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Friends of
Flagstaff National Monuments Newsletter
December 2017
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2017-2018
FALL/WINTER NEWSLETTER
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Along the new Lava's Edge Trail at Sunset Crater
Volcano National Monument.
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New Species
of Cave-dwelling Arthropod Discovered at Wupatki National
Monument
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This newly
identified bug was collected in 2013 by Dr. J. Judson Wynne, cave
ecologist at Northern Arizona University, as part of the Wupatki
Earthcrack Cave Survey Project. Earlier this year, Dr. Wynne and Dr.
Ernest C. Bernard, University of Tennessee, described the new species
in a scientific journal, naming it Disparrhopalites naasaveqw.
The species name is derived in part from the Hopi language term,
naasaveqw (naa-sah-vak), meaning “in the middle.”
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New Lava's Edge Trail Opens at
Sunset Crater Volcano NM
Trail
Improvements at Wupatki NM
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NEW TRAIL OPENS
AT SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NM
Sunset Crater National Monument is sporting a new trail that runs
from the Visitor Center to the A’a Trail. This aptly named
trail – Lava’s Edge Trail – is partly on USFS land and partly in the
monument.
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Folks who want to
leave their car at the Visitor Center or Bonito Campground can now
access all monument trails from one location! This project was funded
with NPS fee funding (Public Land Corps fund source) and completed
using NPS staff and youth corps last summer.
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WUPATKI TRAIL
IMPROVEMENTS
At Wupatki, the Wupatki Pueblo Trail is being rehabilitated to remove
the asphalt and replace it with petroleum-free trail tread, as was
done at Walnut Canyon’s Island Trail a few years ago. The
project was started last summer and will continue throughout
FY2018. NPS staff and youth corps crews are working together to
complete the project.
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COLLECTING NATIVE SEEDS
for
Revegetation Work at WUPATKI
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Revegetation of
native plant species is a critical part of many upgrades and repairs
to essential infrastructure throughout our national parks and
monuments. On November 28, 2017, the Resource Management division
held a native seed collection workday in Wupatki National Monument as
part of revegetation associated with ongoing upgrades and repairs
throughout Wupatki. Thirteen NPS employees lent a hand to collect
over 30 lbs. of four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens)
seed from sites adjacent to the Wupatki visitor center and the River
Road. The seed will be used to revegetate work areas associated with
a water line replacement project, vehicle pull-out areas, and closed
road rehabilitation sites throughout Wupatki.
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ACC Volunteers Help Protect
Archaeology
Sites from Potential Fires
at
Walnut Canyon National Monument
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Recent visitors
to Walnut Canyon National Monument may have been startled by the
raucous wurrr of 2-cycle engines, something not often sought in the
soundscape of a national park. The noise relates to a thinning
project, intended to remove small diameter trees and dead and down
debris. Work has occurred for the last eight weeks in the
northwest corner of Walnut Canyon National Monument.
The Park was lucky to have the help of a group of Arizona
Conservation Crew volunteers, who worked with Park resource staff
to open tree canopy spacing for old growth ponderosa pine and to
remove the accumulation of live and dead fuel from over 60
archaeology sites. The next step of this project will be to
use prescribed burns in the area and monitor the fire effects.
As a long term goal, the park would like to reintroduce fire at
regular intervals and allow it to shape the landscape as it has in
the past.
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Girls
on the Run is a nation-wide curriculum based program organized to
inspire girls from 3rd through 8th
grade to recognize and celebrate their strengths by
building an appreciation for health and fitness. Friends of
Flagstaff National Monuments board member, and former NPS Park
Ranger Mary Blasing joined current Flagstaff National Monuments
Park Park Ranger Sophie Bechara to participate in the Hall of Heroes
during this year’s Northern Arizona program. During the 2017
ten-week Girls On the Run program, the Northern Arizona chapter
had over 350 girls participate from schools as far away as Many
Farms, Payson, Prescott, Sedona, Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. The
program culminates with a 5-kilometer running event which this
year was held at Fort Tuthill County Park.
