On the next NatureScene,
we visit
Denali National Park
and Preserve in Alaska.
Sampling the variety
of habitats there.
Taking a close look at large
mammals along the way
and seeing Mount McKinley,
the highest point
in North America.
(ocean waves)
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[cardinal chirping]
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[rattlesnake rattling]
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[prairie dog yipping]
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Hello and welcome
toNatureScene
at Denali National
Park and Preserve
in the Alaskan wilderness
between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
I'm Jim Welch with
naturalist Rudy Mancke.
We're beginning our visit
on Stony Hill Overlook
in one of the last great
wildernesses in the world.
It feels good to get away
from what man's doing,
see what nature
is all about...
the wilderness is
the perfect place!
The road gives
you access,
so we're going to see
a great variety of plant
and animal communities,
but it's the geology that
bringslots of people here.
Young mountains...that's what
makes it so spectacular!
The one they want to see--
usually it's not so clear--
is Mount McKinley.
There it is rising
in the distance...
20,320 feet
above sea level.
The only word that comes
to mind isspectacular!
The Athabaskans called it
Denali, the "High One. "
That mountain isthe mountain
in all of North America
and one of the
greatest in the world!
It's an interesting
part of the Alaskan
range of mountains
that were uplifted beginning,
maybe, 60 million years ago
because rock was being
added to what is now Alaska.
That's been going on
formillions of years.
There's a fault zone that allows
the rock to be shoved up.
Once it came up, glacial
ice began to work with it...
not just in Ice Age
times but even today.
You can see the snow
cover and ice fields
and get a feeling
for glacial activity
carving the mountain
away slowly
and leaving signs of
glacial activity down here
where larger glaciers
used to be.
We'll look
at that later.
20,320 feet
above sea level
and covered with ice
and snow all the year!
It's over a granite
base, I guess.
It's basically granite rock
that's been shoved up.
It's interesting how
plants and animals
have come into this situation
and made adjustments.
I think this will be
a wonderful visit!
♪
Most of the park
is very wild,
but around headquarters, there
are a few interpretive trails.
This is Savage
Cabin Trail,
close to the beginning
of the park road.
You can look at
boreal forest,
or taiga forest
sometimes this is called,
dominated in
here by spruces.
A white and black spruce
mixing and matching in here.
They are the dominant
coniferous trees.
Then willows
everywhere you look!
There are 28 or more species
of willows in Alaska.
When you think of willows,
you think of a tree coming up.
There's one
with fruit.
Male flowers on one tree...
female flowers on another.
That had female flowers
earlier in the year.
There are shrubby
and small species here
that, hopefully,
we'll look at.
Another plant...
looks like birch leaf.
One of the
dwarf birches.
Resin birch is one
of the common names.
Doesn't get much larger...
always a shrubby plant.
Eventually when
the trees die out--
that's the dominant
woody species
in some of
the tundra here.
I also see
interesting leaves...
compound leaves
on lupine.
It flowered earlier
in the year.
There's a bit
of fruit on there.
Then one flower left on
a plant that's widespread...
shrubby cinquefoil
is the common name.
Interesting leaves...
and then yellow flower.
One of them
left in place!
How do they make it through
just a few months growing
and then prepare
for winter?
You've got to form
fruitvery quickly.
Look at this arctic
ground squirrel!
You hope the ground squirrel
doesn't take fruit
that you've laid up
for next year.
That's the common
ground squirrel.
That's the only one
digging burrows
and finding food
this time of year.
In a hurry because
winter is on the way!
There's a bird that fits
perfectly into this habitat.
It has to have trees,
and people are helpful.
Gray jay is one
common name.
Overall gray color,
bit of dark on the head.
Camp robber is
a good name also.
It comes around people,
takes food whenever it can.
I'm sure it's waiting
for us to drop something.
♪
This was originally
Mount McKinley National
Park, opened in 1917.
Then in 1980, they tripled
the size to 6 million acres
and named it Denali.
This is the first time
we've seen something
common here...tundra.
Usually this is
called moist tundra.
The dwarf birches
are also here,
but there aren't any
trees to speak of.
Few individuals
but not many!
Tundra, by definition, is
plants growing above tree line.
Tree line here is
about 2700 feet.
There are all sorts of
interesting things here.
Crowberry is one of
them, hugging the ground.
Black fruit on it,
and that fruit provides
food forlots of animals.
You see it's
dominant.
Also blueberry
close by!
Those would be tasty
right now for humans,
as well as other
creatures.
