University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln NCHC Monographs Series National Collegiate Honors Council 2016 Partners in the Parks: Field Guide to an Experiential Program in the National Parks. Second Edition Heather Thiessen-Reily Western State Colorado University, [email protected] Joan Digby Long Island University - C W Post Campus, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nchcmono Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Educational Methods Commons, and the Outdoor Education Commons Thiessen-Reily, Heather and Digby, Joan, "Partners in the Parks: Field Guide to an Experiential Program in the National Parks. Second Edition" (2016). NCHC Monographs Series. 26. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nchcmono/26 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the National Collegiate Honors Council at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in NCHC Monographs Series by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. from Partners in the Parks— in the parks partners partners in “As this second edition of Partners in the Parks attests, PITP has evolved. This monograph is addressed to all the parks those people who might wish to propose, lead, or participate in a PITP adventure at any of the more than 400 National Park Service parks, forests, rivers, Field Guide to an Experiential seashores, museums, monuments, recreation areas, and historic sites around the country waiting to be Program in the National Parks explored. While the immediate audience for this model is obviously undergraduate honors students, faculty, honors Second Edition administrators, and program leaders, many elements of PITP might be adapted by other groups of all age levels with an interest in developing experiential programs in the national parks. Park rangers and other NPS professionals will also find in this monograph a sense of how much their work is appreciated and how great an educational impact their NPS programs can make.” —Heather Thiessen-Reily nchc monograph series Heather Thiessen-Reily ISBN: 978-0-9911351-2-7 and Joan Digby, editors partners in the parks Field Guide to an Experiential Program in the National Parks Second Edition partners in the parks Field Guide to an Experiential Program in the National Parks Second Edition Edited by Heather Thiessen-Reily and Joan Digby with Melissa Antinori, Bill Atwill, Kristy Biolsi, Emily Blair, James P. Clarke, Dalton Dorrell, Anjelica Harlow, Laura Harrington, Brook Kelly, Kathleen King, Josh LaMore, Johnny MacLean, Chloé Margulis, Kathleen Nolan, Dana Reid, Connie Rudd, Alysia Schmidt, Brian White, and Alison Mills Willis Series Editor | Jeffrey A. Portnoy Georgia State University National Collegiate Honors Council Monograph Series Copyright © 2016 by National Collegiate Honors Council. Manufactured in the United States National Collegiate Honors Council 1100 Neihardt Residence Center University of Nebraska-Lincoln 540 N. 16th Street Lincoln, NE 68588-0627 www.nchchonors.org Production Editors | Cliff Jefferson and Mitch Pruitt Wake Up Graphics LLC Cover and Text Design | 47 Journals LLC Cover photo of Mt. Rainier National Park hike with Climbing Ranger Stefan Lofgren by Laura Harrington International Standard Book Number 978-0-9911351-2-7 table of contents Dedication: The National Park Service. .ix Jerry Herron and Hallie Savage Acknowledgments. xi About the Authors. .xiii Foreword. .xix Heather Thiessen-Reily Message from the Co-Chairs of the Partners in the Parks Committee. .xxv Kathleen King and Bill Atwill King’s Canyon. .xxvii Emily Blair CHAPTER 1 A Ranger’s Welcome. .3 Connie Rudd Field Notes Unexpected Discoveries at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Dana Reid) . .7 CHAPTER 2 Origin and Evolution. .11 Heather Thiessen-Reily and Joan Digby Field Notes Building for the Future (Dalton Dorrell). .25 CHAPTER 3 Stepping into the Wild. 31 Heather Thiessen-Reily and Joan Digby Field Notes The Unexpected Wilderness of Sequoia National Park (Johnny MacLean, Brian White, and Alysia Schmidt) . .39 Defining Wilderness (Josh LaMore). .51 v Table of Contents CHAPTER 4 Urban Landscapes . .57 Joan Digby and Heather Thiessen-Reily Field Notes From Fire Island to Gateway: Evolution of an Urban Partners in the Parks (Melissa Antinori and James P. Clarke). .65 CHAPTER 5 Expanding Horizons Closer to Home. .71 Heather Thiessen-Reily and Joan Digby Field Notes Immersion in Nature—Quite Literally: U.S. Virgin Islands (Joan Digby with Kathleen Nolan and Kristy Biolsi). .79 CHAPTER 6 Partnerships and Process: A Step-by-Step Guide to Initiating a PITP Program. .89 Heather Thiessen-Reily and Joan Digby Field Notes Partnerships in the Park: Building a Community in Olympic National Park (Alison Mills Willis, Laura Harrington, and Brook Kelly). 107 CHAPTER 7 Gearing Up . 113 Heather Thiessen-Reily and Joan Digby Field Notes Everglades 2013/2014: Slogging through the Slough and Other Favorite Experiences (Kathleen King) . 