Monthly Archives: July 2016

Hart Prairie Day Six

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Protect, Transform, Inspire:  I was eager to understand how the Preserve functions off-the-grid, so Neil took us on a tour of the power generating equipment this morning.  Near the Homestead are two large solar panels, the older around fifteen years old, and the newer including cells on the underside which enable the collection of reflected sunlight.  In a nutshell, the solar panels convert sunlight into direct current, regulated by a charge controller, which charges a set of 12 4-volt batteries; the DC current is routed through an inverter which converts it to AC, suitable for powering residential systems.  The Hart Prairie solution also includes a backup generator powered by diesel fuel; Neil said that it is rarely needed.

Locale:  In its recent draft management plan for the Coconino National Forest, the Forest Service designated certain areas as “Research Natural Areas and Botanical and Geological Areas.”  By definition, a botanical area’s priority desired condition is to protect the plants and plant communities for which it is designated; Fern Mountain Botanical Area preserves a high elevation riparian scrub community dominated by Bebb’s willow.  This morning, I took a lot of flower photos, but botanizing wasn’t my goal when I set out to hike to the top of Fern Mountain.  There isn’t really a trail from the cabins, so I simply walked around behind the buildings and then started climbing.  The way was steep, but I scrambled up as quickly as I could and made it to the top in about thirteen minutes.  The view was spectacular and worth the effort.

Weather:  High 83, Low 56.  Mostly sunny, afternoon thunderstorm

Creatures: Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis), Gray-Collared Chipmunk (Eutamias cinereicollis), Coyote (Canis latrans) vocalization

Itinerary: Hart Prairie Reserve, FR 151 to US 180 to Flagstaff, I-17 to Pulliam Airport, AA 3066 to Phoenix, AA 2020 to Charlotte

Excursions:  Introduction to Living Off the Electric Grid, Fern Mountain

Reflections: Thank you all for an awesome week!

  • Blair Foust, Hart Prairie Preserve Manager, TNC
  • Neil Chapman, Northern Arizona Program Restoration Manager, TNC
  • Rachel Maurer, Senior Donor Communications Officer, TNC

Main Street Catering provided all our meals for the week, and they were uniformly delicious. Not every chef can prepare both vegetarian and carnivore dishes equally well, but this team pulled it off admirably.  I appreciate the efforts that Dave and his crew made.

Images: View from Fern Mountain, starting from northeast, clockwise for 360 degrees (click on the 3 vertical dots at the top right to select slide show)

Hart Prairie Day Five

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Locale:  The Grand Canyon is 277 river miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide, and a mile (1.6 km) deep.  Despite its being a very well-known natural geologic formation, there isn’t complete consensus among scientists as to how the canyon was formed.  As the LiveScience website says,

The specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon spark lively debates by geologists. The general scientific consensus, updated at a 2010 conference, holds that the Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon beginning 5 million to 6 million years ago.

However, recent advances in dating techniques have upended the notion of a uniformly young Grand Canyon. The new approach determines when erosion uncovered rocks in the canyon. The big picture: there were two ancestral canyons, one in the west and one in the east. And the western canyon may be as old as 70 million years.

In a more recent timeframe,

García López de Cárdenas, an explorer from Spain, was the first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon. As a member of the 1540 expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, he led a party from Cibola, the Zuñi country of New Mexico, to find a river mentioned by the Hopi. After a 20-day journey he was the first white man to see the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.

An avid outdoorsman, President Theodore Roosevelt was an enthusiastic admirer of the Canyon, but it would be years before it became our fifteenth national park:  in 1919, the Grand Canyon National Park Act was finally signed by President Woodrow Wilson.

Weather: High 100 at Grand Canyon, Low 60.  Mostly sunny, afternoon thunderstorm

Creatures:  Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), Abert’s squirrel (Sciurus aberti)

Itinerary: Hart Prairie to US 180, to Valle, to Tusayan, to Grand Canyon Village, and return

Excursions:  Grand Canyon (Shoshone Point Trail, El Tovar Restaurant, Bright Angel Trail, Kolb Studio)

Guest Speaker: Bob Jensen, former Hart Prairie Caretaker (evening)

Reflections:  The Canyon is indeed grand!  I stood and stared and tried to take it all in:  the depth, the colors, the covert wildlife, the immense span of time represented.

Images: Visit to the Grand Canyon (click on the 3 vertical dots at the top right to select slide show)