Chaco Culture

https://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaco_Culture_National_Historical_Park Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park hosting the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest. Explore the monumental structures and breathtaking landscape at Chaco, a thriving regional center for the ancestral Pueblo people from 850 to 1250 CE (Common Era), through guided tours, hiking & biking trails, evening campfire talks, night sky programs, and more. Chaco Canyon is a sacred and deeply personal place for many Indigenous peoples throughout the Southwest. Please visit with respect. Your journey into Chaco Canyon will take you through private tribal lands. Please be respectful of our tribal neighbors and their livestock and leave no trace of your journey on their lands. Chaco Canyon is located in northwestern New Mexico. The park can only be accessed by driving on dirt roads. Road conditions can be rough or impassable. Please call in advance for updates. Chaco Culture National Historical Park Visitor Center This is Chaco Culture's only visitor center. The hours of operation are 9:00am-5:00pm every day. Please stop in before heading into the park. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Please click on the link for detailed directions to our visitor center. Gallo Campground Gallo Campground, located one mile (1.6 km) east of the visitor center, is open year-round. The campground has 24 individual sites and 2 group sites. We recommend making a reservation on www.recreation.gov to ensure a camping or RV space on the dates you plan to visit. Hook-ups are not available. The campground is closed 6 nights throughout the year: the day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving night, Christmas eve, Christmas night, New Year's Eve, and New Year's night. Camping Fees 20.00 Individual sites are $20/night. Senior and Access passes offer a discount for camping. Group sites are a flat rate of $60/night. Visit www.recreation.gov or call 1-877-444-6777. Gallo Campground A tent on a pad in the Gallo Campground surrounded by green shrubbery and canyon walls. There are 24 available sites in the Gallo Campground and 2 group sites. Fajada Butte Fajada Butte's silhoutte shown under a timelapse image of stars appearing in a vibrant circle above. Chaco Culture National Historical Park is an International Dark Sky Park. Chaco Culture NHP Entrance Sign The entrance sign to Chaco Culture made out of sandstone and showing Fajada Butte through a window. Welcome to Chaco Culture National Historical Park! Sandstone Walls Colorful sandstone walls with two open sections in the middle that look like doorways. Most walls seen at Chaco Culture NHP are close to 1,000 years old. Raven A raven perched on the side of a canyon wall. Observe many ravens while visiting Chaco Culture NHP. Pueblo Bonito An aerial view of the Pueblo Bonito great house showing many rooms and circular kivas. Pueblo Bonito is the largest great house within Chaco Canyon. Chacoan Jars A series of 4 Chacoan jars replicated in the same black on white style that was excavated long ago. Chaco Culture National Historical Park is home to impressive pottery built by the ancestral Pueblo people. What Do Pack Rats Reveal About Ancient Chaco Architecture? Pack rats' middens are climate time capsules. Learn what scientists learned from the middens about the Chaco people and their surroundings as they adapted to climate change. Wall of Pueblo Bonito including logs A New Perspective On my drive out west toward Grand Canyon this year, I had the chance to stop at a few Ancestral Puebloan sites – namely, Bandelier, Chaco Culture, and Aztec Ruins. Having worked and spent some time around these types of sites before, I felt like I was seeing and appreciating these special places on a much deeper level than even I realized was possible. partial stone ruin walls form what was an interior corner of a room with doorway in corner. NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports. stone building ruins 2019 Connecting with our Homelands Awardees Hopa Mountain, in partnership with the National Park Service, is pleased to announce the 2019 awardees of the Connecting with our Homelands travel grants. Twenty-one Indigenous organizations, schools, and nonprofits have been awarded travel funds for trips to national park units across 12 states/territories within the United States. An elder and young student talk while sitting on a rock. Increasing temperature seasonality may overwhelm shifts in soil moisture to favor shrub over grass dominance in Colorado Plateau drylands Increasing variability of temperature favors a shift to shrublands over grasslands in arid southwestern landscapes. This effect is greater than the effect of increasing soil moisture, which favors a shift to grasslands over shrublands. Grassland with scattered junipers and hills in the background. 2011 SCPN-NAU Student Projects In spring 2011, the SCPN-NAU School of Communication collaboration began with a multimedia studies course focused on documenting park resources and resource projects. The class was taught by NAU professors Laura Camden and Peter Friederici. 2011 Student Projects The Colorado Plateau The Colorado Plateau is centered on the four corners area of the Southwest, and includes much of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Hazy Fajada Butte, Chaco Culture National Monument Monitoring Upland Vegetation and Soils on the Southern Colorado Plateau Vegetation and soils are the foundation upon which all terrestrial ecosystems are built. Soils provide the medium for the storage and delivery of water and nutrients to plants, which in turn provide animal populations with both habitat and food. Sampling grassland vegetation at a long-term monitoring plot at Wupatki National Monument Modeling Past and Future Soil Moisture in Southern Colorado Plateau National Parks and Monuments In this project, USGS and NPS scientists used the range of variation in historical climate data to provide context for assessing the relative impact of projected future climate on soil water availability. This report provides the results of modeled SWP generated for 11 ecosystems in nine Southern Colorado Plateau Network parks. Extensive grassland at Wupatki National Monument Monitoring Night Skies and Natural Soundscapes on the Southern Colorado Plateau Many national parks in the Southern Colorado Plateau region contain large areas of wilderness, where dark night skies and natural soundscapes are important human values. Dark night skies, which depend upon the visibility of stars and other natural components, are diminishing resources in several park units because of anthropogenic activities. Natural soundscapes—that is, the natural sounds of wildlands—are degraded by sounds caused by humans or human technology. Clouds and sky turning red and orange over Navajo National Monument at sunset Fossils in Focus: Using Photogrammetry and 3D Models to Highlight Recent Paleontological Discoveries at Chaco Culture National Historical