White Sands National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

White Sands National Monument

Junior Dunes Ranger Activity Book
Do the required activities with the symbol of your age group. 

When you are finished, please return to the visitor center to share your book with a park ranger. You 

will receive a badge or patch, certificate and become a Junior Dunes Ranger.

Parents: This is a family program so feel free to help your aspiring Junior Ranger. We hope that your 

whole family learns about the park. We welcome your comments and suggestions. 

Lizard (age 6 to 8)

There are many different lizards that live at White Sands but our most famous one is the bleached earless 

lizard. He likes to run fast on the bright white sand and cannot be seen easily because he is the same color as 

the sand. When you find one of the lizards, please say, “hello” but don’t chase him or pick him up. 

Roadrunner (age 9 to 13) 

Roadrunners at White Sands live near the park entrance where they find lots of insects, scorpions, lizards, 

and snakes! Roadrunners run to chase their prey and to escape predators, but in a pinch they will fly short 

distances. You might see this very smart bird near the visitor center. 

Coyote (age 14 and up)

Coyotes at White Sands live near the edge of the dunefield, and they have light brown to beige colored coats. 

They are called “song dogs” because they howl and yip. Coyotes live in packs of 6 to 10 animals. The entire 

pack cares for coyote babies (called pups). You probably won’t see coyotes but look for their tracks and listen 

for their songs!

White Sands National Monument 

Junior Dunes Ranger

To become a Junior Dunes Ranger

What I would like to do and see

First Things First
Hike-a-Trail Field Notes

Check the one you hike! 

Playa Trail Dune Life Nature Trail Interdune Boardwalk Alkali Flat Trail Backcountry Camping Loop

What does the sand look and feel like? 

Describe the plants you see:

Describe the sounds you hear:

Watch the orientation 

video, and then tour the 

exhibits. 

Can you answer the 

questions below?

(Feel free to ask a 

ranger for help.)

V i s i t o r C e n t e r S t a r t e r

The crystals that form at Lake Lucero 

are called .

They are formed by the process of 

 .

The sand dunes are made of the mineral

 .

Name two plants that can 

grow in the moving dunes:

1.

2.
Pack for a Desert Hike

Help Maria pack the right things for her hike. Circle the things she 

should pack and X the things she should NOT pack.

What should everyone take on a hike 

at White Sands? ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Word List

for 

puzzle

alone 

sunscreen

walk

lost

plants

animals

respect

gallon

adult

wait

water

thirsty

visitor
Never go anywhere _ _ _ _ _ (naleo). Always take an _ _ _ _ _ (tulda) 

with you. Be sure to always keep within sight of the adults, so they 

won’t get _ _ _ _ (sotl). If you get lost, STOP! Take a few calming 

breaths, sit down and _ _ _ _ (tiwa) for help to arrive.

Be sure to fill up your _ _ _ _ _ (etraw) bottle before you leave the 

visitor center. There is no drinking water in the dunes. Take at least 

one _ _ _ _ _ _ (onlgla) of water for each person. Don’t wait until 

you are _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (rysihtt) to take a drink. It is important to eat 

something while you are drinking your water so you won’t get a 

stomach ache. Remember to put on your _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (uscnesnre) 

once every hour while you are outside.

Remember that you are only a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (tvrisio) here. The national 

parks are home for many _ _ _ _ _ _ (apsnlt) and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (mailnsa). 

Please protect and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (ecspetr) the privacy of the animals. 

Don’t put your hand (or anything else) where you can’t see. Be careful 

where you _ _ _ _ (kawl) so you will not step on a growing plant.
Observations 

 Check as you find these Follow-up Questions (location, appearance, weather)

What do you think the lizard is doing?

How tall do you think it is?

What animals might live here?

What is the cause of the ripples?

What does this bird eat?

Describe what you see.

Lizard

Yucca

Pedestal

Ripple marks

Raven

Selenite crystal
 Check as you find these

Draw the track that you find.

Does it have flowers? What color?

