Denali National Park
Content
Denali National Park and Preserve
BY DAVID HUANG AND KEVIN KNOX
Welcome!
History of Geology
Located in the Alaska
Range²mountain chain about 600 miles long
Alaska Range formed 5
million years ago by the movement of geologic forces
National park contains
³Denali´²AKA²Mt. McKinley
Denali (the highest
peak in North America) and its neighboring peaks, are carved from granite rocks
Natural History
Biome
y A majority of the park is
vast expanses of tundra, although it does include a few wooded areas y The areas of tundra are considered either moist or alpine y Over 450 species of flowering plants fill the park, and many rely on fire, giving the park a very complicated fire history
Natural History
Climate
y Long winters are followed by
Wildlife
y There are 37 mammal species
short growing seasons y Generally, summers are usually cool and damp, but can be very unpredictable y Mountains block water to north thus«
recorded in the park and preserve
Dall sheep, Caribou, Moose, Wolves (rare), Grizzly bears, fox, weasel, wolverine, lynx, etc.
Drier climate and huge temperature fluctuations to the North South receives transitional maritime continental climates, with moister, cooler summers and warmer winters
y Birdlife is varied and interesting Plovers, gyrfalcons, mew gulls, and snow buntings are among the 156 species of birds recorded at Denali y Spring, summer, and fall is a busy
time during which animals must garner most of their annual food supplies y Winter challenges wildlife with frigid temperatures and the cessation of plant growth (food is scarce)
Can you guess the wildlife?
Grizzly Bear Bull Moose
Size of Area
Denali National Park
and Preserve is over 6 million acres large
Formerly known as
Mount McKinley National Park from 1917 until the park was expanded and renamed in 1980
Interesting Fact: It is
larger than the State of Massachusetts
Management and Laws/Protocol
y In 1980, Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) was signed, expanding the national park system in Alaska by over 43 million acres y Denali National Park and Preserve is managed as three distinct units:
y Denali National Park has
Denali Wilderness Denali National Park additions Denali National Preserve
two areas designated as National Preserves, which permit subsistence and State of Alaska hunting/trapping y State harvests are regulated by State game laws passed by the Alaska Board of Game y Federal subsistence harvests are regulated by federal regulations passed by the Federal Subsistence Board
Why is it Important to Preserve?
y Denali is home to a variety
of Alaskan birds and mammals, including a healthy population of grizzly bears and black bears. y Denali homes a mix a habitats that include forest at the lowest elevations, tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, rock, and snow at the highest elevations.
Ecosystems
Ecosystems
y Alaska Range¶s perpetually snow y y y
Threatened Species?
y
covered flanks glaciers Open tundra expanses dotted with small lakes and ponds Turbid glacial rivers At lower elevations in the park the boreal forest, a mixed spruce forest with aspen and birch, winds its way up into valleys and along river corridors The interior mountains support complex and diverse habitats resulting from variation in elevation, geology, slope, and exposure
y None.
Threats/Challenges
Threats/Challenges
y Degradation by the pollution of
Ways to Alleviate
y
motorized vehicles
ATV¶s and snowmobiles, which will cause both noise and air pollution
y
y Insufficient funds given to the
national park
Alaska national parks count for twothirds of all national parklands, in 1999 received a mere $43 million out of a total Park Service budget of $2 billion²3 percent of the budget for 66 percent of the land base; moreover, the Alaska region has fewer employees than Yosemite or Yellowstone
y
y
y Overhunting of species
Adopt regulations that define "traditional activities" in parks and other conservation areas as utilitarian activities necessary for sustaining a traditional rural way of life, not including recreational activities or the use of motorized vehicles as an activity Establish a set of specific principles and guidelines regarding reasonable regulation of motorized and non-motorized transportation to protect the full range of natural and other values of the parks Define private inholders' right of access to their lands without requiring a host of new roads or railroads through the parks Adopt permanent regulations to decide highway right-of-way claims, under federal law, that recognize valid, existing roads but preclude development of trails and footpaths into thousands of miles of new roads through parks and wilderness
Why visit?
³Denali, a world apart.´
y Denali National Park and Preserve is a beautiful
expanse of land that hosts a variety of nearly pristine habitats and ecosystems that ranges from clear lakes and colorful tundra to the rugged, towering glacial snows atop the Alaska Range, which provides home to a myriad of species. In short, Denali National Park and Preserve exemplifies interior Alaska's character as one of the world's last great frontiers for wilderness adventure.