Park During the past decade paleontologists have uncovered a rich fossil record at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. In order to share the important and interesting fossils discovered at the park, a new website was developed to feature 3-D images of a few fossils documented at the park. person outdoors recording data on a hand held instrument Petrified Tree stump Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. petrified wood tree stump Making Prehistoric Music: Musical Instruments from Ancestral Puebloan Sites The world of the Ancestral Puebloans, or Anasazi, has been a major research area for archeologists of the Southwest, who have examined the nature and evolution of these prehistoric people from many angles. Emily Brown, a former NPS archeologist, is taking a fresh approach to the Ancestral Puebloans: she is studying the instruments that were used to make music. Gourd with designs etched into its surface. Late Cretaceous Ammonite Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. fossil on sandstone Plesiosaur Bone Fossil Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. fossil on sandstone Ripples and Bivalves Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. sandstone boulder Inoceramus shells Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. fossil shells on sandstone Mosasaur Jaw Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. fossil in sandstone Vegetation Characterization and Mapping on the Southern Colorado Plateau Vegetation mapping is a tool used by botanists, ecologists, and land managers to better understand the abundance, diversity, and distribution of different vegetation types across a landscape. Vegetation plots used for the classification and mapping of El Malpais NM Climate Change on the Southern Colorado Plateau The combination of high. elevation and a semi-arid climate makes the Colorado Plateau particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate models predict that over the next 100 years, the Southwest will become warmer and even more arid, with more extreme droughts than the region has experienced in the recent past. One result of climate change may be more, larger floods, like this flash flood in Glen Canyon NRA Monitoring Spring Ecosystems on the Southern Colorado Plateau Springs are important water sources in arid landscapes, supporting unique plant associations and sustaining high levels of biotic diversity. Because springs rely on groundwater, they can serve as important indicators of change in local and regional aquifers. On the Colorado Plateau, spring ecosystems also provide vital habitat for both endemic and regionally rare species, including several types of orchids and declining populations of leopard frogs. A pool of water filled with vegetation and sheltered by large rocks Southern Colorado Plateau Mammal Inventories Mammal inventories help to close the gap in our knowledge and understanding of some taxonomic groups on the Colorado Plateau. Coyote (Canis latrans) Shark and Vertebrate Fossils Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. small stones and fossils on the ground Ancient Ripple Marks Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. sandstone surface with ripple marks Series: Geologic Time Periods in the Mesozoic Era The Mesozoic Era (251.9 to 66 million years ago) was the "Age of Reptiles." During the Mesozoic, Pangaea began separating into the modern continents, and the modern Rocky Mountains rose. Dinosaurs, crocodiles, and pterosaurs ruled the land and air. As climate changed and rapid plate tectonics resulted in shallow ocean basins, sea levels rose world-wide and seas expanded across the center of North America. fossil dinosaur skull in rock face Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring 2020 All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/newsletters.htm">Park Paleontology news</a> provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. <ul><li>Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/common/utilities/sendmail/sendemail.cfm?o=5D8CD5B898DDBB8387BA1DBBFD02A8AE4FBD489F4FF88B9049&r=/subjects/geoscientistsinparks/photo-galleries.htm">newsletter editor</a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/">Fossils & Paleontology</a> </li><li>Celebrate <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/">National Fossil Day</a> with events across the nation</li></ul> two people standing outdoors near a fossil tree base Series: Chaco Collections—Paleontology The fossils at Chaco represent ten to fifteen million years of life on Earth, during the Late Cretaceous when New Mexico sat on the ever-changing coastline of an inland sea. This ocean, known as the Western Interior Seaway, was home to sharks and giant reptilian predators like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, as well as ammonites, relatives of today’s squids. NPS scientists used imaging techniques to create virtual 3D models of a few of the park’s paleontological treasures. artist rendering of giant mosasaur swimming and feeding on ammonites Series: Defining the Southwest The Southwest has a special place in the American imagination – one filled with canyon lands, cacti, roadrunners, perpetual desert heat, a glaring sun, and the unfolding of history in places like Tombstone and Santa Fe. In the American mind, the Southwest is a place without boundaries – a land with its own style and its own pace – a land that ultimately defies a single definition. Maize agriculture is one component of a general cultural definition of the Southwest. Series: SCPN-NAU School of Communication Collaboration The Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN) of the National Park Service has been partnering with the Northern Arizona University (NAU) School of Communication since 2011 to develop student multimedia projects that highlight resources and activities in network parks. This collaboration gives NAU students hands-on experience in creating multimedia projects and provides network parks with products that can help to promote their unique resources and scientific or educational project work. SCPN-NAU student projects Cretaceous Period—145.0 to 66.0 MYA Many now-arid western parks, including Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Mesa Verde National Park, were inundated by the Cretaceous Interior Seaway that bisected North America. Massive dinosaur and other reptile fossils are found in Cretaceous rocks of Big Bend National Park. dinosaur footprint in stone Mesozoic Era The Mesozoic Era (251.9 to 66 million years ago) was the "Age of Reptiles." During the Mesozoic, Pangaea began separating into the modern continents, and the modern Rocky Mountains rose. Dinosaurs, crocodiles, and pterosaurs ruled the land and air. As climate changed and rapid plate tectonics resulted in shallow ocean basins, sea levels rose world-wide and seas expanded across the center of North America. fossil dinosaur skull in rock face The Intersecting Crossroads of Paleontology and Archeology: When are Fossils Considered Artifacts? Understanding human knowledge and attitudes (human dimensions) towards paleontological resources through the cooccurrence of fossils and artifacts and/or tribal consultation (archeological context) helps us better appreciate those human values, perspectives, and beliefs. This understanding is important to the management, protection, and interpretation of these non-renewable resources.  