GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION EXPERIENCES IN THE NATIONAL PARKS; EXAMPLES FROM CLARION UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Clarion University of Pennsylvania has been using several national parks in the southern United States as outdoor classrooms to enhance the geoscience education of our students. Trips conducted by the Terra Club during Winter or Spring Breaks allow students to participate in a myriad of hands-on projects, and experience overviews of national park geologic settings not afforded by textbooks. Past trips include the following parks: 1996 Mammoth Cave NP, Hot Springs NP, and Great Smoky NP; 1997 Guadalupe NP, Carlsbad Caverns NP, and Big Bend NP; 1998 Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Grand Canyon NP and Zion NP; 1999 Capital Reef NP, Bryce NP and Mesa Verde NP; 2000 Hawaii Volcanoes NP; 2001 Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capital Reef NP; 2002 Joshua Tree NP and Death Valley NP. Many park excursions involve impressive hikes to remote areas. In Hawaii, the six-mile night hike with flashlights (allowed by Park Rangers!) across recent lava flows, and directly over the active lava tube to view lava pouring into the ocean a short distance away is quite a life experience.