NatureBridge is a proud partner
of the National Park Service
LEARN AND DISCOVER MORE
WITH NATUREBRIDGE
NAME
SCHOOL
DATE
Yosemite Summer Field Research Course
Teenagers create their own ecological research projects
while backpacking in the Yosemite wilderness.
Family Programs in Golden Gate National
Recreation Area & Olympic National Park
Learn and connect with your family during an
educational, fun, and relaxing experience at our locations
in the San Francisco Bay Area and western Washington.
Armstrong Scholars Program
Teenage girls discover their leadership potential on
a challenging backpacking adventure in Yosemite’s
High Sierra.
naturebridge.org/yosemite
YOSEMITE
Field guide images by the following:
• John Muir Laws, copyright 2012, johnmuirlaws.com
• Joseph Kinyon
• NatureBridge staff, including Ingrid Apter, Rachel Loud, Anjanette Garcia, and
Estrella Risinger
NatureBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on the generous
support of donors.
© 2012 NatureBridge. All Rights Reserved. Printed on recycled paper. YFSO0812FJ
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome!
1
FOUNDED IN 1971, NatureBridge provides environmental
Backpack Checklist
2
What Is a Field Journal?
2
Leave No Trace 3
field science education for students in the world’s best
classrooms—our national parks. Through residential education
programs, NatureBridge connects students to the wonder and
science of nature and inspires the stewards of tomorrow.
Where Am I Now? 4
Plants
5
Mammals
6
Birds
7
What Is a Watershed?
8
Geology
9
Life Zones 10
Scientific Inquiry
11
My Notes & Sketches
12
What I Can Do to Make a Difference
20
Garbology
21
Weather
22
Graph Paper
23
Vocabulary
Inside back cover
YOSEMITE
NATIONAL PARK
As the largest residential education partner of the National
Park Service, NatureBridge serves more than 30,000 students
each year and offers programs in six national parks: Yosemite
National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Olympic
National Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation
Area, Channel Islands National Park, and Prince William Forest
Park. NatureBridge also offers professional development
opportunities for teachers and family and youth programs.
WELCOME TO OUR CLASSROOM!
NATUREBRIDGE FIELD SCIENCE PROGRAMS in Yosemite
National Park take place in the spectacular Sierra Nevada
mountain range. Soaring cliffs, granite domes, giant Sequoias,
and some of the world’s tallest waterfalls create a classroom
that inspires learning and awe. The 1,200 square miles protected
within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park have
been home to plants, animals, and various tribes
of native people for thousands of years.
1
LEAVE NO TRACE SEVEN PRINCIPLES
MY EDUCATOR
An excellent motto for minimizing your impact is
“Take only pictures, leave only footprints.”
Below are the Leave No Trace Seven Principles,
which can be found in greater detail at lnt.org
MY CHAPERONE
BE PREPARED!
BACKPACK CHECKLIST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Plan ahead and prepare
Have the following items with you every morning:
q Backpack with room for lunch
q Water bottle filled with water
q Rain gear and warm clothes
q Sun protection, including sunscreen and hat
q Field journal along with pen or pencil
q Bandanna (crumb catcher)
q Medication (including inhalers and EpiPens)
q
Wear and pack appropriate gear and know
the area you are traveling in.
Travel and camp on durable surfaces
Protect wild animals and plants by staying on
the trail and camping in designated areas.
Dispose of waste properly
Pack out everything you bring and help take out
any trash you find.
Leave what you find
Allow others to enjoy the same rocks, twigs,
feathers, and artifacts you discovered.
Minimize campfire impacts
WHAT IS A FIELD JOURNAL?
A field journal is any kind of notebook
used to write or draw your observations
of the natural world—the field. This
field journal is for you to use during
your stay with NatureBridge. It’s one
way to save your memories. All kinds of
people, including scientists and artists,
use field journals to learn more about
nature. When you return home, you
can create your own and use it to help
you get to know the outdoors better in
your own community.
2
Use established fire rings and know the restrictions for collecting wood.
