April 10, 2012 In this issue:
-Tribute
-ZNHA's Award
-ZCFI in the Spring
-Great Deal |
Follow us on Facebook! |
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Zion Natural History Association
Members make a difference!
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A Note from ZNHA Membership Coordinator Karolee Dennett
Zion is beautiful with all the renewed freshness of spring! It's time for all things to become new again, and we hope that you will also remember to renew your membership with the Zion Natural History Association. If you are not a member, click here to read about the benefits of membership and how you can support our national parks with a ZNHA membership.
Sojourns will be mailed again in July, and we don't want you to miss the next issue. Members receive a 20% discount on purchases from ZNHA retail stores or on our website (www.zionpark.org), and don't forget to ask cooperating associations for a discount when you shop with them. Click here for a list of associations who offer reciprocal discounts and the amount of the discount each offers.
Remember, also, that you get a 20% discount on most of our ZCFI classes by being an active member of ZNHA. There is a lot to look forward to as a member, and we hope that you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your membership has helped fund numerous important programs and enhanced the visitor experience in many ways. Make sure your membership is active in order to maintain a personal connection with Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Pipe Spring National Monument.
Members! Upgrade your membership now to receive additional member gifts and the great satisfaction that you have contributed to help maintain our national parks for future generations.
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 Dublin in Zion
June 2011 in Zion seemed a bit hot to the Gingerich Family from Honolulu, Hawaii. However, that didn't stop them from enjoying 3 days of hiking and attending several ranger programs for adults and children. One trip highlight was when the youngest member of the family, 7 year old Dublin, earned his Jr. Ranger badge. He enjoyed working on the requirements so much that he wanted to do them all, not just the minimum to get the badge.
Dublin has received many badges since he received his first one in Zion. May he have a long, happy life caring for our national parks.
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Remembering Two Friends of Zion
Remarks given by Lyman Hafen
At the 2012 "Evening With the Superintendent" |
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J. L. Crawford addresses a group
in Zion National Park. |
As the year 2011 came to a close, Zion National Park lost two wonderful friends. One was a life-long friend of Zion, in fact he was born in the canyon. The other, who grew up on the East Coast of the United States, discovered Zion and developed a profound love for the place later in life.
J.L. Crawford was born in a pioneer house along Oak Creek in Zion Canyon in 1914. He grew up beneath Zion's towers of stone and loved the place throughout his life, which spanned the Twentieth Century. That love was expressed through his career as a park ranger, through his involvement in the establishment of Zion Natural History Association, and through the numerous articles and books he wrote about the place.
 | | Zion enthusiast Jim Kippen |
Jim Kippen, along with his dear wife Mary, developed a passion for Zion National Park in the latter part of the Twentieth Century after moving to the West from Maryland. They began to express their love for the place by joining the Zion Natural History Association, by spending as much time as they could in the canyon, and by becoming consistent contributors to fundraising efforts for the park. Jim was an avid and wonderful photographer
who expressed his zeal for Zion through the photos he took and through his support of Mary who accepted a position on the ZNHA board and soon became chair of the Association's Zion National Park Foundation Committee.
J.L. Crawford represented the spirit of the oldtimers who sacrificed their time and energy to make sure Zion National Park was preserved for our generation. Jim Kippen represented a new kind of Zion friend--the kind of friend who sees a need and steps up to help in any way he can to ensure that Zion National Park remains a treasure for the world throughout a new century.
To read the entire text of Lyman Hafen's talk at J. L. Crawford's memorial service click here.
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Attention: Photographers
This beautiful photograph of West Temple was taken by Superintendent Jock Whitworth. Jock is an avid photographer and can be seen often in the park camera in hand. Would you like to see one of your favorite Zion photographs featured in our e-newsletters, on our website, or on our Facebook page? If so submit your photos by email or on our Facebook page. When a photograph is selected for use, the photographer will receive a 2013 Zion wall calendar! Be sure to send your contact information as well. |
ZION NATIONAL PARK'S
YOUTH EDUCATION INITIATIVE
WINS NATIONAL AWARD
At the recent convention of the Association of Partners for Public Lands in Las Vegas, Nevada, ZNHA received the national award in the category of "Educational Program" for the Zion National Park Youth Education Initiative.
In 2010, Zion Natural History Association and the Division of Interpretation & Visitor Services of Zion National Park, partnered to create an initiative that would significantly enhance youth education and outreach in the park. We called it: Zion National Park's Youth Education Initiative, and we applied for a National Park Centennial Challenge Grant to accomplish it. Total cost of the initiative was $108,000, $54,000 provided by the grant, and $54,000 as matching funds raised by ZNHA's Zion National Park Foundation.
