Song Dog
Heard more often than seen, the crafty and resourceful
coyote is a minor deity in the religion of many of the southwestern
Indian tribes. Coyotes are abundant in the southwest and in Colossal
Cave Mountain Park.
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Education and Research In the Park
Education Department
Mission Statement:
To interpret and inspire an
understanding of the changes over time that have shaped the unique cultural and natural
resources found in the Colossal Cave Mountain Park region.
Educational Outreach:
In the sense that taking a tour
through Colossal Cave is in itself an educational experience, the Park has been involved
in educational outreach for years. Additionally, the group tour program for schoolchildren
has long been designed for education as well as amusement.
In 1997 over 1,500 children
attended field trips at La Posta Quemada Ranch on ranch history, ranching, and ranching
tools and techniques. Park staff has facilitated teacher workshops on cattle
ranching as well as student field trips on archaeology, specifically the use of the land
in the area from pre-history to the present.
Docent Training:
In partnership with the Rincon
Institute and the Vail School District, the Park has launched a docent program. The first
phase consists of an eight-week course designed to train the docents to teach
schoolchildren about the natural and cultural history of the area. The second
phase—one day per month—will provide the docents opportunities for program
development and research. They will also create discovery boxes to be used during
presentations for schoolchildren who visit the Park. |
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J.Marlow
Saguaro
Cacti
Colossal Cave Mountain Park is located near the Saguaro National
Monument East. These cacti are unique to the Sonoran Desert and are found nowhere
else in the world.
It can take
up to one hundred years for a Saguaro Cactus to grow its arms. |
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Research:
Scientific research has been
conducted in the Park for years, starting back in the early 1950s with a study of the bat
maternity colony in Colossal Cave by Dr. E. L. Cockrum. Other researchers of those years
were interested in some of the invertebrate life of the Park. More recent studies have
dealt with the Hohokam sites, stream flow and rainfall, the geology and mapping of
Colossal Cave, and the Park bat population and its distribution. Current ongoing studies
include one on endemic invertebrates and another on Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)
flowering and fruiting times.
Historical research projects have
been instigated and funded by the Park since the early 1960s, when J. C. Martin (then June
Caldwell) was commissioned by Joe Maierhauser to shed some light on the facts underlying
the Cave’s Bandit Legend. Other projects have been conducted by Dr. Gerald Harwood,
and by the most persistant and thorough researcher, Dr. E. L. Cockrum, who has amassed
information on just about every aspect of the Park’s history.
Library:
The Colossal Cave Mountain Park
Research Library is fulfilling its role as a source of information
for staff and researchers. The library houses over 800 books
(including its Children's Collection) in addition to thousands of historic photographs,
newspaper clippings, and a selection of scholarly journals. The library is open daily
to provide assistance for ongoing research and the Park's educational outreach programs.
Timeline:
View
the Timeline to learn more about The Life
and Times of Colossal Cave Mountain Park and La Posta Quemada Ranch.
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