Natural Resource Management

Ladies and gentlemen, July and August are the heavy months for bison to participate in the rut. At this time, they have other things on their mind than your comfort and safety. Likewise, they are not particularly concerned with the needs or desires of our visitors. Please be careful when near bison at this time and give them a wide birth. If you get this look, beware!

Park Precipitation

Although the last few years have been a bit dry, the 2005 precipitation has been both welcome and needed. As of now:

• For the calendar year (January-June), the Park has received 11.83 inches. The 53 year January-June average is 10.06, which means the Park is 1.77 inches above 53 year January-June average.
• The full calendar year (January-December) average is 17.81 inches of precipitation. Therefore, the Park needs an additional 5.98 inches to reach that average.
• The 53 average precipitation for July is 2.48 inches. Thus far, the Park has received 0.35 inches, which means we need an additional 2.13 inches to reach the 53 year average for the month. July is a very important precipitation month for the Park.
• Over the past 12 months (July 2004-June 2005) the Park has received 20.26 inches, matching the 53 year average.

The Vegetative Growth Year (VGY) encompasses the months of October through the following September. To date, the Park has received 13.36 inches of precipitation for the VGY. The 53 year VGY average is 12.2 inches. – Barb Muenchau

Resource Management Volunteer

Tom McBride, volunteer, is working on a variety of projects such as removing stakes from tiger salamander inventories, asphalt removal, exotic species control, boundary fence surveys, and photography. You no doubt have seen the McBride’s motor home in the housing area with the rafting armadillos. Say hay to him when you get the chance.

Beauties or Beasts?

This is the time of year when thistles add beautiful shades of pink, lavender, and purple to the park’s prairie landscape. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thistles, with their prickly stems and leaves, are not always a welcome sight. Four thistle species occurring at the park are native to this area, four are not. The native species are wavy leaf (Cirsium undulatum), Flodmann’s (Cirsium flodmanii), Drummond’s (Cirsium drummondii), and yellowspine thistle (Cirsium ochrocentrum). The exotic thistles are Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), musk thistle (Carduus nutans), bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), and Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium).

Wind Cave National Park Resource Management News Briefs

• Volume 4 Number 1 - January 2006
• Volume 4 Number 2 - February 2006
• Volume 4 Number 3 - March 2006
• Volume 4 Number 4 - April 2006
• Volume 4 Number 5 - May 2006
• Volume 3 Number 1 - January 2005
• Volume 3 Number 2 - February 2005
• Volume 3 Number 3 - March 2005
• Volume 3 Number 4 - April 2005
• Volume 3 Number 5 - May 2005
• Volume 3 Number 6 - June 2005
• Volume 3 Number 7 - July 2005
• Volume 3 Number 8 - August 2005
• Volume 3 Number 9 - September 2005
• Volume 3 Number 10 - October 2005
• Volume 3 Number 11 - November 2005
• Volume 3 Number 12 - December 2005
• Volume 2 Number 1 - January 2004
• Volume 2 Number 2 - February 2004
• Volume 2 Number 3 - March 2004
• Volume 2 Number 4 - April 2004
• Volume 2 Number 5 - May 2004
• Volume 2 Number 6 - June 2004
• Volume 2 Number 7 - July 2004
• Volume 2 Number 8 - August 2004
• Volume 2 Number 9 - September 2004
• Volume 2 Number 10 - October 2004
• Volume 2 Number 11 - November 2004
• Volume 2 Number 12 - December 2004
• Volume 1 Number 1 - October 2003
• Volume 1 Number 2 - December 2003

Native Thistles:

Wavyleaf - common throughout Park.

Flodman’s - common throughout Park.

Yellowspine - a few in the Norbeck dogtown, along Highways 87 and 385.

Drummond’s - only reported from the Blacktail Spring Drainage.

Exotic Thistles:

Bull - scattered locations in park.

Scotch - Mixing Circle Area.

Musk - Mixing Circle Area.

Canada - prairie dog towns, drainages and disturbed areas.

Some of the clues that help with identification of thistles are: Foliage color (wavyleaf, Flodman’s and Scotch are grayish green); height (Scotch grows several feet tall), leaf shape (bull thistle leaves have a distinctive shape with long, pointed leaf terminals); or, flower head formation and shape (musk thistle has leafy bracts, as opposed to spiny bracts, below its nodding flowers). Canada thistle, the most invasive thistle species, is the easiest to identify. It tends to grow in dense stands, and produces many small flowers at the end of each stem. Other thistles at the park produce much larger flowers, usually one to a stem, and do not create extensive clones. – Marie Curtin.

Comments and feedback about Resource Ramblings are encouraged and can be made to Dan Foster, in person, or via email.