Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Sequoia is our second oldest national park.  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are located in south-central California, in the Sierra Nevada.







Topographic Features
To the north lies the Giant Forest plateau where sequoias rise above their forest neighbors. In cathedral-like Giant Forest stands the 275-foot General Sherman giant sequoia tree, whose trunk weighs an estimated 1,385 tons and whose circumference at the ground is nearly 103 feet. To the west, in contrast to these gargantuan conifers, are the dry foothills with their oak trees and chaparral vegetation descending toward the San Joaquin Valley. To the south, and down over 5,000 vertical feet, the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River threads its rugged canyon. To the east snowcapped peaks of the Great Western Divide and the Kaweah Peaks top out on Mount Kaweah at 13,802 feet. Just out of sight beyond the divide the highest mountain in the contiguous 48 states, Mount Whitney, reaches 14,494 feet of elevation.

John Muir
Pioneering conservationist John Muir explored and named the Giant Forest. "When I entered the sublime wilderness the day was nearly done", he observed, "the trees with rosy, glowing countenances seemed to be hushed and thoughtful, as if waiting in conscious religious dependence on the sun, and one naturally walked softly and awestricken among them." With our friends Walt and Mary, Alma and I, spent 4 glorious days in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in June 2013. We had the same feeling that John Muir had walking through the beautiful Sequoia trees, gazing at the magnificent mountain peaks, fly-fishing the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River and enjoying the abundant wildlife.

Deep Canyons and High Peaks
Both Sequoia and Kings Canyon encompass the most rugged portions of the Sierra Nevada. From the highest peaks in the lower 48 states, Ice Age glaciers descended to carve some of the country's deepest canyons. In their upper reaches these gorges show the U-shaped profile characteristic of glacial gouging. At the lower elevations they resume V-shape of water-carved canyons. In Sequoia the Generals Highway climbs the stream-cut walls of the Kaweah canyon. Kings Canyon Scenic Byway passes through both geologic profiles; where it ends, you can stand on canyon floor scoured flat by glaciers and stare up at canyon walls rising thousands of feet. Extreme elevation change--from 1,500 to 14,494 feet--creates a great variety of habitats. Plants and animals inhabit life zones that range from desert heat to Arctic cold. This rich diversity stands as one of the values Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks preserve for the world.

Visiting the Parks
Flights into Fresno or Bakersfield are most convenient departure points for visiting the parks.Vehicle access is by CA 180 into Kings Canyon or CA 198 into Sequoia. The Generals Highway connects both, making loop trips possible. On our visit we used Generals Highway from our overnight accommodations at Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia to drive to and through Kings Canyon.  This drive is spectacular and highly recommended on your visit to the Parks. 

Moro Rock Trail

Moro Rock
When visiting the must see Giant Forest of Sequoias, Moro Rock is another must see quick side trip. Moro Rock is a dome-shaped granite monolith. Moro Rock parking area is 1.5 miles from Giant Forest Museum. A strenuous .25-mile trail climbs 300 vertical feet between the parking area and Moro Rock's summit. The ultimate elevation is 6,725 feet. Guardrails enclose the narrow, level area at the top of Moro Rock, and interpretive signs identify landmarks. To the north Mount Silliman and Alta Peak are visible, and to the east is the Great Western Divide with the Castle Rocks in the foreground. To the west you can see the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River winding down the canyon toward the town of Three Rivers and the hazy San Joaquin Valley. Mount Whitney,  at 14,494 feet, also rises up to the west. Bring a good camera because believe me you will want to snap many pictures while at the top of Moro, especially the beautiful Mount Whitney.

