The Midden

The Midden is a biannual newsletter published by the Resource Management division of Great Basin National Park. Current and back issues can be accessed from this page.

Current Issue of The Midden: Winter 2020

Archived Issues 2001 to the present

 

Woodrats - also known as packrats - are the animals that create middens.

NPS Photo

What is a midden?
"Midden" is the fancy name scientists use for piles of debris that packrats collect near their nests. These piles are made up of seeds, twigs, animal bones and other materials cemented together by urine. Because packrat families will often build onto the same midden for hundreds or even thousands of years, they can be a treasure trove of information for plant ecologists, climatologists and other scientists who want to learn about past conditions dating as far back as 25,000 years ago! Great Basin National Park contains numerous middens. The reason we call our scientific newsletter "The Midden" is because it's also a treasure trove of valuable information. Check it out!