B-DENALI+NATIONAL+PARK

=Denali National Park=

Park Profile:
Location: Denali Borough and Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Size: 6,028,754 acres/ 9,419.9 square miles Region of US: Northwest (Alaska) Visitors per Year: 425,000 Average January Temperature: 2 ° F Average July Temperature: 55  ° F Average Annual Snowfall: 15 inches Most Popular Site: Mt. McKinley

History:
Denali National Park began in 1907 as a concept developed by Charles Sheldon, a scientist, and Henry Peter Karstens, a climber who would later reach the summit of Mt. McKinley's South Peak. Ten years later, on February 26, 1917, Congress approved the plan and established Mt. McKinley National Park, a 2 million acre area. The park was founded as a preserve for the dall sheep that inhabited the area, which were being commercially hunted. In 1980, the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act changecd the name of the park to Denali (meaning "the high one" in the Athabaskan language, spoken by Native Americans that lived in that area) and tripled the land that the park protected. Almost all of the 2 millon acres that were part of the original Mt. McKinley National Park is now a wilderness area.

Animals:
Denali National Park is home to many different types of animals. There are 39 different species of mammals, 166 types birds, 14 disctinct fish species, and one type of amphibian. Below are some of the most prevalent species: media type="custom" key="5361215" width="40" height="40" align="center"


 * Moose: 2,000-2,200 present in preserve
 * Caribou: 2,100 present in preserve
 * Dall Sheep: 2,500 present in preserve
 * Grizzly Bear: 300-400 present in preserve
 * Gray Wolf: 80-100 present in preserve
 * Red Fox: population unknown
 * Lynx: population unknown
 * Hoary Marmot: population unknown



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Vegetation:
The growing season at Denali only last 100 days, with permafrost in many areas of the park, makes the landscape very harsh for plants. Only the hardiest vegetation can survive the often eminent frost. Below is a list of the main vegetation at Denali, by location:

Boreal Forest: Trees:
 * Black Spruce
 * White Spruce
 * Aspen
 * Balsam Poplar
 * Paper Birch
 * Tamarack

Shrubs:
 * Blueberries [[image:http://www.knollacresblueberries.com/Cultivars/BluecropBlueberries_NatureHillsNursery_big.jpg width="127" height="136" align="right" caption="Blueberries"]][[image:http://www.flowerpictures1.com/data/media/1/Wild_rose.jpg width="170" height="138" align="right" caption="Wild Rose"]] [[image:http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/arizona/images/hpp_home_bebb.jpg width="158" height="140" align="right" caption="Bebb Willow"]]
 * Crowberries
 * Wild Rose
 * Low-bush Cranberries

Moist Tundra:
 * Dwarf Birch
 * Willow

Alpine Tundra:
 * Aven [[image:http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/data/media/6/mountain-avens_5819.jpg width="173" height="119" align="right" caption="Mountain Avens"]][[image:http://www.visitrainier.com/media/wildflowers/photo_spotted_saxifrage_lg.jpg width="157" height="119" align="right" caption="Saxifrage"]][[image:http://www.stainforthonline.co.uk/2001/images/flora_fauna/flora/creeping_cinquefoil.jpg width="158" height="124" align="right" caption="Cinquefoil"]]
 * Heather
 * Cinquefoil
 * Saxifrage

Geology:
The [|Alaskan Mountain Range], which includes Denali's Mt. McKinley, was formed by the convergence of tectonic plates in the area. In 1964, the grinding of these plates caused a massive earthquake registering 7.9 on the Richter Scale. media type="custom" key="5350457" width="10" height="28" align="right"The two plates that collided in the case of the mountains of Denali are the Pacific Plate and the [|North American Continental Plate]. The pressure that is caused by the scraping of these two plates warps the land and projects mountains out of the surface. This process is very slow, but its results can be viewed in the form of the Alaskan Mountain Range. Ridges in the Earth's crust can be witnessed at Denali National Park. The Denali Fault is a 600 mile long crack in the surface of the land caused by the grinding of the tectonic plates. media type="custom" key="5407765" align="left"



Issues:
Denali National Park is a regulated natural ecosystem and has been altered little by humans. The air is very clean, thanks to the lack of nearby urban areas and the mountains that shelter Denali. The small, but measurable amounts of pollutants that do end up in the atmosphere of the park are results of pollution in Europe and Asia. As for fire, ninety-three percent of the park falls in the category of areas that need fires to thrive, and therefore there is little detriment to the environment by flames. Invasive species are also virtually a non-issue, since any organisms must be hardy enough to survive the harsh climate of Alaska. There are some exceptions, however: White Sweet Clover and Bird Vetch have both naturally invaded the park, but their effects on the environment are negligible.

The major issue at Denali is the receding of the glaciers that cover 17% of the park. Whether a result of global warming or Earth's natural cycle, the ice that helped form the park are beginning to melt. media type="custom" key="5407745" align="left"

Denali National Park has many activities for visitors. Denali does not allow personal cars into the park, but there is a bus that takes patrons through the less rugged areas. During the summer, the park allows hiking, cycling, fishing, and wildlife viewing. In winter, there is snowshoeing, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, dog mushing, winter camping, and wildlife viewing.

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Images:
Alaskan Mountain Range. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Aspen. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Balsam Poplar. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Basic Map of Denali. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Bebb Willow//. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Bird Vetch. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Black Spruce//. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Blueberries. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Caribou. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Cinquefoil. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Cloudy Mt. McKinley. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Dall Sheep. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Denali Glaciers. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Denali Tour Buses. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Detailed Map of Denali. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Dog Mushing. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Foggy Mt. McKinley. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Grizzly Bear. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Hiking at Denali. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Hoary Marmot. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Lynx. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Moose. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Mountain Avens. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Mt. McKinley. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Saxifrage. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Snow-capped Mt. McKinley. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Snowmobiling. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Snowshoeing. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

White Sweet Clover. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Wild Rose//. Digital image. //Google Search Engine//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

Information:
//Denali Education Packet for Students and Teachers//. Print.

"Denali National Park and Preserve - Denali National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)." //U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. .

//Denali National Park//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <[].>

Videos:
//Alaskan Mountain Range//. //TeacherTube//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Denali National Park Alaska//. //YouTube//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Denali National Park//. //YouTube//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Destination: Denali//. //National Geographic//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Earthquakes//. //National Geographic//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Grizzly Bear//. //TeacherTube//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Melting Glaciers//. //National Geographic//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.

//Mt. McKinley from Wonder Lake//. //YouTube//. Web. 20 Feb. 2010.