The Midden is the Resource Management Newsletter of Great Basin National Park, published each summer and winter. Find out the latest going on at Great Basin National Park, Nevada in resource management and research. The Midden - Great Basin National Park: Vol. 21, No.2, Winter 2021
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Great Basin National Park
Article 1: Treatment of Baker Lake to Restore Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
Non-native brook trout in Baker Lake takes the food and environment that the native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout need to survive. NPS staff removed the non-native fish to allow the native fish to thrive. Read more
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Great Basin National Park
Article 2: Detecting and Forecasting Change in High Elevation Species
In collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and botanist Jan Nachlinger, the Park initiated a project to assess current and future distributions of endemic alpine plants. Alpine surveys focused on finding four high elevation, endemic forbs found in eastern Nevada: Holmgren’s buckwheat, Pennell beardtongue, Nevada primrose, and Nachlinger catchfly. Read more
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Great Basin National Park
Article 3: New Technologies to Help Win the War against Cheatgrass
The sagebrush ecosystem is considered one of the most imperiled habitats in the United States. At one time, it covered over 150 million acres, but since European settlement, it has shrunk to only 56% of its historic range due to impacts from altered fire regimes, invasive species, conversion to conifer woodlands, and various human disturbances. Read more
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Great Basin National Park
Article 4: Researcher Awards
Zoe Havlena and Louise Hose received research awards. Read more
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Great Basin National Park
Article 5: Cool Bug Facts: The Pinyon and The Engraver
The pinyon engraver beetle (Ips confusus) is a member of the Bark Beetle subfamily Scolytinae. These native beetles play an important role in pinyon-juniper forests by killing weak or damaged pinyon pine trees. This can improve habitat diversity, create canopy gaps allowing shade intolerant species in the seed bank to germinate, provide snag habitat, and contribute organic material to the soil, not to mention the beetles themselves are a part of the food web. Read more
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Great Basin National Park
Article 6: Lehman Caves Temp and Humidity before, during, and after Closure
Lehman Caves was closed to the public for 427 days due to COVID, from March 19, 2020 to May 22, 2021. This may have been the longest closure since the cave was opened for tours since 1885. The temperature in the cave drastically changed during the closure. Read more
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Great Basin National Park
Article 7: 2021 Reptile BioBlitz Results
Results of the 2021 Reptile BioBlitz at Great Basin National Park Read more