2010 Ranger Lecture Series - Flagstaff

This page is an archive of programs presented in 2010

 

Division of Science and Resource Management

Conversations on the Edge

This lecture series features specialists from Grand Canyon National Park's Division of Science and Resource Management speaking about the National Park Service's work to monitor, manage and preserve Grand Canyon's natural and cultural resources for present and future generations.

All Lectures Are Free and Open to the Public
Flagstaff lectures will be held at Cline Library, at the intersection of Knoles Drive and McCreary Road on the NAU campus. Parking is available to the west of the library (Lot P13 on Riordan Road).

Sponsorship
Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon National Park and Cline Library are proud to present the Conversations on the Edge: 2009 Rangers Lecture Series in Flagstaff.

 

Extreme Cultural Landscapes:

New Archeological Research in Grand Canyon National Park
Ian Hough, Vanishing Treasures Archeologist
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 7–8:30 p.m.

 

Ian Hough

Recent research in archeology at Grand Canyon National Park is revealing interesting patterns of human use of the resources in this dynamic environment. Through the ages, people developed a wide range of social and cultural strategies at Grand Canyon, from small-scale foraging and hunting to socially complex farming.

Ian Hough, who received his master of arts from Northern Arizona University in anthropology in 1999, will share some of the recent findings of archeological surveys, excavations and other research in the park.

 

To learn more about the archeological excavations along the Colorado River:
https://www.nps.gov/grca/historyculture/archeology-excavation.htm

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Mapping the Green: Vegetation Mapping at Grand Canyon
Mike Kearsley, Vegetation Mapping Coordinator
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 7–8:30 p.m.

 

Mike Kearsley

With the greatest plant species diversity of any national park, extremes in elevation and topography, diverse geologic substrates, and influences from surrounding biogeographic provinces, the vegetative communities of Grand Canyon are as unique as you will find anywhere in the world.

Mike Kearsley, who earned a PhD in botany from Northern Arizona University in 1991, will give a brief history of vegetation mapping at Grand Canyon, describe the incredible diversity of plant communities found in the park and share some of the new insights into the canyon’s plant communities gained via vegetation mapping.

 

To learn about recent Vegetation Program projects:

Canyon Sketches Vol 05
August 2008 Tusayan Flameflower Conservation
https://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/cynsk-v05.htm

Canyon Sketches Vol 06
Park vegetation crews use multiple techniques to restore native vegetation along Hermit Road
https://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/cynsk-v06.htm

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Native Waters: Springs and Seeps of Grand Canyon National Park
Steve Rice, Hydrologist
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 7–8:30 p.m.

 

Steve Rice

The springs and seeps of Grand Canyon are places of exceptional natural beauty that provide water and shelter in an otherwise arid environment. Springs also support diverse riparian vegetation and are often locations of substantial cultural significance. Hundreds of springs and seeps exist in the park, yet little is known about most of them.

Park Hydrologist Steve Rice, who received his master of science in geology from Northern Arizona University in 2007, will provide an overview of the hydrologic system that supports the canyon’s springs and seeps. He will also discuss activities and processes that threaten them, and the development of new protocols for baseline-data collection, interpretation and monitoring.

 

Learn More: A Study of Seeps and Springs

 

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The Canyon’s Lions:
Mountain Lion Ecology Research in Grand Canyon National Park
Brandon Holton, Wildlife/Human Interactions Biologist
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 7–8:30 p.m.

 

Brandon Holton

Wildlife Biologist Brandon Holton, who received his master of science degree from Northern Arizona University in environmental sciences and policy in 2007, will discuss the mountain lion research program at Grand Canyon National Park.

Holton will cover the history of mountain lion management at Grand Canyon and discuss the current distribution, demographics and predation behaviors of lions in the park. The park’s research program incorporates the status and changing abundance and distribution of lion prey species, including elk, mule deer and desert bighorn sheep.

 

Learn More:
Mountain Lion Research in Grand Canyon National Park
Mountain Lion Kittens Tagged (2007)
Discovering Mountain Lion Kittens (2007 Trip Report)

 

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All Lectures Are Free and Open to the Public
Flagstaff lectures will be held at Cline Library, at the intersection of Knoles Drive and McCreary Road on the NAU campus. Parking is available to the west of the library (Lot P13 on Riordan Road).

Sponsorship
The Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon National Park and Cline Library are proud to present the Conversations on the Edge: 2009 Rangers Lecture Series in Flagstaff.

 

Visit the Canyon Sketches eMagizine

To learn more about Science and Resource Management at Grand Canyon National Park
https://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/cynsk.htm