This morning we headed to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve for our scheduled 9:30 a.m. ranger led hike about the ecology of the preserve and of the Grand Teton/Yellowstone area. We got there early enough to spend some time in the Visitor Center. Very different from any we've ever encountered, it embodies LSR's vision of the role of natural beauty in restoring and sustaining the human spirit. Rather than being "educational" in the conventional way, the interpretive center provides an experience: "Visitors move through a series of sensory experiences linked with a poem by esteemed nature writer Terry Tempest Williams. These visual, auditory and tactile explorations include recordings of Rockefeller speaking about conservation, high definition nature videos, large-scale photography, and a soundscape room with nature recordings from the preserve." [http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6623&urlarea=npsnews]
Mike, our ranger-leader, introduced himself. He's a University of Michigan student who will graduate next year with a degree in ecology and environmental science. That right away gave Ken a connection with him. The group size was limited to 10, but there were actually only six of us, so everyone could hear and ask questions.
Our hike took us along the Lake Creek and Woodland Trail to Phelps Lake, to the site of the former Rockefeller summer home. Before the Preserve opened, all traces of the former dude ranch and Rockefeller home were removed and the areas revegetated or used for the Visitor Center complex. Roads were removed or unpaved and converted to trails.
We saw grizzly claw marks in a large aspen tree, a pine cone midden created by squirrels, and lots of lodge pole pines dying from pine beetle infestation. The pine beetles have been part of the ecosystem for a long time, but recently, because winters are no longer cold enough to kill the larvae, they have emerged as a serious threat to the park ecosystem. For example, grizzly bears depend on White Bark Pine nuts found at higher elevations to bulk up for their winter hibernation. What will happen to the bears if they lose this source of nourishment?
On our way back to the Visitor Center, we came upon this beautiful buck browsing about 30 yards off the path. It looked at us, then went back to browsing. Ken managed to get one quick shot.
When we got back to the Center, we went to the truck and got our lunches and ate sitting on the porch in some very comfortable Adirondack chairs. Then we went into the Center again and ended up in the Resource Room, sitting in some extremely comfortable chairs, reading Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey--at least until we both managed to get a little nap in.
On the way home we stopped at Dornan's, a General Store, gas station, and dining/shopping center located near the south entrance. We actually bought some produce (onions and garlic). At "Moosely's Seconds" Ken got some strapping and buckles to make a belt for his small case, and we got a small "Toob" (refillable tube) to use for sunscreen to carry in the backpack.
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