Petrified Forest Field Institute recently unveiled its 2016 schedule, providing new opportunities to immerse in the beauty and science of the park. “We are electrified with the world class guides and field experts leading this year’s courses,” said Tara Cheney, director of the Field Institute, the educational branch of official nonprofit park partner Petrified Forest Museum Association. “I can’t speak enough to the high-caliber instructors, Gary Ladd, David Behar, Wayne Ranney and Christa Sadler just to name a few. It wasn’t hard to schedule them, because they know how special this place is and are eager to share it with others.” Courses are offered through October this year and include: * An overnight hike witnessing summer solstice light piercing a solar marker petroglyph. * Art workshops showcasing the Painted Desert. * Custom-created, guided day trips crafted based on individual interests. * Extended day hikes into the park’s seldom-visited backcountry. * Hands-on science, to include archaeology (recording rock art), biology (including daytime live-trap surveys collecting specimen data) and paleontology (digging fossils from a quarry teeming with ancient life). * Photography workshops to capture low-light, monochromatic and monsoon conditions. “There is so much more to see and discover in this park than just driving through,” continued Cheney. “The institute provides opportunities to complement what the National Park Service offers.” To learn more and to register, visit http://www.petrifiedforestfieldinstitute.org/ or contact Cheney at (928) 524-6228, ext. 239.
