Island in the Sky sector of Canyonlands National Park
This is very cool and another reason to get out there and visit these great places!
By Brett Prettyman
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 06/05/2008 09:56:58 AM MDT
In a landscape known for amazing vistas, raging whitewater rapids and remote canyons, the Pearce boys found the most interesting aspect of Canyonlands National Park right under their feet.
The boys - Ethan, 7 and twins Lucas and William, 4 - dug into the Explorer backpack the Pearce family had picked up at the Island in the Sky visitor center and pulled out the handheld jeweler's loupe magnifying glass.
The Sandy family spent the next 45 minutes at an ant hill observing a life form that doesn't usually get a lot of attention at Canyonlands, and without burning a single ant with the magnifying glass.
"The goal of all interpretation is to help connect visitors of all ages with the physical and intangible resources. It is sometimes hard for people to grasp that [connection] for themselves," said Karen Henker, lead interpreter at the Island in the Sky District at Canyonlands National Park. "A good ranger talk or the Explorer Daypack are good tools to help them make those connections."
National parks have long offered ranger talks and the Junior Ranger program as ways to connect visitors to park resources. Canyonlands officials came up with a new idea for families - the Explorer backpack program - in the summer of 2006. The loaner program - a credit card is required with nothing being charged unless the bag or items in it are not returned - officially opened in January 2007.
More than 1,600 families from across the globe have stopped at either the Island in the Sky or Needles visitor centers to check out one of the backpacks, which are stocked with such items as binoculars, magnifying glasses and field guide books. The Islands in the Sky backpacks also include a work book with age-appropriate activities.
The Kirch/Wood family from Boston stopped at Island in the Sky during a trip in April. A ranger working in the visitor center noticed Alex, 11, and Diana, 7, and suggested the Explorer backpack.
"They were really excited about it. My daughter loves anything she can put things in and the fact it already had things was just a bonus," said Pam Wood. "The pack and the items in it kept her interested and occupied."
The pack also provides a natural out when little ones get weary on the trail.
"Whenever she got tired she would find some lichen or something that she just had to stop and look at," Wood said. "Diana also liked the fact that the backpack was hers to carry. She was showing off that she could do it and that she and her dad could carry the stuff."
The Kirch/Wood family also rented a jeep and went for a long drive on the dirt roads in Canyonlands. The kids used that time for activities in the book that would help them obtain a Junior Ranger badge; their parents were glad for the diversion.
"We tend to think that when we are in national parks that we are in nature all the time, but there is an awful lot of driving involved," Wood said. "You don't want them in the back seat with a Gameboy or some other electronic device. It was good for them to have something to do that was still about nature."
A handful of other national parks across the country offer similar programs, but Canyonlands is ahead of the pack, so to speak. Henker says a suggestion to expand the Explorer backpacks program to include Arches National Park is being considered. Because the two parks are so close, it would be easy for people visiting both to rent the pack at one park and return it at the other.
Ethan Pearce seemed most into the binoculars when his family arrived at Mesa Arch. He spent most of his time at Mesa Arch scoping the surroundings for wildlife with the pack's binoculars, while his little brothers took turns mimicking him with the jeweler's loupe.
"I can see really far with these," Ethan said. "Maybe all the way to Moab."
This was the second time the Pearce's had picked up one of the Explorer packs. The first time they kept it for a week, the maximum allowed, milking every activity from it.
"It's a great program. We don't have a lot of the stuff in the backpack so it’s nice to know we can just show up and pick one up," said Rachael Pearce. "It really keeps them entertained and makes them look at the park in a deeper way than they would if we didn't have the pack."
Diana's mother said her daughter felt some ownership of the backpack and its items.
"It is kind of an investment in the kids. She was pleased that they trusted her with this bag of cool stuff," Wood said. "It also made Canyonlands stand out. We visited several other national parks on that trip, but they will always remember the backpack and the place that had the backpack."
BRETT PRETTYMAN can be contacted at brettp@sltrib.com or 801-257-8902.
Packs are available for loan from Island in the Sky Visitors Center at Canyonlands National Park
Explorer Packs contents
Field thermometer
Jeweler's loupe magnifying glass
Field binocular
Desert Quest scarf (game bandana)
Plastic crayons
Activity binder
Pencils
Handkerchief