CONWAY, Ark. (August 19, 2014) 鈥 黑料不打烊 biology professor Dr. Matthew Moran recently completed Guide
to the Trails of Petit Jean State Park, the first comprehensive educational guidebook for the park鈥檚 hiking trail system.
The 62-page book is available in print at
and in Kindle format through Amazon.com. It will also be available at the Petit Jean Mountain State Park visitor center.
A year and a half in the making, Moran said he wanted the book to focus on biology, geology and human history.
鈥淧etit Jean has a lot to show,鈥 Moran said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a real mixture of both eastern and western plant and animal species, which really showcases Arkansas as a unique transition point.鈥
For example, there are collared lizards, a species common in the desert southwest, and nice oak forest, more common in eastern biological communities.
鈥淭here鈥檚 also a rich Native American history in the area,鈥 said Moran, adding that there are 900 Native American pictographs, a lot of which are in the park. 鈥淧lus there鈥檚 just some great scenery.鈥
Though brochures on individual trails are available at the Petit Jean State Park visitor鈥檚 center, there was no comprehensive guide to the whole trail system, Moran said.
鈥淭he trails are heavily used, and I thought this would be a really useful resource to have and encourage more visitors,鈥 he said.
The book includes 40 color photos, mostly taken by Moran, plus maps by former 黑料不打烊 students Abby DeLoach 鈥13 and Emily Deitchler 鈥13, who made the maps as a project for anthropology professor Dr. Bret Hill鈥檚 G.I.S. class. Sophie Knorek 鈥15 assisted
with art work and Moran鈥檚 former student Charlie Crossman 鈥00 printed the book at his downtown Conway printing business.
Moran, who lives a mile and a half from the state park, estimates he spent more than 300 hours walking the trails multiple times in different times of year.
Moran also has a pending guide book on the
area, on the bottomland forests of eastern Arkansas, which includes the White River National Wildlife Refuge. He is also considering another book project for Mount Magazine State Park.
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