The University of New Mexico (UNM) announced Professors Laura Crossey and Karl Karlstrom from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences secured a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for the initiative titled "Developing Partnerships Among Tribes, Geoscientists, and the National Park Service to Advance Informal Geoscience Learning at Grand Canyon." The grant aims to foster collaborations between tribes, geoscientists, and the National Park Service for the advancement of informal geoscience education at the Grand Canyon. This move seeks to provide a more culturally inclusive learning experience by integrating indigenous knowledge in geoscience interpretation.
The proposal put forward by UNM encompasses an innovative approach in park learning. The goal of the initiative is to "indigenize" the geoscience interpretation within the park, building on ongoing efforts to incorporate more input from regional tribes. The collaboration will involve in-person meetings at the Grand Canyon and culturally significant locations, virtual interactions, and engagement in Tribal communities, according to a press release by UNM.
Professor Karlstrom elaborates further on their objectives. "The time is right to provide a more welcoming and inclusive geoscience interpretation program in the National Park Service that incorporates a long tradition of indigenous land/resource use. Grand Canyon is a great place to start. Our team includes indigenous geoscientists, Grand Canyon geologists, and experts on place-based learning. Our first steps are to listen and work with numerous tribal groups to raise Native voices about indigenous geoscience," said Karlstrom, according to a press release by UNM.
Beyond planning discussions, there are expectations for tangible outcomes from this project. The collaboration will result in written documents summarizing common goals, providing specific recommendations to the National Park, and outlining detailed action plans for enhancing the Indigenization of future informal geoscience education at the Park. This initiative is a joint effort with Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, with support from Grand Canyon National Park, the Grand Canyon Trust, the Navajo Nation, and the Hualapai Tribal Council, according to a press release by UNM.
Professor Crossey adds her views on this initiative. "We will foster a respectful, reciprocal, and lasting partnership at Grand Canyon among members of the Traditionally Associated Tribes, the Grand Canyon Trust, Interpretive Park Rangers, and Grand Canyon geoscientists, to jointly develop a culturally equitable and inclusive (Indigenized) plan for place-based informal geoscience education at Grand Canyon," said Crossey, according to a press release by UNM.
