Pinnacles-Nationalpark

Pinnacles National Park is a nature reserve on the type of a national park in the U.S. state of California. The area is characterized by formations of volcanic origin from different geological eras. The craggy rocks and the low fertility have prevented human use and thus preserve the original nature. Therefore, the Pinnacles National Park was a suitable location for the reintroduction of the California condor.

The Pinnacles area was around 1900 discovered as a tourist destination, set in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a national monument under protection and developed in the 1930s as part of the New Deal. It is managed by the National Park Service. Since 1976, approximately 60 % of the area are provided in addition under the special protection of Wilderness Areas. Beginning of 2013 it was upgraded to a National Park, to highlight the special importance and to promote tourism.

The reserve is named for rock needle after the English word pinnacle. A homonymous National Park is located in the Australian state of Queensland.

Description

The area lies almost entirely in the San Benito County, about 130 miles south of San Francisco and approximately 50 km east of the Pacific coast, a good 10 kilometers east of Soledad, where a spur road from U.S. Highway 101 branches off to the western part of the reserve. The National Park is one of the Gabilan Mountains, a small mountain range within the California Coast chain.

The mountains are in the area of Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and dry, hot summers. Large temperature fluctuations occur both between seasons and between day and night. In winter frost is not uncommon in the higher elevations falls occasionally snow. The rainfall of around 400 mm a year fall almost exclusively from December to March. In high summer daytime achieved in the high altitudes temperatures of 40 ° C, at night often attracts mist from the west of the coastal plain and lowers temperatures only slightly above 10 ° C.

The valleys east and west of the area are at about 300 m. In the center of the park, the high peaks reach 800 m, in the south of the reserve, some less striking, but higher mountains are about 1000 m high.

Geology

The Pinnacles National Park is situated on the edge of the San Andreas Fault zone on the Pacific plate, which moves relative by plate tectonic processes to the North American plate to the northwest. Through these movements on the fault system, the area of the park was separated from its origin, so that its geological continuation today is far to the southeast.

The bedrock of the mountain is composed of Cretaceous granite and granodiorite with an age of about 78-100 million years ago. On it, the Pinnacle Formation Volcanic rises; volcanic rocks (mainly rhyolite, andesite and dacite ) from a volcanic activity phase at the beginning of the Miocene about 23 million years ago. The High Peaks, the most striking crags of the area consist of time resulting breccias, volcanic ash and lava flows. The rapidly solidified and resistant against weathering breccias are derived from the material of several landslides on the cone of the volcano, which reached open water and were transported there as far turbidite under water. The Neenach Volcano, from which the rocks of the Pinnacles formation, is now about 315 km southeast of the reserve in Lancaster, California. From a distance and the known age of the rock, a migration velocity of the Pacific plate and the present-day reserve of about 1.5 cm can be calculated in the year. The earthquakes occurring have caused sharp cracks and fractures in the rock formations.

The fissures in the rock weathered under the influence of strong temperature fluctuations to today's distinctive shapes. The erosion caused by geological formations of the area include the rare Talus Caves. These caves are the result of crags around the base of the rock formations that have fallen on the boulders of volcanic talus of different sizes so that they have the columns are not completely filled, but got stuck in the columns or they covered. In the resulting cavities extend up to several hundred meters. The two largest were additionally rinsed by water courses and are accessible from both sides, so they can be hiked.

Ecosystem

The rolling hills that characterize the vast majority of the area is covered with a thicket vegetation called chaparral - similar to the maquis in the Mediterranean. It covers about 80 % of the protected area and consists mainly of oaks, especially the kind Quercus berberidifolia, an evergreen relative of the oak. In deeper layers of the conservation area and on the two small streams Bear Creek and Chalone Creek forests of pine, California buckeyes grow (Aesculus californica ), plane trees, poplars and various oaks.

The vegetation in the highlands between the boulders consists of grass communities in which numerous flowering plants are seen in the spring. Among the early bloomers in March include the California poppy, Boraginaceae, savory and heron beaks. In April follow Corydalis species, sage and lupine. In May, the climate is already very dry and hot, it bloom Penstemon, Buckwheat and several types of orchids. In mid-June, the flowering season is over.

The most extreme locations of the area are the rocks themselves on them lichens grow, the occurrence can be investigated systematically only since 2003. Approximately 300-350 species are detected or suspected in the reserve. In the columns and on rocky heads, higher plants, including especially pines grow.

In the area of ​​149 bird species, 49 mammal species, 23 reptile species, 6 species of amphibians, 68 species of butterflies, 40 species of dragonflies, approximately 400 species of bees, and thousands more species of invertebrates are detected.

Of particular importance is the area for bats and birds of prey. 14 species of bats live in the crevices and caves and the Pinnacles in tree holes in the deeper layers of the protected area. Three of them are on the Red List of the State of California. Twenty raptor species were observed in the National Park, ten of which breed regularly in the area. The prairie falcon here has its highest density in the United States. The great diversity of birds of prey owes the area the ideal breeding conditions in the crevices in combination with the good food supply in the form of large insects, reptiles and small rodents, the grass communities and rocky landscapes and larger rodents and songbirds in the valleys and the agricultural land south and east of the conservation area.