³Denali, a world apart.´
BY DAVID HUANG AND KEVIN KNOX
Welcome!
History of Geology
Located in the Alaska
Range²mountain chain about 600 miles long
Alaska Range formed 5
million years ago by the movement of geologic forces
National park contains
³Denali´²AKA²Mt. McKinley
Denali (the highest
peak in North America) and its neighboring peaks, are carved from granite rocks
Natural History
Biome
y A majority of the park is
vast expanses of tundra, although it does include a few wooded areas y The areas of tundra are considered either moist or alpine y Over 450 species of flowering plants fill the park, and many rely on fire, giving the park a very complicated fire history
Natural History
Climate
y Long winters are followed by
Wildlife
y There are 37 mammal species
short growing seasons y Generally, summers are usually cool and damp, but can be very unpredictable y Mountains block water to north thus«
recorded in the park and preserve
Dall sheep, Caribou, Moose, Wolves (rare), Grizzly bears, fox, weasel, wolverine, lynx, etc.
Drier climate and huge temperature fluctuations to the North South receives transitional maritime continental climates, with moister, cooler summers and warmer winters
y Birdlife is varied and interesting Plovers, gyrfalcons, mew gulls, and snow buntings are among the 156 species of birds recorded at Denali y Spring, summer, and fall is a busy
time during which animals must garner most of their annual food supplies y Winter challenges wildlife with frigid temperatures and the cessation of plant growth (food is scarce)
Can you guess the wildlife?
Grizzly Bear Bull Moose
Size of Area
Denali National Park
and Preserve is over 6 million acres large
Formerly known as
Mount McKinley National Park from 1917 until the park was expanded and renamed in 1980
Interesting Fact: It is
larger than the State of Massachusetts
Management and Laws/Protocol
y In 1980, Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) was signed, expanding the national park system in Alaska by over 43 million acres y Denali National Park and Preserve is managed as three distinct units:
y Denali National Park has
Denali Wilderness Denali National Park additions Denali National Preserve
two areas designated as National Preserves, which permit subsistence and State of Alaska hunting/trapping y State harvests are regulated by State game laws passed by the Alaska Board of Game y Federal subsistence harvests are regulated by federal regulations passed by the Federal Subsistence Board
Why is it Important to Preserve?
y Denali is home to a variety
of Alaskan birds and mammals, including a healthy population of grizzly bears and black bears. y Denali homes a mix a habitats that include forest at the lowest elevations, tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, rock, and snow at the highest elevations.
Ecosystems
Ecosystems
y Alaska Range¶s perpetually snow y y y
Threatened Species?
y
covered flanks glaciers Open tundra expanses dotted with small lakes and ponds Turbid glacial rivers At lower elevations in the park the boreal forest, a mixed spruce forest with aspen and birch, winds its way up into valleys and along river corridors The interior mountains support complex and diverse habitats resulting from variation in elevation, geology, slope, and exposure
y None.
Threats/Challenges
Threats/Challenges
y Degradation by the pollution of
Ways to Alleviate
y
motorized vehicles
ATV¶s and snowmobiles, which will cause both noise and air pollution
y
y Insufficient funds given to the
national park
Alaska national parks count for twothirds of all national parklands, in 1999 received a mere $43 million out of a total Park Service budget of $2 billion²3 percent of the budget for 66 percent of the land base; moreover, the Alaska region has fewer employees than Yosemite or Yellowstone
y
y
y Overhunting of species
Adopt regulations that define "traditional activities" in parks and other conservation areas as utilitarian activities necessary for sustaining a traditional rural way of life, not including recreational activities or the use of motorized vehicles as an activity Establish a set of specific principles and guidelines regarding reasonable regulation of motorized and non-motorized transportation to protect the full range of natural and other values of the parks Define private inholders' right of access to their lands without requiring a host of new roads or railroads through the parks Adopt permanent regulations to decide highway right-of-way claims, under federal law, that recognize valid, existing roads but preclude development of trails and footpaths into thousands of miles of new roads through parks and wilderness
Why visit?
³Denali, a world apart.´
y Denali National Park and Preserve is a beautiful
expanse of land that hosts a variety of nearly pristine habitats and ecosystems that ranges from clear lakes and colorful tundra to the rugged, towering glacial snows atop the Alaska Range, which provides home to a myriad of species. In short, Denali National Park and Preserve exemplifies interior Alaska's character as one of the world's last great frontiers for wilderness adventure.
³Denali, a world apart.´
