The National Park Service wishes to share the wonders of Grand Canyon wildlife and the world of wildlife biology while honoring the life of wildlife biologist Eric York.

Celebrate Wildlife Day 2009 will include a full day of events including exhibits, touch tables, educational book sales by Grand Canyon Association, programs about wildlife and wildlife biology, and more. The evening program will be presented by Robert Mesta, a biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Additional details will be coming soon.

Robert Mesta and bald eagle

Robert Mesta has spent most of his professional career working to protect, conserve and recover threatened and endangered North American bird populations. He has directed national-level programs to recover the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and the California condor. Robert currently coordinates the Sonoran Joint Venture, a bi-national bird conservation program between the US and Mexico.

The 1st Celebrate Wildlife Day was a huge success

November 7, 2008

On November 1, 2008, Grand Canyon National Park hosted its first Celebrate Wildlife Day to promote understanding and appreciation of the unique and diverse wildlife that make the spectacular Grand Canyon landscape their home. The event also honored the work of biologist Eric York, who dedicated his life to the study of wildlife in Grand Canyon National Park and around the world.

Edwina, a turkey vulture with a volunteer from Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center.

Wildlife Day included a series of special ranger programs on wildlife and wildlife biology, exhibits, touch tables, and children’s programs.

Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center of Phoenix, Arizona provided live animals including raptors, reptiles, and mammals in educational demonstrations for about 650 visitors. Kevin Hansen of New Mexico State Parks and author of Cougar: The American Lion presented the evening program, which nearly 350 people attended.

Martha Hahn, Chief of Science and Resource Management said, “Our first Celebrate Wildlife Day was amazing. Members of the park community and visitors from around the world joined us in honoring the park’s wildlife and remembering Eric, whom we tragically lost a year ago. Participants learned a great deal about the park’s wildlife, our wildlife biology program, and wildlife safety. I really want to thank the many park employees and our partners who came together to make this day such a great success.”

A touch table

Celebrate Wildlife Day was a collaboration between Grand Canyon’s Divisions of Interpretation and Science and Resource Management. Partners included Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the Grand Canyon Association. Students from Grand Canyon Unified School District presented two skits about the park’s wildlife before the evening program.

Eric’s father Tony York and several of his closest friends attended the event. In future years, Celebrate Wildlife Day will be held in early May.

Celebrate Wildlife Day 2008 - Schedule of Events

Shrine of the Ages Open House (All Day, November 1, 2008)

10:00 am to 5:00 pm         
Live Animals from the Adobe Mt Wildlife Center, AZ Game & Fish Dept.

10:00 am to 9:00 pm         
Poster presentations, exhibits, informal programs, activities, and Grand Canyon Association book sales.

Shrine of the Ages Indoor Programs -  Jump to Outdoor Programs

10:00-11:00 Mountain Lions - 1 hour - Lori Rome, Park Ranger

Mountain lions are Grand Canyon’s top predator and most fearsome hunter. Humans often feel fear of lions, though our fears are misplaced. Lions play a tremendous role in wilderness ecosystem; they help maintain balance. They symbolize the very wilderness their lives demand and are reminders to us that true wilderness stills exists. Knowledge is power and the more one learns about mountain lions, the more opportunity one has to realize that losing lions is to be feared more than the animal itself.

Join Ranger Lori to learn more about mountain lions during this one hour PowerPoint presentation. You will learn interesting statistics and facts about lions, hear scary stories, and find out how wildlife biologists study this magnificent creature.

11:30-12:00 Tarantula Hawks - 30 minutes - Haley Bercot, Park Ranger

Did you know that insects make possible one out of every three or four mouthfuls of food we humans consume? That bees communicate by dancing? That ants can lift up to 20 times their own body weight?

Wildlife should be celebrated on all levels – from the biggest bull elk down to the smallest sawfly. Grand Canyon is home to thousands of species of insects which play important and dramatic ecological roles. It’s time to celebrate them! Join Ranger Haley for a brief insight into the insects of Grand Canyon, culminating in the dramatic tale of one of Grand Canyon's fiercest femme fatales.

12:00-1:00 Break

1:00-1:45 Reptiles and Amphibians - 1 Hour -  Marker Marshall, Park Ranger

Reptiles and amphibians make up both a fascinating and a very important part of the ecosystem at Grand Canyon. Learn more about these diverse and captivating creatures. This 45- to 50-minute slide show celebrates the distinctive biology of these "cold-blooded" animals and the important role they play in the animal communities of Grand Canyon.

Join Ranger Marker and learn more about the fascinating world of reptiles and amphibians.

2:00-3:00 California Condors - 1 hour - Pat Brown, Park Ranger

What is the one bird that most people want to see while at the Grand Canyon? The California condor! With a wingspan of 9½ feet (about 3 meters) the condor is North America’s largest flying land bird. If you do get to see one while you are here, you are seeing one of the rarest birds in the world. How will you know when you have seen a condor? What happened to the condors that they ended up precariously perched on the brink of extinction? What changed that they are now possibly perched on the brink of success? How well are the California condors doing today! 

