| Program
Overview
Grand Canyon Association (GCA),
a nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park,
established the Grand Canyon Field Institute (GCFI)
in 1993. GCFI’s mission is to share the
rich cultural and natural history of Grand Canyon
National Park with park visitors, employees, residents,
and students, as well as nonvisiting enthusiasts.
Through both on-site experience and outreach programming
our participants explore the Grand Canyon and
surrounding areas in depth.
Over one thousand participants take
part in one or more of GCFI’s 100-plus classes
annually. Collectively, GCFI’s expert instructors provide over 40,000 educational contact hours
each year in support of Grand Canyon National
Park. GCFI’s outreach program, which includes
Travelin’ Trunks and videos for loan, reaches
thousands of students in classrooms across the
country.
Relationship with Grand
Canyon Association
The Grand Canyon Field Institute
(GCFI) is a program of the Grand Canyon Association
(GCA). GCA is a nonprofit membership organization
that supports education, research, and other programs
for the benefit of Grand Canyon National Park
and its visitors. Since its inception in 1932,
Grand Canyon Association has provided Grand Canyon
National Park with over $20 million in financial
support. Members of GCA receive discounted tuition
on most GCFI classes.
Partnership with the National
Park Service
For over a decade, GCFI has been
working closely with the National Park Service
(NPS) to provide educational opportunities that
complement the park’s own interpretive efforts.
Each GCFI class is reviewed by an interdisciplinary
team of NPS resource managers to ensure that it
meets the educational goals of the park and does
not pose a threat to the canyon’s precious
natural resources. Here’s how Grand Canyon
National Park’s Chief of Interpretation
describes the relationship between the two organizations:
“In 1993 the National
Park Service encouraged our longtime partner, Grand
Canyon Association (GCA), to initiate a program
of multi-day, in-depth, experience-based learning
opportunities for visitors that would complement
the park’s own ranger-led interpretive programming.
GCA responded by launching the Grand Canyon Field
Institute that same year. In its eleven-year history,
GCFI has grown from five classes a year to over
one hundred. Subject matter has diversified to offer
experiences as interesting as the people who participate
in them, with each course led by expert instructors.
Grand Canyon Association and its Field Institute
have been valued partners in meeting the educational
and recreational goals of Grand Canyon National
Park, and the needs of park visitors. GCFI has the
full endorsement of the National Park Service.” Judy Bryan
Chief of Interpretation, Grand Canyon National
Park
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