A series of petroglyphs estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 years old was allegedly damaged by construction crews renovating a church north of Phoenix, Arizona.

According to news outlet , the rocks containing the ancient symbols were damaged by construction workers in early September. On September 10, news station toured the site where the petroglyphs used to sit. The site is now an empty field of dirt.

Phoenix city officials told �����ԹϺ��� that when city staff went to the site on September 12, it appeared as if rocks, including those that contained the petroglyphs, may have “been pushed around by heavy machinery.” The stones were not removed from the property, officials said.

“The City of Phoenix is working with church leaders and representatives from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Gila River Indian Community Tribal Historic Preservation Office to assess petroglyph damage,” city officials told �����ԹϺ��� in an email.

“The City will coordinate a site visit with Tribal representatives, conduct an archaeological survey, and educate the community and church about the significance of these petroglyphs and hilltop archaeological sites to local descendant communities and the importance of their preservation for future generations. We remain committed to a respectful and informed resolution.”

The full extent of the damage is unclear, though some social media users have stated that the petroglyphs were “bulldozed.”

Local news outlets and reported that the petroglyphs were located on property owned by Christ’s Church of the Valley in North Phoenix. Even so, petroglyphs in Arizona are by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. State laws also provide for both felony and misdemeanor prosecution with imprisonment and fines.

�����ԹϺ��� also contacted Christ’s Church of the Valley for more information on the petroglyphs, but did not receive a response. In a statement to Arizona television station , the church wrote: “During routine perimeter campus maintenance a neighbor raised concern that work on our property might affect nearby petroglyphs. We are in consultation with Dr. Christopher Schwartz, city of Phoenix Archaeologist, to review and advise any appropriate next steps. None of the petroglyphs have been removed from our property and our priority is ensuring preservation standards are upheld and that any work on our property reflects the proper precautions. We will continue to follow the city’s guidance closely.”

As the Arizona NBC affiliate station 12 News reported, the carvings are believed to be linked to the Hohokam people. Nearby similar petroglyphs are estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 years old.

Petroglyphs are ancient illustrations created by carving away the outer, darker layer of stone to expose lighter stone beneath. They differ from pictographs, which are rock paintings created using mineral pigments, such as hematite or charcoal.

According to the , petroglyphs in the region were primarily created by the Hohokam, who occupied the area from 450 to 1450.

The post Southwest Petroglyphs Survived 1,000 Years—Until a Church Underwent Construction appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Dogs undoubtedly have a place in the outdoors, but how that looks depends on who is asked. Some insist that if the owners are responsible, the presence of off-leash dogs can actually make the outdoors a better place. Untethered pups can spark joy and wonder both on and off the trail. Still, many argue that if a trail says “Dogs on Leash,” recreationalists should respect the rules.

In two recent incidents in Arizona and Colorado, police say that three individuals walking dogs assaulted or threatened other hikers after allegedly . Following the altercations, �����ԹϺ��� spoke with a dog behavioral expert for insight into what triggers our trail comrades and how best to respond during stressful situations.

is a researcher studying animal behavior at Virginia Tech University. She is also the author of a published in September that investigates how a dog’s environment influences its behavior. And when it comes to issues on the trail, Sexton said how our dogs respond is due to a combination of factors, including nature and nurture.

Certain behaviors might be expected with a particular breed or breed makeup. Australian shepherds, for example, are herders, and it’s in their nature to corral people and animals on the trail.

“Some of that drive, some of those instincts, are just going to come out,” Sexton told �����ԹϺ���. She adds that while the concept of nature versus nurture is somewhat oversimplistic, there is truth to the argument when it comes to dog behavior.

“Dogs are individuals, and there are critical development periods that they go through, just like human infants. Whatever they’re exposed to during those periods is going to influence, to an extent, their outcomes later in life, and that may be behaviorally,” she said.

Drive, breed, and instinct can all influence how a dog responds to their environment. In addition to their nature, a dog’s discipline and past negative associations may also affect how they react to certain stimuli.

