This summer my family and I visited Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). When we were there we hiked and drove around the mountains. It was really beautiful there and it was a whole different type of environment. As we were exploring it, I started thinking about how there are parts of the mountains that are completely natural and other parts that are full of man-made things and humans. 

Throughout the world, humans and animals struggle to coexist in a way that works well for both parties. More often than not, humans will inhabit too much of the historical territories of the local wildlife. Humans also impact the landscape, terrain and plants of an area. Many areas like forest preserves, national parks, agricultural areas and cities lean hard in one direction, and some have gone from one side to the other. 

Although there is no perfect solution to this complication, humans around the world are striving to preserve a variety of different natural areas. RMNP is an area preserved for natural wildlife. However, RMNP only covers a portion of the Rocky Mountains. Most of the area demonstrates a good balance of nature and human activity.

One danger that affects the people, animals and landscape of an area is wildfires. Many of the trees are Ponderosa Pines, which grow 30-125 ft. Although those fully grown trees can survive most fires, the same can not be said of the other vegetation that calls the park home.

The last wildfire that took place in RMNP, known as the East Troublesome Fire, was on October 21, 2020. An article on the RMNP’s official website states that it was the worst wildfire in the park’s 107-year history, burning over 21,000 miles of the land. The less destructive Cameron Peak Fire impacted about 9,000 miles. Four years later, we can still see evidence of the fires, and the land has still not recovered.

Although we cannot completely protect the mountains from wildfires, there are preventive measures in place. The National Park Service states that 85% of all wildfires are started by humans. In RMNP, any means of fire is banned from the park except for designated areas for camping. Grills are built into those areas as well. However, other forms of fire are banned completely or require a permit. 

The national park is not the only part affected by wildfires. Many of the mountains and foothills that are not a part of RMNP are full of people and small towns that would also be endangered. 

The mountain dwelling towns nearby are not like the towns here in Illinois. One significant difference is the altitude. The town of Granby, CO, is 7,935 feet above sea level; Fraser, CO, is 8,813ft above sea level; and Boulder, CO, is 5,430 feet above sea level. Towns near Kaneland, like Sugar Grove, Batavia, and Elburn, are, respectively, only 699 feet, 666 feet and 814 feet above sea level. 

Although there are flat areas in the Rocky Mountains, most houses are built onto the hills with neighborhoods spiraling up. The flat areas are used for small business businesses and shops as well as farms. Unlike farms in the Chicago suburbs, which grow corn and soybeans, these farms are grazing pastures for horses. They have both flat land and mountainous hills on which to roam each day. 

In addition to horses being raised in the mountains, there are a variety of local wildlife that live in towns and mountains nearby. Before humans settled in the Rocky Mountains, these animals grazed in the areas which are now inhabited by horses. Many of them have moved deeper or higher into the mountains. It is not uncommon, however, to still see moose, elk, marmot, ground squirrels and a variety of different birds out your window or on your way to the store. The deeper you get in RMNP, the larger variety you see. Bighorn sheep, black bears, coyotes and deer can be seen in the park in addition to those animals that are common in and out of it.

National parks were invented to preserve natural history and the human free nature of an area. RMNP is no different. In order to observe and gather information on the animals in their natural way of life, they use animal cameras, such as the one in the picture above.

This is one of many ways that RMNP and all National Parks attempt to find a balance between humans and nature in a wildlife prioritized way. They also strive to do this by making hiking trails to keep people in specific spaces and prevent them from wandering all over the place. Stepping off the trail can damage the ground and change the natural erosion of an area. If you step on a plant, you can damage, kill or injure it, causing a rippling effect on the other plants and animals that rely on it. 

Not only are trails important, but what they are made of is important too. All trails in RMNP are made to be environmentally friendly. The trails are paved with small wood chips, soil and gravel that matches local materials. The bridges and signs are simply made with wood and carsonite, a composite made from glass fiber reinforced polymers. All of these parts of the trails are crafted to be friendly to local plants and animals, as they coexist with the trails as well.  

The trails also follow natural paths in the landscape so natural formations were not destroyed to create them. This can cause the trails to weave in a strange fashion at times. They also must zigzag up the mountain to the safety and ease of hikers due to elevation. There are 355 miles of hiking trails, 28 miles of unpaved roads and 92 miles of paved roads. 

The most notable of these roads is Trail Ridge Road. Trail Ridge Road is a paved, two lane, 48-mile road that runs along the tops of the mountains. There are many lookout points with gorgeous views where you can pull over. The road has short rock walls on both sides. These walls are made of local stones and are there for the safety of people driving on the road. That way, if your car skids or slides, you will not fall off a mountain. A car crash would have a devastating impact on not only the people in the car and their families, but also the nature around them. 

As you get higher up in the mountains, there are more precautions you need to take. The Alpine Tundra consists of 89,099 acres, according to National Parks Service, and is very fragile. There are many signs on the tundra sternly instructing humans to stay on the trails and not to set even a foot on the tundra. The Alpine Tundra is extremely fragile, and one footprint can severely affect it. A couple footprints in one area can kill the plants and cause the soil to blow away. This can take hundreds of years to recover from. Despite all the signage, many people do not follow this rule because they would much rather get a better view for their pictures.

Another sign that appears in many places in the Rocky Mountains states not to overload trash cans or place trash in specific places because of bears. The only type of bear in the Rocky Mountains is the black bear. The National Parks Service explains that there are 20-24 bears that live in RMNP. Unlike humans, animals do not recognize the borders of the National Park, so all of the visitors must be mindful of the local bears. 

These precautions are in place to prevent bears from finding trash cans. It has been noted that if a bear finds a trash can, they will keep coming back to it to get more food. This is dangerous for the bear, but also for the people who live in those areas. Each time a bear gets food from a trash can successfully, they become more confident and more likely to be aggressive towards any human they might meet on their way to a trash can. They call these bears nuisance bears, and they are either trapped and moved elsewhere or killed. This is something that would not happen if humans were responsible for their trash. 

Like all places in the world, the people who live and work near the Rocky Mountains are working to find a balance between nature and humans who call it home. It is not perfect and there are definitely things that could be worked on, but, all in all, they are coexisting well.