FRIENDS of ARCHES and CANYONLANDS PARKS The Bates Wilson Legacy Fund

About The Friends The Friends of Arches and the Canyonlands Parks: Bates Wilson Legacy Fund provides direct financial support to Arches and Canyonlands (which include Island in the Sky, Needles, The Maze, and the Colorado and Green Rivers districts) National Parks and Natural Bridges and Hovenweep National Monuments in southeastern Utah. The Friends’ mission is to enhance the current efforts in these four spectacular areas to conserve the land and its cultural treasures for present and future generations to enjoy. Current Projects Which Enjoy Your Support Sustainability National parks possess great "Power of Place," and it is the role of park employees to convey the relevance of these special places to a variety of audiences. The concept of sustainability provides many opportunities for relating national park resources to everyone’s lives, especially since it is inherent in the mission of the National Park Service. The Friends seek to promote a culture of sustainability throughout the parks. New technologies offer many ways to make park operations more sustainable. Funding is needed to investigate these technologies and implement sustainable solutions whenever possible. "Locals" to Parks The communities surrounding national parks are important partners in the management of public lands. Fostering a healthy relationship with park neighbors means engaging all age groups and socio-economic levels of the local population. The success of this effort is critical to a park’s perception, keeps parks relevant and provides greater understanding of specific management issues facing the parks. The Friend’s Group is very interested in working with area parks to foster meaningful relationships with diverse cultures and age groups. Our goal is to develop programs and educational opportunities to increase the understanding of these special places as well as making relevant cross-cultural connections. Canyon Country Outdoor Education (CCOE) In today’s technology-driven world, it’s ever more critical to establish a relationship between nature and future generations. The Canyon Country Outdoor Education Program brings every elementary school child from Grand and San Juan Counties to the parks each year for science-based field experiences. A program of the Park Service, CCOE is partially funded through private support such as the Canyonlands Natural History Association and the Friends. Outside funding is critical to continue offering this program. Donations help off-set such escalating costs as bus transportation from the school district to the outdoor education sites. Outdoor education is more than just an interesting "field trip." It is the basis for developing an appreciation for parks and a relationship which will be meaningful for the rest of the child’s' life. Many of these students would not otherwise get to venture into their local parks or discover a hands-on understanding of natural processes. Parks and their future can richly benefit from fostering this connection to nature and our national treasures. Rock Art and Archeological Resources Monitoring rock art sites and archeological resources is an investment vital to protecting our cultural heritage. Of great importance is the work of Bud Turner, a volunteer professional photographer who has been donating his time, energy and resources to create a base-line photographic record of Barrier Canyon Style rock art in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. He is also providing an experimental photographic record in both the infrared and UV spectrums which has revealed new images and information about existing rock art panels. His efforts can also assist in identifying potential research topics. Your donations to the Friends will help cover such costs as purchasing film and special equipment, processing and curatorial storage of baseline negatives and images, and an assistant to help in the field and with the photographic record keeping. Night Skies National parks preserve some of the darkest skies in the country. In some areas, it’s possible to see up to 15,000 stars throughout the night, including the Milky Way. By contrast, fewer than 500 stars may be visible from more urban environments where most park visitors live. Other parks in southeastern Utah are more threatened. The rapid growth of Moab is already affecting the darkness of the night sky at nearby Arches National Park. But development and dark skies do not need to be mutually exclusive. By engaging civic leaders and residents of the local community as partners, the Friends are encouraging the adoption of outdoor lighting policies that protect the night skies of Arches and the surrounding area.

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