The night before the 5k, girls were encouraged with their
families to attend an expo where race packets were picked up and
demonstration tables were set up. Organizers of the expo
established the Hall of Heroes
in the entry way to the expo. According to Marney Babbitt,
Council Director for Girls on the Run of Northern Arizona, “we
wanted our girls to see and have the opportunity to meet with
successful women in male dominated careers. We want them to know
that anything is possible, and they can be anything.”
The Hall
of Heroes this year had 7 women including
an Olympic runner, a local writer, a wildlands firefighter and
two National Park Service Park Rangers - retired Law Enforcement
Park Ranger Mary Blasing, and Sophie Bechara, a Pathways Ranger
for the Flagstaff Area monuments. Mary and Sophie met with girls
and their parents, spoke with them about the National Park
Service, and described life as a park ranger. Many of the girls
had visited one or more of the local national monuments with
their parents or through school programs. The donning of the flat
hat was a highlight for many of the girls!
The next morning over 700 girls and their running buddies ran the
5k under a brilliant blue autumn sky. The laughter, grins and
smiles at the finish line were a true delight.
Mary Blasing retired in 2015 after 25 years as a Park Ranger for
both the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and now serves on the board of the Friends of Flagstaff National
Monuments. Mary, who this year was a coach for the program at
Leupp Elementary can be contacted for more information about the
Girls on the Run Program at biralo5...@hotmail.com.
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VANISHING TREASURES TRAINING
COMES TO WUPATKI
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Dr.
Frank Matero (Back row, center) and FLAG Monuments staff Ian Hough
(front left), Erin Gearty (middle center), Alex Neuman and Dana Brown
(Back right).
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NPS staff
describe unique preservation techniques used on a masonry wall
(center-left)
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The Vanishing
Treasures (VT) program is an initiative begun in 1998 to address
mounting threats to thousands of deteriorating prehistoric and
historic sites in the western United States. The program develops
nationwide site-specific, archeological architecture preservation
skills training. During the week of October 23rd,
participants from around the country came to Wupatki for five days
of training led by experts that included members of the Flagstaff
National Monuments staff.
The training included: Introduction to Masonry Preservation and
Masonry Repair and Construction Techniques. The training was
led by Dr. Frank Matero (University of Pennsylvania), Ian Hough
(NPS Chief of Cultural Resources for Flagstaff National Monuments),
and Erin Gearty (NPS Cultural Resources Project Manager for
Flagstaff National Monuments). Over the course of 5 days, 15 class
attendees from around the country were introduced to soil, stone,
and mortars analysis, principles and techniques of architecture
condition assessment and preservation, and Wupatki Pueblo’s masonry
preservation history. Class participants completed hands-on masonry
preservation using fresh mortars and careful application with
thorough documentation at the northern room block of Wupatki
Pueblo.
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(left) Instructor Dr. Frank
Matero, points out the distribution of soil particle sizes.
(right) Class participants repoint wall voids and reset sandstone
masonry capstones.
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Flagstaff National Monuments at the
2017 Flagstaff Festival of Science
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View
of Sunset Crater from Bonito Park during the Festival of Science Open
House at Sunset Crater Volcano NM.
NPS Photo
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Every
September for the past 28 years, the Flagstaff Festival of Science
has brought the local community together to celebrate its rich
history of scientific discoveries and achievements. The Flagstaff
Area National Monuments in coordination with volunteers hosted
interpretive talks about the area's diverse history to over 300
visitors. The following activities were held during the 10-day
festival of free events in and around Flagstaff:
- Science in the
Park:
Lisa Leap, Ian Hough, Kathy Turney, Alex Covert, Jordan
Thompson greeted over 200 visitors and demonstrated historic
preservation techniques.
- WACA Hands on
Archeology: Dana Brown and Kathy Turney introduced
archeological survey techniques and artifact identification to
approximately 30 grade-school age students.
