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Connecting to Bryce: The Human Side of Things

6/6/2022

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Today was our first full day of STEAM in the Park at Bryce Canyon National Park, and what a wonderful day it was! Weather was absolutely perfect, from the chilly start to the blue skies splotched with fluffy white clouds hanging on the horizon. We even felt a few drops of rain here and there. Two highlights of the day were our discussions with Park Rangers which focused on biodiversity and human impact at Bryce Canyon.

Our afternoon conversations with Ranger Andres began with a compelling question.  He asked us, "How do we make sense of the land that we see here?" This lead to wonderful conversations about the many ways we innately consider land, and the much deeper and richer opportunities we have to dig a little deeper and see the interconnectedness between humans and the Earth. Ranger Andres encouraged us to think not just of past human history, but also to consider our current relationship with the land which will help inform our future abilities to live and thrive as people and communities.  He spoke about indigenous peoples who have inhabited the Bryce Canyon area for at least 10,000 years. He shared stories of Spanish missionaries and explorers in the 1700's. He spoke about pioneers and settlers in the 1800's for whom the canyon is now named.  And, he spoke about all those who currently visit and explore the hoodoos, canyons, mesas, and plateaus of this area.

Ranger Andres followed up his initial question with several more that were designed to get us thinking, and lead to many conversations between us as we walked the rim of the canyon. Some of the things he asked include:
  • How do you use the land you live on?
  • What gifts does the land provide for you? For us as a community? For us as humans?
  • How can the names of places impact your relationship with the land, and vice versa?
  • What is something in your life that you would like to preserve? 
  • What do you value or think is important?
  • How do we fit into places like Bryce?
  • What connections do we have between one another as well as to other living organisms and to the Earth?
We're using these questions as springboards for conversation and the design of instructional content that will be taken back to schools across our country, from California to New Jersey.  It is exciting to know that what started as teacher learning has the potential to turn into wonderful learning and growth in K-12 students and beyond!

​- Susan Bowdoin
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    Authors

    Dacia Jones, CCO
    ​Susan Bowdoin,
    ​Program Director

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​Expeditions In Education, INC is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
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  • Home
    • Meet Us!
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • 4th Grade
    • Crossing America LIVE
    • Episode One: Homestead NHP
    • Episode Two: Holiday in the PARKS
    • Episode Three: Biscayne National Park
    • Episode Four: Everglades National Park
    • Episode Five: Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
    • Episode Six: Assateague Island National Seashore
    • Episode Seven: George Washington's Birthday 2022
    • Episode Eight: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
    • Episode Nine: Tumacácori National Historical Park
    • Episode Ten: San Antonio Missions NHP
    • Episode Eleven: MotorCities National Heritage Area
  • National Parks Expedition Challenge
    • Acadia National Park
    • Arches National Park
    • Assateague Island National Seashore
    • Badlands National Park
    • Big Bend National Park
    • Big Cypress National Preserve
    • Biscayne National Park
    • Bryce Canyon National Park
    • Cape Cod (ONE) National Seashore
    • Cape Cod (TWO) National Seashore
    • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    • Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
    • Chaco Culture National Historical Park
    • Crater Lake National Park
    • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    • Dayton Aviation National Heritage Historical Park
    • Death Valley National Park
    • Denali National Park
    • Dry Tortugas National Park
    • Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
    • Everglades National Park
    • FDR Memorial
    • First State National Historical Park
    • Flight 93 Memorial Park
    • Ford's Theatre
    • Fort Monroe National Monument
    • Gateway Arch National Park
    • Gettysburg National Military Park
    • Grand Canyon National Park
    • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
    • Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
    • Homestead National Historical Park
    • Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
    • Home of Franklin Roosevelt National Historic Site
    • Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
    • Indiana Dunes National Park
    • Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
    • Joshua Tree National Park
    • Kenai Fjords and Alaska Coastal Parks
    • Lincoln Home National Historic Site
    • Lincoln Memorial
    • Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
    • Mammoth Cave National Park
    • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
    • Mesa Verde National Park
    • New River Gorge and Preserve National Park
    • Niobrara National Scenic River
    • Palo Alto Battlefield
    • Petroglyph National Monument
    • Pullman National Monument
    • Redwood National and State Parks
    • Rocky Mountain National Park
    • Saguaro National Park
    • San Antonio Missions NHP
    • Shenadoah National Park
    • Tidal Basin-NAMA
    • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site
    • Voyageurs National Park
    • Wright Brothers Memorial
    • Yosemite National Park
    • Zion National Park
    • National Park Careers
    • National Park Perceptions
  • STEAM in the Park
    • STEAM in the PARK 2022 BLOG
    • Niobrara National Scenic River May 28-June 1, 2022
    • Bryce Canyon- June 5-9, 2022
    • New River Gorge June 18-22, 2022
    • National Mall June 25-29, 2022
    • Acadia July 17-20, 2022
    • Mammoth Cave July 24-27, 2022
    • Crater Lake August 7-10, 2022
    • Great Smoky Mountains August 15-19,, 2022
    • STEAM in the PARK Short Stories
    • STEM in the Mountains
  • Sustainable Connections
  • Design Challenges
    • ON DEMAND Engineering Challenges
    • Weekly Dives
    • UN Sustainability Challenges
    • Off The Grid
    • STEM Challenges- ECO
  • Photographic STEM