Series: The Midden - Great Basin National Park: Vol. 16, No. 1, Summer 2016

The Midden is the Resource Management Newsletter of Great Basin National Park, published each summer and winter. Find out the latest going on at Great Basin National Park, Nevada in resource management and research. The Midden - Great Basin National Park: Vol. 16, No. 1, Summer 2016.

  • Great Basin National Park

    Article 1: Winchester Model 1873 Rifle Found and Preserved

    Staff member removing debris from the Winchester Model 1873 Rifle that was found.

    In November 2014, park archaeologists found a Winchester Model 1873 repeating rifle while conducting a routine archaeological survey for a habitat restoration project. The artifact was collected for research and preservation. Our goals were to keep the rifle in the condition we found it, essentially in a state of ‘arrested decay.’ Read more

  • Great Basin National Park

    Article 2: Land Mollusks of Great Basin National Park

    Mollusk shells spread artistically across a beige background

    Land snails and slugs are important invertebrate inhabitants of woodland litter and soils, boulder and talus slides, riparian meadows, and vegetation around springs throughout the Great Basin. These land-inhabiting invertebrates play critical roles in these mountain habitats such as decomposing dead plant material for use by bacteria and fungi, recycling important biological nutrients, passively transporting fungal spores through litter, and providing nutrients to predators. Read more

  • Great Basin National Park

    Article 3: Great Basin Rattlesnake Study

    Five Great Basin Rattlesnakes showing the variation of color and pattern

    In order to effectively protect and conserve biodiversity, wildlife managers and decision makers require detailed information on species population biology and demography. Although experiencing declines worldwide, snakes receive far less attention for conservation than more charismatic species such as large mammals. Read more

  • Great Basin National Park

    Article 4: Natural Resource Condition Assessments

    Chart showing the natural resource conditions in Great Basin National Park.

    The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program is a nation-wide NPS effort to document important natural resource conditions through a spatially explicit, multi-disciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. In 2012 Great Basin National Park staff sat down with NatureServe scientists, led by Pat Comer and Marion Reid, to determine which natural resource conditions would be evaluated. Read more

  • Great Basin National Park

    Article 5: 2015 Stream Insects BioBlitz Results

    An adult stonefly

    Great Basin National Park held its seventh annual BioBlitz on May 15-17, 2015. The focus for the BioBlitz was Stream Insects, including the orders that indicate good water quality: Ephemeroptera (Mayflies), Plecoptera (Stoneflies), and Trichoptera (Caddisflies). Read more

  • Great Basin National Park

    Article 6: Introducing Sister Park: Toubkal National Park in Morocco

    Mouflon, a subspecies of wild sheep

    Great Basin National Park was contacted this January by the Department of Interior International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP), to partner with Toubkal National Park in Morocco as a Sister Park. Read more

  • Great Basin National Park

    Article 7: Quantifying Wildlife at Cave Entrances

    Cover of the journal of cave and karst studies cover with a ringtail on it.

    What animals use cave entrances in Great Basin National Park? Remote cameras were deployed to answer that question during the summer of 2013. The cameras took photos when movement triggered them and were active 24 hours a day. Data from eight caves was analyzed. Cameras were deployed for a total of 372 trap days, with an average of 46.5 days per cave (range 28-62). Read more