scholarly journals Inquiry-Based Geology Field Course for In-Service Educators

Author(s):  
David Harwood ◽  
Kyle Thompson

Eight in-service teachers and two instructors engaged in an inquiry-based geology field course from June 14 to 29, 2014 through Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. This team of learners spent three days in mid-June working in the Grand Teton National Park area. The UW-NPS facilities provide an excellent opportunity for participants to discover the natural history of the Teton Range, as well as close-out a few projects while sitting in a real chair, at a real table, a welcome change from our usual campground setting.

Author(s):  
David Harwood ◽  
Kyle Thompson

Eight in-service teachers, one pre-service education student, three observers from other universities, and two instructors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln engaged in an inquiry-based geology field course from June 13 to 28, 2015 through Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. This commnity of learners spent three days working in the Grand Teton National Park area. Geological features and history present in Grand Teton National Park are an important part of the course curriculum. Large-scale extensional features of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole, and the glacial geomorphology and related climate changes of this area are some of the unique features examined here.


Author(s):  
Michael Whitfield ◽  
Barry Keller

This study was initiated in order to determine the population status of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in the Teton Range. Intensive field studies were initiated in the summer of 1978 and will be continued during the winter of 1978-79 in order to delineate the distribution of sheep and to relate this distribution to habitat factors which affect seasonal distributions. Additionally, information on the history of bighorn sheep has been sought through interviews of longtime residents of the several valleys surrounding the Teton Range.


Author(s):  
Joseph Hall

I studied the natural history of river otters. (Lontra canadensis) during the summers of 1982-1986 and 1995-1997 in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Habitat preferences were analyzed by tallying sightings on 5 types of habitat along 16 km of the Snake River. Otters were seen on all 5 habitat types and exhibited a strong preference for the logjam/beaver lodge category. Beavers and otters sometimes occupied a lodge simultaneously. I recorded daytime activity directly in 1982 and noted a large peak in mid-morning and a small one in late afternoon. To obtain information indirectly on round-the-clock activity I employed 6 modified camera monitors activated by treadle-switches at frequently used sites. Pooled records for 3 summers showed almost two and a half times higher activity by day than by night, a finding opposite of what was expected. The hypothesis I suggest is that diurnal activity exceeds nocturnal activity because of the habituation of otters to humans over a half century's tradition of frequent exposure and non-harassment in the national park. In the summers of 1982-1986 and 1995-1997 I made a study of the natural history of river otters (Lontra canadensis), in Grand Teton National Park under auspices of the University of Wyoming - National Park Service Research Center. Occasional observations were made along the Snake River from Flagg Ranch near the north boundary of the park to the north end of Jackson Lake and from Pacific Creek to Deadman's Bar. However, the 3 km stretch of river from just below Jackson Lake Dam to the Oxbow was the site of most intensive study. (See Fig. 1)


Author(s):  
Darren Larsen ◽  
Mark Abbot

The Teton Range, WY contains a legacy of late Cenozoic uplift and periodic Quaternary glaciations. Well-preserved fault scarps along the Teton fault displace glacier deposits from the most recent (Pinedale) glaciation and provide evidence for high fault activity during the past ~15,000 years. Observations of these scarps and previous field investigations indicate that postglacial fault offset occurred through a series of major, scarp-forming earthquakes. However, the postglacial paleoseismic record of the Teton fault remains incomplete. The goal of this project is to use lake sediments, contained in lake basins positioned on the fault, to construct a history of the timing and frequency of past earthquakes at Grand Teton National Park, and assess seismic impacts on diment erosion (e.g., landslides, debris flows, slope failures) and future hazard potential. Here, we report on multibeam sonar bathymetry and seismic reflection images from Jenny Lake, collected as part of an effort to identify glacial and tectonic landforms and to characterize infill stratigraphy. Our overarching objective is to combine these datasets with lake sediment cores from Jenny Lake and other nearby lakes to construct a continuous, accurately-dated record of past earthquakes and earthquake-generated slope failures in the Tetons.


