockies is nothing if not inconsistent. had originated. Two minutes No relaxing for this hardy bunch.... In mid-May, RMNA Member Dick Coe and a later it appeared again, friend were watching a golden eagle’s nest when they saw one of the golden eagles following the same pattern of fold its wings and dive from near the nest at a very high speed at some prey it had swimming, diving and sighted. It missed its intended supper and flew low, landing on the ground above the reappearing on the far inlet ditch alongside a road. It appeared to be looking at something in the ditch, and Dick bank, moving around, then thought the eagle had perhaps spotted a ground squirrel or a marmot, but it did not silence. This time when it go after whatever it saw. As the eagle took flight, Dick drove toward the eagle and reemerged it had a spotted looked into the ditch where the eagle had been. Lo and behold, there was a badger. salamander firmly in its mouth. No wonder the eagle had second thoughts about this possible prey. Badgers can Unlike the squirming fish, the Just hours old... Photo: RMNA Member Dick Orleans weigh more than 20 pounds....Estes Park highschooler Madeline Wilson observed a salamander was immobile. The whole episode was 16 minutes long and yet it seemed small lump moving jerkily across a dirt road near her home in Carriage Hills. She like 16 seconds. What a thrill! It was suggested that this was probably a female that assumed it was a ground squirrel dragging off the corpse of a recently fallen was possibly carrying food to its young in a nest in the bank.....Park visitors reported comrade. As she drew nearer, however, she saw the telltale black-tipped tail and being awakened at 11:00 p.m. in early June to the sound of a ruckus in the garbage streamlined body of a long-tailed weasel hauling a ground squirrel that was bigger cans outside the rental in which they were staying in Estes Park. They watched as a than itself to its lair (not without a few breaks to catch its breath, it did appear!). mother bear attempted to show her two cubs how she planned to access the treasure Because long-tailed weasels are known for their fierceness in battle, it wouldn’t trove of goodies inside the trash can. After sending the cubs up a tree to watch, she have been unlikely for the weasel to have attacked and killed the ground squirrel hauled one of the three cans out of the enclosure and proceded to try to rip into it with itself. But it’s just as likely that it was collecting the hit-and-run carcass of one of her claws, jump on it to pop the lid and roll the can around to break the clasps. the many ground squirrels in the neighborhood, since these weasels are also Luckily, the can was bear proof and ultimately stymied her. But this bear brings her scavengers extraordinaire.....Spring brings a host of birds to and through the park cubs every year to try her luck, indicating that she’s having success with other trash when migration is underway. Park Biologist Gary C. Miller watched in awe as a cans, somewhere. If you live in bear country, please buy bear proof trash cans to stop flock of more than 50 white pelicans riding the thermals flew above Deer Mountain this viscious cycle that ultimately kills bears.....RMNA Member Dick Orleans in late May. Most Colorado white pelicans winter on the Gulf Coast of Texas and observed a mule deer fawn that was born early one morning after a tremendous hail Mexico. When they return, these birds are very selective in their choice of nest and lightning storm the night before. The mother deer was vigilantly protecting her sites, choosing isolated areas and islands where they nest in colonies. The nests newborn, and when she saw a large bobcat that must have caught wind of the birth typically are situated twice the distance of an adult’s extended bill, head and neck approach the area, the mama deer immediately chased the bobcat up a nearby from each other (i.e., only just barely touching bill tips when they “jab” at each ponderosa. After the bobcat sulked away to a neighbor’s yard, she kept watch most other). Originally, these birds nested in Colorado at just one site east of Greeley, diligently. She even came around the back side of Dick’s house to keep an eye on the hosting only a couple hundred birds classified as endangered in Colorado. Now, bobcat. At one point, the bobcat came back around the house to try a different they’re known to also nest in North Park, at Antero (South Park), and possibly at approach, but when it saw Dick spotting it with his camera, the bobcat left without a some other areas, bringing their numbers in Colorado up to several thousand, and meal.....After tackling huge snowdrifts and snow slides that repeatedly covered the now considered secure.....Park Volunteer Richard Gilliland had a most unusual newly plowed road, Trail Ridge Road finally opened for the season on June 6. sighting in mid-May while giving his bird walk in Moraine Park meadows. As the According to Park Information Officer Kyle Patterson, due to significant snow group drew near the Big Thompson, he spotted what initially he assumed was a accumulation, Old Fall River Road is not expected to open by the Fourth of July Common muskrat swimming rapidly out into the current. This didn’t seem right to weekend as it traditionally does. This scenic road presents additional challenges for him, and soon it became apparent that it wasn’t a muskrat at all. After much park snowplow operators. In mid-June, sections of the top of the road were under an discussion about the diagnostic field marks and behaviors with park staff and estimated 15 feet of snow, obscuring the snow poles that guide snowplow operators others, all ten field marks solidly confirmed the presence of a mink! When first on the location of the road. Avalanche activity is typically encountered along several seen, the mink swam out from the right bank to the middle of the inlet, dove and slide paths that cross the road and this year, these events are anticipated to be larger reappeared on the west side of the inlet. It moved around in the vegetation a little with the potential for significant deposition and debris that will have to be cleared and then silence...then it reappeared in the middle of the inlet with a 5.5 inch trout from the road corridor.....Never a dull day in RMNP!