- Wupatki Small
Tower Discovery Hike: 30 visitors attended the interpretive
hike to see 800-year old Pueblos and associated prehistoric
farming lands in the Wupatki back country.
- Open House at
Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National
Monuments: Visitors and Junior Rangers experienced
a wide range of activities including a volcano demonstration
at Sunset Crater, a tour of Walnut Canyon’s Island Trail Cliff
Dwellings, and an interpretive talk on farming and trade in
Wupatki National Monument.
- Sunset Crater
Volcano Discovery Hike: Visitors joined a NPS Ranger on a
two-mile guided hike, visiting eruption features and learning
about how Sunset Crater came to be.
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(left)
FLAG staff Kathy Turney, Alex Covert, and Jordan Thompson with
visitors at Science in the Park.
(right) FLAG staff Dana
Brown with visitors at Walnut Canyon Hands on Archeology Day.
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New
Exhibits Coming to Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center in Fall
2019!
The staff of the Flagstaff Area National Monuments is partnering
with Harper's Ferry Center and park partners such as the Friends
of Flagstaff National Monuments to plan, design and install new
exhibits at Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center. In October, the
first meetings were held to tour the monument, examine current
visitor center exhibits, brainstorm ideas, discuss the main
stories of the monument, and get input from staff and park
partners on how new exhibits might convey the importance of
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Several more meetings
will take place to finalize designs and turn ideas into tangible,
informative and captivating exhibits!
In the meantime, stop by Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
and enjoy the current exhibits!
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Walnut Canyon Dedicates a
Stephen
T. Mather Plaque
on
Founders Day
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Commemorative Mather Plaque Dedication Postcard
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L-R: Coconino County
Supervisor Art Babbott, Superintendent Kayci Cook Collins, Dr. Art
Janssen - keynote speaker, IMR Regional Director John E. Cook, Life
Scout Sean Collins and Crystal Warden-Gant
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Photos by Mark Maciha
Stephen T. Mather cutout waiting for the unveiling.
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On August 25,
2017, Walnut Canyon National Monument celebrated Founders Day with
a ceremony to dedicate a Stephen T. Mather Plaque. The plaque
was presented by John E. Cook, retired Intermountain Regional
Director and Dr. Art Janssen, retired anesthesiologist and Mather
Plaque scholar and enthusiast. The gift recognizes the
lasting inspiration of Stephen Mather as the first director of the
National Park Service as well as the role Walnut Canyon National
Monument played in uniting two NPS families - the Cooks and the
Guillets – in 1958.
That year, Cook’s father, John O. Cook (a second generation NPS
employee himself) was the Superintendent at Wupatki and Sunset
Crater National Monuments. Meredith M. Guillet, was
Superintendent at Walnut Canyon, and the father of John E.’s
fiancée, Dani. John E. and Dani’s wedding reception was held
June 7, 1958 at the Superintendent’s house at Walnut Canyon, which
is still in use today as employee quarters. John E. Cook went on to
have a 40+year career with the NPS, which included serving as the
Regional Director overseeing Walnut Canyon NM. Cook’s daughter,
Kayci Cook Collins, a fourth generation and 36-year NPS
employee, is the current Superintendent for
all three Flagstaff Area National Monuments, continuing the family’s
connection to these special places.
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Life scout Sean
Collins, retired IMR Regional Director John E. Cook, FLAG
Superintendent Kayci Cook Collins, and Stephen T. Mather pose near
Walnut Canyon’s new Mather Plaque
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Cook family
members Lt. Col. Tee Cook (brother of John E.), Sean Collins, Kayci
Cook Collins, and John E. Cook pose with the wedding photo of John E.
and Dani Cook, taken on June 7, 1958 at Walnut Canyon.
