Every fire that has occurred on NPS land has a lesson to teach if we only pay attention. Did fire managers make the wisest decisions? Did they consider all the variables? What can we learn from mistakes?
Looking back more than 25 years after the Yellowstone fires of 1988, we can examine the NPS response and improve plans for working with the media during wildland fires. We can use before and after photos to help the American public understand the history of NPS fire policy, how it has changed, and how it is still evolving. We can tell the stories of fire ecology in the park, of plants that can reproduce only with regular fires, and of the animals and ecosystems that depend on those plants.
Showing results 1-10 of 32
- Type: Series
- Locations: Crater Lake National Park, Glacier National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Yosemite National Park
In the 1930s, panoramic photographs were taken from lookout points. Comparing these images to present-day photographs allows us to understand change over time. Viewing photographs of different eras in the national parks can give many insights on ecosystem processes, as well as simply change over time. The panoramic lookout photographs provide a window on the past and an opportunity to compare to the present with changes to landforms and land cover.
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Wildland Fire: Park Ridge Lookout National Historic Lookout Register
- Locations: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
In August, 2013, thirty people gathered at Park Ridge Lookout in Kings Canyon National Park to honor the recent addition of the lookout to the National Historic Lookout Register. The lookout was established in 1916 as an open-air platform with lean-to. In 1934 a two-story wooden lookout was built, but it was replaced in 1964 by a steel tower, which remains in place. This lookout is a valuable fire detection, educational, and historic resource for the park.
- Locations: Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve
- Offices: Wildland Fire Program
The NPS Alaska Eastern and Western Area Fire Management ecology teams installed thirteen ecological monitoring plots around two native allotments, located within the legislated boundary of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The ecology teams were also interested in learning more about the fire history in the area. While collecting data, they observed evidence of previous wildfire.
- Rocky Mountain National Park
Post-fire Vegetation Response at Chickaree Lake
- Locations: Rocky Mountain National Park
Barrie Chileen, a recent graduate of Kansas State University, studied lake cores from Chickaree Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park to determine vegetation response following fire events.
- Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale Fire History
- Locations: Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale has a robust history of fire that has influenced natural and human history over time.
- Locations: Colorado National Monument
- Offices: Wildland Fire Program
Colorado National Monument supports a persistent pinyon-juniper (PJ) woodland that has not been disturbed by large, stand-replacing fires since modern fire recordkeeping began. Due to their long fire-free intervals, these persistent woodlands offer a rare look at how long-term influences, such as climatic variability or disturbances other than fire, can influence woodland structure and development.
Viewing photographs of different eras in the national parks can give many insights on ecosystem processes, as well as simply change over time. The panoramic lookout photographs provide a window on the past and an opportunity to compare to the present with changes to landforms and land cover.
- Locations: Crater Lake National Park, Glacier National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Yosemite National Park
Most documentation of the panoramic lookout photos project, which began about 1930 to document areas seen from the lookout system, comes from the US Forest Service. The NPS project began in 1934. Lester Moe worked for the Forest Service taking photos in 1933 and 1934, and later worked for NPS. Several innovations came about from this project: the Osborne photo-recording transit and “special emulsion infra-red sensitive film” not affected by smoke and haze.
The tables on this page list parks and points within parks where a panoramic lookout photo was taken in the 1930s. Data are included for lookout station, azimuth sector, photo serial number, type of film, date of original photograph, photographer, and retake date, where available.
Retake photography allows a viewer to compare how identifying landscape features change over time. There are many uses for these panoramic lookout photographs still today: assisting lookouts and park managers to accurately locate forest fires; identifying vegetation patterns; identifying landscape features; repeat photography to observe changes; and comparing infrared and panchromatic films, which can reveal changes in vegetation health and soil moisture, among other things.
Last updated: December 30, 2017