Zion Canyon Field Institute Announces 2008 Schedule

Zion Canyon Field Institute (ZCFI) in Zion National Park announces its 2008 schedule of classes. Among new course offerings this coming year are Basic Plant Identification, Rim to Floor, Managing Your Public Lands, Leave No Trace, and Virgin River Wilderness and Beaver Dam Mountains: A Geologic Journey.

Basic Plant Identification will provide a one day crash course on basic plant identification skills. ZCFI botanist, Walt Fertig, will focus on the fundamentals of plant morphology as we spend a spring day in the field in Zion National Park. This class will help the lay person with basic skills in plant identification so they may be able to key out species on their own and expand their botanical knowledge base as they recreate outdoors.

Rim to Floor marks a first for ZCFI in as much as it offers an extended day hike and integrates interpretive information about the Park at the same time. This ten mile hike will start at the East Plateau trailhead near the East entry station and finish the day at the Weeping Rock parking lot. Along the way we’ll talk geology, botany, some biology, and desert ecosystems. There will be a picnic lunch on the rim, and incredible vistas as we begin our descent into the Weeping Rock area. Enjoy one of Zion’s premier hikes and learn a lot about the desert you love along the way. As enrollment will be limited to 6 participants, it is advised that interested parties register early to secure their place.

Did you know that you own more than 600 million acres of land? Yes, your public lands are that extensive, and yes YOU do own them. Managing Your Public Lands will familiarize the participant with the different agencies that mange lands in the West (Forest Service, BLM, Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and the various state agencies) and their differing philosophies, purposes, and strategies for managing those lands. Join us on Public Lands Day, 2008 for a walking-seminar through Zion Canyon to learn more about how your lands are managed. We’ll consider issues like energy, water, recreation, livestock, solitude, sanctuary and wilderness uses of your lands as we stroll the Canyon.

In 1909 Zion averaged about 10 visitors per day. In July, 2006 it was around 11,000 per day. Because of this, the need for minimum impact hiking and camping techniques has become increasingly important. Come on an overnight backpacking trip in Zion and learn about the seven principles of Leave No Trace and how to properly teach and inform others as they develop their own outdoor ethic. Successful completion of this course will result in you being registered with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics as a LNT trainer.

Virgin River Wilderness and Beaver Dam Mountains: A Geologic Journey will examine rock units that lie below those forming Zion National Park. Join us for a geologic journey going back through 1.8 billion years as we examine strata in the Virgin River through the Virgin River Wilderness, and continental basement in the Beaver Dam Mountains.
Also, the second season of the Fern and J.L. Crawford lecture series continues from December of 2007 through February of 2008. On December 7, ZCFI in partnership with Zion Canyon Arts & Humanities (Z-Arts!), presents photographer, Bruce Hucko, with “Time Among the Ancients: Photographing Rock and Ruins on the Colorado Plateau.” Mr. Hucko has traveled extensively through the Southwest recording dwellings, structures, and rock art panels of the Ancestral Puebloans and Fremont cultures for his new book (Impact Photographics/Canyonlands Natural History Association). Join us for beautiful photographs, photographic tips and techniques, and Hucko's own commentary on landscape photography and these fascinating, ancient cultures.

On January 5, 2008 Geologist and author Wayne Ranney presents “Carving Grand Canyon.” Although studied for almost 150 years, geologists still do not have a single, accepted theory for how the Grand Canyon or the Colorado River were formed. It's not for lack of trying however - many theories have been proposed from John Wesley Powell to the present. Join Wayne Ranney, accomplished geologist and trail guide, as he explains in layman's terms the geologic processes and sequence of events responsible for the incomparable beauty that is the Grand Canyon. Wayne will sign copies of his latest book, "Carving Grand Canyon", after the lecture. "Carving Grand Canyon" won Honorable Mention at the 2006 National Outdoor Book Awards.

February 8, 2008 brings Christa Sadler presenting “Life in Stone: The Long and Extraordinary History of Life in our Backyard.” Join paleontologist and author Christa Sadler on a visual journey throughout our region to meet some of the creatures that swam, slithered stomped, and soared their way through our ancient history. Ms. Sadler will also bring her extensive collection of fossils to enjoy before and after the show.

2008 promises to be a great year for ZCFI! Don’t miss out. For information or to register for any of our classes call 800-635-3959 or 435-772-3264 or go to www.zionpark.org

Complete Schedule of 2008 ZCFI Workshops and Seminars