Why is it here?

What animals might live here?

Who do you think lives here?

Why aren’t there prints here?

What kinds of jobs do park rangers do?

Trees need water. Where 

does this tree get its water? 

Follow-up Questions

Observations 

(location, appearance, weather)

Cottonwood tree

Tracks

Flowering plant

Insect

Interdune area

Burrow

Dune without prints

Park ranger
We practice good manners at the dinner table when we eat. We are courteous to 

our friends, parents, and teachers as we come together each day. There are also 

manners we use outside in nature and in national parks and other natural areas. 

Please set a good example with your good manners. Cross out the bad manners 

and circle the good ones.
Use the word list at the bottom of the page to fill in the blanks.

The White Sands Story

White Sands National Monument is so big that it can be seen from space! At ________ square 

miles, it is the largest gypsum dunefield in the world. How did all of this gypsum get here? A 

long, time ago (even before T-Rex was around), this area was covered by a very shallow and 

salty sea called the _______________. At the bottom of this sea there were gypsum deposits. 

Gypsum is a type of salt. The salt came from the tropical seawater. After the sea dried up, the 

earth’s crust ____________. Certain parts of the land were pushed up to form ____________. The 

other parts dropped down to create a flat spot between the mountains. Today, we call this flat 

spot the ____________________. The mountains around us are called the Sacramento and San 

Andres mountains. You can find the gypsum from the sea floor high up in these mountains!

Gypsum is a water soluble mineral, which means is dissolves in water just like when you put 

sugar in Kool Aid. The sugar disappears or dissolves into the water and Kool Aid mix. When 

it rains in the mountains, gypsum dissolves in the rain water and is carried down to the lowest 

point in the basin known as _________________. All of the hot weather in the basin dries up the 

water and the gypsum that was carried down the mountain reappears in the form of _________. 

Selenite is a different form of gypsum like ice is a different form of water. Selenite is so soft that 

you can scratch it with your fingernail and because of this it quickly breaks apart. Things like 

________ and ice break the selenite crystals into smaller and smaller pieces until they are small 

grains of _________. Wind picks up these small grains of sand and blows them into big piles of 

gypsum sand. So many piles in fact, that they form the world’s largest gypsum dunefield which 

is protected by _______________________________________. 

sand 275

Permian Sea Lake Lucero

mountains pulled apart

Tularosa Basin selenite

White Sands National Monument wind
 pocket mouse jackrabbit lizard darkling beetle coyote rattlesnake roadrunner

Match the track to the picture of the animal. Hint: look at the animal’s feet for clues to the size and 

shape of track. Circle any tracks you see while in the park.

What Happened Here?

Study these tracks and write about the 

animals that made them and what you 

think happened.
Look closely and color in the 10 hidden animals. Then answer the questions below.

Who am I?

1. The color of my skin matches the sand.

2. I eat small insects.

3. I really have ears, they’re covered by skin 

to keep the sand out when I burrow.

I am a _________________________________.

Who am I?

1. I can be seen hopping along early in the morning 

and in the evening.

2. My large ears help me hear better and also help 

keep me cool.

3. I get my name from the color of my tail.

I am a _________________________________.

Who am I?

1. I eat insects. 

2. I have a curved beak.

3. I make a football-like nest in the branches of 

the cholla cactus.

I am a _________________________________.

Word List

cactus wren

blacktail jackrabbit

bleached lizard Who am I? kit fox 1. I have large ears and a large bushy tail.

2. In North America, I am the smallest canine (dog 

family).

3. I make my home in the plant pedestals and there 

are several entrances.

I am a ______________________________________.
1

The Soaptree Yucca

Use these clues to correctly identify the plant parts. Fill in the blanks.

This part of the yucca grows deep and moves food and water 

through this underground chute. This plant can’t survive 

without its ________________________________________. 

