The Midden is the resource management newsletter of Great Basin National Park. Both the current issue and back issues are available on this website. Scroll down to find PDF files of complete issues or html files of specific articles.  All files are uploaded in PDF, readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader, unless otherwise noted.              

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Some Middens are available in two different sizes.  The smaller file version will upload more quickly, but photos may be of poor quality.  The larger files will display all photos clearly, but may take longer to download.

Midden Newletters

Winter 2008  (399 KB)         Winter 2008 (2,149 KB)
Summer 2008 (412 KB)       Summer 2008 (2,767 KB)
Winter 2007 (238 KB)          Winter 2007 (2,541 KB)
Summer 2007 (272 KB)       Summer 2007 (3,096 KB)
Winter 2006 (240 KB)          Winter 2006 (2,435 KB)
Summer 2006 (208 KB)       Summer 2006 (2,243 KB)
Winter 2005 (280 KB)          Winter 2005 (4,989 KB) 
Summer 2005 (182 KB)       Summer 2005 (2,814 KB)
Winter 2004 (157 KB)          Winter 2004 (1458 KB)
Summer 2004 (195 KB)       Summer 2004 (1834 KB)
Winter 2003   (html)
Summer 2003 (html)
Winter 2002   (html)
Summer 2002 (html)
Winter 2001   (PDF)
Summer 2001 (PDF)

What is a midden?
A midden is a fancy name for a pile of trash, often left by pack rats. Pack rats leave middens near their nests, which may be continuously occupied for hundreds, or even thousands, of years. Each layer of trash contains twigs, seeds, animal bones and other material, which is cemented together by urine. Over time, the midden becomes a treasure trove of information for plant ecologists, climate change scientists and others who want to learn about past climatic conditions and vegetation patterns dating back as far as 25,000 years. Great Basin National Park contains numerous middens.