GPO Summer Travel Series: Coronado National Memorial

August 26, 2019

Our upcoming destination is one that started as a quest for cities lined with goldsmith shops, grand homes, and doorways studded with emeralds and turquoise. And even though these places turned out to be real only in tall tales, today we will discover the rich history and culture that evolved due to the expedition to find them. Kids, grab your Coronado National Memorial Junior Ranger Guide from the GPO Bookstore. We’re off to Cochise County, Arizona to discover Coronado National Memorial!

In February of 1540, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, who had served as a prominent member of the Mexico City council, left Compostela in Mexico. Along with him were 339 soldiers, a few Franciscan priests, and more than 1,100 Indian allies and slaves. Their mission? Discover the Cities of Cibola, which were believed to be bubbling over with gold, and claim them for Spain. Members of the expedition traveled along the San Pedro River, through deserts, and over mountains. With them, they brought more than 1,500 animals, such as horses, sheep, pigs, and cattle. They walked for two years, never to find the fabled cities. However, the arrival of Coronado and his armed expedition led to profound cultural change, which can still be observed today. Coronado, the soldiers, and the priests taught Spanish to the indigenous people of the region. Coronado’s expedition might not have led to the discovery of cities dripping in diamonds. But, it led to the later Spanish colonization of Southwest America, creating the Hispanic-American culture that lives on today.

First things first. Let’s explore the Memorial on a nature walk. Follow the path and count your steps to get a sense of just how far the expedition members walked when they made the two-year trek close to 4,000 miles. Keep an eye out for wildlife! Coronado National Memorial has 55 different kinds of mammals, including baby bats and black bears. As for plants, we might spot Yucca, Manzanita, Ocotillo, Agave, and more. Open your booklet to see what they look like and mark them as we go.

Coronado Cave, NPS.

Next, we’re climbing 500 feet uphill to Coronado Cave! Historians believe that the Coronado Expedition might have sent exploring parties into the Huachuca Mountains where there are caves. Junior Rangers, open your booklets. Be ready to identify and sketch stalactites (these hang from the ceiling), stalagmites (these rise from the cave floor), and columns (where stalactites and stalagmites meet together).

Everyone pack in the van. We’re driving to the trailhead of Montezuma Pass. In your booklet, add a checkmark next to animal tracks you see. We’re looking for the traces of Turkey Vultures, White-Tailed Deer, Spiny Lizards, Coatis, and even Mountain Lions!

Once we hit the visitor center, we’ll get the opportunity to touch and feel some clothing items similar to those worn by members of the Coronado Expedition. In your booklet, write down how things feel when you pick them up. Were they light or heavy? What would these items protect you from on an expedition? At the Touch Table in the visitor center, touch the skulls and tracks of animals that are common in Coronado National Memorial.

Now, it’s time to mail a postcard to someone back home. Open your booklet for one that’s already available and ready to send! Tell the recipient of the postcard what your favorite part of visiting the National Memorial was.

The final and perhaps most crucial activity in this booklet is to complete the National Park Service Arrowhead, which represents the values that are protected by the National Park Service. In it, draw pictures of things you saw at Coronado National Memorial that you think should be protected.

We hope you enjoyed everything at Coronado National Memorial and all the fun activities in the National Park Service booklet. Stay tuned for more Summer Travels, and search “summer travel” on this blog to visit several other amazing national parks.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Visit our Retail Store: To buy or order a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up(s).

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Spring into Outdoor Fun with These Books

March 19, 2019

A growing body of research from the scientific community demonstrates the many benefits of spending time in nature, including meaningful improvements on mental and physical health. But when the weather becomes dauntingly cold, it’s easy to get in a rut of staying indoors. Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration to be remembered what peace, gratitude and pure joy can be experienced by spending some time outside. Check out these publications for the motivation you need to get your family into the great outdoors this spring!

Connecting People to Their Public Lands 2017 provides an overview of accomplishments by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the areas of education, volunteers, and youth involvement. The report outlines BLM’s programs that provide opportunities for Americans to connect with their public lands and waters to pursue healthy, active lifestyles. Read about the initiatives, including a series of BLM’s Junior Ranger Program, Every Kid in a Park, Hands on the Land, and others, and all their wonderful benefits, in this report. Included in the report are inspirational accounts of visitors, volunteers, and students who have cleaned up trash in rivers, tasted wild raspberries, smelled Labrador leaves, and hiked over rocks and falls. You’ll be fascinated to learn about the great work this agency is doing, from educating underrepresented youth on environmental education to creating plans for more recreational trails to hosting wildland firefighting training courses for military veterans.

Published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation provides a detailed snapshot of our nation’s passion for wildlife and nature. According to Gregory Sheehan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the report “serves as a road map” to guide the agency’s efforts to “reach more Americans and provide them with opportunities to hunt, fish, and otherwise enjoy America’s wildlife and wild places.” The results are astonishing. In 2016, more than 103 million Americans (that’s 40% of the U.S. population 16 years and older) participated in some sort of fishing, hunting, or other wildlife-associated recreation such as birdwatching or outdoor photography.

With all their youthful energy, little ones need to get outside and run around. One of the newest Junior Ranger Activity Booklets, Wilderness Explorer, provides the opportunity for them to do just that. The booklet starts the rangers off by having them pack essentials they want to bring on their adventure. It then takes them through Wilderness Areas in the United States. It teaches them how to Leave No Trace on their public lands by picking up litter, recycling and reusing. The booklet instructs Little Junior Rangers to think like a scientist and create a hypothesis around something they observe in nature.

Death Valley National Park Ranger Adventure (produced by the U.S. National Park Service {NPS}) offers several activities and educational information for children on a trip to Death Valley National Park in California. With this booklet, children will explore some of the darkest skies in the United States at Death Valley, learn about Death Valley’s changing landscape, and even learn the story of Death Valley Scotty who became famous for telling tall tales about finding gold and building a castle in the desert. Teachers and school librarians may also enjoy these fun-filled lessons to share with their classroom students as part of a learning adventure.

Members of the Coronado Expedition walked nearly 4,000 miles throughout the two-year journey. Now it’s your family’s turn to follow in Coronado’s footsteps with the Coronado National Memorial Junior Ranger Guide. Take a trip to Coronado National Memorial in Sierra Vista, Arizona and bring this handy adventure guide along. Here, you might see 55 different kinds of mammals from baby bats to big black bears. Even explore Coronado Cave and be on the lookout for stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. This booklet encourages kids to do something we all should do more often: sit and be. It instructs kids to take a bit of time to rest, listen, smell and watch. That’s one the adults might want to get in on as well!

Finally, a visit to Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico with Bandelier National Monument Junior/Deputy Ranger Booklet in tow is bound to be a trip you won’t forget. Junior Rangers will find a Ponderosa Pine, interview a Park Ranger, and identify alien plants, making for a trip they’ll tell all their friends about when they return home.

The season of frolicking under wandering clouds, tending to blossoming buds, and when lucky, stumbling across beautiful birds’ nests is finally here. Spring is easily one of the best seasons to spend time outside. So whether you plan a structured trip to explore wildlife and various landscapes, or just explore the beauty in your own backyard, we hope you enjoy your time in nature this season.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Visit our Retail Store: To buy or order a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up(s).

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

2 Comments | Children, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins