Grand Canyon Association
Encyclopedia
The Grand Canyon Association (GCA) is the American National Park Service's
official non-profit
partner raising private funds to benefit the Grand Canyon National Park
. The profits raised are used in operating retail bookstores
, visitor center
s within the park, and providing education
al opportunities about the natural
and cultural history
of the region.
, a private, non-profit organization whose mission was to support the education and preservation programs of federally protected lands. The purpose of the GCNHA was stated to be "to stimulate and encourage scientific research and investigation in the field of geology, botany, zoology, ethnology, archaeology, and related subjects in the Grand Canyon region."
In October 1994, the association's board of directors approved changing the name of the association from the Grand Canyon Natural History Association to the Grand Canyon Association, in part to emphasize an expanding list of services, books, and products focusing on cultural history, thus not always fitting the bill of "natural history."
three to five books annually. Topics of their books include original research on the Grand Canyon, scientific monographs, Native American
history, and guidebook
s.
In association with the Grand Canyon National Park, the GCA co-publishes the park's newspaper
, The Guide, with translations in many languages, including Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French, German, Korean, and Italian.
, and in 1993 reopened the studio's auditorium
as a public exhibition space. The venue hosts rotating exhibits
that highlight the inspirational power of the Grand Canyon.
classes a year.
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
official non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
partner raising private funds to benefit the Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the Wonders of the World. The park covers of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties.Most...
. The profits raised are used in operating retail bookstores
Bookselling
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers or bookmen.-Bookstores today:...
, visitor center
Visitor center
A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...
s within the park, and providing education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al opportunities about the natural
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and cultural history
Cultural history
The term cultural history refers both to an academic discipline and to its subject matter.Cultural history, as a discipline, at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural...
of the region.
History
The GCA was founded by naturalist Edwin D. McKee in February 1932 as the Grand Canyon Natural History Association (GCNHA). In 1937, the GCNHA was legally established as a cooperating associationCooperating Associations
Cooperating Associations, also known as interpretive associations or natural history associations, support the interpretive, educational and scientific programs and services of governmental land management agencies such as the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife...
, a private, non-profit organization whose mission was to support the education and preservation programs of federally protected lands. The purpose of the GCNHA was stated to be "to stimulate and encourage scientific research and investigation in the field of geology, botany, zoology, ethnology, archaeology, and related subjects in the Grand Canyon region."
In October 1994, the association's board of directors approved changing the name of the association from the Grand Canyon Natural History Association to the Grand Canyon Association, in part to emphasize an expanding list of services, books, and products focusing on cultural history, thus not always fitting the bill of "natural history."
Books
The GCA publishes on averageAverage
In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set is a measure of the "middle" value of the data set. Average is one form of central tendency. Not all central tendencies should be considered definitions of average....
three to five books annually. Topics of their books include original research on the Grand Canyon, scientific monographs, Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
history, and guidebook
GUIdebook
GUIdebook is a website that contains screenshots of computer software.It shows a visual history of the software's user interface. It includes operating systems like Mac OS and Windows, desktop environments like GNOME and KDE, portable operating systems like Newton OS and Windows CE, and...
s.
In association with the Grand Canyon National Park, the GCA co-publishes the park's newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, The Guide, with translations in many languages, including Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French, German, Korean, and Italian.
Exhibits
In 1990 the GCNHA funded the restoration and reopening of Kolb StudioKolb Studio
Kolb Studio clings to the edge of Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park. It was the home and photographic studio of pioneers Emery and Ellsworth Kolb. Begun in 1904, the building has evolved through two major additions and countless minor changes during its century of existence at Grand Canyon...
, and in 1993 reopened the studio's auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
as a public exhibition space. The venue hosts rotating exhibits
Exhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within museums, galleries and exhibition halls, and World's Fairs...
that highlight the inspirational power of the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon Field Institute
The Grand Canyon Field Institute (GCFI) was founded in 1993 to support the Grand Canyon National Park's efforts to offer educational and interpretive services. The GCFI offers more than sixty rim-based and backcountryBackcountry
A backcountry area in general terms is a geographical region that is:* isolated* remote* undeveloped* difficult to accessThe term may apply to various regions that are reasonably close to urban areas but are:* not immediately accessible by car...
classes a year.