The Natural History of a Canyon and Its Surrounding Sagebrush Steppe

As I left the canyon's bottom and climbed over its rim, I was struck by how vast and open the sagebrush steppe is. The contrast was remarkable! Whereas the canyon is a complex of visibly discrete habitats that formed a clear, interconnected mosaic within the confines of its walls, the area above the rim is an endless, indivisible expanse of Great Basin sagebrush and grasses to the horizon and beyond.

With my first step above the rim, I left the enchantment of the canyon's gentle breezes to be greeted by the uplifting melody of a meadowlark-my welcoming committee for this phase of work. The creatures I'd meet in the sagebrush steppe would not be as intimately known as those in the canyon due to the seemingly boundless breadth of open, uniformly-appearing country and the limited time available for an extensive inventory.