Olympic National Park is located in the north west of Washington and was established in 1938 by President Roosevelt. This park is renowned for its diverse ecosystem which is divided into three distinct regions, the Olympic Mountains, pacific coastline and the temperate rainforest. The temperate rainforest is made of extensive old growth trees surrounded by glacier clad peaks interspersed with extensive alpine meadows and is one of the examples of temperate rainforest that is still intact in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to that the Olympic Mountains have eleven major rivers that drain in them offering the best habitat for fish species in the country not to mention the wilderness coastline which is about 100 km and one of the longest undeveloped coasts in United States (McNulty, 2009).
This park is one of the national park systems with the most diverse life forms. It stretches from rocky coast to ice covered mountain peaks which forms countless places for animals to live. The diversity of the landscape also leads to a variety of life forms in this park. These life forms include marine mammals found in the coast, terrestrial mammals, amphibians, fish, reptiles, invertebrates, and birds. In order to understand where these animals can be found in the park, it is important that we understand the different ecosystem in this park. The coastal portion of this park is rugged, sandy beach which is 73 miles long and a few miles wide. This coastline is inhabited by two native communities, the Hoh people and Quileute people. Hoh community is found at the mouth of Hoh River while the Quileute community is found at the mouth of Quileute River. The coastline has remained unchanged for many years apart for the impact which is caused by the pounding storms and surf. This coastline is a habitat for a variety of animals including the shellfish, raccoons, shore birds, bear, deer, river otters and other creatures. These animals are biologically located in the coastline because this where their ecological niche is. They form a natural food web which ensures that all of them survive through a mutual, symbiotic or any other relationship. For example the coastline has aquatic plants which acts as producers; herbivores like the water flees, copepods; small carnivores like the Cray fish, dragon fly; medium carnivores like chain pickerel; and large carnivores like the king fisher’s. All these animals rely on each other for their living (Hamilton, 2008).
The temperate rainforest forms the second region of the park; just like the coastline it has many types of life forms are found here. It is located in the western side of the park and it include the Quinault and Hoh Rain forest which get an annual rainfall of about 150 inches making it the wettest region in the continent of US. This forest is dominated by western hemlock and Sitka spruce tree species which grow to a tremendous size of about 300 feet high and 23 feet in circumference. Other types of species found throughout this forest include black cottonwood, bigleaf maple, Douglas-fir vine maple, western redcedar and red alder. In this forest nearly every space is occupied by living plant with ferns, lichens and mosses covering almost everything. Another type of ground cover in this region is sorrel. One problem caused by the dense ground cover is that it is hard for seedlings to get a start and most of them end up germinating on fallen trees. As they germinate they send their roots into the logs to the ground and eventually the logs decompose leaving a young tree to grow and flourish. However, this dense vegetation cover has major advantages in that it provide good habitats for animals living in the rain forest and also helps in keeping the rainforest healthy by keeping the vegetation under control. Animals found in this region include birds such as winter wren, raven, thrush, pileated woodpecker, western robin, gray jay, and junco; mammals such as jumping mouse, river otter, black tailed deer, Douglas squirrel, and black bear; amphibians, reptiles and insects. In this region plants acts like the producer providing food to the herbivores in the region, the herbivores provide food the carnivores and the food chain continue in that order. However there is one unique biological interrelationship in this region in that some kinds of plant in this region like epiphytes live on others. These plants do not come into contact with the ground but certainly they are not parasite. These plants make the forest to have a jungle appearance (McNulty, 2009).
The Olympic Mountains also acts as a habitat for a variety of plant and animal species. These mountains though not very high play a very major role in maintaining the ecological condition of this park. The ecosystem of these mountains however, varies depending on the elevation. Those with lower elevation support epiphyte rich rainforest of Douglas fir, Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar. Since these mountains are surrounded on three sides by water, they retain a distinctive character which developed from their isolation. As a result these mountains forms a habitat for several animals and plants which are unique to Olympics which clearly shows how geographical isolation results to genetic diversification. One of the most striking examples of an animal in this region is the Olympic marmot which has distinctive behavioral and chromosomal patterns. Other species found in these mountains include the Olympic Mountain synthyris, Beardslee, flett’s violet, Olympic Chipmunk, piper’s bellflower, Olympic snow mole, and Cresceti trout among others (Hamilton, 2008).
Despite Olympic National Park being a very beautiful natural scenery, it is being faced with numerous problems most of which being as a result of human intrusion. One of the problems that the park is facing is the issue of goats. These goats were brought in the park during 1920s from British Columbia, Alaska and Canada. The original number brought in was 12 but to date the number has increased to a few hundred. The increase in population of these goats has been detrimental to many native plant species in that region. One major problem caused by these goats is that they eat and tramp on the vegetation which is very important to the fragile eco system of the park. They have also created wallows and scraped away the cover crop there by accelerating soil erosion. Over the years the park has tried getting rid of these goats by use of sterilization and flying them by helicopter to no avail. The park is currently considering killing these goats but this has been faced by a lot of opposition from animal rights advocates and environmentalists (Houston, Schreiner & Moorhead, 1994).
The second problem this park is facing is the issue of atmospheric pollution. Industrial pollution and exhaust from vehicle has led to acidic rain which has greatly compromised the quality of water within the national park. This has caused a lot of harm to the delicate organisms like fish and amphibians in these water bodies. The development of agricultural land around the park has also had a lot of impact on the stability and health of the national park. Many domesticated animals can spread diseases and pests to the wild animals. The quality of water and air in the coastal region is also being threatened by areas adjacent to the park where there is large application of herbicides during timber production. . The issue of concessions introduced to increase visitation to the park and also enable people to enjoy in the park has also led to negative impacts to the park ecosystem. The private companies allowed to sell their products in the park to visitors only give 25 % of their earning to the government which is very little when compared to the damage caused to the park ecosystem due to pollution brought about by tourist littering. Another problem facing Olympic National Park is the issue of habitat loss and degradation. This is mainly caused by human intrusion in the parks where they are sometimes engaged in some activities which degrades the park. One of the activities causing habitat loss is logging. When trees are cut down, the living places of many species are eliminated leading to loss of biodiversity in the park. Logging and removal of vegetation leads to removal of organic material which is necessary for soil replenishment, in addition to that the machinery also disturb the soil. The other major problem facing the park is the issue of campfires which cause a lasting impact to the park. The fire destroys the plant and animal species (McNulty, 2009).
To prevent further destruction of the park, many efforts have been made to ensure that the natural ecosystem around the park is maintained. One of these efforts is halting and reversing the habitat destruction, degradation and fragmentation. This has been made possible by passing various Acts. One the Act protecting this park is the Act of Congress which was passes in 1938. 95% of the park is also managed as a wilderness and 5% as a natural area. There is also a management plan to remove the remaining goats from the park. Another effort the management has taken is encouraging collection of native plants so that they can be used for future restoration projects.
As an individual one can help preserve the diversity of the park by doing a variety of many things. First, one should learn about the importance of natural habitats which will equip him with the necessary knowledge of habitat conservation. The second step one can take is reducing pollution in the park by avoiding littering which damage the wildlife habitat. Individuals should always inspect their campsite and ensure that they have collected all the leftover food, trash and litter. They should also ensure that they do not urinate in Park Rivers. One should also try to minimize incidents of campfires by making sure that they do not light up the fire in restricted areas. In collaboration with those taking care of the parks individuals can prevent the spread of invasive species in the parks by ensuring that those in the neighborhood do not plant invasive plant species which may be transferred in the park (Miller & Spoolman, 2008).
