MOUNT HARRISON INTERPRETIVE AREA
MOUNT HARRISON RESEARCH NATURAL AREA
"LIVING LIBRARY"
If you look to the south, you are viewing a Research Natural Area (RNA). RNAs are lands within the
National Forest system that are permanently protected for the purposes of maintaining biological diversity,
conducting research, monitoring, and fostering education. These areas serve as a "living library" where scientists
learn more by collecting and interpreting information in a natural environment that has not been disturbed.
PRESERVATION FOR THE FUTURE
RNAs help provide permanent protection of ecosystems and the organisms
that live within them. Examining RNAs over time helps us understand how
ecosystems work, and can be used as a early warning system for environmental
problems. They are places that offer protection of natural processes, as well as
rare, sesitive and endangered species for generations to come.
THE MOUNT HARRISON RNA
The Mount Harrison RHA was established in 1996 by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service
because it contained rare plant populations, healthy sagebrush-grasslands, subalpine
shrub communities, and striking geology in an isolated high-elevation ecosystem.
The RNA encompasses 381 acres of stunning beauty.