Respect wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance and never
allow wild animals to access your food.
Be considerate of other visitors
Respect other visitors and protect the quality
of their experience.
The Leave No Trace Seven Principles have been reprinted with
the permission of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.
For more information, visit: lnt.org
3
Field Guide: PLANTS
( Not to scale)
WHERE AM I NOW?
JOSEPH KINYON
Yosemite National Park
Giant Sequoia
White Fir
Ponderosa Pine
Hetch Hetchy
Tuolumne River
Tuolumne
Meadows
Crane Flat
Yosemite Valley (Boystown)
Merced River
Sugar Pine
Douglas Fir
Incense Cedar
N
E
W
S
Canyon Live Oak
4
Snow Plant
(bright red!)
Interior Live Oak
Western
Dogwood
Western
Raspberry
Black Oak
Whiteleaf
Manzanita
5
Field Guide: MAMMALS
Field Guide: BIRDS
(Not to scale)
California
Ground Squirrel
( Not to scale)
Lodgepole
Chipmunk
Western
Gray Squirrel
Yellow-bellied
Marmot
Belding’s
Ground Squirrel
Coyote
Brush Rabbit
Striped Skunk
Douglas
Squirrel
Goldenmantled
Ground Squirrel
American Dipper
Dark-eyed
Junco
Yellow-rumped
Warbler
Mountain
Chickadee
Brewer’s
Blackbird
Black-headed
Grosbeak
Gray Fox
Red-winged
Blackbird
White-throated
Swift
Northern
Flicker
Acorn
Woodpecker
Bobcat
White-crowned
Sparrow
Song
Sparrow
Red-breasted
Nuthatch
Raccoon
Steller’s Jay
6
Black Bear
Mule Deer
Red-tailed
Hawk
Common Raven
Mallard
7
WHAT IS A WATERSHED?
GEOLOGY
1
2
3
A WATERSHED is all the land that drains
into a specific body of water.
Scientists who study rocks, or GEOLOGISTS,
recognize three major groups of rocks.
Precipitation
Igneous rocks form when hot, liquid rock, or magma, cools.
Headwaters
Riparian Zone
Ridge
When this magma slowly cools underground, it forms intrusive igneous
rock. Magma that quickly cools aboveground becomes extrusive
igneous rock.
Sedimentary rocks result when various weathering processes
break down other types of rocks into particles, or sediment, or when
once-living organisms accumulate. With the help of time and external
pressures, these sediments get compacted into sedimentary rock.
Metamorphic rocks are created through the metamorphosis,
Lake
Watershed Divide
or change, of other types of rocks. This normally happens deep
underground where heat, pressure, and chemical activity can
actually alter the minerals inside rocks.
SUBDUCTION ZONE
The magma that eventually cooled to form the granitic rock that we find
throughout Yosemite today was generated in a subduction zone located
at the edge of the North American continent millions of years ago.
Groundwater (aquifer)
ROCK CYCLE
SUB
DU
CT
ING
compaction &
compression
Sediment
Igneous
Rock
E
AT
PL
weathering & erosion
w e at
herin
heat & pressure
cooling
melting
8
heat & pressure
OC
EA
NI
C
weathering &
erosion
Sedimentary
Rock
CONTINENTAL PLATE
g&e
rosio
n
Metamorphic
Rock
melting
Magma
Granite, the most common type of
intrusive igneous rock, makes up much
of the Sierra Nevadas.
9
LIFE ZONES
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
10
11
MY NOTES & SKETCHES
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
WHAT I CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Individuals, communities, and environments are interconnected; you can
make a difference in your daily life by protecting the balance between the
three! Every action counts. Below are a few ideas of actions you can take.
GARBOLOGY
Garbology is the STUDY OF WASTE— what’s in our trash
and where does it go? Find out more at garbology.org
FOOD WASTE
Conserve Resources and Energy
(Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!)
1. Recycle your plastic, aluminum, glass, batteries, paper, and
cardboard products.
