| Olympic is in the state of Washington in the north west
corner of the U.S. Olympic is nicknamed "Three Parks In One" because
of the different ecosystems. They are mountains, Pacific coast, and
the rain forest.
LAND MARKS
Mount Olympus is one of the highest mountains in the Olympic
Mountain range. Mount Olympus National Monument was created by President
Theodore Roosevelt in 1909, almost 30 years before this it was called a
National Park.
HISTORY
Early explorers in 1592, and English explorers in the
late 1700s, were all trying to find a passage from the Pacific Ocean to
the inland areas. Settlers came to the Olympic Peninsula in the 1800s.
Olympic first became a national forest to protect the breeding grounds
for Olympic elk. It became a National Park on June 29, 1938.
HOT SPRINGS
Several hot springs can be found in Olympic National Park.
Indian legend said that the hot water came from two dragons
who where crying because they tried to have a fight but neither one of
them could win.
SHORE ANIMALS FROM COAST HABITAT
At Olympic you can see: raccoons feeding on shellfish,
deer, shore birds, sea otters and lots of other animals. There are
also Shore birds such as gulls, bald eagles, and black oyster catchers.
Olympic has 60 miles of coast line, exciting area with
sand, crashing waves, tide pools at low tide and interesting shore birds
and animals.
MOUNTAINS
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in the Olympic
mountain range. It is almost 8,000 feet tall. It is very dramatic
because it appears to rise out of the ocean since it is so close to the
Pacific coast.
RAIN FOREST
Olympic rain forest gets 12 to 14 feet of rain
each year. If you visited the rain forest you would see huge trees.
Stick spruce and western hemlock grow to 300 feet tall and 23 feet around.
LOWLAND FOREST
Lowland forest grows above the rain forest valleys.
You will not find Stick Spruce, but you will see Grand Fir. Other
trees are western hemlock, and Douglas fir. You will find these in drier
conditions.
GLACIERS
Glaciers and streams carved the mountains at Olympic
National Park. Glaciers can still be found on the mountain peaks.
Glaciers separated the Olympic Mountains from other areas
during the Ice Age. Because of this separation Olympic has 15 animals and
8 plants that can not be found anywhere else in the world. Some are:
-
Olympic Marmot
-
Olympic Mazama Pocket Gopher
-
Olympic Mud Minnow
-
Olympic Mountain Milkvetch
PRESERVATION
Preservation means how to take care of the land.
The United Nations named Olympic National Park a World
Heritage site and an International Biosphere Reserve. This means
that the park is not only special in the United States but in the world.
It was given these honors because it is unspoiled and beautiful.
PARK RANGERS
Who is responsible for the national parks? Park
Rangers!
Park rangers have lots of different responsibilities.
They take care of the land and guiding people who visit the park.
When people walk through the park, a park ranger will give them maps to
use and rules to follow. A ranger will answer questions and point
out plants and animals during the walk. They will sometimes dress
in historic clothes and tell stories by a camp fire. They might tell
history about the park or about native americans that lived in the park.
Rangers have to study very hard to do all their different jobs. Rangers
have to learn the history of the park, to search and rescue people and
they have to learn how to take care of the environment also. Rangers
have lots of tools and special vehicles for lots of different jobs. Some
of the jobs are mule and horse packing for trips in the park, bird counting,
and putting out careless fires. Rangers have to watch people during
the walks to make sure they do not feed the animals. Rangers need
to protect the rare animals. Rangers have many important jobs so
they can take care of the park and get along with the visitors! |