One of the decomposers...
the mushrooms are coming in.
Most of the body underground--
there's the reproducing body.
Animals take
advantage of that too.
Of course,
the lichens...
combination of an alga
and a fungus.
Sometimes that variety is
referred to as reindeer lichen
because it does serve as
food for reindeer or caribou,
especially in
the winter months.
Look out here...
on the hillside!
There's an animal that's
going to take the berries
and change them
into grizzly bear!
Unbelievable animal!!
The hump on the back...
it's very easy to identify.
Big, broad face
on that thing,
and facedown taking fruit and
changing it into grizzly bear.
This time of year, that's
what it's hitting hard.
It's not taking
many animals.
They come in
all colors too!
That one blonde
and light-colored.
They can weigh 600, 650
pounds...the biggest ones!
You can see the long winter
hair coming into the coat.
That'll keep it warm for
a bit into the colder months,
which are
on the way.
You can see him
working now.
Interesting side
view as he walks.
Look at him
moving along!
Plantigrade movement,
walking on the heels,
the bottoms of the
feet, like we do.
One of the omnivores...it does
take plant and animal material.
This time of yearfeasting
on blueberries and crowberries.
Magnificent creature!
Where else are you
going to see this?
This is a place where
you can get close enough,
yet we're giving it
a good bit of distance.
The other animal you'd
expect, though...
a moose, a cow,
and a calf!
Down in the willows...
little lower, wetter area.
Willows...the main
food for the moose?
That's one of the
things they feed on.
They'll get out
in water sometimes
and take softer,
gooey plant material.
Willow this time
of year is fine.
Look on the slope...
a couple of male caribou!
The size of the racks...
really impressive!
They look like
they're out of velvet.
Those racks could weigh
as much as 25 pounds.
Those are
healthy animals
and considered nomads
in the animal world
because they travel so
much in search of food.
They're taking plant material
and changing it into caribou.
Those are large
individuals!
♪
There are 6 million acres
in Denali National Park.
All of it is
subarctic region.
This is really
interesting!
Dry tundra is
a good name for it.
This time of
year it's chilly,
but really it's chilly
any time of the year.
The red is nice!
Arctic bearberry is
the common name for that.
A brilliant red this time
of the year...scarlet red.
This seems to be one area
where it really dominates.
Mountain harebell is
so typical of this area.
Hugging
the ground!
Doesn't get
up very high.
Leaves low
to the ground
and a big, blue
bell-shaped flower,
although it's
turned up.
Most harebells tilt
down but not that one.
What's the plant
that has fruit?
Well, fuzzy
fruit on it.
The woody plant there
is one of the willows.
We've already talked about how
diverse willows are in Alaska.
That's one of
the dwarf willows.
Those are catkins
sticking up
that used to be female
flowers, now fuzzy fruit.
In a breeze like this,
fuzzy fruit gets blown.
That's the way
it gets spread.
That's a
dominant plant.
Another one with
a few fuzz tops...
common name,
mountain avens.
Dryas is
the genus name.
It's in
the rose family.
The fuzz on
the top here
gets blown around
by the wind.
One other plant...
wormwood is the common name.
If you crush those
leaves, very aromatic!
Early humans here
must have enjoyed that
and used it
medicinally.
You can see
the old flower,
really early
fruit on the top.
Look right here!
I can't believe that red fox
coming out of the willows
as if we're not here!!
I guess fox are used
to people going by.
You can see dark
booties on it,
white on the tail,
slender body.
One of the carnivores
that seems to do nicely.
Takes arctic ground
squirrel and recycles it,
even picking up dead
ones along the road.
That one looks in good
shape...small, though.
Nice animal!
Beautiful red color and
getting ready for winter.
I suppose so.
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Way up on
the hill, Rudy,
tiny specks of white
most visitors see...
Dall sheep.
That's the inspiration
for this park!
Charles Sheldon came
here to study them...
only white sheep
in the wild.
Isn't that nice?
Used to be called white
sheep but now Dall sheep.
Those are ewes and lambs,
females and young ones.
Females have horns.
Horns are on both sexes
in sheep and goats.
One's rubbing its chest
against the green.
Look at that...
sort of with her
front legs under.
There are groups
of them there!
They're probably
taking the greenery
and making
sheep out of it.
A few resting right
on the ridgeline.
That must be
a nice view!
They're protected...
I guess the habitat
is how they live.
Yeah...
spectacular animal!
Not bothering
the slippery rocks!
Rocks that would easily
go under our feet,
they have no problems
with them...
perfectly adjusted
to that.
