Geology, Ecology, and History

by Gene Gade

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Here on the hill east of Casper near the new National Historic Trails Center, it's easy to see how the geology, ecology and history of Wyoming are all intertwined.

The break in the Rocky Mountains just west of Casper was the natural transportation route used by the early pioneers.

That gap is also a wind tunnel that funnels the westerly winds right up onto this hillside carrying with sand and piling it up.

The sand in turn is responsible for the vegetation we see here.

We know that these sand dunes have been here for a long time. Just a mile from here there's a site where native americans drove a now-extinct species of bison into the sand dunes to slow them down and kill them.

As you drive around Wyoming, remember that the ecology, geology and human history are intimately related. I'm Gene Gade from the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service.