Ocmulgee Mounds

https://www.nps.gov/ocmu/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocmulgee_Mounds_National_Historical_Park Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in present-day Macon, Georgia, preserves traces of over ten millennia of culture from the American Indians in the Southeastern Woodlands. Its chief remains are major earthworks built before 1000 CE by the South Appalachian Mississippian culture (a regional variation of the Mississippian culture.) These include the Great Temple and other ceremonial mounds, a burial mound, and defensive trenches. They represented highly skilled engineering techniques and soil knowledge, and the organization of many laborers. The site has evidence of 17,000 years of continuous human habitation. Welcome to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. This park is a prehistoric American Indian site, where many different American Indian cultures occupied this land for thousands of years. American Indians first came here during the Paleo-Indian Period hunting Ice Age mammals. Around 900 CE, the Mississippian Period began, and people constructed mounds for their elite, which remain here today. Drive on I-75 to Macon. Exit I-75 onto I-16 east (exit on left) . Get off I-16 at exit 2 (Coliseum Drive), take a left under the highway and proceed to where Coliseum Dr. ends at Emery Highway. Turn right on Emery Highway and proceed to the third light. Our entrance is on the right side of the road. Ocmulgee Mounds Visitor Center Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Park grounds and walking trails from 8:00 to 5:00 pm daily. The Visitor Center and Earth Lodge are open from 9:00 am-5:00 pm daily. Take I-16 to exit 2, Turn left unto Coliseum Dr. stay in right lane turn right unto Emery Hwy go 1 mile and the park will be on your right Great Temple and Lesser Temple Mound mounds The Great Temple Mound is the largest mound at the park, it stands at 55 feet tall. Earth Lodge earth lodge The Earth Lodge was used as a council chamber for the Mississippian Culture (900-1600) Earth Lodge Floor earth lodge floor The earth Lodge floor is original it was carbon dated to 1015. The Funeral Mound funeral mound The Funeral Mound was by prehistoric cultures to bury their dead. Today there are still remains instead the mound Clovis Point spear point This Clovis point is the first spear found east of the Mississippi River. It was carbon dated to 10,000 BC National Park Getaway: Ocmulgee National Monument In the heart of Georgia lies a place that has been settled for 17,000 years. Ocmulgee National Monument’s human history dates to the Paleo-Indian Period, and the area was occupied until the Muscogee (Creek) removal in 1826. Today, the park preserves prehistoric mounds and a massive collection of artifacts that tell the story of these past cultures. People walking on boardwalk down a large prehistoric mound NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Georgia Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. park vista with mound in distance Celebrating soils across the National Park System First in a series of three "In Focus" articles that share insights into the near-universal and far-reaching effects of soils on the ecology, management, and enjoyment of our national parks. Fossil soils at Cabrillo National Monument reveal marine deposits Plan Like A Park Ranger for Ocmulgee Mounds Plan like a Park Ranger at Ocmulgee Mounds, a rangers top 10 tips about vising the park! A park ranger smiling with a blue sky in the background Vegetation Monitoring at Ocmulgee Mounds NHP An article highlighting a vegetation monitoring effort at a site located in Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, conducted by staff from the Southeast Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network. A woman in a hat measures the circumference of a tree Challenging The Ranger Image In spite of programs to encourage hiring of individuals with disabilities, it was often others’ misconceptions or discomfort that prevented women with disabilities from getting National Park Service (NPS) jobs. Those hired in the 1970s and early 1980s brought diverse skillsets and new perspectives to the workforce. Like the earliest women rangers in the 1910s and 1920s, they often only had short-term positions. They all challenged ideas of what it takes to be a park ranger. Ranger Vicky White in a wheelchair with a visitor and man in military dress. Changing Attitudes Most women with disabilities hired by the National Park Service (NPS) in the 1970s and early 1980s had temporary jobs. Some built long-term careers with the bureau. Starting before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, these women experienced the opportunities and changes the law brought. It was their hard work and dedication to the NPS mission, however, that continued to change attitudes and educate coworkers and visitors alike. Ranger Shirley Beccue in her wheelchair and NPS uniform and flat hat looks out over the Everglades. Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park System To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation. A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera. Landscape restoration funds help parks protect natural and cultural resources from invasive swine Feral swine disrupt natural ecosystems by damaging habitats and cultural resources, preying on native wildlife, and transmitting disease. The National Park Service manages feral swine in southeastern and Texan parks to protect these natural and cultural resources. Two feral swine in a grassy field. One digging up the ground one looking into the distance. Project Profile: Restore Ocmulgee River Heritage Trail Greenway The National Park Service will remove invasive plants and restore naturally and culturally significant plant species to the Ocmulgee River Greenway trail that connects the urban area of Macon with the park. The project will restore this trail to promote visitor access, protect culturally and historically significant features, and promote ecosystem health by maintaining native plant species and controlling invasive species. Bridge extending to a green field “Cracking the code” on mercury bioaccumulation Read the abstract and get the link to a published paper on a model to predict mercury risk park waterbodies: Kotalik, C.J. et al. 2025. Ecosystem drivers of freshwater mercury bioaccumulation are context-dependent: insights from continental-scale modeling. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c07280 A person stands in a field looking at a bug through a magnifying lens.