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Over 70 people
attended the dedication ceremony hosted by FLAG Superintendent
Kayci Cook Collins. Kayci’s son Sean, an aspiring eagle scout with
Flagstaff Troop 31, led the pledge of allegiance and Crystal
Warden-Gant of the City of Flagstaff sang the national
anthem. Coconino County Supervisor Art Babbott welcomed the
group, and Judge Cook, Dr. Janssen and the superintendent gave
remarks related to Stephen Mather’s career, the history of Mather
Plaques, and the importance and value of “the NPS Family.” Attendees
included many current and retired NPS superintendents, members of
the Cook family, community members, and the entire Northern Arizona
University’s seasonal law enforcement academy class.
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The new
Mather plaque outside of the Walnut Canyon visitors center.
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Every Mather
Plaque says, “There will never come an end to the good that he has
done.” In closing the dedication ceremony, Kayci noted that
many subsequent generations have worked to perpetuate that good in
carrying out the mission of the National Park Service, and many
more will in the future.
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Case Griffing: New Volunteer Program
Coordinator
Sunset Crater
Volcano lead interpreter Case Griffing has taken the reins of the
Volunteer Program for the Flagstaff Area National Monuments. Case
brings a wealth of experience to the program, having served as the
Volunteers-In-Parks Coordinator at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot
National Monuments from late 2010 through early 2015.
We are looking for help during the busy weeks of spring break and
school field trip season! With summer seasonal interpreters expected
to arrive in May, the monuments are seeking extra volunteers to help
manage crowds and extend NPS presence on trails and at visitor
centers. Volunteers are also needed to help law enforcement park
rangers direct traffic at Walnut Canyon.
Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Case Griffing by
calling 928-526-0502 x221
or by e-mailing case_g...@nps.gov.
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Ryan Carpenter: Lead Park Ranger at Walnut
Canyon National Monument
Working for the National Park Service has been a dream
of mine since my early twenties. I feel incredibly fortunate to be
able to continue to live out that dream as the Lead Park Ranger at
Walnut Canyon National Monument.
My wife Betsy and I relocated from Sitka, Alaska, where I served for
five years as the Lead Park Ranger and Education Specialist at Sitka
National Historical Park. Before my tenure in Sitka, I got my start
with the park service as an interpretive volunteer, intern, and
seasonal ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park.
I’m looking forward to being a member of the interpretation and
education team at the Flagstaff Area National Monuments. It’s
important to me to help continue to foster meaningful connections
between park visitors and the resources preserved within the parks.
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Lauren Carter: Lead Interpretive Ranger at
Wupatki National Monument
I left Virginia for Northern Arizona almost 7 years
ago to attend the Park Ranger Training Program at NAU, and I haven't
looked back since. I worked briefly at Wolf Trap National Park in
Virginia, but have spent the majority of my National Park Service
career at Petrified Forest National Park. I started as a seasonal law
enforcement ranger and quickly decided that wasn't the best fit for
me, so I switched to interpretation. I transitioned from
interpretation to assisting with the education programs which turned
into being the Education Program Coordinator. I enjoyed working with
the students and creating new programs at Petrified Forest NP
including a video conference distance learning studio, but after 6
years it was time to move on. I'm very happy to be joining the
interpretation team as the lead at Wupatki National Monument, and I
look forward to learning all about the park and helping visitors
enjoy and protect their public lands.
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Eric Rowe: Utility Systems Operator,
Flagstaff Area Monuments
I was born in
Boston, MA and moved around to 5 different military bases growing up.
I received my degree in Forest Technology from the State University
of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which I
immediately put to good use by joining the Navy. In the Navy I served
on board the USS Ford, as well as one year detailed with the Army
serving a one-year tour in Iraq. After my time in the Navy was up I
returned to college for my Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering
Technology from Thomas Edison State University. After graduating, I
spent the next 5 months hiking the Appalachian Trail from Springer
Mt. in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. When that was done I began
my career with the park service at Guadalupe Mountains NP for a year,
followed by five years at Grand Canyon NP. l am now finally making
the move down to the Flagstaff Area Monuments. I currently serve as
the Utility Systems Operator, and live at Walnut Canyon with my
Fiancee Sarah and our dog Aurora.
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