Leashes Can Be Counterintuitive to Dogs

Dogs are searchers, seekers and hunters—all characteristics that make them both endearing and challenging to be on leash.

“Being on a leash is not a preferred state of being. It’s requiring them at every step to match our pace and to override their instinctive operating procedure,” said Sexton. “They experience the world through smell, and we’re limiting them by keeping them tethered. That automatically is causing both a literal and an experiential emotional tension for them.”

Pay Attention to Subtle Cues

The source of a dog’s trigger may not be fully understood, but an owner needs to pay attention and understand when and how their dog is activated, especially in reactive dogs.

Sexton advises owners to pay attention to their dog’s subtle cues, learn how they communicate, and understand what their experience of the world is—this is our job as their guardians.

“We have first to acknowledge that dogs are individuals. There are groups of traits that we might anticipate them to display, but just like a person, if you had a bad day, you might act differently,” notes Sexton.

Sudden Changes in Behavior May Indicate a More Serious Issue

Just like a baby may be fussier than usual when sick, unusual or sudden behavioral changes in a dog can indicate a physical issue. Dogs can’t communicate that they’re ill, but they may act more aggressively or intensely than normal when they’re injured or not feeling well.

Sexton adds that environmental changes can also impact how a dog is feeling and responding to the world around them.

Become Your Dog’s Main Source of Fun

This is where reward-based training comes into play. Reward-based training involves offering treats, praise, or toys to your dog when they exhibit behaviors that you want to reinforce. These “bonding exercises” also reinforce the human-dog relationship, deepening the connection while the dog creates a positive association with their owner.

“You can do them for five minutes a day. That’s just reinforcing the relationship you have with your dog so that when you are out on the trail and something more exciting has caught their attention, there’s a higher likelihood that they’re going to remember you and tune back in quicker before a situation gets potentially dangerous,” said Sexton.

Bonding exercises can be as simple as revisiting an old trick or playing hide-and-seek. Any activity where the dog sees you as a source of fun will deepen their attachment and make them return to you time and again.

When it comes to taking your dog outdoors, having a clear understanding of their behavioral triggers will also help them perform better on the trail.

The post What Triggers a Dog on the Trail? An Expert Weighs In. appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

To get to Glacier Bay National Park, you have to fly or swim. Measuring more than 5,000 square miles, the Southeastern Alaska park is only accessible by air or water, and visitors typically arrive in the area by boat from the tiny nearby town of Gustavus, just outside of Alaska’s capital city, Juneau.

Alaska has just documented a “brand new” island in Glacier Bay National Park after floodwater from the nearby Alsek Glacier surrounded a landmass known as Prow Knob.

At nearly 15 miles long, the Alsek Glacier in the park once encompassed the 5-square-mile Prow Knob. However, warming temperatures and increased glacial melt have caused freshwater to replace glacial ice, contributing to the growth of Alsek Lake around the strip of land.

NASA taken between 1984 and 2025 that show how far ice has retreated throughout the decades. In the early 20th century, the glacier ended about 3 miles from Prow Knob. Ice continued to melt throughout the century, and by 1984, the eastern side of Prow Knob had its first documented lakeshore. In August, the lakeshore expanded around the entire perimeter of Prow Knob.

Glaciers rely on snowpack to form and be maintained. As snow falls in the mountains, it compacts into ice and eventually slides downhill—but more and more glaciers around the world are melting away. The National Park Service writes that centuries ago, an “enormous glacier, several miles wide and several thousand feet thick, covered most of Glacier Bay National Park.” In the last 250 years, this glacier has retreated 65 miles to form Glacier Bay. Most of the are smaller pieces of the enormous glacier that once filled the region.

Alsek Glacier is just one example showing how glaciers are thinning. In August, residents of Juneau, Alaska, received evacuation warnings after glacial floodwater broke through a dam of glacial ice at Mendenhall Glacier. The , with the peak water level reaching nearly 16 feet.

