Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site

Ameohtse’e Ochinee Prowers

Edward Wynkoop

John Chivington

Read about one of the books that can be found in the library at James A. Garfield National Historic Site by author Helen Hunt Jackson whom shared a mutual acquaintance, Emily Dickinson, with First Lady Lucretia Rudolph. The book was a gift to the newly elected president in January 1881.

When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change.

Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.

Climate change may have direct and/or indirect effects on many elements of Southern Plains network ecosystems, from streams and grasslands to fires and birds.

Southern Plains Network scientists monitor climate and how it may be changing at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site to better assess the condition of park resources. A weather station near the park has been in operation since 1907, providing reliable, long-term climate data. In this web article, we report on climate and weather at the park in Water Year 2024.

Climate is one of many ecological indicators monitored by the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Inventory & Monitoring (I&M). Climate data help scientists to understand ecosystem processes and help to explain many of the patterns and trends observed in other natural-resource monitoring. In NPS units of the American Southwest, three I&M networks monitor climate using the scientific protocol described here.

Southern Plains Network scientists monitor climate and how it may be changing at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site to better assess the condition of park resources. A weather station near the park has been in operation since 1907, providing reliable, long-term climate data. There was substantially less rainfall than the long-term average in all months except January and May in water year 2022.

Southern Plains Network scientists monitor climate and how it may be changing at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site to better assess the condition of park resources. A weather station near the park has been in operation since 1907, providing reliable, long-term climate data. In this web article, we report on climate and weather at the park in Water Year 2023.