2. Turn off lights and appliances when they are not in use.
3. Walk, ride a bike, carpool, or take public transportation.
5. Turn off the faucet and take shorter showers.
Respect the Environment
1. Follow the Leave No Trace Seven Principles.
2. Plant native trees and plants.
3. Start your own garden and compost pile.
POUNDS (lbs.)
4. Use cloth bags for groceries and reusable containers for food.
4. Pick up trash around your school or home.
5. Buy local and seasonal food when possible.
Learn and Share
‘‘
1. Spend your free time outside hiking, biking, and going to the beach.
2. Learn about the plants and animals in your area.
3. Visit national and state parks.
4. Get involved with local organizations and community projects.
5. Share your knowledge and resources with others.
When I return home I will
‘‘
MEAL
What goes in
the trash?
20
What goes in
the compost bucket?
21
WEATHER
What’s the difference between climate and weather? Weather describes
the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time such as days,
weeks, or months, and climate is how the atmosphere “behaves” over
relatively long periods of time, such as decades or centuries.
90
80
70
60
TEMPERATURE
(Degrees Fahrenheit)
My Weather Observations & Predictions
50
40
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
32
BAROMETRIC PRESSURE
(Air Pressure in Inches)
DAY 1
31
30
29
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
100
HUMIDITY
(Percent of Water Vapor in Air)
DAY 2
80
60
40
20
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
25
WIND SPEED
(Miles Per Hour)
DAY 3
20
15
10
5
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
22
DAY 4
23
VOCABULARY
24
Abiotic: anything that is not alive or never
was alive (such as air and water)
Adaptation: a physical trait or behavior that
helps an organism survive
Biodiversity: the variety of different living
things in a particular environment
Biomonitoring: the study of an ecosystem’s
overall health by surveying for the presence
of organisms
Biotic: anything that is or once was alive
(such as animals and dead leaves)
Carbon: a common element that often bonds
with other elements such as hydrogen and
oxygen and is present in all living things
Carnivore: an animal that eats mostly meat
Climate Change: changes in long-term
weather patterns (climate) due to many factors
Consumer: an organism that needs to
eat other organisms and can’t produce its
own food
Decomposer: an organism that consumes
dead or decaying material, breaks it down,
and returns the organic nutrients to the
environment
Ecology: the study of the natural environment
and of the relationships of organisms to one
another and their surroundings
Ecosystem: all the interconnected parts,
physical and biological, of a particular area
Erosion: the carrying away of land or soil
by wind, water, or ice
Extrusive: relating to magma hardening
above the Earth’s surface
Food Web: a way of representing various
paths of energy moving through an ecosystem
through the consumption of food
Geology: a science that deals with the history
of the Earth, especially as recorded in rocks
Habitat: the place where an organism lives,
which provides what it needs to survive
Herbivore: an animal that eats mostly plants
Intrusive: relating to magma hardening
below the Earth’s surface
Invertebrate: an animal without a backbone
Life Zone: a region characterized by specific
plants and animals
Macroinvertebrate: an invertebrate that
can be seen without any extra magnification
Magma: hot, liquid rock
Migration: the patterned movement of
organisms to follow food sources or better
weather conditions
Moraine: an accumulation of earth and stones
carried and finally deposited by a glacier
Native: organisms that originated in the
district or habitat in which they live
Niche: the role of an organism in its
community
Omnivore: an animal that eats both plants
and animals
Phenology: the study of repeating life cycle
events of organisms
Producer: an organism that makes its own
food (such as plants)
Riparian: relating to or living on the edge
of a waterway (such as a stream or lake)
Saprophyte: a plant living on dead or
decaying matter
Stewardship: the careful and responsible
management of something entrusted to
one’s care
Subduction: the process of the edge of
one crustal plate descending below the
edge of another
Succession: a change in an ecosystem as
organisms, especially plants, respond to
and modify their environment
Symbiosis: an interdependent relationship
between species
Watershed: all the land that drains into
a specific body of water
Weather: the condition of the atmosphere
due to wind, temperature, clouds,
precipitation, and barometric pressure