The post A ‘Brand New’ Island Was Just Recorded in Alaska appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

It was supposed to be our short day. Just four miles downstream would take us from Kolb Camp, a scenic cliff-side beach in western Colorado, to Rippling Brook, our next campsite. To our surprise—our backs aching, hands torn, and noses sunburned—the day would be spent unpinning a very stuck 12-foot raft in a precarious, potentially deadly rapid.

I thought I was prepared for this trip, having completed three multi-week rafting adventures down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, totaling more than 70 days collectively. But this was my first trip down its sister river, the Green. We targeted the famed Gates of Lodore, a 43-mile whitewater stretch on the Green River, that carves through dramatic canyon walls and is surrounded by mountains soaring skyward to 9,000 feet in elevation. It spans , beginning in Colorado and ending in Utah.

In August, I spent five nights on this section with 19 other boaters—and we spent too many hours unpinning boats. Despite the carnage, I found this stretch of the Gates of Lodore to be a perfect adventure for would-be canyon boaters.

New to Canyon Boating? Gates of Lodore is a Perfect Entry

If you’re intimidated by the long, multi-week aspect of a Grand Canyon rafting trip, and the extremes that a desert river trip entails, the Gates of Lodore is a perfect introduction to whitewater. Whereas a private Grand Canyon rafting trip encompasses 277 miles, spanning up to 26 days, the Gates of Lodore is comparatively short. Completing the full stretch takes anywhere from three to five days.

Because of its fame, obtaining a permit for the Grand Canyon is highly competitive. And on a Grand Canyon trip, challenging rapids can be found throughout most of the river stretch. High points on the Grand Canyon can span up to 8,000 feet in elevation—much higher than the tallest peaks in the Gates of Lodore. Access points for emergency bail-outs can be much more difficult in a deeper canyon.

Boaters are less likely to encounter these hurdles in the Gates of Lodore.

“Gates of Lodore is a fantastic stretch to do with a large group because all the difficult rapids are in the first ten or so miles, and then you have stunning scenery with easier water for the rest of your trip. Three pinned rafts in five miles is a great icebreaker for 20 mostly strangers,” Greg Doctor, our trip leader, told ���ܳٲ������.��

Doctor said that despite our group’s setbacks and accidents, the only major disagreement our party had was what music to play.

“It was sort of a dream trip in that we had crystal clear water with fun rapids backed by giant desert sandstone walls, all with perfect weather,” he added.

While Indigenous groups have lived in the region for thousands of years, the river was largely introduced to the Western world when geographer John Wesley Powell ran his famed descent in 1869, shortly before becoming the first person to document rowing the Grand Canyon. A member of Powell’s group named the Gates of Lodore after the English poem, “The Cataract of Lodore,” originally written by Robert Southey in 1820. It reads:

And so never ending, but always descending
Sounds and motions for ever and ever are blending
All at once and all o’er, with a mighty uproar
And this way the water comes down at Lodore

“Pin It to Win It” Quickly Became Our River Crew’s Motto

Although Gates of Lodore is a perfect introduction to canyon boating, this section is also rowdy and fun for experienced boaters. This became apparent after our group popped the floor of one of our rafts, which later resulted in multiple pins.

A “pin” happens when a raft gets physically trapped against an obstacle in the river, commonly a rock. Because the current is pushing directly against the boat, often thousands of cubic feet per second, the immense pressure makes it incredibly difficult to continue downstream.

How do you unpin a raft? The rescue system, often referred to as a pin kit or z-drag, is a complex arrangement of pulleys and lines that provides humans with a mechanical advantage against the force of the river.

During our five days boating through the Gates of Lodore, we encountered two major pinning locations: the Birth Canal at Triplet Falls, as well as Huggy Bear Rock at Hell’s Half Mile.

Rapids are based on a class system, with Class V being the hardest and most hazardous, often characterized by the most technical features. Rated a Class III, Triplet Falls is about 12 miles downstream of the put-in, and has been the site of . The rapid is surrounded by canyon walls rising 1,200 feet or more above the river and features an undercut wall that can easily trap a body.