colorful arrowhead on black background Series: Intermountain Park Science 2021 Integrating Research and Resource Management in Intermountain National Parks Group of National Park Service staff and volunteers standing in front of a desert canyon. Chaco Canyon and the Antiquities Act Between AD 850 and 1250, Chaco Canyon was a hub of cultural activity for Native American peoples, a landscape of multi-storied masonry buildings, roads, water control and distribution systems, and petroglyphs, pictographs, and calendrical markings. Concern over the looting of artifacts and loss of irreplaceable information led to the designation of Chaco Canyon National Monument on March 11, 1907. View overlooking ruins at Chaco Canyon. Find Your Park on Route 66 Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today! A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem. Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Water Resources on the Colorado Plateau Describes the origin, uses, threats to, and conservation of water on the Colorado Plateau. Dark green body of water winding through red rock formations with brilliant sun overhead. National Parks in the History of Science: Dendrochronology (Video) Scientists around the world use tree rings to understand past climates, ecosystems, and cultures. The study of tree rings to understand the past is called dendrochronology. This field of science began in several national parks in the Southwest: Mesa Verde, Aztec Ruins, Chaco Culture, and others. a black and white photo of tree rings close up Series: Parks in Science History Parks in Science History is a series of articles and videos made in cooperation with graduate students from various universities. They highlight the roles that national parks have played in the history of science and, therefore, the world's intellectual heritage. A woman looking through binoculars Studying the Past and Predicting the Future Using Rat Nests In the western United States, packrat middens are one of the best tools for reconstructing recent environments and climates. These accumulations of plant fragments, small vertebrate remains, rodent droppings, and other fossils can be preserved for more than 50,000 years. Packrat middens have been found in at least 41 National Park Service units. Photo of a wood rat. Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 14, No. 2, Fall 2022 All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/newsletters.htm">Park Paleontology news</a> provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. <ul><li>Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/common/utilities/sendmail/sendemail.cfm?o=5D8CD5B898DDBB8387BA1DBBFD02A8AE4FBD489F4FF88B9049&r=/subjects/geoscientistsinparks/photo-galleries.htm">newsletter editor</a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/">Fossils & Paleontology</a> </li><li>Celebrate <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/">National Fossil Day</a> with events across the nation</li></ul> Photo of a person sitting while using a laboratory microscope. Series: Geologic Time—Major Divisions and NPS Fossils The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian. photo of desert landscape with a petrified wood log on the surface Making an Impact: Long-Term Monitoring of Natural Resources at Intermountain Region National Parks, 2021 Across the Intermountain Region, Inventory & Monitoring Division ecologists are helping to track the effects of climate change, provide baseline information for resource management, evaluate new technologies, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. This article highlights accomplishments achieved during fiscal year 2021. A man looks through binoculars at sunrise. Testing Treatments for Mitigating Climate-Change Effects on Adobe Structures in the National Parks In the US Southwest, climate change is making it harder to preserve historic adobe structures for future generations. Using adobe test walls and rainshower simulators, staff at the Desert Research Learning Center are evaluating the potential for increased erosion, and testing the effectiveness of different treatments methods to protect against it. The results will help park managers tailor their preservation methods to better protect culturally valuable resources. American flag viewed through the remains of an adobe doorway. The Plateau Postcard: Spring-Summer 2023 The Plateau Postcard is the official newsletter of the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network. In this issue, we say hello to many new faces within the network and head to the field with some of this year's spectacular monitoring crews. Pile of postcards with images of various southwest national parks on them. A Changing Bimodal Climate Zone Means Changing Vegetation in Western National Parks When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change. Dark storm clouds and rainbow over mountains and saguaros. Project Profile: Expand Southwest Seed Partnership for Intermountain Region Parks The National Park Service and organizations of the Southwest Seed Partnership will implement the National Seed Strategy and associated revegetation and ecosystem restoration efforts. The project focuses on native plant development and involves collecting, producing, cleaning, testing, tracking, and storing seeds from native species. grasses and shrubs on a hillside National Park Service project to build up 'workhorse' native seed stocks for major restoration and revegetation efforts The National Park Service, with funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be able to build up stocks of the native workhorse plant species that can out compete invasive plant species so that native grasses and forbs can grow in previously disturbed areas.  