Inside Grand Canyon

Everyone is trying to escape the heat. Everyone except for one love struck Romeo, singing loudly under the full punishing glare of the summer sun. From deep within the Grand Canyon, echoes the love song of the Cicada.

How is the Ponderosa pine able to grow throughout the American West? Well, the secret to the tree's success is how well it has adapted to fire. Join Park Ranger Haley Bercot as she describes the unique ways in which the Ponderosa pine is able to protect itself from fire. But, what about people, what about those of us who live in these fire prone ecosystems? What about our homes? Our belongings? Our lives? We’re not naturally adapted to fire, but I think we can make a start by following the example of the Ponderosa Pine. Ponderosas protect themselves from fire with their armor of thick bark. We can do the same by using fire resistant building materials in our homes, and surrounding our homes with a defensible space.

An exciting 7 minute video produced by NASA, the National Park Service Views Team and the USGS, takes viewers on a simulated flight across the entire 277 mile (433km) length of the Grand Canyon, where they explore its scenic wonders as their imaginary aircraft dives low over landslides and races through winding canyons. Viewers experience roller-coaster twists and turns as they fly up above the Colorado River accompanied by a narrated introduction to Grand Canyon Geography.

In this Ranger Minute, Ranger Joseph Felgenhauer describes a simple way to remember how the Grand Canyon was shaped over time: D.U.D.E. (The letters stand for Deposition, Uplift, Down cutting and Erosion.) To download the transcript, go to this link: http://www.nps.gov/grca/photosmultimedia/upload/transc-RM200903dude.pdf