tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44137335816591561112024-03-05T19:17:49.629-08:00Superintendent of Petrified Forest National ParkAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-68357727855141382552016-04-09T09:36:00.000-07:002016-06-01T16:30:59.956-07:00The superintendent's blog is evolving into a vlog! The new site is at the Petrified Forest National Park's website: <a href="http://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm">http://www.nps.gov/</a><u><a href="http://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm"><a href="http://www.nps.gov//pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm"></a><span style="color: #0066cc;"><a href="http://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm"><a href="http://www.nps.gov//pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm"></a><a href="http://www.nps.gov//pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm"><a href="http://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm">pefo/learn/photosmultimedia/supervlog.htm</a></a></a></span></a></u> The vlog will go live in a few days. Thanks for checking out the blog here!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-76923276923558268172015-10-23T14:52:00.000-07:002015-10-23T14:52:10.858-07:00The End of Another Era<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6rwFZ72A1vmPYgAVx_x5sNgby7gByAStKCFq26A_Roevh5okamX3Yt_OqDj-WUZAa1mqgRgRhtDcwVNi0GbwWRvn0lQYoDxtswBshhiE9PKnaIg35nrSlQxbTRTB-H_WdZ8kGk7LXcRw/s1600/Nora+PDI+1950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6rwFZ72A1vmPYgAVx_x5sNgby7gByAStKCFq26A_Roevh5okamX3Yt_OqDj-WUZAa1mqgRgRhtDcwVNi0GbwWRvn0lQYoDxtswBshhiE9PKnaIg35nrSlQxbTRTB-H_WdZ8kGk7LXcRw/s320/Nora+PDI+1950.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harvey Girl in front of the Painted Desert Inn, 1950</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 1946, Fred Harvey Company began operating the Painted
Desert Inn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lunch counter
and a restaurant and a gift shop for Route 66 travelers, with a stunning view
into the Painted Desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Inn was
only ten years or so into its life as a pueblo-style building serving National
Monument visitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was intended to be
an attraction to get Route 66 travelers off the road and directed south to see
the petrified wood at Jasper, Crystal, and Rainbow forests, and the museum 25
miles away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-ND_ufFI1hHORY2J_W3Nqr7Xoo9sk-ain1OTaGgxn4C_zQoEyD5Z56IHrizl1ZXQ7-0e7qDFqEbO8ZD-xjqI1KqTjhyphenhyphenkbGxpL35IAcS-yckNdiXxCn3wBIKWuf_FVHM9js-lYS8-WVhD/s1600/9111845580_ac7e8e5a5b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-ND_ufFI1hHORY2J_W3Nqr7Xoo9sk-ain1OTaGgxn4C_zQoEyD5Z56IHrizl1ZXQ7-0e7qDFqEbO8ZD-xjqI1KqTjhyphenhyphenkbGxpL35IAcS-yckNdiXxCn3wBIKWuf_FVHM9js-lYS8-WVhD/s320/9111845580_ac7e8e5a5b_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Café at Painted Desert Community Complex, 1963</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 1963, Fred Harvey Company built a new building as part of
the Painted Desert Community Complex and moved their operation out of Painted
Desert Inn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Route 66 was in the process
of being replaced by Interstate 40 and the old pueblo style Inn must have
seemed old fashioned compared to the modern design of the Complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to the restaurant and gift shop,
a gas station was included in the services to be provided.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the more than 50 years since then, Fred Harvey Company
has been bought and sold but the parent companies have continued to provide
hospitality services in national parks and monuments across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, Xanterra Parks and Resorts still holds
the contract to provide those services at Petrified Forest and is the largest
concession company in the National Park Service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaQXbJ6qLsbkzZ0IbkBsADKW3JqrVtdyD7dkOLAdXlFR6gADKyAuaca-SEHpgzvPuME7nAZYiFheCZcKuV_n5KB5aPWWhMp8s71GiDUZsjlPMbTV2KfdZ3rMA4tFh6TXbIExzY0yaKzEq/s1600/10010262045_93f315a1ae_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaQXbJ6qLsbkzZ0IbkBsADKW3JqrVtdyD7dkOLAdXlFR6gADKyAuaca-SEHpgzvPuME7nAZYiFheCZcKuV_n5KB5aPWWhMp8s71GiDUZsjlPMbTV2KfdZ3rMA4tFh6TXbIExzY0yaKzEq/s320/10010262045_93f315a1ae_o.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1963 and Today</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The current contract with Xanterra expires at the end of
this year and the NPS has invited bids for a new contract starting in
2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Xanterra has decided not to bid,
ending what will be a 70 year run of providing hospitality services at
Petrified Forest National Monument and National Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /><br />I</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> want to thank Xanterra for this long partnership with the
park and, in particular, for agreeing to continue to provide services the last
21 years on 1-year contract extensions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The company was not required to continue operating and could have said
