Rocky Mountain National Park

By: Matt Jackson

When the park was founded

•January 26, 1915, President Wilson signed a billnaming part of the Rocky Mountains to RockyMountain National Park

•It has been written but never proved, that mancame to this mountain region 10,000 years ago.

•They hunted bison on the plains.

•There were scientific expeditions, fort buildingand mining for gold and silver.

How park was formed

•Rocky Mountain National Park was formedwhen the Rocky Mountains were formed.

•Some parts were formed by glaciers,volcanoes and when the earth tilted andformed mountains.

Formation of the park

•Rocky Mountain National Park was formedwhen the Rocky Mountains were formed.

•Some parts were from by glaciers,volcanoes and when the earth tilted andformed mountains.

•This created plains, meadows, valleys andhuge mountain peaks.

•Melting ice from the glaciers created thestreams and rivers.

Type of rocks found in park

•Most of the rocks are siltstone, shale andsandstone.

•There also are some volcanic stone anddifferent types of granite.

•New rock forms are created bytemperature changes and stress fromwithin the crust of the mountain.

•Shale turns to slate and limestone turns tomarble.

What landforms and specialfeatures

•There are many special landforms found insidethe park.

•There are huge mountains for climbing, streamsand rivers for excellent fishing, valleys carved byglaciers and trails for hikers.

•These landforms are home to many plant andanimal species.

•Tourists take advantage of the manycampgrounds located through out the RockyMountain National Park.

•Roads have been made for scenic drives.

How is land currently changing

•The land in the Park is currently changing when newroads are made to handle all the tourists who visit thepark.

•When roads are built trees, rocks and plants are takenaway to clear the roads for hikers and off road vehicles.

•The land is also changing from the elk eating the aspenand willow trees, killing them.

•Another problem is the pine beetles that burrow into thepines and kill those trees.

•Parts of the Park are now closed to tourists because thetrees are gone and the land is bare.

Environmental issues

•A huge environmental issue affecting the Park isthat too much nitrogen is being deposited and isaffecting the ecosystem.

•There is more nitrogen than the plants can useand it is ending up in the streams and lakescausing algae to grow.

•Nitrogen oxide that comes from cars on thehighway, nearby power plants and smokestacksis becoming toxic for plants and animals.

•The good thing is that the glaciers are notmelting yet.

Technology in the Park

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•Cameras are used to track and determine glacier characteristics, motion and volume.

•Photographs from cameras also help to keep an eye on the ever changing Parklandscape.

• Security cameras also help to keep an eye on tourists to make sure they arefollowing the Park rules.

•Tax dollars are being spent to upgrade the fire stations.

• New monitors and special fire equipment has been bought to locate and put out firesfaster.

•This saves thousands of trees from being destroyed by fire each year.

•Energy efficient equipment like trucks and all terrain vehicles are now helping toreduce fossil fuel consumption.

•This is helping to keep the Park air fresh.

•Special devices are now used to measure nitrogen and nitrogen oxide that comesfrom highways, smokestacks and fertilizer plants and keep it at safe levels.

Topographic Map

Bibliography

"Google Images." Google. Web. 02 June 2010.<http://google.com/images>.

•Hewitt, Sally. Explore & Learn. Nashville, Tenn.:Southwestern, 2001. Print.

•Radlauer, Ruth, and Rolf Zillmer. Rocky MountainNational Park. Chicago: Childrens, 1984. Print.

•"Rocky Mountain National Park - History." Estes ParkOn-Line - Video Guide and Internet TV for EP andRMNP. Web. 02 June 2010. <http://estes.on-line.com/rmnp/articles/briefhis.html>.

•Snedden, Robert. Mountains. North Mankato, Minn.:Smart Apple Media, 2005. Print.