a man kneels next to a bucket collecting seeds in a field Archeoastronomy in Stone People in the past carved petroglyphs and painted pictographs to mark the cycle of the sun, moon, and stars; solstices; and the changing seasons. They tracked time by creating solar calendars that interacted with light and shadow as the sun moved across the sky. When unique astronomical events took place, they documented the moment in stone. Learn more about the purpose for these images. Four images of light touching rock. NPS photo. Data Publication Brief - Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Upland Vegetation/Soils The data packages for all our long-term monitoring efforts across the Southern Colorado Plateau are the foundations for almost everything we do here. We recently underwent our biggest effort yet in reformatting our data to fit the new standards put out by the Inventory & Monitoring Division. We are proud to announce that two of our largest datasets have now been published and are available for everyone to utilize. A split image, one side is a stonefly insect and the other side is a white flower. Change Over Time in Semi-Arid Grassland and Shrublands at Three Parks: Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Petrified Forest National Park, and Wupatki National Monument - 2007-2021 This report presents results of upland vegetation and soil monitoring of semi-arid grasslands at three parks by SCPN from 2007–2021. The purpose is to compare and contrast five grassland ecological sites and examine how they have changed during the first 15 years of monitoring. Yellow and white flowers growing out of landscape covered with fragments of petrified wood. 50 Nifty Finds #42: Model Rangers The beige women’s wardrobe is one of the most misunderstood National Park Service (NPS) uniforms. It’s also the uniform that usually gets the most attention—despite being worn for only three years. Many incorrectly believe it dates to the 1960s and featured miniskirts and go-go boots. The fact that it is the one least like the standard green ranger uniform wasn’t an accident. Three beige and one orange dresses The Plateau Postcard: Winter 2024 The Plateau Postcard is the official newsletter of the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network. In this issue, we learn about how we are trying to predict pinyon-juniper die-offs, as well as a new tool we developed to help make us all better field scientists, and we hear from Bob Parmenter about his remarkable career at Valles Caldera National Preserve. A pile of postcards. Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park Service 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. Dinosaurs of the National Park Service Dinosaur fossils have been discovered at or are associated with at least 27 NPS units. Geographically, their finds are concentrated in the parks of the Colorado Plateau, but they have been found from central Alaska to Big Bend National Park in Texas to Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Massachusetts. The most famous site is the Dinosaur Quarry of Dinosaur National Monument, but a rush of new finds since the 1970s has greatly expanded our knowledge. allosaurus fossil The Challenge of Disastrous Events Isn’t Only Operational National Park Service employees prepare to protect people, assets, and infrastructure from disasters. But what about when it comes to their own well-being? Wildland firefighters in the haze by a road. Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall 2018 All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/newsletters.htm">Park Paleontology news</a> provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. <ul><li>Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/common/utilities/sendmail/sendemail.cfm?o=5D8CD5B898DDBB8387BA1DBBFD02A8AE4FBD489F4FF88B9049&r=/subjects/geoscientistsinparks/photo-galleries.htm">newsletter editor</a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/">Fossils & Paleontology</a> </li><li>Celebrate <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/">National Fossil Day</a> with events across the nation</li></ul> NPS staff work to document a recently discovered slab of Navajo Sandstone

Chaco Culture National Hisitorical Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior A Brief History of Chaco Culture National Historical Park AD 850 to 1250 Chaco Canyon served as a major urban center of ancestral Puebloan culture. Remarkable for its monumental public and ceremonial buildings, engineering projects, astronomy, artistic achievements, and distinctive architecture, it served as a hub of ceremony, trade, and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area for 400 years—unlike anything before or since. 1250 to present Members of affiliated clans and religious societies from Hopi and the Pueblos of New Mexico continue to return to Chaco on pilgrimages to honor their ancestral homelands. 1500s By the 1500s (possibly decades earlier), what archeologists recognize as Navajo settlement patterns were already well established in the Dinétah area, northeast of Chaco in Blanco, Largo, and Gobernador canyons. 1680 The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 briefly unified the Pueblo peoples of New Mexico and their allied neighbors, and expelled Spanish settlers from the Southwest. 1692 Spanish re-conquest forced Pueblo patriots into exile. Many took refuge with Navajo people living in the Dinétah region, and the resulting cultural interactions included intermarriage; the exchange of ceremonial knowledge; and conflict and competition. 1700s By the 1700s, what archeologists recognize as Navajo settlement patterns were well established in Chaco Canyon. 1778 A map produced by Don Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco identified the Chaco Canyon area as “Chaca,” a Spanish colonial word commonly used during that era meaning “a large expanse of open and unexplored land, desert, plain, or prairie.” “Chaca” is believed to be the origin of both “Chacra” and “Chaco.” The Acoma place name for Chaco, W’aasfba shak’a, meaning “place of greasewood,” may have been shortened to “Chaca.” Another possibility is that “Chaca” may be a Spanish translation of the Navajo word Tsékoh, meaning “rock-cut” or “canyon” or Tzak aih, meaning “white string of rocks.” (The latter refers to the appearance the sandstone atop Chacra Mesa.) 1823 As José Antonio Viscarra led a military force west from Jémez Pueblo onto Navajo lands, he noted many fallen Chacoan buildings. 1849 The Washington Expedition, a military reconnaissance under the direction of Lt. James Simpson of the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, surveyed Navajo lands, and wrote accounts of Chacoan cultural sites. Attached to the expedition, the Kern brothers produced excellent illustrations of the sites for a government report. 1877 W. H. Jackson with the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey (headed by Ferdinand Hayden) produced expanded descriptions and maps of Chacoan sites. Jackson noted Pueblo Alto and Chacoan stairways carved into cliffs. No photos were produced, because he experimented with a new photographic film process at Chaco, which failed. 1888 Victor and Cosmos Mindeleff of the Bureau of American Ethnology spent several weeks at Chaco surveying and photographing the major Chacoan sites for a monumental study of Pueblo architecture. Their photographs documented vandalism and looting. These photos, the oldest known, provide the park with a starting point for determining the modern effects of visitation, looting, vandalism, and natural collapse on these sites. 1896–1900 After excavating Mesa Verde cliff dwellings (1888) and other ancestral Puebloan sites in the Four Corners area, Richard Wetherill moved to Chaco in 1896 to begin excavations at Pueblo Bonito. The Hyde Exploring Expedition, led by George H. Pepper from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, established full-scale excavations at Pueblo Bonito, assisted by Richard Wetherill. Their main focus was the accumulation of artifacts for the museum collection; and numerous crates of artifacts from Pueblo Bonito they shipped to the museum, where they remain today. 