Bryce Canyon Grand

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERI CA
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bryce Canyon
National Park
PO Box 640201
Bryce , Utah 84764
435 834-5322 phone
435 834-4102 fax
Bryce Canyon National Park News Release
July 12, 2010
For Immediate Release, 10-15
Dan Ng (435) 834-4740
COME CELEBRATE BRYCE CANYON’S 1st GEOLOGY FESTIVAL
On July 30-31, Bryce Canyon National Park will be celebrating its most stunning resource, the geology. Known for its colorful and oddly shaped rock spires called hoodoos, the area was established as a national park in 1928. Each year over a million visitors from all over the world come to the park to marvel at its beautiful scenery and delicate formations, unique on planet earth. The Geology Festival will offer daily ranger-guided walks and talks in the canyon and on the rim, children’s activities on geology, guided bus tours through the park and illustrated programs. Featured speakers include:
•
Wayne Ranney is a geologic interpreter and author, has served as a backcountry ranger in the Grand Canyon and has traveled over the world as a renowned speaker. He is an adjunct faculty member at Yavapai College in Sedona and has authored Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau and Carving Grand Canyon and Sedona Through Time.
•
Dave Gillette has an endowed chair position at the Museum of Northern Arizona and is the former Utah State Paleontologist. He is responsible for some of the most significant paleontological discoveries in the Grand Staircase.
To learn more about the park’s geology through interactive games and an Electronic Field Trip broadcast produced by the National Park Foundation, click on: http://www.brycecanyoneft.org/
To view the schedule of festival activities, click on: http://www.nps.gov/brca.

Bryce Canyon National Park News Release
April 21, 2010
For Immediate Release, 10-08
Dan Ng (435) 834-4740
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION BRINGS STUDENTS ACROSS COUNTRY INTO
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK THROUGH ELECTRONIC FIELD TRIP
May 18th field trip will highlight unique geological history of national park
Free program is a special value for many schools which have faced difficult budget cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 13, 2010) – The National Park Foundation is inviting schools across the country to explore the unique geology of Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park in an Electronic Field Trip (EFT) on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010. The program, which includes interactive lesson plans and games leading up to the EFT, is free for participating schools and is targeted to elementary and middle school youth.
“The Electronic Field Trip to Bryce Canyon is turning one of America’s most stunning national parks into one of America’s most interesting and exciting classrooms,” said Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “At a time when school budgets nationwide have been cut to bare bones, the National Park Foundation is proud to partner with the parks to connect students around the country to their parks – this is a tremendous free resource for both students and educators.”
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
Free Registration and participation are an important value to schools and teachers as education budgets continue to shrink. For instance, in Utah, where Bryce Canyon National Park is located, the state education budget was cut by $9 million for next year, and no additional money was allocated for an additional 11,000 new students entering the school system.
The Bryce Canyon Electronic Field Trip will focus on the unique elements of the park—its geological and paleontological resources—which have been shaped and etched by millions of years of water, temperature extremes and plenty of additional natural dynamics. The program will consist of an hour-long live broadcast from Bryce Canyon and will offer participating students a chance to ask questions of park rangers and other experts, including the age-old question, “what’s a hoodoo?”
An online curriculum including interactive games and lesson plans for teachers is available now to help students prepare for the event. The materials are available at www.brycecanyoneft.org.
To date, schools in 46 states and Japan, Canada, Germany, Cuba, Italy, and Switzerland have already signed up to participate in the program. Educators wishing to sign up to participate can visit www.brycecanyoneft.org
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world’s most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites — all protected in America’s nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow. Join us – This is Your Land. www.nationalparks.org
FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/nationalpark
TWITTER http://twitter.com/goparks
National Park Foundation
Contact: Mark Shields
(202) 354-6480
mshields@nationalparks.org

Utah Prairie Dog Day – News

Two Prairie Dogs sharing an Intimate moment.
NPS
Prairie Dogs

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Date: April 6, 2010
Contact: Sarah Haas, 435-834-4753

Bryce Canyon National Park Hosts its First Annual Utah Prairie Dog Day

Bryce Canyon National Park Acting Superintendent Jacque Lavelle invites you to join the park’s first annual Utah Prairie Dog Day celebration on Friday April 30.

A year-round inhabitant of Bryce Canyon’s high plateau meadows, the Utah Prairie Dog is an important component of the park’s ecosystem. Although called a prairie “dog,” this species is actually a member of the rodent family. Prairie dogs live in complex social colonies or “towns.” Their burrow systems are made up of several chambers and provide protection from predators, places to raise young, store food, and hibernate through the cold winter months. Utah Prairie Dogs are considered “keystone species” that perform a variety of important ecological functions including soil aeration which helps plants grow, providing prey for other animals, and maintaining healthy meadow ecosystems.