“enough is enough” at any time in those 21 years but they did not and continued
to serve the visiting public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Xanterra
has been a good partner with Petrified Forest over these many years and we are
grateful for their long service to park visitors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-29819297067242970142015-06-20T08:05:00.000-07:002015-06-20T08:17:26.032-07:00New Websites<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the last few weeks there have been significant
improvements to the on-line presence of the Petrified Forest community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to volunteer Denise Traver, the </span><a href="http://www.friendsofpetrifiedforest.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Friends of Petrified Forest</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
and the </span><a href="http://www.petrifiedforestfieldinstitute.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Petrified
Forest Field Institute</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> have new homes on the web.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Friends of Petrified Forest is a collection of the
park’s closest supporters who donate their time and money to help the park
achieve its mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In recent years,
the Friends have played an instrumental role in supporting a vibrant summer
intern program for archeology and paleontology students to gain some field
experience as well as donating their time to park projects on each of the two
volunteer days, spring and fall, organized by the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Friends of Petrified Forest is just
getting started and could use your support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thank you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Petrified Forest Field Institute is a new undertaking
for the Petrified Forest Museum Association.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This new service offers expert guides in various fields leading half-day
or full-day classes that explore the resources of Petrified Forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year’s introductory slate of classes
encompasses paleontology, rock art, landscape photography, natural history, and
a general park overview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The instructors
are some of the best-known names in leading field classes in Northern Arizona –
at least a couple of them teach similar classes around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The park and PFMA hope that there will be
enough interest in these classes to expand their number next year, to include
multi-day classes with camping in the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eventually, maybe as soon as next year, when the park’s expansion lands
and the State Trust lands that abut them are available for guided access, a
whole new park will emerge as a classroom for Field Institute classes.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0NlndhVnXkKpsh4dHM7BWJrg_tr1wW_xa6o_yIGUg1LQRNumGHrmc9573GPFXgqtR5t-NE-4lLkgeSnpoWv7MW3qhvS_WhaK6N3Q9V4zE9eGS8gCZyudgjR3-9u6UT_AdDtRSVQAwPsw/s1600/Friends+Website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0NlndhVnXkKpsh4dHM7BWJrg_tr1wW_xa6o_yIGUg1LQRNumGHrmc9573GPFXgqtR5t-NE-4lLkgeSnpoWv7MW3qhvS_WhaK6N3Q9V4zE9eGS8gCZyudgjR3-9u6UT_AdDtRSVQAwPsw/s400/Friends+Website.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-58902932142655530072015-04-19T16:38:00.003-07:002015-04-19T16:39:30.026-07:00Volunteers<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Petrified Forest National Park, and many other park areas
around the country, relies heavily on the good services provided by
volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our fiscal year 2014,
volunteers contributed over 15,000 hours of work to Petrified Forest, the equivalent
of more than 7 full time employees and, at Arizona rates, worth over $300,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That work consisted of greeting visitors at
the visitor centers, walking with them on trails and answering questions,
watering landscape plants, conducting scientific field work in paleontology,
archeology, and biology, doing trail construction projects, and removing
internal ranch fences no longer needed after the park’s purchase of the Hatch
(Paulsell) and McCauley Ranches in 2011 and 2013, respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last Labor Day weekend, over 50 volunteers
provided both leadership and legwork to the mini bio-blitz conducted on the
newly acquired lands and recorded nearly 250 species of plants and animals in a
24 hour period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The accomplishments of
volunteers are crucial additions to what the staff does and in some cases, the
work done by volunteers would not be done at all without them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-y0yhdvlAqiNqT3cOmWjDPqben1HGUItZclLQ9ymz8_JQKdeosr8wrq8cehXGGf64bMTJ8VKyy37vFFZZPvP-kwiXip33yW4iSMoNDFLzZERdUFHHmrJc6a3yJ17sWNiTGNAA_-z6i3d/s1600/Bio+Blitz+short+Horned+Lizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-y0yhdvlAqiNqT3cOmWjDPqben1HGUItZclLQ9ymz8_JQKdeosr8wrq8cehXGGf64bMTJ8VKyy37vFFZZPvP-kwiXip33yW4iSMoNDFLzZERdUFHHmrJc6a3yJ17sWNiTGNAA_-z6i3d/s1600/Bio+Blitz+short+Horned+Lizard.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short Horned Lizard discovered on Bio-Blitz (NPS)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our volunteers come from all over the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often, they bring their own housing with them
