Wupatki National Monument

President Calvin Coolidge declared Wupatki as a national monument in northern Arizona 100 years ago. It gave visitors a chance to see close up the rock-walled structures built by Ancestral Puebloans almost a thousand years before.

The National Park Service is seeking public comment for a study focusing on wilderness preservation at Wupatki National Monument northeast of Flagstaff.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says the body of a Utah man has been found in Wupatki National Monument north of Flagstaff.

More than 96% of the Coconino County monument qualifies under the Wilderness Act of 1964.

The National Park Service says a plan to increase backcountry access at Wupatki National Monument won’t have major effects on the natural, cultural and human environment.

The Tunnel Fire burned through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and headed north toward the edge of Wupatki National Monument, through a woodland of pinyon-juniper trees. That region experienced a dramatic die-off of junipers in the last few years. Before the fire, National Park Service staff partnered with NASA to map the dead trees using satellite images. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with ecologist Nicole Ramberg-Pihl, a member of the NASA team, about their findings.

The Tunnel Fire burned through the entirety of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument east of Flagstaff, but staff say patchworks of vegetation—and the Visitor Center—survived the flames. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

A joint project between NASA and the National Park Service mapped a massive die-off of juniper trees in northern Arizona. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, it raises concerns about the long-term loss of wildlife habitat and other ecosystem services.

The National Park Service has extended the public comment period through Jan. 30 for its proposed backcountry management plan at Wupatki National Monument.

This year’s abundant monsoon season has brought out thousands of rarely seen three-eyed “dinosaur shrimp”. The eggs of these tadpole-size Triops can lie…