Celebrate Wildlife Day at Grand Canyon National Park – May 2, 2009

Submitted by Jim Burnett on April 21, 2009 - 2:59am

Visitors learn through their sense of touch at Grand Canyon’s Celebrate Wildlife Day in 2008. NPS Photo by Michael Quinn.

The staff and friends of Grand Canyon National Park will be celebrating their second annual Celebrate Wildlife Day on Saturday, May 2, 2009. The event will include special exhibits and programs, live animal demonstrations and fun for the entire family.

All Wildlife Day activities will take place at the Shrine of the Ages (Shrine) on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Use the free Village Route Shuttle Bus to reach the event or park in Lot A. Click here for information about the shuttle bus and parking.

The day’s outdoor activities will start at 7:00 a.m. and will include bird walks, track and scat identification workshops, telemetry workshops, and more.

The special indoor programs will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will include talks on bats, condors, squirrels and mountain lions, just to name a few. As last year, there will be an open house from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Shrine with exhibits, touch tables, informal activities and book sales.

New additions will include exhibits by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers. Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center of Phoenix, Arizona, a popular highlight of last year’s event, will once again be conducting educational demonstrations with live animals from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center works in cooperation with The Arizona Game and Fish Department to provide rehabilitative care for sick or injured wildlife, and serves as a resource for education concerning Arizona's unique assortment of wild animals.

Celebrate Wildlife Day will conclude at the Shrine with a wildlife skit prepared by the students of Grand Canyon Unified School District at 7:00 p.m. followed by a special evening presentation by wildlife biologist, Robert Mesta, author of the book Condor: Spirit of the Canyon.

Celebrate Wildlife Day provides visitors with opportunities to learn about regional wildlife and about the work of wildlife biologists. The event is made possible through a partnership between the National Park Service, the Grand Canyon Association, Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Grand Canyon Unified School District, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, and Grand Canyon Railway.

You'll find the event schedule and more information about Celebrate Wildlife Day on the park’s website. .

If you can't attend, you can Listen to the Celebrate Wildlife Day Audio Podcast or download a transcript on the event website.