Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon formed in Arizona long ago when the
west was a sea. As the sea began to dry it created lots of sand and
mud that settled to the bottom. Thousands of layers of sand and mud
finally hardened into the rock layers that make the sides of the canyon.
The oldest rocks are 2 billion years old which is half as old as the earth!
Sometimes scientists find fossils in the rock layers. The canyon was cut
by the running water of the Colorado River. Even today the river
makes changes in the rocks. The Grand Canyon is 10 miles wide and
four Sears Towers tall! The park is so big that it has lots
of habitats like streams, cliffs, forests, a river, a desert and caves.
The weather can change a lot, from hot and dry to cool and moist so lots
of creatures can live there. The area became a National Park in 1919.
The landmarks are the canyon itself, the Colorado
River and the Canyon’s National Park House. There are many lookouts
where visitors can take pictures. Other things to do at the Grand
Canyon are: hiking the trails, crossing swinging bridges, taking mule rides,
rock climbing, kayaking, riding an old steam train, camping, and taking
geology classes. There is a newspaper about the park. You can
even take a plane ride over the canyon.
Who used to live there? The Native Americans used
to live there but were driven out by the cowboys. There are ruins
of an ancient Indian village that you can explore. Today lots of
Indian things are in museums near the canyon. Many Native people
still live nearby in reservations.
Brighty is a donkey that lived at the Grand Canyon
from 1892 to 1922. He took water and food to camps, sort of like a delivery
man but a donkey. Brady was alive when pioneers were exploring the
Grand Canyon. He was the first to cross over a bridge built at the
bottom of the canyon. In 1953 a children’s book was written about
him. If you go there you will see a statue of Brighty.
There are many animals that live there like deer,
squirrels, porcupines, moose, rams, lizards, bobcats, coyotes, bear, mountain
lion, crows, mice, rats and other small animals. There are 75 kinds
of mammals, 50 kinds of amphibians and reptiles and 300 kinds of birds!
Lots of plants, trees, bushes, flowers and cacti grow in the canyon.
The smallest plants are called Microbiotic Soil. They are tiny, black,
crusty growths on the soil. They are really important because they
keep water from washing away soil. You have to be careful of them
because one footprint takes 15 years to fix!
How can people help save the park environment?
By cleaning the rivers, picking up trash, dead animals and Native American
things like knives.
What does the park ranger do? A lot of jobs like:
saves and animals, picks up trash and things, cleans up the water,
and picks up fossils from rock slides and floods. They give people
maps of the area, tell the park history, tell campfire stories, and work
in the gift shop. Sometimes park rangers have dangerous jobs like
hunting for missing people, fighting fires, and packing and riding mules.
It takes a lot of study to be a park ranger. The park has rules like no
swimming, no hunting unless you have permission, no getting near the animals.
The park ranger has to remind people of the rules, especially not to feed
the animals!
|
|