and stay in our trailer pads for a month or a few months before they either
head back home or to their next volunteer or travel destination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We recruit volunteers through the website </span><a href="http://www.volunteer.gov/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.volunteer.gov</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTF-BWBGdomEpBbwSp60KTFKVpdSSezNvQajL6xuDoa9VjPDdDGSKOhFebY-hVkWrXWn1RnWowXrWIZLGqQkN3WcMxABnK6rsikHlfV-21n_9TmjXgwIML4cgNozn7ThS5W2dAX_81elJ/s1600/Trish+Jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTF-BWBGdomEpBbwSp60KTFKVpdSSezNvQajL6xuDoa9VjPDdDGSKOhFebY-hVkWrXWn1RnWowXrWIZLGqQkN3WcMxABnK6rsikHlfV-21n_9TmjXgwIML4cgNozn7ThS5W2dAX_81elJ/s1600/Trish+Jackson.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volunteer Trish Jackson (NPS)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This
weekend, 27 volunteers have signed up to help us remove more fence from the
Paulsell Ranch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are prioritizing the
mesh fence as opposed to the barbed wire fence because the mesh is more
difficult if not impossible for pronghorn and other wildlife to cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the fence is no longer needed to manage
livestock, it is an impediment to wildlife movement and important for us to
remove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will be the third volunteer
day focused on fence removal – to date, approximately 2 miles of mesh fence and
2.8 miles of barbed wire fence have been removed by volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This weekend’s crew will be larger than other
days and we hope to remove another 6 miles of mesh fence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering the added workload of maintaining
roads and exterior fencing we need to keep when we acquired these ranches,
removal of internal fencing would not happen at all if not for these volunteer
efforts.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02eAMOg0Ciowi87ja6NYQY1T4GMY6j_lqgbo7STk3efa-9I7oEEgUhhDDwV5sezS00Xht96OJYSw8iun44LAC517LXaNIzpMIsApHylRph22pko4hqh6DjC3Im-9Ls9V_pBflp6eQlSRd/s1600/09-27-14+Public+Lands+Day+2014_0421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02eAMOg0Ciowi87ja6NYQY1T4GMY6j_lqgbo7STk3efa-9I7oEEgUhhDDwV5sezS00Xht96OJYSw8iun44LAC517LXaNIzpMIsApHylRph22pko4hqh6DjC3Im-9Ls9V_pBflp6eQlSRd/s1600/09-27-14+Public+Lands+Day+2014_0421.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volunteers working on the fenceline (NPS)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span>We are grateful to all the volunteers who give their time,
expertise, and effort to make Petrified Forest National Park a better place in
so many different ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10408039_819599494742595_4107658480874161302_n.jpg?oh=8d3e7bb5bd2ccf98233e39df1bb3a5d7&oe=55E14897&__gda__=1436608161_971b1e12281ab9b0a96e2704ab9298dd" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10408039_819599494742595_4107658480874161302_n.jpg?oh=8d3e7bb5bd2ccf98233e39df1bb3a5d7&oe=55E14897&__gda__=1436608161_971b1e12281ab9b0a96e2704ab9298dd" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bio-Blitz (NPS)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-66173499770334219402015-02-12T09:53:00.001-08:002015-02-12T09:53:41.545-08:00Bearing Fruit<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I started this Blog with a piece about how we are thinking and talking about the park differently, how we are creating new opportunities for visitors to enjoy the park and trying to be more welcoming. One way to measure whether we are having an effect is to review the numbers of visitors who experience the park. In 2014, Petrified Forest visitation grew by nearly 30% to 836,919 visitors. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jCpkNeXLARg8jIy0pU7dNgdlbtL8frNOgZYX6V4b_K38sVL7pbIkAtL6HMtnsKSKXN2VwmMR9jJ8JVtEQUmHT5x_FpzMtsVGii5aYoUKQfESs0NIc6IT-Zlc0KP6cKNej6X4QfkL-KAz/s1600/feb+stat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jCpkNeXLARg8jIy0pU7dNgdlbtL8frNOgZYX6V4b_K38sVL7pbIkAtL6HMtnsKSKXN2VwmMR9jJ8JVtEQUmHT5x_FpzMtsVGii5aYoUKQfESs0NIc6IT-Zlc0KP6cKNej6X4QfkL-KAz/s1600/feb+stat.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
While we will take some credit for this growth based on the new opportunities
and attitude we are offering, it is also true that some of the growth can be
attributed to low fuel prices, an improving economy, and comparison to the year
before, which included the government shutdown. In fact, had the shutdown not
occurred, visitation in 2013 would likely have been in the area of 700,000
visitors and 2014 would mark the third year in a row of visitation growth. <br />
<br />
Digging a little deeper, October and December of last year were records for
those months. The single year increase of 29.8% was the largest since 1956. For
the year, the total was the largest since 1995. <br />
<br />
We think this one-year result is important—and it’s only important to us if
there is a component of it that is responding to our actions. Low gas prices