These are long, needle sharp, and bright green. Native 

Americans weave these into baskets, they are ________________

______________________________. 

The dry pods are shaken loose by southwestern 

winds. The larvae of the pronuba moth feeds on the 

_______________________. 

This part of the plant comes out after the flower; it is delicious 

to eat dried in the sun or roasted in a hot fire. We call them the 

_____________________________. 

This blooms during spring showers providing food for 

insects and moths. The yucca has beautiful white 

_____________________________. 

Shaped like a tall column these grow very fast. They help move 

water through the plant. This part of the yucca is called the 

_____________________________. 

Many of the plants in the 

Chihuahuan Desert are used by 

people. Can you match each plant 

with the product that is made 

from it? Hint: Look for clues in 

the desert plant garden in front of 

the visitor center or ask a ranger.

Word List

seeds

taproot

fruit

flowers

bayonet leaves

flower stalk

2

3

4

5

6

1

3 4

5

6

PLANTS PRODUCTS

Ocotillo

Soaptree Yucca

Cottonwood

Prickly Pear

Nopalitos

building materials

blood purifier

soap

2
The Arrowhead 

The National Park Service Arrowhead was first used on 

uniforms and signs in 1952. The mountains and water 

represent the scenery and recreation. The sequoia tree 

and bison represent plants and wildlife. 

The arrowhead represents the historical and 

archeological values. Find an arrowhead and complete 

the drawing.

Name: __________________________________________________________

Job title: ________________________________________________________

What do you do as a ranger? _______________________________________

________________________________________________________________

How long have you worked at White Sands?________ for the NPS? _____

What are other parks where you have worked?______________________

________________________________________________________________

Why did you become a park ranger?_______________________________

________________________________________________________________

What is your favorite part of your job?_____________________________

________________________________________________________________
A long time ago, small groups of hunters followed their 

prey into the grassy swamps in the Tularosa Basin. What 

did they hunt? 

Match the picture with the description. 

(Tip: Look at the exhibit to your left as you walk into the theater.)

The dune field became a national monument in 1933. 

What is one of the things visitors like to do here?

The Mescalero Apache arrived in the area by the 1500s 

but were soon under siege from newcomers who wanted 

the land. Who did they fight? 

Spanish, Mexicans, and Euro-American settlement 

of the Tularosa Basin began in the early 1860s with 

the establishment of the communities of La Luz and 

Tularosa. How did they make a living? 

The Jornada Mogollon people farmed corn and beans 

around the edge of the basin. They also gathered wild 

plants. What plants did they gather? 

Run barefoot!

Camels, mammoths, and ancient bison.

Indian rice grass, yucca, and agave.

Spanish and other European Americans.

Farmed and ranched.
Draw, write a story or poem, create a song. 

Soundscape: sounds that you hear in one place. 

Find a spot outside. Ask your friends and family to join you. Close your eyes and listen for one 

minute. Then record what you hear below. When you get home, try again.

Nature sounds Human sounds
Junior Dunes 

Ranger Pledge

promise to learn all I can about 

national parks and what makes 

each one special; To learn 

and follow all safety rules; To 

respect and help protect the 

environment and all the parts 

of it (both living and nonliving) for today and always; 

To become a Junior Ranger 

in other national parks.

I,___________________________, 

Activities developed by Kathy Denton

Edited by Abby Mogollón

Designed by Jackson Boelts

Photography by the National Park 

Service

Illustrations by Jackson Boelts

Published by Western National Parks 

Association

Copyright 2008 Western National 

Parks Association

This publication was produced with 

funds donated by Western National 

Parks Association and is intended for 

educational purposes only.

To learn more about WNPA please 

visit our website at www.wnpa.org

Become a WebRanger

As a WebRanger, you’ll learn what Park 

Rangers do to help protect our natural 

resources and our cultural heritage. 

You’ll also learn how Park Rangers 

observe and discover new things about 

our national parks —things to share with 

your friends. www.nps.gov/webrangers/

On the Go?

Mail completed books to:

WHSA 

PO Box 1086

HAFB, NM 88330-1086

Choose one:

Badge 

Patch