1901 Richard Wetherill filed for a homestead deed on land that included Pueblo Bonito, Pueblo Del Arroyo, and Chetro Ketl. While investigating Wetherill’s land claim, General Land Office special agent S. J. Holsinger described the canyon’s physical setting and the sites, noted prehistoric road segments, stairways, prehistoric dams and irrigation systems. His report strongly recommended the creation of a national park to preserve Chacoan sites. The claim was modified to exclude these major structures, and it was not until 1910, after his death, that the Wetherill family received the deed. 1902 Edgar L. Hewett of the School of American Research, Museum of New Mexico, and University of New Mexico mapped many Chacoan sites. 1906 Hewett and many others helped to enact the Federal Antiquities Act of 1906. Our nation’s first law protecting antiquities, the Antiquities Act was a direct consequence of the controversy surrounding Wetherill’s work at Chaco. The law also granted new powers to the President, allowing him to establish Mesa Ver

National Historical Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Chaco Culture Backcountry Hiking Trails Hiking permits are required for these trails. They are free and available at all trailheads and at the Visitor Center. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset. Pets are permitted on leashes. Carry water, snacks, and sun protection. Pueblo Alto Trail Distance - Entire loop trail – 5.4 mi roundtrip (3-4 hours) Pueblo Alto - 3.2 mi roundtrip (2 hours) Pueblo Bonito Overlook – 2.0 mi roundtrip (1 hr) Trailhead - Pueblo del Arroyo parking area Elevation Gain - 250 feet This trail provides spectacular overlook views of Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl, and Kin Kletso, enters Pueblo Alto and New Alto, passes by Chacoan stairways, ramps, and roads, and affords panoramic views of the San Juan Basin. This trail is an excellent introduction into the Chacoan world. Add time to explore the sites. Peñasco Blanco Trail Distance - Peñasco Blanco roundtrip 7.4 mi (5-7 hrs) Petroglyph Trail only roundtrip 3.5 mi (2 hours) Supernova Pictograph roundtrip 5.8 mi (4-6 hours) Trailhead - Pueblo del Arroyo parking area Elevation Gain - 200 feet The longest trail - relatively level - includes the Petroglyph Trail to view numerous Pueblo and Navajo petroglyphs and historic inscriptions. The trail continues to the “Supernova” pictograph site and Peñasco Blanco, an unexcavated great house with a unique oval design and a spectacular natural setting. Hot summer sun and soft sand can make this a long and difficult hike. Carry plenty of water, snacks, and sun protection. Add extra time to explore the sites. South Mesa Trail Distance - Entire loop trail - 4.1 mi roundtrip (3-4 hrs) Tsin Kletzin - 3.0 mi roundtrip (2-3 hrs) Trailhead - Casa Rinconada Trail, Stop 10 Elevation Gain - 450 feet This trail leaves from Stop 10 on the Casa Rinconada trail, climbs to a high point on South Mesa, and leads to the great house Tsin Kletzin. Spectacular views of the surrounding landscape are visible at the site. The loop trail descends into South Gap, follows the Chacoan South Roads, and re-enters the canyon near Casa Rinconada. Add extra time to explore the site and enjoy the vistas. Wijiji Trail Distance - Wijiji roundtrip from parking area - 3.0 mi (2 hrs) Wijiji roundtrip from campground - 3.2 mile (2 hrs) Trailheads – Wijiji parking area and campground Elevation Gain - Insignificant This trail leads to Wijiji, a later-period Chacoan great house built around AD 1100. Wijiji differs from sites like Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl in that it appears to have been built at once rather than several building periods; with exceptional symmetry and the uniform masonry. Wijiji lacks typical Chacoan features such as enclosed plazas and great kivas. Add time to explore the site and visit a short (0.2 mile roundtrip) petroglyph spur trail. EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA 07/08 

Chaco Culture National Historical Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior The Birds of Chaco – A Checklist This list includes 131 species of birds whose occurrence in the park has been documented in two inventories over a 30-year period. Species followed by: • c (common) are often seen, and regular park inhabitants. • u (uncommon) are not often seen, but are regular park inhabitants. • a (abundant) are frequently seen. • o (occasional) are usually seen only a few times a season. • r (rare) are seen only once every few years • i (introduced) are non-native species. • x (extirpated) are no longer present in the park, but exist elsewhere. • * are recent single observations. • In addition, subspecies and color morphs are listed below the species. Please help us by reporting any sightings of rare or unlisted species. Please include photos or drawings if possible, and send to: Division of Natural Resources, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, PO Box 220, Nageezi, NM 87037. HERONS ___ Great Blue Heron r ___ Black-crowned Night-Heron r AMERICAN VULTURES ___ Turkey Vulture c DUCKS, GEESE, SWANS ___ Mallard x KITES, EAGLES, HAWKS ___ Osprey x ___ Northern Harrier u ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk o ___ Cooper’s Hawk c ___ Swainson’s Hawk r ___ Red-tailed Hawk c ___ Golden Eagle u CARACARAS, FALCONS ___ American Kestrel c ___ Peregrine Falcon r ___ Prairie Falcon u PHEASANTS, GROUSE, TURKEYS ___ Wild Turkey x QUAIL ___ Scaled Quail u RAILS, GALLINULES, COOTS ___ Sora a PLOVERS ___ Killdeer r SKUAS, GULLS, TERNS, SKIMMERS ___ Franklin’s Gull r PIGEONS, DOVES ___ Mourning Dove a CUCKOOS, ROADRUNNERS, ANIS ___ Greater Roadrunner r BARN OWLS ___ Barn Owl u TYPICAL OWLS ___ Western Screech-Owl r ___ Great Horned Owl c ___ Long-eared Owl u ___ Short-eared Owl x NIGHTHAWKS, NIGHTJARS ___ Common Nighthawk u ___ Common Poorwill u SWIFTS ___ Black Swift * ___ White-throated Swift a HUMMINGBIRDS ___ Black-chinned Hummingbird c ___ Broad-tailed Hummingbird c ___ Rufous Hummingbird r WOODPECKERS ___ Lewis’s Woodpecker r ___ Williamson’s Sapsucker r ___ Red-naped Sapsucker u ___ Downy Woodpecker u ___ ___ ___ ___ Hairy Woodpecker u Northern Flicker c Yellow-shafted Red-shafted TYRANT FLYCATCHERS; BECARDS ___ Olive-sided Flycatcher o ___ Western Wood-Pewee u ___ Willow Flycatcher o ___ Hammond’s Flycatcher o ___ Gray Flycatcher c ___ Dusky Flycatcher o ___ Cordilleran Flycatcher u ___ Say’s Phoebe c ___ Vermillion Flycatcher * ___ Ash-throated Flycatcher c ___ Cassin’s Kingbird c ___ Western Kingbird o SHRIKES ___ Loggerhead Shrike c ___ Northern Shrike x VIREOS ___ Plumbous Vireo o ___ Warbling Vireo u JAYS, MAGPIES, CROWS ___ Western Scrub-Jay c ___ Pinyon Jay c ___ Common Raven c LARKS ___ Horned Lark c SWALLOWS ___ Violet-green Swallow o ___ Cliff Swallow a ___ Barn Swallow o TITMICE ___ Mountain Chickadee