and an improving economy are nice but beyond our control. If we can attribute a
portion of the growth to our actions, it means that we have the chance to make
a national park experience at Petrified Forest relevant to more people. If we
are relevant to more people, we validate what we do. If we are relevant to more
people, we help our local communities who are more eager, in turn, to help us. If
we are relevant to more people, we gain stature in the public eye and the
public willingness to further protect the park grows. If we are relevant to
more people, we improve our chances of perpetuating the park’s protection
through our political system.<br />
<br />
Visitation numbers are not the only feedback mechanism we have but it is the
easiest to track. We are also keeping an eye on press reports, comments we get
directly from visitors, comments visitors make on sites like Trip Advisor and
Yelp, and our own social media accounts. We are getting positive feedback in
all areas. Our annual summer survey of 400 park visitors in 2014 to assess how
visitors feel about the facilities and services we offer was our best in recent
memory, exceeding the 8 year average in every category. We are excited to be
getting this positive feedback and will continue to do our best to provide a
good national park experience—not to grow the numbers but to grow our relevance
to the American public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-57242321069746634612014-11-28T12:01:00.001-08:002014-11-28T12:01:32.340-08:00The End of an Era
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the end of November, Petrified Forest National Park will
lose two icon employees to retirement – Bobby and Johnnie Morris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These brothers started working at Petrified
Forest in 1962 – the same year it changed from a National Monument to a
National Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also the same year
the headquarters building was being built.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although Johnnie worked elsewhere for a couple of years early on,
together they still dedicated over 102 years of their time and effort to the
park.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwY5_YDzqG2Rj1FYft-308AKBXRU0C3IY_2fZ039w3OrvYI3wjEtTj_5rOX-zcadwWNUgzK4ALTdnk8KUAi-tR_tEoVO1qEC1gS1h5Tp8XlShHC21Qv1-dEkYvAnYId8xKJjdBJlKEwac/s1600/DSC00372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwY5_YDzqG2Rj1FYft-308AKBXRU0C3IY_2fZ039w3OrvYI3wjEtTj_5rOX-zcadwWNUgzK4ALTdnk8KUAi-tR_tEoVO1qEC1gS1h5Tp8XlShHC21Qv1-dEkYvAnYId8xKJjdBJlKEwac/s1600/DSC00372.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Both of these gentlemen are warm and easy to smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bobby, the older brother, has been a painter
for most of his career, on the maintenance crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is fond of telling anyone who asks that he
was responsible for the Painted Desert, a portion of which is included in the
park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked when he’ll need to
repaint it, Bobby will say, “After a rain, when the colors come out.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johnnie has been an equipment operator for
most of his career, operating a road grader, backhoe, and loader,
primarily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is quieter by nature and his
work placed him more often on the road maintenance crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The brothers are more comfortable speaking Navajo than
English (although their English is fine) and you won’t get a reply if you try
to email them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, they have
been teachers and mentors to many of the members of the Petrified Forest
maintenance crew over their decades of service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have touched every system, building, road, and trail in the park,
multiple times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They helped build the
headquarters complex and were still on staff when it was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they
have touched every employee at Petrified Forest over the last 50 years, too,
with their smiles and kindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you think that Petrified Forest was first set aside 108
years ago and realize that these two gentlemen have been working at the park
nearly half that time, it’s not hard to imagine that they are not only the
longest-serving employees in the history of the park but could likely be the
longest serving there ever will be – certainly there will never be a pair of
siblings who duplicate their feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At their retirement party recently, Bobby told me he used to
regale his grandchildren with stories of he and his brother wrangling dinosaurs
in order to keep them from eating people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As evidence he would point to the skeletons on display in the park’s
museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will miss Bobby and Johnnie
Morris, although they will not be too far away – two daughters and one son of
these brothers continue working at the park and Bobby will continue painting as
