A DOCTORATE IN THREE HOURS – TEACHING GEOLOGY TO THE GLACIER NATIONAL PARK SEASONAL RANGER STAFF

Seasonal interpretive staff and volunteers fill many roles at national parks and are often the only contact a visitor may have with a park-specific expert. Interpretive programs run the gamut between cultural history stories and classic science-based lessons. Prior to working with the public, summer seasonal interpretive rangers at Glacier National Park receive intense, eighty-hour training on the myriad natural and cultural features, and potential social issues of that spectacular park. This occurs over two weeks and includes all of three hours devoted to geologic instruction. Given the variety of educational and life experience backgrounds of the audience, instructors must assume no prior geologic knowledge or education, meaning much of the session includes very basic geologic concepts in an extremely limited timeframe. We have produced a curriculum that spends 50 minutes on basic geologic concepts (aka Bachelors Degree) discussing geologic time, the three types of rocks and the rock cycle, plate tectonics with an emphasis on compression, and glaciers and glacial features. This is followed by 50 minutes on the geologic evolution of Glacier National Park including Precambrian Belt Basin stratigraphy, thrusting on the Lewis overthrust fault, extension in the Kishenehn basin along the western edge of the park, Pleistocene glaciation, and resulting glacial features throughout the park after glacial retreat (aka Masters Degree). We conclude with 50 minutes on specific geologic features a visitor might observe in the park such as the Lewis overthrust, stromatolites within the Helena limestone formation, pillow basalts, U-shaped valleys, rock colors, and the Purcell diorite sill (aka Phd). Instructors attempt to engage the class using plenty of photographs, cookies, silly putty, M&Ms, and as much humor as possible.