u ___ Juniper Titmouse c BUSHTITS ___ Bushtit c NUTHATCHES ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch r ___ White-breasted Nuthatch o CREEPERS ___ Brown Creeper o WRENS ___ ___ ___ ___ Rock Wren a Canyon Wren u Bewick’s Wren c House Wren u KINGLETS ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet u GNATCATCHERS ___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher c THRUSHES ___ Western Bluebird o ___ Mountain Bluebird u ___ Townsend’s Solitaire u ___ Hermit Thrush u ___ American Robin o MOCKINGBIRDS, THRASHERS ___ Northern Mockingbird c ___ Sage Thrasher u WAXWINGS ___ Cedar Waxwing r SILKY-FLYCATCHERS ___ Phainopepla * WOOD-WARBLERS ___ Orange-crowned Warbler u ___ Nashville Warbler o ___ Virginia’s Warbler u ___ Northern Parula x ___ Yellow Warbler r ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler u ___ Myrtle ___ Audubon’s ___ Black-throated Gray Warbler o ___ Townsend’s Warble o ___ Grace’s Warble r ___ Black-and-white Warble r ___ American Redstart x ___ MacGillivray’s Warble u ___ Wilson’s Warbler c TANAGERS ___ Western Tanager o SPARROWS ___ Green-tailed Towhee u ___ Spotted Towhee o ___ Canyon Towhee c ___ Cassin’s Sparrow o ___ American Tree Sparrow r ___ Chipping Sparrow a ___ Clay-colored Sparrow r ___ Brewer’s Sparrow c ___ Vesper Sparrow u ___ Lark Sparrow c ___ Black-throated Sparrow a ___ Sage Sparrow c ___ Lark Bunting r ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Song Sparrow o White-throated Sparrow o White-crowned Sparrow u White-lored Black-lored Dark-eyed Junco c Slate-colored White-winged Oregon Pink-sided Gray-headed CARDINALS, GROSEBEAKS ___ Black-headed Grosbeak o ___ Blue Grosbeak c ___ Lazuli Bunting r ___ Indigo Bunting r ___ Dickcisse r BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES ___ Red-winged Blackbird r ___ Western Meadowlark c ___ Yellow-headed Blackbird o ___ Brewer’s Blackbird r ___ Common Grackle x ___ Brown-headed Cowbird i c ___ Bullock’s Oriole o ___ Scott’s Oriole u FINCHES ___ House Finch a ___ Pine Siskin r ___ Lesser Goldfinch o ___ Black-backed ___ Green-backed ___ American Goldfinch o OLD WORLD SPARROWS ___ House Sparrow i c WILDLIFE OBSERVATION: DATE: TIME: WEATHER: LOCALITY: OBSERVERS: Please include any photos or drawings. Thanks! EX P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M

Chaco Culture National Historical Park National Park Service U. S. Department of the Interior Mammal List ELK (CERVUS ELAPHUS) The elk herd moved back into Chaco in the 1999. Many opportunities arise to see the estimated 60 resident elk throughout the year. The best time to catch a glimpse of the second largest cervid in North America, howerver is in the fall. Thanks to efforts made by the state of New Mexico and private individuals who strove to restore the nearly extinct animal from 1910 to 1966, elk population estimates within the state soar upwards of 72,000. DESERT COTTONTAIL (SYVILAGUS AUDUBONLI) The cottontail is one of the most abundant mammals in the park. You might get a laugh seeing them sprawled out in the summertime around the parking lots and prehistoric sites. Cottontails conserve their energy and moisture by avoiding activity in the daylight hours. To provide excellent warmth during the winter months, the Chacoans wove cloaks and blankets out of rabbit fur. MULE DEER(OBDOCOLLEUS HEMIONUS) Mule PORCUPINE (ERITHIZON DORSATUM) This large rodent makes periodical appearances within the canyon. Porcupines are herbivores and love to eat tree bark (having the potential to strip trees completely bare). As with all animals in the park, keep your distance when viewing porcupines. They don’t actually throw their quills, but contact with the sharp objects can be rather painful. deer can be a little on the shy side, but keep an eye out for them around the loop road and the washes. Typically seen in the fall, deer are most visible in the early morning and late afternoon. Population estimates hover around 50, but its exact size remains unknown. The Chacoans utilized deer bone for tools and ceremonial objects, the meat for food, and hides for warmth. COYOTE (CANIS LATRANS) These members of the dog family are quite prevalent in Chaco. You can see them running down the road or prowling on top of the mesas. If you’re lucky, you might catch the unusual pairing of the coyote and badger who often hunt together. It might sound strange, but this phenomenon has been reported many times in the park especially around the South Mesa. Many rock art panels feature coyote images. AMERICAN BADGER (TAXIDEA TAXUS) The badger is an excellent hunter and masters the skill by digging lots of burrows and capturing its prey with its strong, sharp claws. Sometimes they will invade another animal’s burrow, wait for it’s return, and attack the prey. You can see many burrows along the South Mesa Trail where you might see the earlier described interaction with coyote. Identify these mammals. Have you seen any of these creatures in the park? A. (See reverse side for answers) B. C. r/ d e on O r mm Co m Na e La ORDER: ARTIODACTYLA Elk Mule Deer ORDER:CARVIVORA Coyote Bobcat Striped Skunk Puma American badger Common grey fox Black bear Kit fox tin N e am Ab u Cervus elaphus Ocdoileus hermonius nd an C C Canis latrans Lynx rufus Mephitis mephitis Puma concolor Taxidea taxus C U U U U Urocyon cinereoargenateus U Ursus americanus R Vulpes macrotis U ORDER: CHIROPTERA Pallid bat Western lump-nosed bat Big brown bat Spotted bat Silver-haired bat Hoary bat California myotis Western small-footed bat Long-eared myotis Fringed myotis Long-legged myotis Yuma myotis Big free-tailed bat Western pipistrelle Brazilian free-tailed bat Antrozous pallidus Corynorhinus townsendii Epstisicus fuscus Euderma maculatum Lasionycteris noctivagans Lasiurus cinereus Myotis californicus Myotis ciliolabrum Myotis evotis Myotis thysanodes Myotis volans Myotis yumanensis Nyctinomops macrotis Pipistrellus hesperus Tadarida brasiliensis / er ce d on O r mm Co Na me tin e Ab u a nd ORDER: INSECTIVORA Desert shrew Notiosorex crawfordi R ORDER: LAGOMORPHA Black-tailed jack rabbit Desert cottontail Lepus californicus Syvilagus audubonli C C Order: Rondentia Antelope ground squirrel Gunnison’s prairie dog Ord’s kangaroo rat Banner-tailed kangaroo rat Porcupine Colorado chipmunk White-throated wood rat Bushy-tailed wood rat Stephen’s wood rat N. grasshopper mouse Plains pocket mouse Silky pocket mouse Brush mouse Canyon mouse Deer mouse Pinyon mouse Western harvest mouse Spotted ground squirrel Rock squirrel Botta’s pocket gopher C U R R U R C C U C U U R C U La m Na Ammospermophilius leucurus C Cynomys gunnisoni Dypodomys ordi Dipodomys spectabilis Erithizon dorsatum C C C C Neotamias quadrivittatus U Neotoma albigula C Neotoma cinerea U Neotoma stephensi U Onychomys leucogaster C Perognathus flavescens U Perognathus flavus C Peromyscus boylii U Peromyscus crinitus C Peromyscus maniculatus A Peromyscus truei C Reithrodontomys magalotis U Spermophilis spilosoma R Spermophilis variegatus R Thomomys bottae C Legend A = Abundant C = Common R = Rare U = Uncommon Canyon Winged Friends Pallid Bat Fringed Myotis Big Brown Bat Answers: Chaco hosts a myriad of furry flying mammals. The fringed and California myotis, Pallid b

