Environmental Factors

For millions of years, rivers and geologic forces have worked in tandem to carve the unique landscape of Dinosaur National Monument.

NPS / Dan Johnson

Dinosaur National Monument has been shaped by natural forces for millennia. Geologic processes have moved and shaped the land, rivers carved canyons, and climatic changes have influenced the plant and animal life that can thrive here. The same forces that influenced the the creatures now fossilized in Dinosaur's rock layers are still at work today, in a time when human activity is also a major environmental factor.

 

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  Environmental Factors

  Climate Change

  Climate change has shaped Dinosaur National Monument for millions of years. Today, human-caused climate change is having big impacts.

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  Environmental Factors

  Aquatic Invasive Species

  Aquatic invasive species are one of the greatest threats to the economic, environmental, and recreational wellbeing of Western states.

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  Nature

  Wildland Fire

  The Fire Management Program at Dinosaur manages wildfire and prescribed fire to maintain natural vegetation.