MEDIA ADVISORY

October 25, 2004
Maureen Oltrogge NPS (928) 638-7779
Ginny Bunch NPF (202) 238-4200
Layne Cameron BSU (765) 285-5953

National Park Service and Ball State University to Conduct Live Educational Broadcast from the Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

GRAND CANYON, AZ - The National Park Service (NPS) and Ball State University (BSU), Muncie, Ind., will broadcast this year’s first E3 Electronic Field Trip, "Into the Canyon," to schools and households across the country - from the rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

The E3 Electronic Field Trip, developed by Ball State's Teachers College will air at 4:30 p.m. MST on Monday, November 8, 2004.

The first live show will air from Lipan Point along Desert View Drive on the east rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Native Americans, through storytelling and performance, will share how they have lived in and around the canyon for more than 10,000 years.

Throughout the broadcast, viewers will be able to call in with questions or submit them online in a live discussion forum. Viewers can register to receive the Internet broadcast at www.bsu.edu/eft or check local cable and PBS listings.

The evening show will be followed with two educational broadcasts at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. MST on Tuesday, November 9. Students from Florida, Indiana, New York and Arizona (including Grand Canyon) will appear in these shows, which are geared toward classrooms, and will focus on activities and lesson plans that were developed by teachers who spent an intense week in the Grand Canyon earlier this year. Some of the topics to be included in the educational broadcasts are geology, scientific theory, flora and fauna, human history and preservation. Activities will be led by National Park Service employees including park naturalists, biologists, and anthropologists.

Many of the activities are adapted from those used by park rangers when working with student groups who visit the park. Through the Electronic Field Trips, the NPS and BSU hope to reach more than 15 million viewers in 45 states. "It's exciting to be able to reach so many children with educational programs on the cultural and natural history of one of our nation's most premier national parks," stated Judy Hellmich, Chief of Interpretation at Grand Canyon National Park. "For some, this virtual field trip will be their first experience with a national park - we hope to foster a greater understanding about the many resources available in our national parks starting with an in depth look at the Grand Canyon."

This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF) through the generous support of the Best Buy Children's Foundation and Ball State University.

(Note to Editors: For more information, contact Judy Hellmich, Chief of Interpretation, Grand Canyon National Park at (928) 638-7760 or electronically at judy_hellmich@nps.gov or Mark Kornmann, director of Teachers College Outreach Services at (765) 285-8106 or electronically at mkornmann@bsu.edu.)