So-named for the three large boulders that make the dangerous feature, Triplet Falls is one of the most technical rapids on this section. During a low water trip like ours, the rapid is a bony rock garden that could easily bump a raft off its line. After navigating it, boaters must face the Birth Canal, a narrow slot between two large, undercut boulders. All hands on deck and five hours later, we successfully got the raft unpinned.

Mikey Wrobel, a Colorado-based Class IV+ guide with seven years of experience, said his boat was pinned in large part because the raft’s floor popped on the first day. With little buoyancy and a heavier-than-usual load, moving dynamically through the current was difficult.

“I just kept telling myself that it’s not if I pin, but a matter of when—and that day was my day. Three pins and a popped floor on the first day, I feel like most people would throw in the towel,” Wrobel told �����ԹϺ���.

“The pin at Triplet Falls was mentally and physically straining, but everyone on this trip was amazing, and everything turned out okay,” he added.

Our second mishap happened at Hell’s Half Mile, a Class IV rapid close to a quarter-mile long. Large boulders clog the entrance of the rapid with a mid-stream rock named “Lucifer,” notorious for pinning boats. Our wrap actually occurred at a much less devious-sounding feature—Huggy Bear. It’s at the bottom of the rapid, right where you think you’re in the clear, and greeted one of our boats with open arms. This unpin took about an hour or so, and we were able to run the rest of the rapid—and the river—unscathed.

We pinned, we partied, and we truly embraced all that this unique landscape had to offer.

A Duality of Intimacy and Isolation

The success of a trip depends on the capability of your team. Over the course of our multiple pins, our crew bonded and battled its way through the canyon.

We also made sure we adhered to the basic advice for running rivers. Make sure you’re equipped with the right gear and prepared to handle disaster should it strike. In rapids, always wear your personal floatation device (PFD) and helmet. Know how to use your gear, especially if you carry a throwbag, and practice humility. Rapids are potentially life-threatening situations and should be taken seriously.

“Find mentors, take a swiftwater rescue course, and never forget that humans cannot breathe underwater. Be humble—river running is for fun; it is not a bicep measuring contest,” said Doctor, who is also an emergency physician with special interests in wilderness medicine and drowning resuscitation.

Both intimate and isolating, a multi-day river trip allows for a deeper connection to the surrounding environment while offering near-complete isolation from the external world. This dynamic of connectedness and disconnectedness on the river has stood the test of time.

During his journey down the Green River, Powell described the special light unique to a canyon, writing that “at noon the sun shines in splendor on vermilion walls… and the canyon opens, like a beautiful portal, to a region of glory.”

“This evening, as I write, the sun is going down and the shadows are settling in the canyon… and now it is a dark portal to a region of gloom, the gateway through which we are to enter on our voyage of exploration tomorrow, what shall we find?” he continued.

That intrigue and mysteriousness still rest in the canyon walls today. As any boater can attest, a river trip is one of those truly primitive experiences where one can completely disconnect from the world and enjoy the presence of those around in a largely inaccessible, yet breathtaking, landscape. For some, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For others, it’s a way of life. It’s up to you to choose.

The post Can’t Commit to a Month Rafting the Grand Canyon? Meet Its Sister River. appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Geysers in Yellowstone National Park are facing a new, unassuming threat. Plus, a 30-year-old woman has just broken the speed record for the Grand Teton trail. �����ԹϺ��� has you covered in this edition of our news roundup for the week of September 8.

What’s the Latest Threat to Yellowstone’s Geysers? Hats.

Geologists in Yellowstone National Park are reporting an unusual threat to the area’s hydrothermal areas. According to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) observatory, lost hats are infiltrating the park’s hot springs, geysers, mudpots and fumeroles.

These aren’t just dollar-store hats either. The USGS estimates that headwear collected this year is worth over $6,000.

