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Issue Date: August 28, 2005
Fall travel guide
National parks are great places to learn
Science and history snap to life in new programs across America.
By Kimberly Lisagor
Back-to-school time doesn't have to mean indoors-only studying. America's national parks and monuments offer hands-on educational programs that can bring science and history lessons to life. Here are some new opportunities to learn outside the classroom this fall.
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Whiskeytown National Recreation Area; Redding, Calif.
nps.gov/whis
Volcanic magma created the 6,209-foot Shasta Bally 460 million years ago. Today you can admire the mountain's colorful greenstone and basalt from the middle of the Whiskeytown Lake reservoir, where rangers lead daily kayak tours through September. "It's not just paddling around in the kayak," says park ranger Steve Thede. "It's basically a nature walk on the water." For a special treat, reserve a spot on a moonlight tour Sept. 14-16. Call 530-243-5345 for reservations, 10 a.m.-noon PT, weekdays only.
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John Day Fossil Beds National Monument; Kimberly, Ore.
nps.gov/joda
Prehistoric carnivores roamed the John Day basin for 40 million years. When they died, they left behind an impressive record of their existence, preserved in the volcanic ash deposits of the eastern Oregon badlands. Countless fossils from this region have helped paleontologists understand how the ancient landscape and its inhabitants evolved during the Cenozoic Era. At the new Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, guests can watch scientists prepare fossils found in the area. The center, open year-round, offers fossil museum talks. Interpretive hikes are scheduled through October.
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Glacier National Park; Kalispell, Mont.
nps.gov/glac
Learn the fine art of distinguishing coyote scat from mountain lion scat in "Tracks, Scat and Signs: Becoming a Wildlife Detective." It's one of several classes in the new Adventure Series started this summer by the Glacier Institute (glacierinstitute.org), a non-profit organization that partners with the National Park Service to offer educational programs in the field. The series runs through mid-September, and courses cost $50, but custom classes and one-time workshops -- such as an advanced tracking seminar to be taught in early 2006 by acclaimed tracker Mark Elbroch -- are available throughout the year at varying prices.
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Independence National Historical Park; Philadelphia
nps.gov/inde
Visitors can watch archaeologists piece together "a giant jigsaw puzzle" of artifacts at the park's new archaeology conservation area. The open laboratory showcases more than a million remnants from the nation's early days, recovered from the third block of Independence Mall. The lab is part of the newly opened Independence Living History Center, where grade-specific educational programs will begin in October. Students can examine historical objects such as hats, wigs, pamphlets and newspapers to see what life was like in 18th-century America.
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Saratoga National Historical Park; Stillwater, N.Y.
nps.gov/sara
When the American military decisively defeated the British in the Battles of Saratoga, it marked a major turning point in the Revolutionary War. Saratoga Battlefield, on the scenic Upper Hudson River, became a national park in 1938. Now visitors can tour the 4-square-mile battlefield by bike. Park volunteers lead monthly guided bicycle tours to battle sites, fortifications and burial grounds for $3 per cyclist. The next afternoon tour is Sept. 17 from 1 to 5 p.m. Bring your own bike and helmet (required).
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Natchez Trace Parkway; Tupelo, Miss.
nps.gov/natr
Sixty-seven years after construction began, the Natchez Trace Parkway is finally complete. The 444-mile route from Natchez, Miss., to Nashville commemorates a centuries-old trail used by American Indians and 18th-century "Kaintuck" boatmen to transport goods throughout what is now the South. The Tupelo Visitor Center, reopening this fall after renovations, hosts a monthly Pioneer Day (except in January), where visitors can watch leather-working, woodworking and basket-making demonstrations, listen to dulcimer music and try on pioneer clothes.
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WebRangers
nps.gov/webrangers
Budding naturalists who don't live near national parks or monuments now can learn about them online. The new WebRangers Program lets kids 6 and up earn achievement certificates by completing activities at virtual "Ranger Stations." Each station guides participants through games that teach them about the ecology and history of places such as Texas' Padre Island National Seashore, a nesting site for endangered sea turtles, and Maine's Acadia National Park, where the bald eagles have wingspans of up to 8 feet.
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