Brown "Black Bear"

Wildlife
Mule deer, yellow-bellied marmots, black bears were all seen and photographed by our party when we visited the two parks.  Our first major encounter was right at dusk while enjoying an adult beverage on our way to the Lodge restaurant a few yards from our rooms. During this short stroll we managed to casually walk up on three black bears.  We photographed for several minutes a large brown Black Bear (yes, there are brown Black Bears) and two black Black Bears feeding on berries hanging from the young bushy conifer looking trees. We had managed to see the large brown bear on our first day entering the Wuksachi Lodge area and Mary snapped a great picture of it standing on its two hind legs eating berries off a tree. We were in no hurry to leave the safe confines of our SUV. The bear must have stood 6 to 8 feet tall. What was strange about this second encounter was that Mary seemed to instantly loose her fear of bears.  I had to remind her to keep her distance before they decided she was a little too close to their main course meal.



Mule Deer Bucks

Our second major wildlife encounter occurred on our last full day before leaving the park.  Just off the main road near our overnight accommodations at Wuksachi Lodge were two very well racked mule deer bucks nosing each other.  We  carefully parked off the shoulder of the road and for about 10 minutes and were able to take photographs and videos of the two very large buck mule deer.  We commented over dinner that evening that the two deer must be brothers or father and son because you would never expect two large racked bucks to get along so well.

In addition to the large mammal sitings we saw many varieties of squirrel and chipmunk and an abundance of birds. Other wildlife not encountered by our party, but who live in the park, include Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, skunks and rabbits.  The most elusive creatures in Sequoia and Kings Canyon are the mountain lion and the wolverine.

Hiking
The main hiking season in Sequoia and Kings Canyon is early summer, the time we visited the park, through fall. Hikes in the foothills and South Fork areas, are best in the fall and spring. Trails tend to be more crowded on weekends and holidays, and throughout the summer vacation period.  We hiked many of the meadow trails that were covered in beautiful wildflowers in full colorful bloom and song birds filled your ears with their joyous tunes. On one of these trails we encountered two mule deer does frolicking the trail and a white headed woodpecker. Walt was successful in snapping a great picture with his new 50 times zoom camera of the woodpecker

It is highly suggested that you be prepared for all kinds of weather because it can turn at any time. A sunny day can turn into a cold and rainy one without much warning at higher elevations. Fortunately for us the weather was perfect every day on our tour of both of these parks. I also recommend that everyone treat wildlife with respect and keep a safe distance.

Nature Man Photography is pleased to bring you the following:

Happy Sequoia Hikers

Wildflower

Roaring River Falls

Crescent Meadow

White Headed Woodpecker

Thank-you Mary McNair for the brown Black Bear picture and Walt McNair for the White Headed Woodpecker picture.





Biologists Rescue Panther Kitten In Collier County

I received this article from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and thought you NatureIsReal lovers would enjoy and appreciate the fine work our FWC biologists perform for all of us. I have been impressed with their work ethic and dedication for many years.

A team of panther biologists rescued an approximately week-old Florida panther kitten at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Collier County in mid-January. Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida discovered the kitten while conducting research. The 1-pound male kitten had a dangerously low body temperature and was nonresponsive. “We want to give any panther kitten the best opportunity to survive in the wild,” said FWC veterinarian Dr. Mark Cunningham. “But clearly this kitten was in poor condition and almost certainly would have died without intervention.”

Biologists transported the kitten to the Animal Specialty Hospital of Florida in Naples, where veterinarians and staff performed life-saving measures. Although his condition improved quickly, he still required 24-hour care. Once the kitten was strong enough to travel, biologists transported him to Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. The young male is the fourth kitten and eighth panther to receive rehabilitation at the zoo. Because this kitten was so young at the time of rescue, he will not learn survival skills from his mother and therefore cannot be released into the wild. Although he will not return to the wild population, this panther will help to raise awareness and aid with potential research efforts. Initially the kitten will not be on public display but, once old enough, he will be transported to the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, where park visitors may observe him.