The conservation measures of reserve management are mainly in the protection of birds of prey. She has considerable success. Since 2005 hatch after an absence of almost 50 years back peregrine successful in reserve. The long-eared owl, turkey vulture and the Weißschwanzgleitaar or American -winged Kite ( Elanus leucurus ) have returned to the Pinnacles National Park.

In the center of attention is the California condor. In the 1980s, extinct in the wild, the survival of the species is the goal of most captive breeding and reintroduction program of the United States. In the 1990s, the first phase of the reintroduction of captive -reared condors in southern California and Arizona began. Since 2003, the National Park in central California is added as the project site and by 2010 some 30 birds were released here. The reintroduction is continued in the following years. The small population has since 2006 Contact the condor reintroduction in the neighboring area of Big Sur, the united zentralkalifornische population now consists of 61 copies (as of November 2012). In 2009, the first wild condors from Pinnacles were old enough for reproduction and two pairs of one Pinnacles and Big Sur condor began to brood. One of the pairs bred just outside the park. 2010 have been discussed in reserve again for the first time in early April slipped in the Pinnacles area of ​​more than 100 years first California condor. Until the end of 2012 there were two successful broods in the field.

To protect the original flora and fauna neophytes and invasive species be controlled, alien species that have migrated through human activities in the protected area. A lot of effort was needed to exclude wild pigs house with resulting from crosses of wild boars and have settled in Southern California. They burrow in search of food on the sensitive soils of the area and change with their selective diet, the composition of the plant world. Therefore, until 2003, a fence around the entire reserve was drawn, which is safe from subversion and has sufficiently large meshes for passing almost all species except the pigs. In the fenced area, all pigs were trapped or shot.

History

A systematic colonization of the protected area by the indigenous population is not detectable. Arrowheads and grinding stones show that the Pinnacles area was visited at least seasonally. The Costanoans said Indian tribes of California's coastal region in the fall of the hills and mountain ranges to collect all about acorns, which accounted for a substantial part of their diet.

In the 18th century the historic California became part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The closest Spanish mission, from where it takes its place Soledad emerged was only about ten kilometers west of the protected area. It is rumored that in the second half of the 19th century, the bandit Tiburcio Vasquez (* 1839, † 1875 by hanging ) have buried treasures in the caves of the Pinnacles.

Because of the extreme climate and the low fertility used until 1891 a settler named Schuyler Hain the Homestead Act and built a small farm in present-day reserve. Inspired by the beauty of the rock formations he began tours of the area and into the caves to organize and sat for decades for an official conservation area a. 1908 showed President Theodore Roosevelt at the heart of Pinnacles with initially 1.5 km ² one of the first National Monuments from, almost simultaneously with Muir Woods National Monument and the Grand Canyon (then as a National Monument, today Grand Canyon National Park ).

In order to stimulate the economy in the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the "New Deal" called in 1933 to life. Also in the Pinnacles National Monument worked men of the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of the government job creation program on the development of the area for tourism. Paved roads from both sides, paths in the caves with bridges and ramps, hiking trails in the rocky areas and the first visitors' center were built at this time. In addition, the small Bear Creek to Bear Gulch Reservoir was dammed.

Since its protective position, the National Monument was expanded many times: from first 1.5 km ² on just under 110 square km. In 1976, around 60 % of the area were placed under extended protection as Wilderness Area and recognized as Pinnacles Wilderness. It was renamed in 2013 in honor of Schuyler Hain Hain Wilderness.

An appreciation of the National Monuments National Park has been discussed for a long period, the National Park Service rejected it because the area does not meet the internal requirements for a national park. However, politicians from the state of California operated the rededication further, as they increased awareness and promotion of tourism as a promised themselves. Mid-2012 brought Sam Farr, the local Member of the House of Representatives a bill. The appreciation was justified that the Pinnacles area is the only protected area of ​​the federal government in the southern California coastal mountains with the typical flora and fauna and the native range of the California condor. In the Senate of the United States in late 2012 Barbara Boxer, Representative of California, a homonymous brought a draft, which was adopted within weeks. On January 10, 2013 President Barack Obama signed the law with which the revaluation was effective.

Pinnacles National Park today

The High Peaks are located in the center of the protected area. Disconnect the East from the West part; these two parts are connected in the National Park just over footpaths. The shortest road route is about 100 km long and runs through King City. Therefore, there is on each side a visitor information center. Only on the east side there is a campsite. Due to the extreme heat and drought in the summer months, a visit to the reserve only in the colder months makes sense. The highlight of the season is in the spring when the higher altitudes are strewn among the rocks of flowering plants.

The National Park is a recreational area for the Greater San Francisco and the coastal region. Except interested in natural history and hikers he attracts especially free climbers. The craggy rocks and their plans offer a variety of technically challenging routes, mainly in the difficulty 5.6-5.10 after the Yosemite Decimal System. To protect the birds of prey some rocks and climbing walls are locked during the breeding season.

Since 2007, the process continues to update the general management plan of the park. In particular, the use of the formerly agricultural expansion areas in the east of the conservation area is discussed. In 2010, funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were released, which in early 2012 on the west side of a new visitor center was opened. It is no longer on the ecologically sensitive river, which can be characterized largely rehabilitated.

Beginning of 2010 has established a partnership with the National Park Quebrada del Condorito in Argentina, the local center for the protection of the Andean condor of the National Park. The authorities intend to cooperate in matters of raptor protection.