Join Ranger Pat to learn the answers to these questions and more during a one hour PowerPoint presentation about the roller coaster ride of the California condor reintroduction program.

3:30-4:30 Bats, Masters of the Night - 1 hour - Pam Cox, Park Ranger

Have you ever been misunderstood? If you have, you can empathize with bats! Bats are one of the most misunderstood animals in the world. A multitude of myths and misconceptions surround this seemingly secretive and mysterious night flying mammal. People fear bats, because they don’t understand them. Bats are amazing creatures. People could not survive without them.

Join Ranger Pam Cox to learn all about the incredible world of bats and the work done at Grand Canyon National Park to protect this remarkable animal.

5:00-7:00 Break


7:00-7:15 Wildlife Skit - 15 Minutes - Students of Grand Canyon Elementary School.
Sarah E. Christian, 2^nd grade Teacher, Grand Canyon Unified School District

Grand Canyon School students have unique opportunities for interaction with wildlife. They can tell of passing elk and deer on the way to school, stepping around elk droppings on the walkways, and watching squirrels, coyotes, chipmunks, birds, and other wildlife in their natural habitat.

Come and watch the local 4^th and 5^th grade students perform two skits about living with wildlife, namely squirrels and elk, at Grand Canyon National Park.

7:30-8:30 Special Evening Program

Kevin Hansen, wildlife biologist and author of Bobcat-Master of Survival and Cougar: The American Lion will present an illustrated evening program on Mountain Lions at the Shrine of the Ages.

8:30-9:00 Closing and book signing

Shrine of the Ages Outdoor Programs -    Jump to Indoor Programs


10:00-10:30 Birds of Prey Game - 30 minutes - Graciela Avila, Park Ranger

Life in the forest at Grand Canyon is a tough game of survival for birds-they must gather food and labor to build nests all while avoiding dangerous predators. The junco skillfully uses its amazing adaptations to eat seeds, raising young, and avoid getting eaten by larger predators. You may have heard the loud squawking of the Steller’s jay, who uses it’s strong beak and aggressive behavior to eat from picnic tables, gather pine nuts, and steal junco eggs from their nests. Juncos and Jays vigilantly watch over their nest to ensure the survival of their species. All the while these songbirds face the constant threat from predation by birds of prey such as hawks and eagles. As we experience our own trials and tribulations in life, we can learn from these birds to never give up when facing hardship. 

Join Ranger Graciela and learn about the life of birds in this challenging, fun and active game for children of all ages. Participants will sprout wings, a beak, and talons to experience what it is like for birds to eat, reproduce, and protect themselves in the forest at Grand Canyon.


11:00-11:30 Tracks & Scat Workshop - 30 minutes - Cassidy Wolf, Park Ranger

Animals can be mysterious creatures. We don’t always see wildlife, but clues of their presence are all around. Scat and tracks can give wildlife biologists information about an animals DNA, population densities, diet, size, age, direction of movement, and speed. We can all become detectives of the animal world by learning how to study tracks and scat and discovering what information they hold for us.

Join ranger Cassidy to learn about animal sign, including tracks and scat, during this half hour outdoor workshop. We will learn how to identify tracks and scat, and then put our detective skills to the test by deciphering sign common to the Grand Canyon. We will also make a cast of a track that we can take home as a souvenir.

11:30-12:30 Break


12:30-1:00 Telemetry Workshop - 30 minutes - Rosa Palarino, Wildlife Biologist

Have you ever wondered how wildlife biologists discover some secrets of wildlife? Radio telemetry is a popular and dependable wildlife research tool. Wild animals are elusive and mysterious, and researchers use telemetry equipment to track and locate them. Many questions regarding animal behavior and movements have been answered this way. Wildlife biologists at Grand Canyon National Park currently use radio telemetry to track California condors, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep. 

Join wildlife biologist Rosa Palarino and park rangers Pat and Ron Brown to track some animals! You will have the opportunity to use this equipment in the forests of Grand Canyon National Park.  

1:30-2:00 Birds of Prey Game - 30 Minutes
Read description above.

2:30-3:00 Tracks and Scat Workshop - 30 Minutes
Read description above.

3:30-4:00 Telemetry Workshop - 30 Minutes
Read description above.

Rain or shine, snow or sun, please be prepared for the elements.

Canyon View Information Center

8:00 am to 5:00 pm Touch Table and information. Accessible by Village Route Shuttle   

Programs subject to change due to weather and staffing.
For more information please  contact Lori Rome, Park Ranger at 928 638-7783.

Download this bulletin as a PDF flyer (62kb)

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

Remembering Eric York, Biologist
Lions and Loss

Birds at Grand Canyon National Park
California Condors

Fish at Grand Canyon National Park

Reptiles at Grand Canyon National Park