This place
is exciting!
Glaciers had
a hand in things.
Look at the kettle
pond out there!
We're going to
see lots of those...
a chunk of ice left behind
when the glacier retreated,
and then it melted, filled
the space, and forms ponds.
The views...
oh, my goodness!!
Way off in the distance,
a bit of everything!
♪
Walking across tumbled
rock now at 3,000
feet above sea level.
This valley floor
is broad.
It's home to a
very young river
making its way
wherever it wants.
Slowly rearranging
the world.
The water right now is
very dirty-looking, silty,
carrying bits
and pieces of rock,
eventually,
I guess, to the sea.
We're walking on
a big, old gravel bar.
What kinds of rock do
you figure is in here?
A mix...
igneous, metamorphic,
sedimentary rock.
Rounded, a lot
of it, by water.
That's what has sculpted
this part of the world,
as it does everywhere...
water, either
as a liquid,
like the water
flowing by in the river,
or as a solid,
the ice,
the glacial activity that
has gone on in the past
and made quite a
difference in this place.
I'll bet thousands of tons
of crushed gravel and sand
go down this
river every year.
Nature is never
in a hurry.
As Lauren Isley used to say,
"There's power in raindrops."
It's fun to watch
the cloudy water go by
and turn around and see the
mountains from whence it came.
♪
Denali has about 350,000
visitors every year,
but I doubt many make their
way down to the edge of this.
What a scene
this is!!
This is so nice!
It gives a change of perspective
on that braided river.
You can see the
braid look to that.
Look at
the caribou!
Half a dozen or
so...small herd.
Those are
all males.
This time of year males are
segregated from females.
The antlers are
pretty nice-sized.
One of them,
scratching around...
maybe trying to clear off
a place and lie down
where there's more moisture
and it'll be cooler.
Once there were
herds of 30,000 or
so within Denali...
now just a few
thousand animals.
Those are great
ones to see!
Some pretty good-sized
animals...older individuals.
Look at the bear!
Mama bear with a baby on
the side, looking for food!
Going from clump to clump
trying to find fruit, probably,
on some of
the shrubs.
What might they find
on the river bottom?
That would be a good
place for soapberry.
Then finding
invertebrates
and any animal material
they can get.
Since they're omnivores,
they'll take everything.
How long will the cub
stay with the mother?
Well, I guess
it varies.
A year or so would
probably make sense.
I'm not sure of
the specifics,
but once they're tough enough,
they're on their own.
That's a pretty
good-sized cub!
What a scene!
It's always great to see
the animals of Denali,
and peopledo when
they come here.
The other thing is the
geology that's so powerful!
Look at it!
All of the material in
the lower valley area
are glacial deposits,
really, probably,
an outwash plain.
Glaciers used to come
down and fill this area.
One way we know that is that
st
uck in some of that material--
look at the
glacial erratics!
Big rocks
and boulders!
How long ago would
they have been dropped?
Probably in the end
of the Ice Age times
when mountain glaciers
were still coming down here,
12,000 or so years ago.
Bigger than a house,
that one, and very angular!
Left behind as
glaciers went away.
Look in the valleys.
U-shaped valleys up on
the mountains...typical
of glacial activity!
Glaciers perched
up there now,
but they're
in retreat.
You can see the U-shaped valley
clearly, the ice at the top.
Imagine when this whole valley
was filled with glaciers
coming down, meeting,
and going down the river.
New rivers, and they
go where they want to!
Braided river...
a good common name.
You really see it best
from a higher elevation.
Look right there!
Gyrfalcon is the common
name for that thing.
Looks almost like
a peregrine falcon.
Diving down and zooming up
over to the ridge beyond.
Spectacular bird
in flight!
It feeds on other birds,
mainly ptarmigan.
They nest here,
and believe it or not,
actually a
year-round residence.
Here comes something
that will hibernate here.
A hoary marmot...
look at that monster!
A rodent?
Oh, yeah,
it's a rodent.
Those big incisors are
typical of the rodents.
Just moving up.
Hoary because
of that whitish look,
at least on the front
part of the body.
Grizzled look.
That's the marmot, or
the ground hog variety,
that's doing
nicely here.
Vegetarian.
There goes a gyrfalcon--
could be the same one!
There are a number of them
on this little outcrop.
Very fast flyers!
There goes the marmot!
He hears talking, doesn't
seem to mind moving up.
The back of the animal is a
good bit darker than the front
and then that bushy tail.
