If you love learning about permafrost, the Brooks Range gold rush, and wilderness, you can explore Gates of the Arctic Junior Ranger activities!
Learn, explore, and answer the questions in the three activities below and become a Junior Ranger when you visit Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. We hope this program inspires you to explore, learn, and protect Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve!
read sections "Reality Strikes the Klondike" and "The Golden Gates of the Arctic."
Think about what life would have been like for a miner during the gold rush.
Do you think you could have been a miner back then?
Do you think life was easy or hard? Why?
Desribe or draw a picture of the life of a miner in the Brooks Range during the gold rush.
Learn How Permafrost Impacts Arctic Environments
Take a look at the picture on the Permafrost page. Do you see the permafrost? Read the information on the page and try the experiment below to visualize how permafrost impacts arctic environments.
Permafrost Experiment Instructions:
Gather these items: one clear container, blue gelatin, crushed up brown or black cookies, and white or cream colored ice cream.
In the clear container place a layer of gelatin at the bottom. Make sure to cover the bottom edges. This layer will act like permafrost.
Sprinkle in some crushed up cookies, which represents soil. In summer, this upper layer of soil will thaw. This thawing soil is known as the active layer.
Add a scoop of ice cream, which represents snow. Let the ice cream (snow) melt.
When the ice cream (snow) melted what happened to the layers?
Did the melted ice cream (snow) reach the bottom of the container?
The gelatin acts like permafrost and keeps the melted ice cream (snow water) near the surface. By having water near the surface of the ground trees and plants have an aboundant water source. This is why the tundra and boreal forest landscapes are green here in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
