Tag Archives: parks

Aug25

on the 110th anniversay of the U.S. National Parks.

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Some of the country’s first park rangers were Buffalo Soldiers, African Americans who served in all-Black U.S. Army regiments starting in 1866. When Yellowstone and several other national parks were being established near the end of the century, the Department of the Interior quickly realized they needed protection.

So the U.S. Army stepped in as park rangers for Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks between 1891 and 1913, and the 24th Infantry became the first regiment of Buffalo Soldiers to take on the role when they began serving at Yosemite in 1899. In 1903, Captain Charles Young, the highest-ranking African American U.S. Army officer at the time, also became the first African American to be named the acting superintendent of Sequoia National Park.

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‘There is nothing so American as our national parks.

The scenery and the wildlife are native. The fundamental idea behind the parks is native.

It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people,

that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us.

The parks stand as the outward symbol of the great human principle.’

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

 

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photo credit: National Park Service, Buffalo  Soldiers

Thomas Moran painting – Yellowstone Park

source credit: History Magazine, National Geographic

Apr29

in quietness.

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another lovely day, another lovely park to sit in quietness.

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‘in quietness, the soul expands.’

*rockwell kent

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*Rockwell Kent, American, (1882- 1971), illustrated hundreds of books and was known as having been a painter, writer, architect, wood engraver, sailor, adventurer, voyager, political activist, laborer, lobster fishermen, union organizer, and lecturer.

 

 

 

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ann arbor, mi, usa

 

Mar11

big park, little park, and the people who share them with all of us.

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Grand Canyon National Park

Polly Mead Patraw was the first woman park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park in 1929. She was the second woman ranger-naturalist in the entire park service. 

With a botany degree from the University of Chicago, she first applied to the Forest Service but was denied. Undaunted, she was accepted shortly after to be the first woman ranger-naturalist at Grand Canyon National Park. 

Her uniform consisted of the standard National Park Service uniform and a soft-brim hat. Women’s uniforms were not available.  Her job as a ranger-naturalist included lectures, auto tours, nature hikes, and writing about her findings. She served two summer terms and continued on through the spring of 1931. Today, her legacy as a trailblazing ranger-naturalist lives on.

 

 

Shizuoka, the world’s smallest park in Nagaizumi, Japan.

If you want to take a stroll around this park in Japan, you will have to be very nimble on your toes.A park roughly the size of four sheets of paper in Japan’s central prefecture of Shizuoka was recently crowned the world’s smallest, according to Guinness World Records. Despite measuring just 2.6 square feet, the recreational space offers a stool made up of a block of wood held up by a rock, with a little bush encircling it.

From afar, it could easily be mistaken for a bonsai, an example of the Japanese art of manicuring miniature trees.The park is a short walk from the town hall of Nagaizumi, about 68 miles southwest of the capital Tokyo.

When a Nagaizumi local was on vacation in the US, “they found the previous record holder for the smallest park,” Shuji Koyama, a team leader of the town’s construction division, told Guinness. “So they wanted to create an even smaller park.”

To qualify for the Guinness title, Shizuoka officials brought in a certified surveyor to measure the park. Koyama told Guinness World Records he was relieved that the park was finally recognized.

“We want to continue maintaining the park with the community, as well as creating a landscape that is more social media friendly, so that even more people will find attractions of our town,” he said.

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‘for some people, a park is the only place in their entire world where they can see something beautiful.’

-bette midler

 

 

 

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source credits: U.S. National Park Service, Chris Lau,CNN

 

Aug4

parks.

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national park of american samoa

–Got plans for today? If not, you might consider heading to a national park in honor of the three-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, a bipartisan law that helps protect, improve, and sustain our public lands, as well as Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. The U.S. Department of Interior is waiving entrance fees for all of the federal land it manages to mark the anniversary, making Friday the perfect time to visit one of America’s national parks or wildlife refuges. Find a park near you.

 

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“the nation behaves well
if it treats its natural resources as assets
which it must turn over to the next generation increased,
and not impaired, in value.”
― theodore roosevelt
26th president of the united states (1901-1909)
Mar19

power nap.

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this guy….. acting all hangry and ready for spring

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – On March 7, a Yellowstone National Park wildlife biologist on a radio telemetry flight observed the first grizzly bear of 2023 to emerge from hibernation. The adult bear, estimated at 300-350 pounds, was seen near the remains of a bison carcass in Pelican Valley, in the central-eastern part of the park.  Male grizzlies come out of hibernation in early March. Females with cubs emerge in April and early May. When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter. Sometimes, bears will react aggressively toward people when feeding on carcasses. All of Yellowstone National Park is bear country.

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“most animals show themselves sparingly. the grizzly bear is six to eight hundred pounds of smugness.

it has no need to hide. if it were a person, it would laugh loudly in quiet restaurants,

boastfully wear the wrong clothes for special occasions, and probably play hockey.” 

-craig childs, the animal dialogues: uncommon encounters in the wild

 

 

 

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credits: national park service, jim peaco, grizzly bear on swan creek flat – photo

May1

crowds.

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” i love places where there are crowds of trees.”

-nitin namdeo

 

 

 

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scio woods county preserve, ann arbor, mi, usa

Jun18

serenade.

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a warm welcome from mother nature

walking with

2 grands

through

1 park

1 forest

finding

3 sister lakes

mother nature

and

forest daddy

a family affair.

3rd sister lake

“In memory of “Daddy” Filbert Roth

Head of Forestry School (UM)

1902-1923

By his Forestry Boys

 

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“nature is a serenade for souls willing to hear.”

-saba k.

 

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Dolph Park,  Saginaw Forest, 3 Sister Lakes – Ann Arbor, MI, USA

June 2021

Nov30

recreate responsibly.

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Remember to space it out, watch the waving, and recreate responsibly.

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those zany park rangers are at it again

i love their method of getting the message across

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National parks across the country provide endless opportunities for recreational activities for everyone from the casual sightseer to the experienced adventurer. With your help, we can enjoy these special places while preserving them for future generations to enjoy. Learn more ways to recreate safely at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/recreate-responsibly.htm

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“one thorn of experience is worth a wilderness of warning.”

-james russell lowell

Jun13

storybook trail.

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such a wonderful discovery made

when walking in a park near my daughter’s house

an illustrated storybook trail

with pages spread throughout the woods

placed there by the village and the local library

a perfect pairing.

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“we tell stories in order to feel at home in the universe.”
— Roger Bingham, British science communicator, writer, public television producer and host
Jun9

goats.

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goats from twin willow ranch  have arrived at gallup park! ten goats in all will be busy over the course of three weeks “goatscaping,” removing brush from the park’s two islands. the islands are normally accessible via foot bridge; but during the three-week goat initiative, june 6–June 27, the islands, and bridges, will be closed.

goatscaping is an old-fashioned, eco-friendly and entertaining form of brush control. goats like to eat invasive plants like honeysuckle and buckthorn; poison ivy (to which goats are not allergic as some humans are); and pretty much any green plant within reach. this pilot project is part of an ongoing effort to clear out the overgrowth and invasive shrubbery as park staff work toward a long-term maintenance plan.

the goat initiative has an interactive component as well, for those curious about this work. GIVE 365 will be hosting three goat talk and walk tours in conjunction with volunteer work days. how to participate in a tour, for more information about this initiative, including goat photos and their bios, and more is available at http://www.a2gov.org/goats-at-gallup.

“ideas are easy.

it’s the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats.”

-sue grafton

 

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source: ann arbor parks and recreation, mlive, ann arbor townies