a park volunteer in December.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-87886132921756892062014-07-20T15:54:00.001-07:002014-11-28T12:02:26.456-08:00A New National Treasure<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The fact that Petrified Forest National Monument was created
in 1906 and converted to Petrified Forest National Park in 1962 is ample
evidence that the resources there to protect have long been considered a
national treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s a newer
resource – one not built until after national park status was achieved – that is
the latest to hold that title.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Painted Desert Community Complex was one of five
projects during the Mission 66 nationwide re-building program for which the
National Park Service commissioned designs by noted American architects of the
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the five projects (the other
four were in Dinosaur National Monument, Wright Brothers National Memorial,
Gettysburg National Historical Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park) only
three remain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Cyclorama at
Gettysburg was demolished in 2013 due to its location in an area now considered
inappropriate and the Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur developed structural
problems and was also demolished in recent years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The firm of Richard Neutra and Robert
Alexander designed both the Petrified Forest and Gettysburg projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richard Neutra was a well-known modernist
architect, working mostly in southern California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had worked for Frank Lloyd Wright early in
his career and had made his name through his use of glass, steel, and concrete
or masonry in rectilinear and unadorned shapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The selection of Neutra to design projects for the National Park
Service, which was only 15 years or so removed from the end of the CCC era and
its rustic style, was exceptionally bold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Painted Desert Community Complex was the only project of
these, and maybe the only one during the Mission 66 program, that included
facilities for all aspects of park operation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a small planned community that included public facilities in the
visitor center with adjacent concession services around a central plaza as well
as maintenance shops, employee housing, a school, and community center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The project even included the park entrance station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very few, if any, other projects in the NPS
encompass this scope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neutra and
Alexander’s design used building massing and the austerity of their design
ethic to brilliantly separate incompatible uses in such a way that each use can
function well and independently of the others, all in a relatively small
space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the genius of this
arrangement of spaces when added to the architect’s prominence, the importance
of the Mission 66 program as a whole, and the importance of the Painted Desert
Community Complex as a highlight of that program that has led the Complex to
achieve a greater recognition in recent years as a collection of buildings and
landscapes worthy of protection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The architects visited the site of the project in May of
1958.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I surmise that the wind was
blowing hard that spring day because the main environmental feature of the
complex, appropriately, is protection from wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire Complex is oriented to turn its
back on the southwest, the direction much of the wind comes from at this
site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The architects drafted an explanation
of their housing designs they called “Homes for National Park Service Families
on a Wind-Swept Desert”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Built in the early 1960’s, the Complex began having
structural problems right away due to both soil problems and poor construction
practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first post-construction
structural analysis was completed in 1965 – several others followed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most recent one is from 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The structural problems were not adequately
addressed and kept getting worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
roofs of many modernist buildings, including these, were designed to be
perfectly flat and failed, predictably, giving all flat roofs a bad name in the
process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When energy prices went up, the
large expanses of glass became more expensive to keep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As vehicles got bigger, the entrance station
and the gas station canopy were not tall enough to accommodate them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 1993, when the park updated its master
planning in a new General Management Plan, the Complex had been a failure that