♪
(Jim)
We're just off
the 90-mile park road
that takes visitors
up to Wonder Lake
and gives you a look at
many different habitats.
This area
is wetter.
(Rudy)
Kind of squishy
as we're walking.
Some little kettle ponds
with water standing...
and look what comes!
Lesser scaup is the
duck that's common...
purplish-looking head,
light-colored eye,
a lot of white
on the back.
You can figure beavers
have rearranged some
of these kettle ponds.
There's a beaver lodge on
the back side of that one.
Look at them working!
So many migrate
through here.
They're only here
for the summer?
Yeah, and head
away pretty soon.
A duck out there
called the oldsquaw...
long-tailed duck now
is the common name.
In the male, there'd
be a long tail.
See how much white
is on that bird?
Dark on the head, gray on the
throat, and black on the back.
Pretty good divers, using
situations like this...
kettle ponds that
have been modified
by the work
of beavers.
Kettle ponds came from
glaciers originally.
Exactly...
we're always getting back
to the glacial story.
We saw a moose earlier,
but look at the moose there!
Look at the bull moose...
and look at the rack!
Look at the antlers!!
That's a 1500- to 1800-pound
animal here at Denali!
The largest
mammal up here!
An odd-looking antler
on the left side.
The antler is
a palmate antler.
The one on the right
really spreads
and has fingerlike
projections.
The one on the left is
not developing properly.
You can see a
hump on the back.
He's taking willow and
changing them into moose.
You get a feeling
for that long face.
Largest deer
in the world!
Then that little
bell, that flap--
dewlap sometimes
it's called--
hanging down
from the throat.
An animal that
says North Country!
Oh, yeah!
Really long legs, although
you can't notice that.
The willows are thick
where it's wetter.
Another month or so,
he'll be looking for
a mate...rut season.
Here's something you
don't normally see in
broad daylight...beaver!
You can see the lodge
in the middle,
and the beaver working around,
swimming, doing his thing.
That's the largest rodent
in the United States.
They really have
had an impact.
Look at the dam...
very nicely done!
You figure he keeps
working all the time
to make sure that
dam stays in place.
Modified
kettle pond.
We've seen
beaver dams,
but it's rare to
see a beaver midday.
That's a
nocturnal animal.
There's that moose again...
little different angle.
Gosh, that
thing is big!
Imagine all the minerals it
takes to make those antlers.
Producing two a year in the
males and then shedding them.
The beaver is taking
a log and moving across...
I bet figuring he's got
to shore up the dam.
Oh, that's
interesting!
Folks come to see
animals at Denali,
and we're looking at
beaver, a rare sight,
and moose,
another rare sight!
And a wonderful
Alaskan range!
Six-hundred mile
Alaska range!
We're looking at some of
the most beautiful scenery,
perhaps in all
of North America.
Mount McKinley
is still obvious,
and that's amazing!
Glaciers and signs
of glacial activity...
you can see the
streaking down there,
the ice and the glacier
curving in the distance.
Not all white now, covered
with lots of rock debris!
Physical and chemical
weathering going on
in the rocks.
The glacier's doing physical
weathering, rubbing them away.
Then they
collapse down.
One of the larger
glaciers...
Muldrow Glacier that
snakes its way out
from beneath Mount
McKinley on around.
It's dark on
the surface.
The only way
you see the ice
is when there's
an edge shoved up.
See the ice...
pretty clear.
That glacier, 30
to 35 miles long,
winding through
the mountains
from the base, 16,000
foot up at McKinley,
but coming close
to the park road.
It's interesting...
all these pretty colors!
This is the time when colors
are beginning to come in.
The willows and other
things are changing color.
Whatspectacular
scenery here!
Most people
visiting the park
don't get to see that
view of Mount McKinley.
Perhaps the greatest
mountain in the world
when you consider
the vertical rise
from a few thousand
feet up to 20,000.
That's a 17-, 18,000-
foot vertical rise.
It's nice to see it
with layers of clouds...
see it sticking up
above everything else.
Those sharp edges speak
of young mountains.
(Jim)
This has to be my
favorite national park
because of the last frontier...
the wilderness, the animals.
It's wondrous!
It's a wilderness
that allows you access.
That's one of
the nicest things!
You can come in safely
and look at the world...
the plants are interesting,
wonderful communities.
Large mammals are close
enough to see behaving,
and they don't
seem to mind.
Literally above and
beyond everything else!
Thepowerful geology
is unforgettable!
Denali National Park
and Preserve in Alaska!
Thanks for watching
and join us again
on the next
NatureScene.
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