Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Plant Zones
Riparian Community
Many miles of streamside and canyon bottoms provide habitat for this community. Although some streams are usually dry in the spring, water is generally available deep below the surface. Plants growing here have to be adaptable and must also be able to tolerate occasional severe flooding.
Fremont Cottonwood: Natives of Arizona, these tall, erect trees have broad leaves and grayish bark. They grow by riversides and are often planted as shade trees. Their leaves turn bright gold in the fall.
Terrace Community
Old floodplains, which are usually higher than the reach of present-day floodwaters, provide the land area for this community.
Globemallow: This herbaceous plant stands one-foot to three-feet tall and has scallop-edged leaves surrounding vertical clusters of orange-to-scarlet flowers. A relative of cotton and hollyhocks, globemallow is a perennial that blooms in April near Glen Canyon Dam.
Hillside Community
This vegetation is extremely diverse, with variations dependent on the latitude, topography and slope exposure. The predominant grayish-green color of most of the plants is caused by the minute white hairs that cover the foliage, protecting it against moisture loss. Water mainly comes from annual precipitation.
Prickly Pear Cactus (beavertail cactus): This is a low plant that forms clumps up to three feet wide and six inches high. Its waxy flowers are two to four inches wide and come in different shades of red, pink or yellow.
Hanging Garden Community
Rivers cut the sedimentary rock layers of the deep canyons which allowed natural aquifers (water-bearing rocks) to find outlets in canyon walls, on talus (rock debris) slopes or on canyon bottoms. This moist environment, fed by seeps and springs, provides a habitat for lush vegetation. Vertical collections of Gambel oak, maidenhair fern, poison ivy, monkey flowers, redbud and showy, white columbine flowers make up the ancient hanging gardens that have evolved around seeps and drip lines in the sandstone canyon walls in Glen Canyon NRA.
Piñon-Juniper Community
This community is found along the Kaiparowits Plateau and Orange Cliffs areas of Glen Canyon. Its high elevation causes it to receive more moisture than other areas. The additional water and cooler temperatures enable large plants to thrive here.
Piñon Pine: This small, bushy evergreen tree is 15 to 35 feet tall with a rounded, spreading crown. Its egg-shaped cones take two years to mature, at which point they open to release several large, edible seeds.
Glen Canyon In Depth
News from the Parks
Alexander Backs New Source of Funding for National Parks
July 3, 2008 - 9:38am
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today announced he will cosponsor bipartisan legislation to create a new source of funding for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other national parks across the country as part of the “Centennial Challenge” celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park System in 2016. “The Centennial Challenge could bring up to $4 million to the Smokies – the country’s most visited national park – and will go a long way toward improving park facilities, aiding conservation efforts, and helping build upon the excellent visitor services already offered. This 4th of July, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our country’s birthday than backing legislation that will aid efforts to preserve and celebrate our national parks, one of America’s greatest treasures.”
July 3, 2008 - 9:38am
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today announced he will cosponsor bipartisan legislation to create a new source of funding for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other national parks across the country as part of the “Centennial Challenge” celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park System in 2016. “The Centennial Challenge could bring up to $4 million to the Smokies – the country’s most visited national park – and will go a long way toward improving park facilities, aiding conservation efforts, and helping build upon the excellent visitor services already offered. This 4th of July, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our country’s birthday than backing legislation that will aid efforts to preserve and celebrate our national parks, one of America’s greatest treasures.”
EPA's Pollution Plan Slammed
July 3, 2008 - 9:35am
City officials and business leaders here Wednesday warned that a federal proposal to relax air quality standards for the nation's national parks will ultimately be bad for business. Simply put, they said during a news conference at the entrance to Zion National Park, lower air standards being proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hurt this gateway city economically if fewer tourists visit the park. "Air pollution could damage the stars, vistas and clean air we enjoy," Springdale Mayor Pat Cluff said. "Some places deserve to be preserved and it is my responsibility to preserve [the park] for those who come here."
July 3, 2008 - 9:35am
City officials and business leaders here Wednesday warned that a federal proposal to relax air quality standards for the nation's national parks will ultimately be bad for business. Simply put, they said during a news conference at the entrance to Zion National Park, lower air standards being proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hurt this gateway city economically if fewer tourists visit the park. "Air pollution could damage the stars, vistas and clean air we enjoy," Springdale Mayor Pat Cluff said. "Some places deserve to be preserved and it is my responsibility to preserve [the park] for those who come here."
Dinosaur Fossils In Utah Inspire 'Jr. Paleontologists'
July 2, 2008 - 9:57am
Millions of years ago, northeastern Utah was a hot spot for dinosaurs. Today, people travel to the Dinosaur National Monument located on the borders of Colorado and Utah to see the leftover dinosaur bones. Visitors can see as many as 1,500 Jurassic-era fossils exposed on the cliff face of the Douglass Quarry.
July 2, 2008 - 9:57am
Millions of years ago, northeastern Utah was a hot spot for dinosaurs. Today, people travel to the Dinosaur National Monument located on the borders of Colorado and Utah to see the leftover dinosaur bones. Visitors can see as many as 1,500 Jurassic-era fossils exposed on the cliff face of the Douglass Quarry.
A Paiute Take On Bryce Canyon's Hoodoos
July 2, 2008 - 9:56am
The red spindly rock formations that make up the views at Bryce Canyon National Park are called hoodoos. Geologists say they were formed by erosion, but Kevin Poe, chief of interpretation at Bryce, shares his take on the Paiute legend about hoodoos.
July 2, 2008 - 9:56am
The red spindly rock formations that make up the views at Bryce Canyon National Park are called hoodoos. Geologists say they were formed by erosion, but Kevin Poe, chief of interpretation at Bryce, shares his take on the Paiute legend about hoodoos.
Can The Everglades Be Saved?
July 2, 2008 - 9:55am
Environmentalists have been issuing dire warnings about the deterioration of the Florida Everglades for years, saying these wetlands have to be restored in order to revive fragile ecosystems and increase scarce fresh water supplies. Over half of the Everglades are gone, irreversibly converted to urban or agricultural development. But this week, in an attempt to save what's left, the state of Florida announced a plan to buy nearly 200,000 acres of former wetlands from a sugar cane producer. Advocates say the plan is the largest restoration project in American history.
July 2, 2008 - 9:55am
Environmentalists have been issuing dire warnings about the deterioration of the Florida Everglades for years, saying these wetlands have to be restored in order to revive fragile ecosystems and increase scarce fresh water supplies. Over half of the Everglades are gone, irreversibly converted to urban or agricultural development. But this week, in an attempt to save what's left, the state of Florida announced a plan to buy nearly 200,000 acres of former wetlands from a sugar cane producer. Advocates say the plan is the largest restoration project in American history.