was considered too expensive in maintenance costs to retain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The park proposed to demolish the Complex and
rebuild something new and larger in its place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By 2004, whether due to economic realities or a reassessment
of the Complex, thinking had changed and a revision of the General Management
Plan included the decision to retain and rehabilitate the Painted Desert
Community Complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2005, the Painted
Desert Community Complex Historic District was created, listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2006, a
thorough Historic Structure Report and Cultural Landscape Report were completed
and have been used as a guide for the modest rehabilitation work that has been
done since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This year, Petrified Forest has entered into a partnership
with the National Trust for Historic Preservation on the sustainable rehabilitation
of the Painted Desert Community Complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Trust has designated the Complex one of its </span><a href="http://www.savingplaces.org/treasures/painted-desert-community-complex" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">NationalTreasures</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and will work with the National Park Service by raising the
profile of the Complex, providing expertise, planning, and perhaps some
fundraising toward its sustainable rehabilitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the National Treasure web page was
uploaded, there was a companion </span><a href="http://blog.preservationleadershipforum.org/2014/07/10/mission-66-modernism/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">blogpost</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> also uploaded by modernist advocate Chris Madrid French in the
Preservation Leadership Forum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the Treasure page says, the major threat to the Complex
is the lack of funding for its rehabilitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have successfully competed for occasional NPS capital funds to
stabilize the foundations of three buildings (Community Building in 2009,
Visitor Center in 2014, and Block A housing units in 2015) and to replace
heating and cooling systems in the Visitor Center (2010 and 2012,
respectively).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used our cyclic
maintenance allocation to replace obsolete windows in the administrative
offices this year, and we have used operating funds to restore the Visitor
Center balcony and planter and the main façade of the School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite those inroads, millions of dollars
are still needed to address all the needs at the Complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NPS Centennial may provide the next
opportunity to continue raising the profile of this Complex, get additional
partners excited about its sustainable rehabilitation, and get some of the
high-profile work done that NPS funding sources are not likely to reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These projects include restoring the glass
storefront to the restaurant and gift shop, restoring flat roofs to the Visitor
Center and Painted Desert Oasis (concession building), restoring at least a
portion of the gas station canopy, re-exposing the terrace off the southeast
side of the Visitor Center building, and returning the restaurant to its
original diner design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s
also true that there is inadequate fire protection, the plumbing and electrical
systems are over 50 years old, and many other components need attention if the
Complex is to serve as park headquarters for another 50 years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The less public buildings like housing and
maintenance shops will be harder to get a partner’s help with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will keep our shoulder to the wheel and
try to make quality improvements that recognize and appreciate the Painted
Desert Community Complex’s unique place in the history of the park and the
country as another of the National Treasures under our care.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qu8GpAtZTcbRHOUkt5MY9VDsHXYYhPcRkOVJPgj6JnjyvlAeikCFy48BU0Rsf8uRrCq8n0l4kpeTnztb22dTEr0BW6z-rF55L9O4ll9HNQjUa2Nd_FpTCyisrCBUg4BQrx53BFLDkIwF/s1600/FrontEntry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qu8GpAtZTcbRHOUkt5MY9VDsHXYYhPcRkOVJPgj6JnjyvlAeikCFy48BU0Rsf8uRrCq8n0l4kpeTnztb22dTEr0BW6z-rF55L9O4ll9HNQjUa2Nd_FpTCyisrCBUg4BQrx53BFLDkIwF/s1600/FrontEntry.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted Desert Visitor Center Front</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaQqGrp0JkGGCK5D2Qa9AATAqwKv0ToVKPrruP2Yyc8EeTEgr5HUB8DTPq0THGwQhMbnGGD5xEZK5_TxAZGYEjeCieY1TxFRLCf3xrTrH8Ho1FDX8mqDCSYDhyphenhyphenIYltOF-CHQLQUj_k3Rc/s1600/beinlich1762-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaQqGrp0JkGGCK5D2Qa9AATAqwKv0ToVKPrruP2Yyc8EeTEgr5HUB8DTPq0THGwQhMbnGGD5xEZK5_TxAZGYEjeCieY1TxFRLCf3xrTrH8Ho1FDX8mqDCSYDhyphenhyphenIYltOF-CHQLQUj_k3Rc/s1600/beinlich1762-21.