The park’s specially trained Geology Program is charged with cleaning up more than 10,000 iconic hydrothermal areas in Yellowstone National Park, including Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful. The team is constantly battling a daunting array of human litter—in 2025 alone, they have already collected “more than 13,000 pieces of trash, 4,000 rocks and sticks, and over 300 hats.”

Read More

A Man Is Dead After His Car Plunged into the Grand Canyon

On Sunday, September 7, Park Service officials received reports of a car driving over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and then plunging 300 feet to the rocks below. According to a report, the driver was killed in the fall.

NPS identified the individual as Steven (Drew) Bradly, 27, of Federal Heights, Colorado. Authorities said that Bradley drove his car into the canyon near the South Kaibab Trailhead at approximately 12:40 P.M.

The NPS said it is investigating the incident alongside the local medical examiner. No additional information is currently available.

It’s not the first time this year that a driver has perished in a crash at the famed canyon.

Read More

There’s a New Speed Record on the Grand Teton. This One Is Legit.

Let’s get this out of the way: runner Jane Maus avoided all shortcuts, cutoffs, and trail bypasses while breaking the speed record on Wyoming’s 13,775-foot Grand Teton on August 22. She specifically avoided the shortcut that got trail runner Michelino Sunseri into trouble with the National Park Service in 2024.

Maus completed the entire journey in 3:45:34. Her time shaved 21 minutes from the previous fastest time, which was set just three days prior by a Canadian runner named Jazmine Lowther. Fastest Known Time (FKT), the body that scrutinizes record attempts, accepted Maus’ ascent as legitimate, making her the new record holder on the route, which is now called the Grand Teton Modern Route.

�����ԹϺ���, chatted with Moss to learn more about her allure for chasing the speed record and her decision to go for speed.

Read More

The post This Week in News: Yellowstone’s Latest Threats and a New Speed Record on the Grand Teton appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

The seafood you just purchased from your local grocery store could contain critically endangered shark species, a has found.

Certain endangered species of shark are being mislabeled in the U.S., according to scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who authored the study. Of the samples their team collected, nearly one-third were shown to contain endangered or critically endangered species like the great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, tope and shortfin mako sharks.����Other samples contained vulnerable species of shark, including the spinner, lemon, common thresher and blacktip shark.

Seafood is a staple in many outdoor athletes’ backcountry kitchen kits. But with the world’s oceans facing threats from climate change and overfishing, some have wondered whether seafood will remain a sustainable option. Although you may not intentionally buy endangered shark meat, some restaurants and distributors list shark on their menus as “rock salmon,” “flake,” and “cazón,” for example.

Since the 1970s, shark populations have declined by more than 70 percent. Globally, one-third of sharks—as well as their cousins, rays and chimaeras—are threatened with extinction, according to the global sustainability authority, the .

This study contributes to a growing body of research aimed at characterizing threats to the ocean’s apex predators.

“We found critically endangered sharks, including great hammerhead and scalloped hammerhead, being sold in grocery stores, seafood markets, and online,” said , a marine ecologist and study author, in a .

Researchers tested 29 samples of raw shark steaks and shark jerky bought in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and online. DNA analysis revealed that 93 percent of samples were “ambiguously labeled as ‘shark,’” said Ryburn. One, for example, was labeled as a blacktip shark, which is considered a vulnerable species, but actually contained meat from the endangered shortfin mako.

Though fishing for and consuming shark meat is legal in the U.S., the industry is heavily regulated, according to the . Regulations dictate what types of species are allowed to be harvested and where. In the U.S., the requires that all sharks, with one exception, be brought to shore with their fins naturally attached. And under the Endangered Species Act, it is illegal to target or harvest an endangered species.

“However, by the time large shark species reach grocery stores and markets, they are often sold as fillets with all distinguishing features removed, making it unlikely that sellers know what species they are offering,” said Ryburn.

Three of the species found in the mislabeled samples—scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead, and dusky smooth-hound shark—are also known to contain high levels of mercury, which can cause damage to the brain and central nervous system.

Ryburn added that consumers should “avoid purchasing products that lack species-level labeling or traceable sourcing.”