The Utah Prairie Dog has been federally listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1973 and is protected as a threatened species. Bryce Canyon National Park reintroduced the Utah Prairie Dog to park meadows from 1974 through 1988 and is the only National Park Service unit where they occur. Today, approximately 200 Utah Prairie Dogs are found within several meadow complexes within the Park. Every year these colonies are monitored and counted to track the health of the animals and their habitat.

Park Biologist Sarah Haas states, “This year Bryce Canyon is celebrating the Utah prairie dog and its role as a keystone species in the park. This is the first time the park has dedicated a special event to this species and it’s exciting to try and get more people informed and excited about this unique and important animal.”

The celebration will occur on Friday, April 30, 2010 from 9 a.m. through the evening with planned activities that include watching Utah prairie dogs in their natural habitat with a Park Ranger, special presentations on Utah prairie dogs, and a kids’ table with activities and refreshments. Most activities will take place during the day at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center with a special evening program at the Bryce Canyon Lodge.

Local schools will be invited to participate in an art contest with a Utah prairie dog theme – prizes will be awarded the afternoon of the celebration. Event information and entry forms are available at: Utah Prairie Dog Day. All entries will be displayed at the Bryce Canyon National Park Visitor Center on Utah Prairie Dog Day, Friday, April 30th. “We are so excited to have local kids involved in this celebration and come to the park to learn about our Utah prairie dog,” states Marilyn Bulkley, Bryce Canyon Natural History Association Education Specialist.

In addition, the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association will be unveiling its “Adopt – a Prairie Dog” program. For a $30 donation, you will receive a plush prairie dog and a frameable personalized certificate (mailed separately) noting your support of the prairies dogs in Bryce Canyon National Park.

“And the best part,” adds Larry Thrower, Bryce Canyon Fee Collection Supervisor, “is that if you’re a Utahan, all you have do is show your driver’s license and tell staff at the entrance booth, ‘We’ve come to see the prairie dogs!’ and we’ll let you in for free!”

Bryce Canyon was on Good Morning America. Check it out at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/weekend-window-bryce-canyon-utah-3550840

We have two spring break specials going right now. Check out the Winter Warmer (now till March 31st) and the Spring Fling (April 1st till April 29th) at www.bryceres.com/bcg.

Lots and lots of snow….

Bryce Canyon National Park News Release
March 2, 2010
For Immediate Release
D
an Ng (435) 834-4740, 10-02
Abundant Snow Blankets Park for Spring Break Visitors
Winter is perhaps the most beautiful time to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. The colorful red hoodoos are layered in bands of white snow. This season, Bryce Canyon, as well as many locations in the Southwest, received well above average precipitation. Nearly 110 inches of snow have fallen (20 inches above normal) and the current snowpack at the Visitor Center (elev. 7,900 ft.) measures 39 inches. March temperatures average in the 40’s during the day and the teens at night.
Fairyland and Paria View roads remain unplowed for use by cross-country skiers and snowshoers. All other park roads and viewpoints remain open, though the main road to Rainbow Point may be temporarily closed due to snowstorms. The Visitor Center is open daily from 8:00 AM-4:30 PM. Visitors are reminded to prepare for winter driving conditions, high altitude and to dress warmly for the cold temperatures and snow.
Day hiking trails are open, but are snow-covered and icy. Queens Garden and Navajo Loop have received the most use this winter and currently are covered with several inches of packed snow and ice. Hiking boots/snowboots with traction devices are highly recommended. Other trails such as Fairyland Loop, Peekaboo Loop, Rim Trail (except for the Sunset to Sunrise section) are more difficult to navigate due to deep snow. Snowshoes are recommended for these trails. Due to deep snow, backcountry hiking is not recommended.
The Ruby’s Inn Nordic Center rents snowshoes, cross-country skis and snowboots. Bryce Canyon park rangers offer guided snowshoe hikes (with free snowshoes), talks and occasional evening programs. Inquire at the Visitor Center. Cross-country ski trails in the park are ungroomed 2-track trails. The slope between the Plateau Rim and 7600 foot contour elevation is closed to skiing, snowboarding, sledding or sliding devices. Below the Rim, cross country skiing is permitted on the Under the Rim trail and Riggs Spring Loop. Ruby’s Inn grooms ski trails outside the park.
The Bryce Canyon Lodge is currently closed and reopens April 1. The General Store (showers, laundry, groceries, snacks) reopens in mid-April. Horseback rides will resume once trails are free of snow and ice.
For more information, please visit the park’s website at: www.nps.gov/brca or call 435-834-5322.

The winter festival was a great success. Stay tuned for pictures!

The 25th Bryce Canyon Winter festival is this weekend! Come and enjoy the activities. We have everything from ski races to geology hikes. Rooms are still available. See a description below. For more info visit http://www.rubysinn.com/winter.html

Our good friend Osamu Hoshino has been busy promoting “Astrotourism” check out his pics from his last trip to Bryce a few weeks ago. © Osamu Hoshino. Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the darkest places in the USA and is ideal for star viewing. Come stay at our hotel and check it out.