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred Harvey Company 1963</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bjg5TjgCEoClou8f-8a5Qhd8iPhyphenhyphenHMB3GyHrpQ5KYJOum2qEjy27EtnLquM5jOoD9dckSXAYhyphenhyphenh34VpgVgRvk0hMn5gOpq0TFbYdpwwg-Fk9slgpQmP1a7z73OiXCmSYiOINTlMT45VX/s1600/100_0618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bjg5TjgCEoClou8f-8a5Qhd8iPhyphenhyphenHMB3GyHrpQ5KYJOum2qEjy27EtnLquM5jOoD9dckSXAYhyphenhyphenh34VpgVgRvk0hMn5gOpq0TFbYdpwwg-Fk9slgpQmP1a7z73OiXCmSYiOINTlMT45VX/s1600/100_0618.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred Harvey Company: Xanterra 2013</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWQLCBOK7GQVebrg3kKrPOe7PTw5dYZt85LMNvzLAZDpZdjZDb2NCi9LyIOcxasbvK07boLU47OabL5YPQ8W__4pbIysiU1zN2k4_AQtxpXvu9qypfBaLwAvOIlnxLEAq6qYfVkCO7Ulr/s1600/planter+1963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWQLCBOK7GQVebrg3kKrPOe7PTw5dYZt85LMNvzLAZDpZdjZDb2NCi9LyIOcxasbvK07boLU47OabL5YPQ8W__4pbIysiU1zN2k4_AQtxpXvu9qypfBaLwAvOIlnxLEAq6qYfVkCO7Ulr/s1600/planter+1963.jpg" height="260" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted Desert Visitor Center Balcony 1963</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc55tAyWXrYo0NsKB1qrxBXHgZq3gSbRYN3GGrsMbEX9L2QZzQGwqs1uN0RwkFMhiU_SMBguMGocnA3ACQAPTprPVw7PcoHM8er2aitHnMO2iC4dzwSY_saL-l6kJRC_ll7Jg-kzqVvYRs/s1600/balcony+2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc55tAyWXrYo0NsKB1qrxBXHgZq3gSbRYN3GGrsMbEX9L2QZzQGwqs1uN0RwkFMhiU_SMBguMGocnA3ACQAPTprPVw7PcoHM8er2aitHnMO2iC4dzwSY_saL-l6kJRC_ll7Jg-kzqVvYRs/s1600/balcony+2007.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted Desert Visitor Center Balcony 2007</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4gaeB93fdLUQbJGpNlBLfAThiVSeF-Nx76sZ9J-PodR6JHFqU8Gz6Ig4vKxv1u0Xe8qkmNim-5UTSliE1JtizyvGA5j6vJWp3eBXL_fNTfC3Ll_NtrZ4ohBM9ylKBcW5rZGz0SohPZda/s1600/balcony+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4gaeB93fdLUQbJGpNlBLfAThiVSeF-Nx76sZ9J-PodR6JHFqU8Gz6Ig4vKxv1u0Xe8qkmNim-5UTSliE1JtizyvGA5j6vJWp3eBXL_fNTfC3Ll_NtrZ4ohBM9ylKBcW5rZGz0SohPZda/s1600/balcony+2012.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted Desert Visitor Center Balcony 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmMfNKDDu0jnfmbYuzg6ZLEBJC-L2u3VwqMayBSxXLn5Ci21vk0jgJTOlMu_WV8oXIHcoKB0r7vdWVPFaJlfJwKeAkLH3BYI3Qi_l4fp6Cr8-wdmJmS8rGfG9G_YTvPd4eh9XehninshB/s1600/beinlich1762-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmMfNKDDu0jnfmbYuzg6ZLEBJC-L2u3VwqMayBSxXLn5Ci21vk0jgJTOlMu_WV8oXIHcoKB0r7vdWVPFaJlfJwKeAkLH3BYI3Qi_l4fp6Cr8-wdmJmS8rGfG9G_YTvPd4eh9XehninshB/s1600/beinlich1762-34.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted Desert Diner 1963</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WhI-HCBWNcPvoXiEWbhgEnHFu_DcDig97Mbwh_HnK8_JLBb6Fvmm8PcU7DYFGsHBYLYjU1DFjBnhxaQEwovd4i74X3C98zw4Kc-hPU3DiBg-VJjFEVOwfTeL89zfHXS2i1gA0-6oRvTf/s1600/Diner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WhI-HCBWNcPvoXiEWbhgEnHFu_DcDig97Mbwh_HnK8_JLBb6Fvmm8PcU7DYFGsHBYLYjU1DFjBnhxaQEwovd4i74X3C98zw4Kc-hPU3DiBg-VJjFEVOwfTeL89zfHXS2i1gA0-6oRvTf/s1600/Diner.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted Desert Diner 2013</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413733581659156111.post-44498583972555457672014-06-01T15:13:00.000-07:002014-11-28T12:03:19.960-08:00The New Petrified Forest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Petrified Forest National Park has been around since 1962
and Petrified Forest National Monument the 56 years before that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout that history, challenges for park
managers have exhibited some similarities – build and maintain infrastructure
to permit visitors to enjoy the park, understand the resources under public
stewardship and interpret what we know for visitors, and protect the resources
under our care from damage or theft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
organize our workforce around these basic responsibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has always been and always will be a
balance to be struck between the competing mandates in the act that created the
National Park Service – to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic
objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same
in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the
enjoyment of future generations.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is my opinion that the balance struck at Petrified Forest
in recent decades was an important factor in creating a narrative in the public
arena that petrified wood theft was rampant and was degrading the resource the
park had been created to protect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Protecting park resources always must be our top priority – without
resources visitors have nothing special to enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the means of protection should be
unobtrusive in order to allow responsible visitors, who are the vast majority,
to enjoy the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most visitors know
the rules about removal of resources in national parks (not allowed!) and while
some reinforcing and repetition of the rules is useful or even necessary,
beating visitors over the head with the rules and their consequences became so counter-productive
that the perception was created in a portion of the public that Petrified
Forest National Park was in danger of not having any petrified wood left!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s always been preposterous but it shows
