Regulations
- Register before your climb and check in immediately upon your return.
- Observe any posted route closures. Contact the monument for specific closure areas.
- Camping is only allowed in the designated campground. Camping and bivouacking are not permitted on the Tower.
- Leashed pets are only allowed in developed areas including the campground, picnic area, roadways, and parking lots. Pets are not allowed on (or off) trails. Leaving pets tied-up unattended is also prohibited. Pets should be safely confined inside a vehicle or left in the care of a trusted person. If possible, leave your pet at home (temperatures inside vehicles often exceed 100 F during May-September.)
- Pull your ropes. Leaving unattended ropes or gear on the Tower is not permitted. Leave the rock as you found it. Chipping holds, gluing holds, gardening, and excessive route cleaning are prohibited. Power drills are prohibited. Do not install new bolts or fixed pitons. Existing anchors may be replaced with a permit.
Discovering Seasonal Changes
A park biologist shares his discovery of a mayfly in a creek to a young girl. Photo by National Park Service
When studying how environments change seasonally — called phenology --— scientists alone can't collect enough data. Through Nature's Notebook, volunteers on public lands nationwide help scientists better understand ecosystem health by tracking annual changes in plant and animal species, such as what time of year a flower blooms. Over time, these regular observations generate long-term data sets that show useful patterns, like changes to agricultural growing seasons. The information also helps scientists track the effects of climate change. Nature’s Notebook has standard how-to instructions and tools for observing and recording information for more than 900 species — making data entry as easy and convenient as using mobile apps on an iPhone or Android.
Tweeting for Earthquakes
US Geological Survey Tweet Earthquake Dispatch from a recent San Francisco Bay area earthquake. Photo by USGS
When earthquakes strike, the speed of social media helps report information and support earthquake response. Tweets go up in seconds, while scientific alerts can take as long as 20 minutes. As part of their National Earthquake Information Center, US Geological Survey uses Tweet Earthquake Dispatch (called TED for short) to analyze data on social media from people who have felt shaking — collecting information to inform scientific reports. TED (@USGSted) not only collects data, but distributes alerts and updates for earthquakes worldwide.
Birdwatching Across Borders
Volunteer albatross counters systematically count nests, resulting in record breaking nest count numbers for the 2015 hatch year. Photo by US Fish and Wildlife Service
Wildlife doesn't recognize country boundaries, and citizen science can help make it easier to track key species. The North American Breeding Bird Survey is an international effort between the US Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service to monitor North American bird populations. Each year, thousands of dedicated birdwatchers collect data on more than 400 bird species throughout the continent. Information is used by land managers, scientists and the public to set bird conservation priorities and inform planning. The data also supports research on changes in bird populations like estimating the population size of different bird species.
Interested in being a scientist for a day? Check out ways you can help make a difference.
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