To identify the type of seafood you’re buying or eating, familiarize yourself with labeling and packaging requirements, especially the processor’s certification number. Resources like and the will certify whether seafood was caught sustainably.

The post Like Seafood? You May Be Eating Endangered Sharks. appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

On Sunday, September 7, Park Service officials received reports of a car driving over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and then plunging 300 feet to the rocks below.

On September 8, the NPS published on the incident, which claimed the life of a Colorado man.

NPS identified the individual as Steven (Drew) Bradly, 27, of Federal Heights, Colorado. Authorities said that Bradley drove his car into the canyon near the South Kaibab Trailhead at approximately 12:40 P.M.

“Park rangers responded immediately and recovered the body, which was located about 300 feet below the rim. It was transported to the rim by helicopter and then transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office,” wrote NPS in a .

The NPS said it is investigating the incident alongside the local medical examiner. No additional information is currently available.

It’s not the first time this year that a driver has perished in a crash at the famed canyon. In February, a 2 after driving into the canyon just east of the Yavapai Geology Museum on the South Rim. Officials recovered the man’s body and his car 1,000 feet below the rim.

In October 2021, off the canyon’s western rim near the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

The South Kaibab Trailhead is a from the park Visitor Center—no private vehicles are allowed at the trailhead. Located 15 miles from the iconic Phantom Ranch, the South Kaibab Trail is a popular tourist destination offering expansive views of the canyon.

According to the , car accidents are the second leading cause of unintentional death in the national park system. On average, one person a week dies on NPS roadways. To reduce the risk of injury from a vehicle crash, NPS has compiled .

The post A Man Is Dead After His Car Plunged into the Grand Canyon appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Interested in a million dollars? Want to spot this year’s epic northern lights forecast? �����ԹϺ��� has you covered in this edition of our news roundup for the week of September 1.

Here’s the First Clue to Find a Buried Canadian Treasure Worth Nearly $1 Million

Interested in a million dollars? �����ԹϺ��� is following a newly announced treasure hunt aiming to put gold in your pocket.

North American treasure hunters have cause to celebrate as the first clue in a treasure hunt is posted online. It offers a hint to the location of a chest of gold worth just under $1 million. A mining group hid the trove somewhere in the country’s vast wilderness, and the fortune is waiting for the first scrappy hunter to solve the clues and find it.

Just like art dealer Forrest Fenn’s legendary hidden treasure, which had hunters scouring the American West for a decade, clues for this treasure hunt are provided through cryptic poetry, at least so far.

The “” is a 13-stanza poem that mentions everything you need to know to find the treasure. And we’ve posted it on our website. Additionally, another clue was released this week. It reads:

Though crystal clear and calm it seems,
This mirror hides more than it gleams.
A single step may seal your fate,
Best not disturb the water’s state.

Read More

This Fall Could Bring the Best Northern Lights in Decades. Here’s How to See Them.

If you’ve been waiting to book a Northern Lights trip, it’s time to make it happen. This autumn is expected to kick off one of the strongest aurora seasons in decades—think last year’s low-latitude displays, and potentially even better.

That’s because the sun has reached its roughly 11-year peak of activity, known as solar maximum. The bright star causes auroras by sending charged particles whizzing through space. When those electrons and ions crash into our atmosphere, they spark kaleidoscopic sky swirls that aurora hunters, like me, travel the world to see.

We polled space weather experts, astrophotographers, and aurora guides for their top tips on enjoying “solar maximum”—the 11-year peak of Northern Lights activity. Click “Read More” for their tips and tricks to spot an epic atmospheric show.

Read More

In Separate Events, Two U.S. Hikers Fall to Their Deaths

Two hikers fell to their deaths in separate events at different popular wilderness areas in late August. The tragedies prompted rescuers to reiterate the importance of practicing safety on both technical and non-technical hiking trails.

After motor vehicle deaths and drownings, falls—usually while hiking—are the in U.S. National Parks. Incidents like these highlight the importance of both hiking within one’s physical limits and staying on established trails.