“This kitten exemplifies how joint efforts of the FWC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners are helping recover imperiled species in Florida,” said Kevin Godsea, manager of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge for the USFWS. “We are certainly pulling for him and hope he leads a long, healthy life.” The rehabilitation of this kitten would not be possible without the help of the Animal Specialty Hospital of Florida, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo and the Department of Environmental Protection’s Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

Florida residents can support conservation efforts like the rescue of this kitten by purchasing a "Protect the Panther" license plate at BuyaPlate.com. Fees from license plate sales are the primary funding source for the FWC’s research and management of Florida panthers.

For more information on Florida panthers, visit www.floridapanthernet.org.

 

Jennings State Forest

Jennings State Forest Headquarters

On a rainy Saturday February 8th Nature Man had the pleasure of accomplishing two life changing events. I graduated the second Module of the UF IFAS Master Naturalist Program Freshwater Wetlands Module and  I joined my Florida Master Naturalist Freshwater Wetlands classmates for a field trip to Jennings State Forest, which is just west of Middleburg off highway 218.  If you have never had the pleasure of hiking in Jennings State Forest I highly recommend you make it your next outdoor destination.



Acquisition of Property and Management
Jennings, a 25,301 acre State Forest, was purchased by the State of Florida's Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL), Preservation 2000, and Save Our Rivers programs. Just a reminder, Guana property was purchased by CARL funds back in the 90's. I had the pleasure of speaking at three public hearings in favor of the purchase  of Guana from Gate Petroleum. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Forestry, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission, and the St. Johns River Water Management District are responsible for the management of Jennings State Forest.



Prescribed Burn Area

Natural Communities
Jennings State Forest has more than 15 different natural communities, each with unique plants, animals and physical characteristics.  A few examples are sandhills, slope forests, flatwoods, seepage slopes, dome swamps, blackwater streams and seepage streams. The variety of natural communities accounts for the abundant wildlife that occur in the forest. Gopher frogs, otter, alligator and wading birds can be seen along North Fork Black Creek and other streams. White-tailed deer, turkey, kestrel and other birds are found in the uplands. Rare plants like Bartram's Ixia, and St. Johns Susan can be observed in the forest, as well as many uncommon herb bog plants growing in the seepage slope communities. Several steephead ravines can be found in the forest. These ravines  are located along the seepage streams leading to North Fork Black Creek.  Gopher tortoise, pine snake, gopher frog, southeastern American kestrel, indigo snake and Sherman's fox squirrel are some of the rare sandhill species protected in Jennings State Forest.

Master Naturalist Class Field Trip

Cottonmouth Water Moccasin

Today our class was led by our instructors Carol, Allan, Amy, Beth and David in a wetland area just off the North Fork Black Creek.  We were rewarded very quickly for hiking in a light cold rain by finding a beautiful, coiled, Cotton Mouth Water Moccasin who lay nearly motionless due to the conditions.  Alan got a little too close to suit the snake to take its picture and it quickly turned its head his direction. Alan immediately moved back a little to give the snake a little more breathing room. I snapped a great picture from a safe distance using my zoom lens pocket Cannon camera.   On this hike we found American Holly, Cypress Trees, Native Bamboo and Neverwet (part of the Arum Family) which is a shallow stream or pond floating water plant.

Female Turkey Scat

We next visited a recent prescribed burn area next to a woodlands pond. In the area we saw the beneficial effect of fire on plant life and thus the positive impact on the wildlife. For some reason this was to be a very poopy day. We found rather large hog scat, male and female turkey scat (yes Allan said he was able to tell the difference due the shape (female curvy, male straighter).  I'm not kidding, Allan was serious.  We also found rabbit scat and whitetail deer scat.  In this area we saw numerous wood duck boxes installed for nesting, a hatched turkey egg shell, a hooded pitcher plant that was turned yellow from the fire and turkey needle palmetto burned in the fire to form an arrowhead shape at the end of the stalk.


