Don’t Miss The Final Two Scheduled Saturday Evening Programs For 2011

Date: October 3, 2011
Contact: Kyle Patterson, [phone]

On Saturday, October 8, at 7:00 p.m. join park ranger Drew Strickert as "The Tree Doctor" to find out about the reasons behind the mountain pine beetle outbreak and how the park is coping with dead trees and the potential risk of forest fires. The program is held at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park.    

Bark beetles are native insects that have shaped the forests of North America for thousands of years. There are 17 native species of bark beetles that are known to occur in the park. Periodic outbreaks of native bark beetles have occurred throughout history however, none have been as severe as the recent outbreak.  Several species of bark beetles are presently killing lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine and limber pine.    

Hard winters with cold temperatures can kill beetle eggs and larvae wintering under a tree's outer bark. Related to general climate warming, average winter temperatures in the Rocky Mountains have been higher than normal over the past ten years. Trees have also been weakened by a prolonged period of drought.  A combination of milder temperatures and low precipitation as well as general forest health has aided a vast outbreak of beetles.    

On Saturday, October 15, at 7:00 p.m. learn more about William Allen White, the most powerful man in Moraine Park. Join park ranger Marilyn Irwin as she portrays Milly Mason, White's neighbor and friend as she tells about his literary and political accomplishments.    

William Allen White was a renowned American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death, White became the iconic spokesman for middle America. He attended the College of Emporia and University of Kansas and in 1892 started work at The Kansas City Star as an editorial writer and in 1895 White bought the Emporia Gazette for $3000 and became its editor.    

With his warm sense of humor, an articulate editorial pen, and a commonsense approach to life, he soon became known throughout the country.  He won a 1923 Pulitzer Prize for his editorial "To an Anxious Friend," published July 27, 1922.  

A cabin in Rocky Mountain National Park's Moraine Park was the summer retreat of William Allen White from 1912 to 1943.  White's spirit lives on with the contemporary artists who work in his cabin today through the park's Artist-in-Residence program.        

Don't miss the final two scheduled evening programs for 2011. The programs are free and open to the public. For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park please call the park's Information Office at [phone].