how far afield basic logic can take you when the input is exaggerated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, we used to say that “a ton a
month” of petrified wood was removed from the park illegally, without good evidence
to back up the number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not hard to
see how people could extrapolate that figure in their thinking to devastating
proportions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So we have embarked upon a change in the way we talk about
the park and the way people use the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We remain vigilant to resource theft and intercept violations as we
encounter them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we have created
a series of “off the beaten path” hikes that highlight interesting backcountry
destinations that have always been open but, with some clarity provided, become
safe destinations for hikers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We opened
over 14,000 acres of newly acquired land this year, including a new access
route to the Petrified Forest National Wilderness and a suggested hike to
220-million year old fossil clam beds that has never been available
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope to open more newly
acquired lands and destinations next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are creating a walking trail between the Painted Desert Visitor
Center and the Painted Desert Inn for those who want to get out into the
environment right off the freeway, see a spectacular view of the Painted
Desert, and leave the car behind for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are making both Rainbow Forest Museum and the Crystal Forest Trail
more accessible this year for visitors with mobility impairments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re continuing the updating of exhibit
panels begun last year at Puerco Pueblo with new, updated panels throughout the
northern part of the park.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBYG8rSAFkYJjvNNCit__PcsfRnJmuZwWyphTeDecrk1K5dTHa_KKLvF63BeKuFKg-gKDn-2AGh8UonsIDx3E9NoCQ7Zvui6y_emHzDWF6nbAXP3iyAsnqTiy8ooONzBQhltUROTU2NIc/s1600/Rephoto+Long+Logs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaBYG8rSAFkYJjvNNCit__PcsfRnJmuZwWyphTeDecrk1K5dTHa_KKLvF63BeKuFKg-gKDn-2AGh8UonsIDx3E9NoCQ7Zvui6y_emHzDWF6nbAXP3iyAsnqTiy8ooONzBQhltUROTU2NIc/s1600/Rephoto+Long+Logs.jpg" height="640" width="395" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have created a series of repeat photographs – modern
images taken from the same spot as historic photographs, sometimes over 100
years apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These images show that,
except for construction of some facilities and some erosion, the petrified wood
is right where it was decades ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
smaller, presumably portable pieces are still there in most of the photos we’ve
repeated so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond the wood, these
images tell other interesting stories about erosion and the park’s development
history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are nearly complete with the rehabilitation of the 1930’s
era checking station at Puerco Pueblo, which will include informative exhibits
about the park’s archeology in a restored historic building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We plan to start something similar with the
stone building at Agate Bridge next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have also entered into a partnership with the National Trust for
Historic Preservation on the long-term rehabilitation of the Painted Desert
Community Complex, a unique facility designed in the modernist style, worthy of
attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps most importantly, we continue to do ground-breaking
field work every summer in both paleontology and archeology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are doing a better job of getting word out
about what we are accomplishing with this work and the work of our partner
universities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While our staffing in
ecology has never had much consistency, we are working with the Arizona Gama
and Fish Department on assessing the size and health of the prairie dog
population on the park’s expansion lands to determine whether those lands might
be appropriate habitat someday for the endangered black footed ferret.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our budgets are smaller and the acreage of our
responsibility is much larger, which means our staff is stretched very thin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, park visitation is recovering from a
modern low in 2008 of fewer than 550,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We expect to eclipse the 700,000 visitor mark this year for the first
time since 1997.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will continue to be
as welcoming as we can be, talk freely about all the interesting stories the
park has to tell, and, at the same time, relentlessly protect the resources
under our charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Resource protection
will remain what we do but not what we talk much about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09243753491471403747noreply@blogger.com1