On August 27, a 73-year-old woman fell from the Highline Trail in Montana’s Glacier National Park, according to the National Park Service. She was hiking with a large group between the Big Bend and Triple Arches formations when she stumbled and slipped off the side of the path, out of sight of her companions. Rescuers found her body 450 feet below the edge of the trail.

Two days after the tragedy in Glacier National Park, a 24-year-old man fell 40 feet from the top of Whittleton Arch, a sandstone formation located in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge.

Ahead of your next backcountry hike, check out the National Park Service’s “” list to ensure you’re adequately prepared and equipped for adventure.

Read More

The post Weekly Roundup: How to Spot the Northern Lights and Find $1 Million Treasure appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Bill Hamilton’s chest freezer probably looks a lot different than yours. While most of us pack ours with groceries, Hamilton stores pounds upon pounds of bison dung in his.

, a professor of biology and research science at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, studies the role bison and other large herbivores play in ecosystems. In a new study published this month, Hamilton explains how bison, and their poop, are the key to a healthy environment in some parts of the U.S.

“Humans have been applying dung as a fertilizer for millennia, so we know it’s an important fertilizer. Bison are a restoration story, and allowing their grazing in places like Yellowstone provides a ‘reawakening’ of the landscape,” Hamilton told �����ԹϺ���.

According to Hamilton’s study, freely roaming bison in Yellowstone National Park—the only place in the lower 48 where bison have continuously free-ranged since prehistoric times—play a pivotal role in the ecosystem. Bison contribute to a healthier landscape by adding nitrogen to the soil, which supports the growth of nutrient-dense plants. The bison’s impact on the soil, in turn, supports the many animals that call Yellowstone home.

�����ԹϺ��� of Yellowstone, most bison are domesticated and kept in confined areas, such as in zoos and conservation parks. The in the American West and Midwest could be healthier if bison were allowed to roam freely.

The study is the latest wrinkle in a simmering debate over whether bison herd size should be managed, and whether or not bison should be excluded from certain areas due to concerns about overgrazing. Hamilton’s research suggests that the eating habits—and pooping—of large bison populations may actually help the landscape in ways previously not fully understood.

“Animals need to be able to move,” Hamilton told �����ԹϺ��� in a phone interview. “Free-roaming bison restore ecological processes across a long-distance migration.

A Keystone Species Returns

North America was once home to approximately 30 million grazing bison that ranged across the continent. By 1889, after being hunted nearly to extinction, that number dropped to under 1,000. In 1902, there were just 23 animals. Recent recovery efforts in areas like Yellowstone National Park have focused on returning the giant ungulates to specifically managed areas.

Bison are to Yellowstone National Park what African wildebeest are to the Serengeti, their influence on the land essential, says Hamilton. And like the wildebeest, bison dung packs a nutritional punch when deposited across the landscape.

In areas with heavy bison grazing, Hamilton found plants were denser, shorter, and more nitrogen-rich. Not only did these plants grow as much as they would have if they weren’t grazed, Hamilton’s team found them to be 150 percent more nutritious than plants growing in areas with no bison.

Weighing more than 2,000 pounds, one bison will poop enough in a typical day to fill a 3-gallon bucket. Annually, each Yellowstone bison will migrate around 1,000 miles, making back-and-forth movements over their route. The animals graze on grasses and other plants as they move, which the research team found helps speed up an area’s nitrogen cycle.

Nitrogen is one of the most essential nutrients found in fertilizers, and it’s also considered to be a fundamental building block of life. As bison graze, they speed up the nitrogen cycle by consuming plants and eventually returning nitrogen to the soil through their feces.

As bison contribute to the broader ecosystem of Yellowstone, Hamilton’s research team suggests these benefits might be seen elsewhere. With its diverse, largely undisturbed ecosystem, Yellowstone National Park serves as a living laboratory, providing researchers with a unique window into how North American landscapes appeared before the influence of western hunting efforts.

