Ranger Notes from 2019
The New Challenge Facing Bald Eagles
December 2019
Our park offers guided hikes and canoe trips to view a pair of nesting bald eagles, because it’s amazing to see these majestic raptors living in the wild when they came so close to extinction.
Humans were the initial cause of their decline by using the pesticide DDT and not knowing the full effects that it had on our environment. It was also humans that helped them to recover and rebound.
Butterflies Have Lots to Teach
November 2019
Butterflies are great mascots for conservation. They face challenges in habitat destruction and pesticides, and are misunderstood. Many people think that caterpillars are pests, but they’re not. Caterpillars are a chink in the chain of a butterfly (or moth’s) life cycle.
Potter Wasps
October 2019
Have you ever found a tiny clay pot stuck to your window screen or on the side of a building? What artist creates such a unique clay jug?
Potter wasps are the creators of these small pieces of art. These wasps are not your typical wasp.
Read more about Potter Wasps . . .
Underwater Treasures
August 2019
When B.A. Steinhagen Reservoir was drained this summer, most animals were able to retreat into the creeks and river channels, but not all. Sprawled across the dry lake bed were dead freshwater mussels. Their slow mobility led to their demise, but it gave us and biologists a chance to study them up close. Freshwater mussels often go unseen, but they are underwater treasures.
