Wupatki

https://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wupatki_National_Monument The Wupatki National Monument is located in north-central Arizona, near Flagstaff. Rich in Native American ruins, the monument is administered by the National Park Service in close conjunction with the nearby Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki National Monument is an unlikely landscape for a thriving community. The early 1100's marked a time of cooler and wetter weather, when the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture. For indigenous peoples, these sites represent the footprints of their ancestors. Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments are connected by loop road FR-545 (paved). Visitors can enter the loop road near mile markers 430 (Sunset Crater Volcano) and 444 (Wupatki) on U.S. Highway 89. Wupatki Visitor Center The Wupatki Visitor Center includes a museum, WNPA park store, park film, and restroom facilities. The building features architecture from the Mission 66 era. Park rangers are present, passes are available for purchase, and Junior Ranger activities are available. The visitor center is located near milepost 21 on the Sunset Crater-Wupatki Loop Road. Traveling North from the Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center on FS 545.Wupatki Visitor Center is 19.5 miles (31.4 km) or 13 miles when entering from Hwy 89 at milepost 444. Wupatki Pueblo a large stone pueblo in a desert beneath mostly sunny skies with mountains in background Wupatki, the monument's namesake pueblo, is made up of more than 100 rooms. The trail also features an ancient ball court and natural blowhole. Wukoki Pueblo a man and woman walking toward a three-story sandstone tower Wukoki Pueblo is located three miles from the Wupatki Visitor Center. Lomaki Pueblo Walls of a white limestone and red sandstone structure under light blue skies with white clouds. Lomaki means "beautiful house" in the Hopi language. The pueblo is located ten miles from the visitor center and is reachable via a short, 0.5 mile trail. Dark Skies over the Desert stars and the Milky Way galaxy over a desert juniper tree Wupatki National Monument features exceptionally dark night skies and hosts numerous star parties each year. Citadel Pueblo Side view of the Nalakihu and Citadel Pueblos The Citadel Pueblo sits atop a small cinder hill overlooking the surrounding grasslands. Inventory and Monitoring Data Help Flagstaff Area National Monuments Meet Resource Management Challenges From inventory data, to long-term monitoring data sets, to special projects, Southern Colorado Plateau Network data on vegetation communities, wildlife, and hydrology has informed much of the work being done in the network’s 19 parks. Cinder cone with crater, surrounded by pine trees. 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. 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 Monitoring Bird Communities on the Southern Colorado Plateau Bird communities can tell us a lot about changing environmental conditions. High on the food chain, and sensitive to climate and habitat changes, birds are monitored on the Southern Colorado Plateau as indicators of riparian and upland ecosystem health. Male Williamson’s sapsucker. 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 Heiser Spring Restoration Project at Wupatki National Monument Wupatki, Heiser, and Peshlaki springs were historically the sole sources of perennial water where Wupatki National Monument now stands. As Wupatki Spring was developed, flow declined and eventually ceased in 1959. In the early 2000s, the National Park Service decided to remove remaining water diversion structures and attempt to establish a small area of riparian vegetation to enhance wildlife habitat in the area. Restoration began in 2007. The pumpshack before it was removed at Wupatki Spring. National Park Getaway: Wupatki National Monument Imagine yourself living in a dry, barren landscape with limited resources to survive. Do you think you could do it for 150 years? Wupatki National Monument showcases multiple, impressive, freestanding pueblos in the high desert that the Ancestral Puebloans inhabited from approximately A.D. 1100 to 1250. We all can experience something meaningful during a visit to Wupatki whether it is architecture, solitude, or wildlife, and can connect to the people of the past. Rainbow over ancient pueblo ruins in a desert 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 Wupatki NM Visitor Center Complex Historic District Cultural Landscape Wupatki National Monument Visitor Center Complex (Wupatki VC Complex) is a historic designed landscape located in Coconino County, Arizona. Today, the Wupatki VC Complex is comprised of ten buildings and structures that reflect the original CCC and Mission 66 eras. Wupatki Visitor Center, 2005 (M. Curran, NPS) Wildland Fire in Ponderosa Pine: Western United States This forest community generally exists in areas with annual rainfall of 25 inches or less. Extensive pure stands of this forest type are found in the southwestern U.S., central Washington and Oregon, southern Idaho and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Recently burned ponderosa pine forest. 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 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) 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 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: 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 NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Wupatki National Monument, Arizona Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. [Site Under Development] Wukoki Pueblo Triassic Period—251.9 to 201.3 MYA The brightly colored Triassic rocks of Petrified Forest National Park yield not only the petrified trees but many other plant and animal fossils. fossil footprint on 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 Two for the Price of One Companion, assistant, confidant, ambassador, host, nurse, cook, secretary, editor, field technician, wildlife wrangler, diplomat, and social director are some of the many roles that people who marry into the NPS perform in support of their spouses and the NPS mission. Although the wives and daughters of park rangers were some of the earliest women rangers in the NPS, many more women served as “park wives” in the 1920s–1940s. Three members of a family 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. 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. Triops Crochet Pattern You can bring a small piece of the wildlife of Wupatki into your home by making this cute crochet model of a Triops. A yellow and salmon colored yarn crochet model of a Triops, a type of freshwater crustacean. 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. 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 50 Nifty Finds #17: Common Threads Each National Park Service (NPS) employee has a unique story. We can't tell them all, but sometimes there's a personal account—like that of Sallie Pierce Brewer Van Valkenburg Harris—that speaks to common experiences. Although her NPS connections ran from 1933 to 1971, many of her joys, challenges, and frustrations can still be recognized in the NPS today. Sallie's story resonates regardless of era, gender, or position. How will it speak to you? Sallie Brewer in her NPS uniform standing at a gate 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. 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. Lesser Long-nosed Bat Research at Organ Pipe Cactus Lesser long-nosed bats have been in scientific focus since the late 1900's. These unique animals face different obstacles in their changing environment, but researchers are at work in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, learning more about these bats. Through research here and throughout Central America, scientists are understanding better how to protect these animals and their environment. A small black lesser long-nosed bat with a black face hovers above a waxy white saguaro flower. Toad Research in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Research at Organ Pipe Cactus has seen large monsoons, drought, and the Sonoran Desert’s impact on different species of toad. The aim of this research is to understand which species are present, as well as the geographical reach of the chytrid fungus. A large dark green-gray Sonoran Desert toad sits in a pool of water. Civilian Conservation Corps at Wupatki Learn about the importance of the CCC boys at Wupatki National Monument. A bare-chested CCC Member stands in front of the Wupatki Pueblo surrounded by desert scrub. 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 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. 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 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.

