ID, Craters of the Moon National Preserve
Sights along the 7 mile loop road (open from May through November) gives one the
impression that you are entering a lifeless void. A landscape so similar to our planetary neighbors
that it has been utilized by National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) in training astronauts for
walks on the moon.
The few plants that do survive include
the rugged sagebrush and bitterbrush. Providing shelter
for a number of birds and reptiles that have also adapted
to this desert environment.
Mankind has always intrigued by how life
adapts to the earth's extreme environments. Be it in the frigid Artic, dry Sahara desert, boiling hot springs of Yellowstone or here at these barren craters. Hoping to learn something that might help extend his own limits of survival or possibly bioengineer organisms that can survive the extremes of other planets.
Plants such as the sagebrush and
bitterbrush are able to tap water deep in the soil by
using their extensive root system that burrow up to 50
feet into the ground. Cactus survive by storing water in
their tissues and having an impermeable outside tissue
layer to prevent water evaporation. While other plants
survive by having very small leaf surfaces. The part of a
plant that loses the most moisture.
Craters of the Moon has 50 campsites at
the park's campground which are open year-round. Crater's
of the Moon National Preserve, PO Box 29, Arco, ID 83213
(208) 527-3257.
