Despite curtailed grazing in subsequent decades at Capitol Reef and Glen Canyon, packrats show us that the flora still has not recovered. We know that palatable plant species and those susceptible to trampling suffered declines, because they are absent from middens from that time period. Beginning 150 years ago, vast herds of sheep and cattle tromped and chewed their way across the unfenced rangelands of Utah in numbers unimaginable today. Reaching for a Pack Rat MiddenĪt both Capitol Reef and Glen Canyon, old packrat nests revealed pre-settlement plant communities that were rich in diverse grasses, wildflowers and shrubs. Ken and colleagues then carefully translated these packrats’ stories by identifying and counting the plant fragments in these fossil nests. As controls, they also collected nests from mesa tops inaccessible to livestock. By carbon-14 dating, the nest ages are known to span the last 10,000 years.
Ken and colleagues sampled old packrat nests around Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Capitol Reef National Park. Ken Cole with the US Geological Survey is a fluent translator of the packrat’s stories. Protected in a desert cave or rock crevice and preserved by a rat’s own urine, this heap is a detailed and accurate time capsule of the past local flora. The midden is a heap of leaves, twigs, seeds and fruits the packrat discards outside its nest. Their stories of past plant communities are written in their middens. One of the best storytellers in Utah’s national parks is not a ranger, but the lowly packrat.
Packrat national average 2021 download#
Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 2:51 | Recorded on NovemPack Rat Midden
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