Canyonlands National Park

Landmarks: Colorado and Green Rivers are  there.  Deep  beautiful  canyons  wind through the Canyonlands.  There are rock shapes like: arches, needles, caterpillars and angels. 

People  Who   Lived  There: The  first people   to live there were Native Americans.  They left ruins of cliff houses and painted pictures on the canyon walls.  Lots of arrowheads were left there.  later on trappers and miners came.  

How  it  was  formed: Canyonlands was not always a National park.  In ancient times there were no rocks or deep canyons.  Instead there was a huge sea.  At the  flood season the floods came and went.  The next year same thing.  This routine went on for  2.5  million  years.  Each time the sea dried up, sand layers were left over. After many years of pressure sandstone was formed.  This sandstone is different colors.  Some of it is called slickrock because the running water smoothed out ridges.  Over time the sandstone eroded and made beautiful rock formations.  The Colorado River moves through cutting deep, wide canyons. The Canyonlands were now formed           
Why the area is protected:  My area is  protected because miners left their machines  and badly built  roads there so the government made it a National Park in 1964.   

Animals  that  live  there:  mule deer, lizards, foxes and cactus wrens are some animals that  live there.

Plants that  live  there: Many kinds of flowers and trees are found in Canyonlands. 

How to protect Canyonlands: One way to  protect the Canyonlands is to stop putting your trash around the area.  Another way is to not  feed the animals. 
What the park ranger does: A park ranger gives out maps and rules so that people have a good time.  They answer questions.  When they take you on a nature walk they will point out creatures and their habitats.  Sometimes the park ranger will tell the history of the park in stories.  To be a park ranger, you need to be a straight A student and very responsible.  Rangers have to find lost people.  They use vehicles like: planes, boats and snow cats.  Park rangers must keep people from animals.  They must stop forest fires.  Sometimes they use controlled fire to clear out an area for new trees to grow.  They need to get rid of plants that don’t belong in the area.  Park rangers will help you have a fun time at any park!

Special Facts: Canyonlands is very different  from any other national park, there are no  lodges, motels, showers, coin laundries, restaurants and no souvenir shops. Canyonlands is unusual because two rivers separate three distinct areas: Island in the Sky, The Maze and The Needles.  There are many trails to climb.  A road leads partway up to a Mesa.  On a clear day in Island in the Sky you can see three mountain ranges: Abajos, La Sals and Henry’s.  The Maze has many confusing passageways that have to be explored by boat.  It can be dangerous because of the rapids.