It was back to the Jennings Forestry Office to dry out and warm up for lunch, project presentations and graduation proceedings. Our instructors were impressed with our projects. It was easy to tell everyone had fun developing their project and presentation.  I would like to thank each of our instructors for their wonderful expertise and excellent teaching skills.  This class was highly educational due to the excellent written material, presentations, videos and especially the very enjoyable hands on field trips. I can't wait for the Coastal Systems Module.  I hope you enjoy the pictures from the today's field trip.

Nature Man Photography is pleased to bring you the following:

Cypress Dome

Hooded Pitcher Plant

Master Naturalist Freshwater Wetlands Classmates and Instructors

Native Bamboo

Neverwet

Turkey Needle Palmetto "Arrowhead"

Whitetail Deer Scat

Wood Duck Nesting Box

 

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park

Gold Head Entrance Sign

Florida State Parks - America's Best

On foggy Saturday February  1^{s t}  I joined my Florida Master Naturalist Freshwater Wetlands Classmates for a field trip to Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park.  Before I begin to tell you about the things we learned on this field trip let me tell you about the Park. Gold Head Branch is one of Florida’s first state parks and was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930’s and many of the original buildings remain. Located on rolling sandhills in North Central Florida, the park features a deep ravine where seepage springs from Gold Head Branch. Marshes, lakes and scrub provide diverse habitats for wildlife. Visitors to the park can enjoy hiking and wildlife viewing along the park’s nature trails and a 5.5 mile stretch of the Florida Trail. A large picnic area, with tables and grills, overlooks Little Lake Johnson. Nestled under the trees is a full-facility campground. Group and primitive campsites are available. Fully equipped lakefront cabins, some of which were built by the CCC, are also available for rent. Camping or cabin reservations may be made by visiting ReserveAmerica.com or by calling ReserveAmerica at 800-326-3521. Gold Head Branch is located six miles northeast of Keystone Heights on State Road 21 (6239 State Road 21, Keystone Heights, Florida 32656 Phone Number 352-473-4701).

 

Gopher Tortoise Mound

Sheelar Lake Trail

Our first stop on this field trip was the Sheelar Lake Trail. Immediately our instructors Allan, Carol and Beth pointed out several Gopher Tortoise Mounds just off the park entrance road. On the trail we learned to identify British Soldier Lichen on the sandy soil.  Next we found a parasitic wasp cocoon on a plant leaf.  Allan opened the cocoon to show us the tiny parasitic wasp that was maturing in the shelter of the cocoon. Near the lake we saw deer tracks from a running deer which some of us had mistaken as hog tracks.  Allan quickly explained that the deer was running and that is why they looked very similar to hog tracks.  In and near the lake we saw a water turtle, a sand pine, identified by Beth, and a rosemary bush, identified by Carol, near the upper rim of the lake.

British Soldier Lichen

 

Fern Loop Trail

Next on our Saturday morning adventure was the Fern Loop Trail. On this trail we discovered the crystal clear spring fed Gold Head Branch Creek. In addition, we identified the Needle Palm, Yellow Bellied Sapsucker hole rings around a Sweet Gum Tree and some white Lichen on a Sweet Gum Tree.

 

Lake Johnson

Gold Head Branch

Next we traveled to Lake Johnson where we saw several ducks in flight far off into the distance, a great Blue Heron feeding along the lake shore.  In addition, our classmate Christian flushed a large covey of beautiful Quail that were hiding in a bush in the wetland prairie left by the receding Lake Johnson.




What's left of Lake Johnson

 

We ended the day at a picnic pavilion for lunch while each of the classmates presented their assigned interpretive discussion.  It was a very entertaining and enjoyable lunch. During the presentations we were all distracted by many birds in the trees including a Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow Rump Warbler and a Carolina Wren.  Nature Is Real and alive in Gold Head Branch State Park.

Nature Man Photography is pleased to bring you the following:
 

Allan Finding us a Bug

Great Blue Heron

Parasitic Wasp Cocoon

Rosemary Bush

Sand Pine

Yellow Belly Sapsucker Rows in a Sweet Gum