Author(s):  
James Pritchard

This project investigated the history of the backcountry trail system in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). In cooperation with GTNP Cultural Resources and the Western Center for Historic Preservation in GTNP, we located records describing the early development of the trail system. Only a few historical records describe or map the exact location of early trails, which prove useful when relocating trails today. The paper trail becomes quite rich, however, in revealing the story behind the practical development of Grand Teton National Park as it joined the National Park Service system.


Author(s):  
Yolonda Youngs

This study traces the development and evolution of Snake River use and management through an in-depth exploration of historic commercial scenic river guiding and concessions on the upper Snake River in Grand Teton National Park (GRTE) from 1950 to the present day. The research is based on a combination of methods including archival research, oral history analysis, historical landscape analysis, and fieldwork. I suggest that a distinct cultural community of river runners and outdoor recreationalists developed in Grand Teton National Park after World War II. In GRTE, a combination of physical, cultural, and technical forces shaped this community’s evolution including the specific geomorphology and dynamic channel patterns of the upper Snake River, the individuals and groups that worked on this river, and changes in boat and gear technology over time. The following paper presents the early results from the first year of this project in 2016 including the work of a graduate student and myself. This study offers connections between the upper Snake River and Grand Teton National Park to broader national trends in the evolution of outdoor recreation and concessions in national parks, the impact of World War II on technological developments for boating, and the cultural history of adventure outdoor recreation and tourism in the United States.   Featured photo by Elton Menefee on Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/AHgCFeg-gXg


Author(s):  
Mary Humstone

During summer 2010, the University of Wyoming American Studies Program conducted an intensive cultural landscape survey and historical analysis of the Elk Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. Led by Research Scientist Mary Humstone, students documented the ranch landscape and remaining buildings. They conducted research in local archives to uncover the history of the ranch and determine its significance in the history of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. The team determined that the property is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, with significance in agriculture and conservation.


Author(s):  
Charles Reher

As of this writing we have completed the third year of a cooperative UW/GTNP archaeological project, with 1998 being the first season. The primary purpose here is to provide a brief overview of some of the accomplishments of that first field season. This basic "UW/NPS Research Center Annual Report" format then will have two more installments for 1999 and 2000. More attention is given in this first report to background such as the history of archaeological research in Grand Teton National Park, while subsequent reports will emphasize other types of information. No attempt is made here to provide detailed discussions of field methods, project environmental settings, or individual sites, features, and artifacts. Such description would be standard in some archaeological reporting formats, but much more detailed discussions, and more synthesis of regional prehistory, is being assembled in a series of project­ specific compliance reports, conference papers, seminar papers, a graduate student thesis, and journal articles. The possibility of a cooperative University of Wyoming/Grand Teton National Park venture was first proposed by Robert Schiller, Director of the Science and Resource Management Division at Grand Teton. It was apparent that a series of mutual benefits could result, where University archaeologists would aid the Park with its increasing number of federally-mandated compliance projects while at the same time providing student training and employment opportunities. In addition, nearly 400 sites had been located in Grand Teton National Park and the adjacent Rockefeller Parkway at that time, but very little current information was available for many of them and modem re­evaluations were needed. At the same time, these various "applied research" compliance surveys and site revisit projects could contribute to broader theoretical frameworks relevant to our research throughout the region. The investigation of prehistoric settlement patterns and other aspects of landscape utilization is enhanced even by basic surface evidence, for example. The 1998 UW/GTNP CAP crew included the writer, UW Anthropology graduate students Alan Bartholomew and Mike Peterson, and volunteer archaeologist Jill Anderson. All work in Grand Teton has been coordinated with Park Historian Mike Johnson and USFS/GTNP Archaeologist Merry Haydon. Dave Hammond with the GTNP GPS unit and several other individuals aided with our projects. Yellowstone National Park Archaeologist Ann Johnson provided needed advice and materials on several occasions. All of our work was only possible because of the availability of the AMK Science Camp facilities, and the hospitality provided there by Hank and Mary Ann Harlow and their staff.


2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 949-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian A. Barnett ◽  
Carol Volkmar de Castilho ◽  
Rebecca L. Shapley ◽  
Antenor Anicácio

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