Everyone who works in a national park enjoys a unique experience, but for Jackson “Jax” Maldonado, his summer 2023 internship put all his educational and research interests to work at some of the highest elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park. Jax’s work in community science will be represented in a poster presentation at the Rocky Mountain National Park Biennial Research Conference in Estes Park from March 6-7, 2024.
Jax, a senior at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., majoring in biology and psychology, was assigned to work at the Alpine Visitor Center and tasked with developing a new community science project. With recent experience doing plant and pollinator work at Yosemite National Park, Jax designed a research project that will engage visitors in identifying and cataloging alpine wildflowers.
Jackson “Jax” Maldonado, Alpine Community Science intern (NPS Photo).
The community science project will have both learning and hands-on components, Maldonado says. Visitors first will learn about the tundra and wildflowers as well as the effects of climate change. From there, with the assistance and supervision of park staff and volunteers, visitors will analyze and document plant species, growth and distribution.
“Jackson was the perfect person to help launch the Alpine Community Science Program at Rocky. He brought enthusiasm, skill and focus to the project,” says Interpretive Ranger Cynthia Langguth, who is the supervisor of the Alpine Visitor Center. “He set us up to pilot the program in 2024.”
“This will add to the park’s understanding of the alpine tundra while engaging visitors in meaningful science in their national park,” Langguth says.
In some ways, Jax is following in the footsteps of Rocky’s pioneer alpine botanist, Dr. Bettie Willard. He worked in the very plot of tundra where Willard conducted her groundbreaking research, which increased understanding of the fragility of the alpine tundra and led to government policy to increase protections of these unique landscapes.
The plot Willard marked off in 1959 and used for her research is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest alpine environment study plots in the world. The original plot measures just 10 feet by 10 feet, but protective fencing has been expanded to protect an area of 50 feet by 40 feet.
As part of his research, Jax reviewed Willard’s notes and data in park archives to and compared them to his own investigations. He found there were two plants documented by Willard that are no longer present. Much of the research centers around so-called “indicator plants,” species that help reveal when the alpine growing season begins and ends in any given year. Over time, this data enables researchers to document effects of climate change on the timing and length of the growing season in the very sensitive environment of the high country.
One of the benefits of being a researcher in Rocky’s high country is the opportunity to literally stop and smell the flowers. “The alpine forget-me-not smells like a rich, heavy perfume. It smells great,” Jax says.
Jax’s responsibilities included roving Trail Ridge Road educating visitors on what they were seeing and experiencing. He also participated in field work to introduce new breeding populations of the boreal toad within Rocky, an amphibian threatened by the deadly chytrid fungus. Jax said he has such a soft spot for toads now that he’s teamed up with one of his professors at Benedictine to conduct similar research back in Kansas.
RMNP’s Biennial Research Conference will be held from March 6-7 at the Ridgeline Hotel in Estes Park with the theme, “Challenges and Collaborations for Changing Landscapes.” The Rocky Mountain Conservancy, Rocky Mountain National Park’s official nonprofit partner, sponsors the conference, which is open to the public free of charge. More information is available at go.nps.gov/RMNPconference2024.
Jax’s internship, as well as other education and research internship opportunities, is made possible through the support of donors and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. For information on upcoming internships and fellowships, go to rmconservancy.org/work-with-us.