The project was designed to enhance the already successful youth education programs in the park, including the Junior Ranger Program, education outreach, transportation for students to visit the park, the development of teacher resource guides and curriculum, and other needs.
 As a result, the total number of visitors attending children's programs was 10,080 compared to 3,783 for the same period in 2010. Three hundred and eighty-nine ranger-led children's programs were offered in the summer of 2011 compared to 226 in 2010, an increase of 72%. Average attendance based on all programs was 26 visitors per program, an increase of 55% over the average of 17 for last year. Children's attendance at summer programs also exceeded all previous attendance records since the start of children-specific programming in 1974.
The Youth Education Initiative funding contributed to significant gains in every aspect of Zion's efforts to help children connect to the unique natural and cultural resources of the park. In addition to summer programming, educational outreach was expanded. Educational outreach includes visits to area elementary schools and special programs for groups visiting the park. As part of this initiatve, Zion was able to provide transportation funding for school buses to bring students to the park from nearby communities, many visiting Zion for the first time. The curriculum-based pilot program is being offered to fifth-grade students learning about changing landforms. This year Zion National Park recorded the highest number of educational outreach participants since the beginning of the outreach activities in 1986.
(Pictured in photo above from left to right: Nick Jorgensen, ZNHA Board Member; Bryan Robson, Asst. Store Manager; Kathryn Matheson, Board Member; Roland Lee, Board Chairman; Teddy Roosevelt, Commander in Chief; Lyman Hafen, Executive Director; Mary Kippen, Board Member; Jock Whitworth, Zion National Park Superintendent; Jim Lemmon, Board Member; Joel Israel, Store Manager; Tracy Jones, Director of Marketing and Communications; Tara Roner; Store Manager.) |
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WONDERFUL ZION NATIONAL PARK...Come for a visit!
Take a Hike!
 SPRING HAS SPRUNG
We've had a pretty dry winter here in Zion so the wildflower display this year will be muted compared to last year's, but there are some flowers out there waiting to be appreciated. A good place to start your search right now would be the Watchman Trail. The Watchman Trail is listed as a moderate hike and 2.7 miles roundtrip. There are minor drop-offs and it ends at a viewpoint of the Towers of the Virgin, lower Zion Canyon, and Springdale. It is usually one of the first trails in the park to bloom. Later this month on April 23 you could join Zion Canyon Field Institute (ZCFI) botanist Walt Fertig for Zion's Low Desert Wildflower class. This class will take place in the less-visited Coal Pits wash area in the park's southwest desert.
As we look into May and follow the wildflower progression join ZCFI for Kolob Wildflowers on May 12, the unique wildflower array of The Hanging Gardens of Zion on May 18, and high plateau flora in the Rim to Floor or Rim and Back on May 19.
For Youth...Zion ROCKS!
If you have the opportunity to bring a young person to Zion this summer, be sure to check out the great programs offered for the youth. Program schedule will be listed in the park newspaper's summer edition available soon at this link.
Snap a Photo!
Joann Hinman, ZNHA Director of Finance, reports there are great opportunities for photo shoots right next to the road as the newest members of the Zion Bighorn are arriving on the east side of the park. It certainly was true for Jack Blanchard. He snapped the above photograph as well as several other great shots. Thanks for sharing Jack! |
Enjoy a Springtime Field Institute Course with
Zion Canyon Field Institute
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Shop at the Visitor Center Store (or Online!)
Purchases made at ZNHA Bookstores or online benefit vital programs in Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Pipe Spring National Monument. Next time you visit stop by one of our stores to see all of the beautiful products we sell.
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We invite you to visit one of our non-profit bookstores next time you visit Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks or Pipe Spring National Monuments. |
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| Great Discount!
30% OFF
(20% Membership Discount + EXTRA 10% Off)
Utah Rocks!
Short Sleeve T-shirts
Utah Rocks! Enjoy a symphony of nature on the Colorado Plateau as you visit these top parks, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. This uni-sex shirt celebrates the geologic story that makes these beautiful parks possible.
Regular Price: $17.99
Sale Price: $12.59
(Click here to learn about ZNHA membership.)
Offer expires April 27, 2012 |
We appreciate your support! Please call us at 435-772-3264 or email us at znha@infowest.com if you have questions or comments.
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