The National Park System of the United States preserves our shared heritage as a nation: superlative natural features, remains of prehistoric cultures, and sites that commemorate the pivotal events and influential people that shaped our destiny. Craters of the Moon National Monument is one of the more than 350 areas under the custodianship of the National Park Service. The National Park Service has two overriding goals - to preserve in pristine condition the natural and cultural resources entrusted to its care, and to enable visitors to enjoy those resources in safety and comfort.

The National Park System benefits the American people in many ways. The parks teach us about the birth and development of our country. They are ideal locations for scientific study of natural objects, organisms, and processes. They help us to comprehend the natural forces shaping our world and the living things that share it. As relatively pristine relicts of the North American wilderness, they provide a baseline of comparison for the changes we have wrought on our environment. They secure islands of habitat critical to the survival of many plant and animal species, such as the Florida panther and the grizzly bear. And finally, they allow us to retreat from civilization and sense the grandeur of wild spaces. They provide spectacular settings to gather with family and friends for recreation and renewal.

President Calvin Coolidge established Craters of the Moon National Monument in 1924, to preserve a "remarkable fissure eruption together with its associated volcanic cones, craters, rifts, lava flows, caves, and natural bridges" for its unusual scientific and educational value. The significance of the monument lies in the relatively young age of the lava flows and the diversity of volcanic features in a small geographic area.

The volcanic features do not stand alone, but are part of a delicately intertwined ecosystem. Volcanic eruptions from 15,000 to 2,000 years ago laid a rugged foundation for life. Windblown soil collected on the lava flows, enabling plants to grow. The plants provide food for various animals which are, in turn, food sources for others. Clean air and water are critical to these living things. Indians, pioneers, and explorers in the past and today's tourists have also left their mark on the landscape.

The resources of Craters of the Moon National Monument, then, are many. They include volcanic features, soil, fauna, flora, air, water, and archeological and historical remains. The National Park Service strives to maintain the health and balance of all of the strands of this intricate web.

Volcanic features

The monument contains part of the Great Rift, a volcanic rift zone that extends south from the Pioneer Mountains for 60 miles. Eruptions occurred intermittently along the Great Rift from 15,000 until 2,100 years ago, and are likely to begin again within the next 1,000 years. These eruptions produced vast flows of pahoehoe and a'a lava and a variety of other volcanic features: cinder cones, rafted blocks, spatter cones, lava tubes, bombs, collapse depressions, squeeze-ups, pressure ridges, and tree molds.

Soil

There is very little soil on the recent lava flows of the monument. Soil forms primarily from the accumulation of wind-blown particles in cracks in the lava. Given sufficient time, these cracks fill in completely allowing soil to build up on the surface. Older flows and cones are covered with soil supporting a climax community of shrubs and grasses.

Flora

Although much of the monument surface consists of barren lava flows, plant communities are surprisingly diverse. The varied lava types, micro habitats within lava flows, changes in elevation and topography, and riparian areas all contribute to habitat diversity. The monument's flora reflects the geologic setting. Plant succession is well illustrated on lava deposits of different ages. In all, there are more than 300 species of vascular plants, including Phacelia inconspicua, an endangered species in Idaho. More than 25 species of exotic plants have been identified in the monument and are of special concern to managers.

Fauna

The animal life at Craters of the Moon also shows remarkable diversity. A total of 148 bird, 8 reptile, 2 amphibian, and 51 mammal species have been recorded. Five of the mammal species - grizzly bear, gray wolf, bison, porcupine, and bighorn sheep - have disappeared from the monument. The most common animals are the horned lizard, mourning dove, sage grouse, magpie, raven, Clark's nutcracker, common nighthawk, mountain bluebird, great horned owl, golden eagle, yellow pine chipmunk, golden mantled ground squirrel, pocket gopher, packrat, badger, coyote, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and several rabbit and bat species. There are subspecies of pika, Great Basin pocket mouse, and yellow pine chipmunk which live only in the vicinity of the Great Rift. Four species at Craters of the Moon are federal category 2 candidate species. This means that they may be endangered or threatened, but the US Fish and Wildlife Service has insufficient data to list them. They are the ferruginous hawk, Townsend's big-eared bat, lynx, and blind leiodid cave beetle.

Air

The National Park Service monitors the air at Craters of the Moon for various pollutants: acid deposition, particulates, airborne radioactivity, and ozone. It is important to establish current conditions so that changes in air quality can be documented and counteracted. Air quality is critical to visitor health and enjoyment of scenic vistas. Clean air is also necessary to maintain healthy living things and pure water, and to preserve historic and prehistoric objects.

Craters of the Moon has some of the clearest air in the continental United States. The Environmental Protection Agency uses this location as a baseline reference for visibility - how far the eye can see. Visibility is 174 miles or more about 10% of the time. Even so, there is evidence that air quality at the monument is beginning to deteriorate. Preserving the pristine quality of the air in the face of increasing external threats is a primary focus at Craters of the Moon.

Water

Surface water is extremely scarce at Craters of the Moon. Little Cottonwood Creek flows out of the Pioneer Mountains in the north end of the monument. Four springs and two wells in the Little Cottonwood drainage provide drinking water for the monument. In addition, there are scattered water holes in the lava flows. The insulating properties of the rock and downward movement of cold air through the lava tubes keep temperatures low and maintain ice in some caves year round.

Archeological and Historical Sites

In the 1960s and again in 1992 and 1993, archeologists from Idaho State University examined the monument for evidence of prehistoric occupation. They found that archeological sites are most likely to occur in areas where water, caves, or a big sagebrush plant community occur. More than two thirds of the sites occur near a water hole. Some of the sites contain projectile points, pottery shards, scattered stone flakes and/or stone tools.

Altogether, archeologists have identified 39 archeological sites at Craters of the Moon. Starting with a cluster of large sites at the base of the Pioneer Mountains, the sites become smaller, fewer, and more thinly scattered as one proceeds south onto the lava along the Great Rift. Except for sites near Little Cottonwood Creek and at the base of the Pioneer Mountains, the sites represent short periods of occupation. The distribution of the sites supports the theory that native hunters and gatherers came into the central and southeastern sections of the monument from the northwest, then moved south along the Great Rift, where travel was relatively easy.

A section of the Oregon Trail called Goodale's Cutoff passes through the north end of the monument. Guide Tim Goodale led the largest wagon train ever to travel any section of the Oregon Trail through the area in 1864. It consisted of 338 wagons, 1095 people, and 2900 head of stock. In the years following Goodale's successful trip, seven out of every 10 wagons heading west from Fort Hall chose the route bearing his name.

The National Park Service brings together many specialists to protect these diverse resources. Together they identify problems, collect information, and take action. Ultimately, the goal of this process of resource management is to minimize human impacts. This is achieved through a 5 step process.

Research

Scientists inventory the resources, determine ecological relationships, document impacts, and provide information on how undesirable change may be prevented.

Public Involvement

Because this is public land, the National Park Service seeks citizen input before taking any significant actions.

Implementation

Managers use the facts researchers provide to evaluate options and to select a path of action. Then, they monitor the results.

Education

To gain understanding and support, rangers explain resource problems and possible solutions to the public. They stress how the cumulative actions of park visitors and neighbors may have long-term consequences.

Protection

Park rangers enforce regulations which protect natural features. They seek to keep the natural environment in pristine condition while still allowing visitors to enjoy it.

The challenge of resource management is to maintain the health and viability of monument resources, while facilitating visitor use and enjoyment of the area. Only with public understanding and cooperation can the National Park Service preserve the irreplaceable resources at Craters of the Moon.