123 CHAPTER 8 Group Soup and Creature Discomforts. .133 Joan Digby and Heather Thiessen-Reily Field Notes On Top of the World: Backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Chloé Margulis). 151 CHAPTER 9 Preparing, Experiencing, and Assessing Learning. 159 Heather Thiessen-Reily and Joan Digby Field Notes Partners in the Parks: An Adventure in the Black Canyon Comes Home (Anjelica Harlow). .181 vi Table of Contents APPENDICES A. Partners in the Parks Programs to Date. 189 B. PITP Service-Learning Projects. .193 C. Partners in the Parks Best Practices Manual. 199 D. Sample Project Proposal and Final Budget Report. .215 E. Letter and Application for Academic Fee Waiver. 221 F. Key to Animal Tracks in the Field Notes. 225 About the NCHC Monograph Series . 226 Photo Credits Photo credits appear at the lower left of the pictures. All photographs without a credit line are the work of anonymous contributors on PITP adventures. vii dedication to our partners the national park service It is our honor to represent the National Collegiate Honors Coun- cil in congratulating the National Park Service on the occasion of its glorious centennial. The partnership that the National Collegiate Honors Council entered into with the National Park Service almost a decade ago, when the Partners in the Parks program was created, has immeasurably enriched the lives of undergraduate honors students and faculty from throughout the United States and abroad. This second edition of NCHC’sPartners in the Parks: Field Guide to an Experiential Program in the National Parks has recorded with delight the pedagogy, relationships, anecdotes, photographs, journal entries, essays, poetic expressions, and intellectual and ethical devel- opment that have emerged from this educational partnership and the PITP experience. We hope that this book reflects NCHC’s appreciation for all that a host of NPS rangers and other staff members have done to wel- come honors students and faculty into this nation’s national parks and to assist with and enrich these Partners in the Parks adventures. We thank NPS for allowing America’s national parks to become our honors classroom. The National Collegiate Honors Council salutes the National Park Service for all that it has done to fulfill its mission to preserve “unim- paired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” We cherish this relationship and anticipate that it will endure and thrive throughout the second hundred years of the National Park Service. With deepest gratitude, Dr. Jerry Herron, President Dr. Hallie Savage, Executive Director National Collegiate Honors Council ix acknowledgments This monograph is the collaborative effort of people who have led and participated in Partners in the Parks programs all around the country. The contributors to our first edition provided words, experi- ence, and encouragement, and many have continued to do so through the creation of our second edition, especially Bill Atwill, Joan Digby, and Kathleen King. With the second edition, we have increased the voices of students (Emily Blair, Dalton Dorrell, Anjelica Harlow, Josh LaMore, Chloé Margulis, and Dana Reid) and rangers (Con- nie Rudd, Alysia Schmidt, and Dalton Dorrell); we have also added new faculty perspectives (Melissa Antinori, Kristy Biolsi, Laura Harrington, Brook Kelly, Kathleen Nolan, and Alison Mills Wil- lis) to longtime PITP faculty (Bill Atwill, James P. Clarke, Kathleen King, Johnny MacLean, and Brian White). All have generously con- tributed their ideas and experience so that others may find in this model encouragement to participate in existing Partners in the Parks programs and to propose new adventures. A special debt of thanks is owed to Matt Nickerson and Todd Petersen, who oversaw these explorations and were our gurus and guides for many of the journeys. For years, their home institution, Southern Utah University, has been a most generous contributor to this program, for which we are extremely thankful. Matt, Todd, and SUU have influenced countless faculty and students with their pas- sion, knowledge, and vision, and all of us who have come to know and embrace this program will forever be in their debt. We are also grateful to have Paul Roelandt, Superintendent at Cedar Breaks National Monument, as our liaison with the National Park Service. He presents our proposals to the many park officers, rangers, and staff members who have shown us every courtesy imag- inable. Our thanks to all at NPS who have enlightened our groups with their expertise and helped this program grow. NPS Rangers have shared their passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to their jobs xi Acknowledgments with countless students and faculty and are an integral part of this program’s success. From the outset the National Collegiate Honors Council has encouraged and supported PITP with funding and advertising and stewarded the efforts of this standing committee for many years. As PITP’s organization has fully transitioned from SUU to the NCHC national office, we celebrate the full partnership that has developed.