National Park Service U. S. Department of the Interior Flagstaff Area National Monuments Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volcano Ancient Times Experience the Cultural Legacy and Natural Environment of Walnut Canyon, Wupatki, and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments View of the San Francisco Peaks from Wukoki Pueblo, Wupatki NPS Photo Follow the rock ledges and cliff dwellings down into Walnut Canyon, gaze across the grasslands and puebloan structures at Wupatki, and witness the aftermath of the eruption that formed Sunset Crater Volcano. Cultural Legacy People have found ways to live here for thousands of years, discovering new methods of building homes, growing food, and trading for goods. The eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano changed the lives of everyone who witnessed the event and influenced settlement at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki. Welcome! The scent of blooming cliffrose greets you during the climb out of Walnut Canyon on the Island Trail. Your eyes blink against the glittering contrast of snow blanketing Sunset Crater Volcano’s black basalt flows. At Wupatki, a raven’s cackling calls and wing beats break the silence surrounding red sandstone pueblos. Named after the walnut trees found within, Walnut Canyon is better known for the cliff dwellings built into ledges along the canyon walls. Builders selected spots warmed by the low winter sun, protected from snow and rain, and shaded on summer days. With water in Walnut Creek, land for farming on the canyon rim, native plants to collect, and animals to hunt, the ancestral Puebloan people had everything they needed. Welcome to Flagstaff Area National Monuments, places that will delight your senses and challenge your mind to consider everything from violent geologic processes to the struggle of finding water in an arid landscape. At Wupatki, builders chose the open grassland and expansive horizons of the Wupatki Basin, constructing homes of stone and mud. Communities were comprised of farmers, cultivating corn, beans, and squash. Wupatki Pueblo had the greatest population. Located at the crossroads of several cultures, it was a regional center for trade. Each of the monuments is unique, but all three share a cultural legacy, including their ownership by all Americans as part of the National Park System. Come and enjoy them. They are yours. This newspaper, the Ancient Times, can help you decide how to create your own experiences at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments during any season of the year. Sunset Crater Volcano is part of the legends, landscape, history, and culture of several American Indian tribes. Life profoundly changed for those present when the volcano erupted. Some left because survival seemed impossible. Others saw the eruption as a signal to migrate. Some chose to stay, building new homes and learning to farm a cinder-covered landscape. We’re waiting for you! Kayci Cook Collins Superintendent Flagstaff Area National Monuments NPS Graphic Natural Environment From sandstone and limestone revealing ancient sand dunes and seas, to rugged lava flows created by violent forces in the earth, the landscapes of all three national monuments have been shaped by weather, water, and time. At Walnut Canyon plant communities overlap, bringing together species usually separated by elevation, creating a rare concentration of biodiversity. The Sinagua people found a wide array of native plants to harvest along every curve of the canyon. Without domestic grazing, the grasslands of Wupatki once again provide habitat for the same plants and animals harvested and hunted by the ancestral Puebloan people who lived under the endless blue skies. Sunset Crater Volcano provides an unparalleled opportunity to study the dynamics of eruption, change, and recovery in an arid climate. The dramatic landscape is also home to a mix of species adapted to life on and around the young volcanic terrain. By visiting Walnut Canyon, Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano and gazing across their visually striking landscapes, you may better understand the lives of those who came before, learning from their ingenuity and achievements. What’s Inside 2-3....General Information 4-5....Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano 6.......Walnut Canyon 7.......Programs 8.......Getting Involved Published August 2016 2 GENERAL INFORMATION Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings, NPS Photo Contact Information Flagstaff Area National Monuments Park Headquarters 6400 N. Hwy 89 Flagstaff, AZ 86004 Phone: (928) 526-1157 Fax: (928) 526-4259 Email: FLAG_Information@nps.gov Walnut Canyon National Monument 3 Walnut Canyon Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/waca (928) 526-3367 Wupatki National Monument 25137 N Wupatki Loop Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/wupa (928) 679-2365 Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument 6082 Sunset Crater Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004 www.nps.gov/sucr (928) 526-0502 Entrance Fees 7-day Passes Walnut Canyon: per person (adults 16+)........$8 Sunset Crater Volcano and Wu