Culture National Chaco Historical Park National Historical Park National Park Service NationalofPark Service U.S. Department the Interior U.S. Department of the Interior Chaco Culture Reptiles and Amphibians MEXICAN SPADEFOOT TOAD (SPEA MULTIPLICATA) Best seen on summer nights after rains, the Mexican spadefoot toad is one of two spadefoot toads located in the canyon. Look for rock art in the park representing this amphibian. EASTERN COLLARED LIZARD (CROTAPHYTUS COLLARIS) These brightly colored (turquoise, yellow, and black) lizards are a favorite of many park visitors. Highly visible and very common in the park, watch for these creatures near Pueblo Alto and nearly all of the sites. EASTERN FENCE OR SAGEBRUSH LIZARD (SCELOPORUS GRACIOSUS) Found in all of the habitats in Chaco, the fence lizard is the most abundant lizard in the canyon. You can see them climbing on rocks, at the Chacoan buildings and around the Visitor Center. TIGER SALAMANDER (ABYSTOMA TIGRINUM) The tiger salamander occurs throughout the park environs, but is not commonly seen. Their larvae have been seen in pools of water in the Chaco Wash. PLATEAU STRIPED WHIPTAIL (CNEMIDOPHORUS VALOR) Also very visible in the park, the whiptail can be seen on many trails in the frontcountry and backcountry. WESTERN RATTLESNAKE (CROTALUS VIRIDIS) Chaco does host a population of rattlesnakes! Don’t be too alarmed, the snakes tend to be rather shy. Watch for them in the summer months particularly along trails and sunning themselves on paved roads. Avoid hitting them! EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA Amphibian and Reptile List Chaco Culture National Historical Park is home to a wide variety of amphibians and reptiles. Some of these are quite numerous and seen frequently by park visitors, while others are rarer and only seen very occasionally. Please keep in mind while visiting that all wildlife within the park is protected in accordance with the mission of the National Park Service. Be aware of wildlife and take care not to disturb or harm it. This is particularly important when driving at night, when many animals such as snakes are more active and at risk of being run over. AMPHIBIANS • Tiger salamander (Abystoma tigrinum) - common • Plains spadefoot toad (Spea bombifrons) - uncommon • Mexican spadefoot toad (Spea multiplicata) - common REPTILES Lizards • Collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) - common • Side-blotched lizard (Uta Stanasburiana) - common • Lesser earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata) - common • Sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) - common • Ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) - uncommon • Plateau whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus valor) - common • Greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii) - uncommon Snakes • Gopher/bull snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) - common • Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) - common • Western territorial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) - uncommon • Striped whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus) - uncommon • Glossy snake (Arizona elegans) - rare • Night snake (Hypsiglena torquata) - common Source: Nowak, E.M., and Trevor B. Parsons. 2008. Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles for Twelve National Parks in the Southern Colorado Plateau Network. Final Report to the National Park Service, Southern Colorado Plateau Network, Flagstaff, AZ. 

Chaco Culture National Historical Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Fossils from the Cretaceous Sea A l l d r a w i n g s b y J a n e K o l b e r. Revised 01/2006 T h i s p u b l i c a t i o n w a s p r i n t e d w i t h f u n d s d o n a t e d b y We s t e r n N a t i o n a l P a r k s A s s o c i a t i o n . e x p e r i e nc e yo u r a m e r ic a 

Chaco Culture National Historical Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Pre-Columbian Chocolate Discovered at Chaco Dr. Patricia Crown examining a cylinder jar, photo courtesy of UNM Today. Though the National Park Service rarely sponsors archaeological excavations today, archaeologists and other researchers are still learning new things from the material remains of ancestral Puebloan culture all the time. Technologies like LiDAR photography (an optical remote sensing technology) and ground penetrating radar give us new eyes on the resources at Chaco. Very recently evidence of cacao (chocolate!) was discovered in cylinder jars, a pottery style found almost exclusively in Pueblo Bonito, using a tiny sample of ground pottery sherd. The process is called organic residue analysis. In the late 1800s Richard Wetherill and his assistant George Pepper, the first archaeologists to work in Chaco, excavated 111 cylinder jars from one particular room at Pueblo Bonito. These men knew they had found something special, though they could not have imagined what we would learn from the jars more than 100 years later. Over the course of subsequent excavations, archaeologists have gained a deeper understanding of just how unique these vessels are. Fewer than 200 have been found in the entire American Southwest, including those in Room 28 at Pueblo Bonito. Scholars have long known that a drink made from cacao was consumed in Roasted cacao bean, photo courtesy of Sifu Renka. ancient Mesoamerica. Some Maya cylinder jars even incorporate paintings of the precious liquid being poured for rulers and gods, though average people sometimes consumed it as well. The Maya ground the beans; mixed them with spices, chilies, and water; and frothed the drink for consumption either hot or cold. Most of the jars found in the famous cache at Pueblo Bonito are more than twice as tall as they are wide and painted with black designs on a white background. Because of their distinct shape and exclusive locations, archaeologists have typically agreed that they were used ritually. Ideas about their use include that they were storage for turquoise or prayer sticks, or that animal skins were stretched over them to create drums. Almost all of these jars are housed today in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, making prolonged study logistically difficult. Cylinder jars from Pueblo Bonito, photo courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History. From 2004-2007 a University of New Mexico (UNM) research project re-excavated the trenches first dug in Pueblo Bonito’s middens under Neil Judd in the 1920s. Of the hundreds of thousands of pot sherds that were recovered, archaeologist Patricia Crown selected five for her research. She is a ceramics specialist at UNM’s Department of Anthropology. She designed the project, and W. Jeffrey Hurst from The Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition performed the research. They chose five pot sherds for organic residue