Getting Ready for 2016

The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016. To us, it's not about cakes and candles — it's about being an organization ready to take on the challenges of our second century. Our blueprint to get there — A Call to Action — outlines the innovative work we want to accomplish. Colorado National Monument is a big part of this effort. Take a look at what we're doing locally and get involved!

• A Critical Location: A discussion on the Dark Sky Coop at Colorado National Monument

  

  Colorado National Monument hosts multi-agency and community meeting to discuss the formation of a Dark Sky Cooperative. The purpose of the cooperative is: To perpetuate starry night skies by establishing America's first Dark Sky Cooperative. This voluntary effort will link communities, tribes, businesses, state agencies, federal agencies, and citizens in a collaborative effort to celebrate the view of the cosmos and minimize the impact of outdoor lighting. Read more

• Breaking Barriers: Bringing Students to Colorado National Monument

  

  Yellow school buses full of students were rolling into Colorado National Monument all spring and fall. Within the past year 82 buses from Mesa County Valley School District received transportation scholarships funded by grants from the National Park Foundation and the local Grand Junction Junior Service League. Over 3,700 students were able to attend ranger-guided field trips to learn first-hand about weathering and erosion, fossils, animal adaptations, and more. Read more

• COLM adopts a local 2nd grade class at Dual Immersion Academy(DIA) to meet goal #15.

  

  The park embarked on the first year of this four-year project by adopting the 2nd graders at the Dual Immersion Academy (DIA) as their graduating class. The fifty students involved in the program will visit the park four times a year and participate in Ranger-led classroom activities each month for the next four years. As fifth graders, they will “graduate” during the NPS centennial year in 2016. Read more

• New exhibits and wayside signs breathe new life into Colorado National Monument

  

  New exhibits at Saddlehorn Visitor Center and new wayside signs along Rim Rock Drive have really spruced things up at Colorado National Monument. More colorful, more interactive, accuracy and accessibility were important components of the exhibit design and of the new waysides along Rim Rock Drive. A future project is in the planning stages to allow visitors to interact at each wayside with their smart phones or tablets. Read more

• Tween Extreme – Movie Makers at Colorado National Monument

  

  Summer of 2012, 6th-8th graders (also known as Tweens) had the opportunity to explore and learn more about Colorado National Monument. The tweens made short digital movies to share what they learned. In partnership with the City of Grand Junction’s Parks and Recreation STARS Tween Extreme Camp and Colorado Mesa University, students had a chance to go on weekly hikes at the monument to capture photos and shoot and edit videos. Read more