GUERRILLA GEOHERITAGE TACTICS: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF CONNECTING GEOLOGY TO NPS STORIES WITH THE GEOLOGIC RESOURCES INVENTORY (Invited Presentation)

Geologic heritage or geoheritage—the intersection between geology and human experiences and values—is an integral part of National Park System (NPS) areas. Many of the most visited and well-known national parks are geologic wonders, famous for outcrops, geysers, canyons, caves, fossils, and volcanoes that allow visitors to explore the aesthetic, scientific, recreational, and ecological aspects of geoheritage. Other parks, preserved for their cultural and/or historical significance, have geologic components that provide visitors with the opportunity to appreciate a “sense of place.”

Despite the rich trove of geoheritage themes preserved in the national parks, the term “geoheritage” is not explicitly mentioned as part of any park’s enabling legislation or the fundamental resources and values identified in NPS planning documents. Reasons for this include “geologic heritage” and “geoheritage” not being common terms until recent years, and, in some cases, failing to acknowledge the role that geology played in forming a historic landscape.

Geologists working in the NPS are guided by the mission of preserving resources “...for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” and help bridge that gap between the stated reasons that a park exists and the geologic components of those reasons. The Geologic Resources Inventory (GRI) is a twenty-five-plus year initiative that provides geologic information in the form of maps, reports, and other products to NPS units, and has a history of making explicit geoheritage connections. This presentation by members of the GRI team will explore the strategies used to connect geology to the official language in enabling legislation and foundation documents, and highlight some examples from GRI products.