analysis, three of which were likely from cylinder jars. The pieces date to between 1000 and 1125 AD based on their decorative styles. Only the three sherds most likely from cylinder jars exhibited trace theobromine, a conclusive indicator of cacao or chocolate. The implications of this find are extraordinary. The cacao plant grows only in certain tropical climates, and the nearest possibility for Chaco is Central Mexico. We already know the Chacoan people traded with Mesoamerican cultures for exotics like copper bells and Scarlet Macaws, but cacao suggests a more ritual connection than other Mesoamerican goods. In some Maya ceremonies a cacao beverage was frothed by pouring the liquid from one vessel to another. Likewise, the cacao found at Chaco was probably in liquid form because the residue had absorbed into the clay itself. Further, the limited distribution of the cylinder jars could be evidence that only an elite or small segment of the population consumed the beverage. Jar from Central Maya area with cacao glyph, photo courtesy of Mary Harrsch. Today nearly every visitor to Chaco leaves the park remembering Pueblo Bonito because of its size and level of preservation and excavation. Perhaps the building had special importance in the Chacoan world as well. So far, all indication of precious chocolate has been associated with that site. Excavations at Pueblo Bonito in 2007, NPS photo In a few years we may have yet another picture of trade and ritual activity in the ancient Southwest. Crown and Hurst recently received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to test 300 more pieces of pottery for theobromine. Not only are they expanding the sample size of cylinder jars to include those in the American Museum, but they are broadening their geographic scope. The researchers are testing distinctive pottery representing the Mogollon and Hohokam cultures as well. Research today looks very different than it did under Wetherill and the early pioneers of archa

World Heritage Sites in the United States Governor’s House, La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historical Site Red-footed booby, Papahaˉnaumokuaˉ kea Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park © HARVEY BARRISON © KRIS KRUG JEFF SULLIVAN PHOTOGRAPHY 2 Kluane /  Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay /  Tatshenshini-Alsek 1 Statue of Liberty Grand Canyon National Park © MICHAEL BELL PIXABAY/SKEEZE © MICHAEL LOYD Olympic National Park 3 WA SH I N GTO N - 19 81 Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park vii • ix vii • viii • ix • x A L A SK A (US), C A N A DA - 1979 Features temperate rainforest, glaciers, peaks, alpine meadows, old-growth forest, and wilderness coastline. Critical habitat for endangered species including northern spotted owl and bull trout. www.nps.gov/olym Over 24 million acres of wild lands and waters are changed by glaciers and volcanic activity. www.nps.gov/glba, www.nps.gov/wrst www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/yt/kluane www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore vii • ix © MIKE CRISS Montana (US), Canada - 1995 World’s first international peace park. Rich biodiversity and outstanding scenery with prairie, forest, alpine, and glacial features. www.nps.gov/glac www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/waterton/ Grinnell Point © MIKE KOCH Old Faithful © MARK STEVENS 23 © STEVE BOND Yellowstone National Park vii • viii • ix • x Renowned for geothermal features, Yellowstone has the world’s largest concentration of geysers. Protects grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. www.nps.gov/yell iii • iv I L L I N O I S - 19 82 With over 1,100 properties, the World Heritage List This urban complex flourished 1000– 1350 CE (Common Era). Regional center for prehistoric Mississippian culture. www.cahokiamounds.org shows a shared global commitment to preserve the world’s most important natural and cultural sites. Monks Mound Learn more about the World Heritage sites in the 22 4 Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Preserved for All Humanity W YO M I N G, M O N TA N A , I DA H O - 1978 © JIM WARK/AIRPHOTO United States, described here with selection criteria Redwood National and State Parks This gift from France to the United States is a symbol of international friendship, peace, progress, freedom, democracy, and human migration. Renowned for art and engineering. www.nps.gov/stli World Heritage Sites in the United States can be pur- Coastal mountain home to California brown pelicans, sea lions, bald eagles, and ancient redwood forest—the world’s tallest trees. www.nps.gov/redw i • vi N E W YO R K - 19 8 4 scription year, and websites. The Passport booklet C A L I F O R N I A - 19 8 0 Statue of Liberty 5 in Roman numerals (details other side), location, in- vii • ix Black bear, Great Smoky Mountains National Park chased at www.eparks.com. For more on the World Pixabay Heritage List: whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/us. © AMY HUDECHEK Natural Papahaˉnaumokuaˉkea iii • vi • viii • ix • x Cultural Mixed 21 6 H AWA I I - 2010 Independence Hall This vast living “cultural seascape” embodies kinship of people to place in Native Hawaiian cosmology. Includes seamounts, endemic species, critical habitats, and coral reefs. www.papahanaumokuakea.gov vi P EN N S Y LVA N I A - 1979 An international symbol of freedom and democracy, this 18th-century building is where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were created and signed. www.nps.gov/inde Greg McFall / NOAA 20 Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park © TODD LANDRY viii H AWA I I - 19 87 Earth’s greatest mass of volcanoes, including Mauna Loa and Kilauea, tower over a “hotspot” in the mantle. Continuous geologic activity builds an ever changing landscape home to rare and endemic species. www.nps.gov/havo 21 7 PACIFIC OCEAN 0 Hawaii Everglades National Park viii • ix • x 20 F LO R I DA - 1979 800 Kilometers 0 800 Miles North America’s largest subtropical wilderness has several vital habitats for plants and animals including Florida panthers and manatees. Key area for bird migration and breeding. www.nps.gov/ever NPS Yosemite National Park 19 vii • viii © CARLTON WARD JR. C A L I F O R N I A - 19 8 4 Glacial erosion helped sculpt this scenic landscape. Soaring granite cliffs, polished domes, high waterfalls, sequoia groves, wilderness, deep-cut valleys, and alpine meadow habitats. www.nps.gov/yose 18 Chaco Culture iii Castillo San Felipe del Morro N E W M E X I CO - 19 87 © ANGEL LOPEZ Prehistoric, monumental masonry structures in Chaco Canyon, along with a network of roads and outlier sites like Aztec Ruins, exhibit the vast influence of the ancestral Puebloan culture on the Southwestern landscape. www.nps.gov/azru, www.nps.gov/chcu © JOCELYN PANTALEON HIDALGO The 20th-century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site vi © OJEFFREY PHOTOGRAPHY P U ERTO R I CO - 19 8 3 ii Strategic defensive structures represent early European military architecture, e