“This version is a glimpse of what was lost when bison were nearly wiped out across North America in the late 1800s,” said Hamilton. “When we lost bison, we lost a different way that large grazers moved across and used landscapes.”

According to Hamilton, Yellowstone grasslands are functioning better now with large herds of bison than they were in the animals’ absence.

The Latest Discovery From Yellowstone Living Laboratory

Since its establishment in 1872, Yellowstone National Park has served as a living laboratory for the examination of natural processes. Its preserved ecosystem allows researchers to study unique opportunities in a relatively undisturbed environment, including reintroduced species once on the verge of extinction. These population shifts can cause what’s known as a trophic cascade, an ecological process in which a change in the population of a top predator affects other species lower in the food chain, triggering a chain reaction.

Wolves are one such case. After wolves were exterminated from the Yellowstone region in the 1920s, the elk population more than doubled, causing significant damage to the area’s grasses, shrubs, and trees. Following the reintroduction of wolves in 1995, research suggests that elk populations have declined to a more sustainable level, thereby improving the overall health of the ecosystem.

Similarly, beaver populations dramatically declined in much of the park by the mid-20th century due to trapping. Without beavers in the watersheds, streams and river beds eroded. Upon their return—primarily after the reintroduction of wolves—beavers built dams and ponds, slowing water flow and restoring river ecosystems.

“Yellowstone has been a success story and example for ecosystem restoration, and the return of bison is another step towards bringing it back to what it may have been in the past. When bison are given room to roam, they reawaken the Yellowstone ecosystem,” said Hamilton.

The bison study contributes to a growing body of evidence that population control, whether by humans or through natural processes, is a complex and nuanced task.

For researchers like Hamilton, the next challenge lies in finding suitable locations large enough to reintroduce bison, which can then migrate in large numbers.

The post The Key to Yellowstone’s Ecological Health? Bison Poop. appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.

Apple Watch wearers just got a whole lot more outdoorsy. In a long-awaited push toward greater accessibility, the global mapping platform Trailforks (which is owned by ���ܳٲ������’����parent company, �����ԹϺ��� Inc.) announced the rollout of its new Apple Watch app this month. The move provides mountain bikers, trail runners, gravel grinders, moto riders, and hikers with instant, phone-free access to real-time trail maps and activity statistics—directly on their wrist.

Nearly 800,000 already connected Trailforks users across 141 countries now have access to an unmatched database of global trails across mountain biking, trail running, ski touring, and hiking disciplines.

“Our community asked—loudly—for Apple Watch support. Today we’re delivering a true map-on-wrist experience that lets athletes stay present on the trail while still capturing every stat,” said Trailforks general manager Devin Lehman.

is the world’s most comprehensive crowd-sourced trail discovery and management platform. For more than a decade, it has helped outdoor enthusiasts get outside by providing users with the best tool for planning their next destination and navigating on-trail experiences with safety in mind.

Now, those tools are ready to hit the trail—just like you.

App users can access real-time map information and multi-activity stats right on their wrist, keeping recreationalists on route and off their phone. Users can view their exact position on the Trailforks basemap and scope out nearby trailheads and points of interest.

Detailed offline maps can be downloaded, allowing the adventure to continue even when cell service is unavailable. Traildar proximity alerts gently buzz or notify users as they approach waypoints, intersections, or user-defined POIs to stay on course.

Multi-activity recording provides users with a one-tap start for various activities, featuring auto-pause, distance, speed, vertical, heart-rate, and calorie metrics displayed live. Health and performance-tracking metrics ensure users are pushing their limits. Every session can be synced into Apple Health through HealthKit integration, closing rings, and providing insight into long-term trends.

Together, these tools keep users in the flow, regardless of their location.

The Trailforks Apple Watch app is available as a free companion download with the latest Trailforks iOS release on the . As part of the �����ԹϺ��� Interactive network, Trailforks empowers millions of adventurers to explore confidently, plan responsibly, and give back to the trails they love.

The post The New Trailforks Apple Watch App Keeps Users on Route and Offline appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.