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Hello Friends of GCFS,

With heavy hearts, we advise you of the passing of our much-beloved co-founder, mentor and dear, dear friend, Ann Zwinger. Nobody was more fun on a trip, and nobody could match her depth of knowledge about the natural world, nor her ability to eloquently teach in such a kind way that she was the favorite of children and seniors and everybody in-between. Her smile alone could light the path for those lucky enough to share it with her, and her books will continue to light the way for all of us.

• Ann Haymond Zwinger, 1925 - 2014 by Gary Paul Nabhan of Orion Magazine
• Ann Haymond Zwinger Obituary in the Gazette

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

With a grant from GCFS, Glen Canyon NRA's cooperating association, the Glen Canyon Natural History Association, has started its own field school, the Glen Canyon Field School, http://glencanyonfieldschool.org and has assumed our class operations at the Recreation Area. They will continue our tradition of offering spectacular houseboat and kayak trips and will offer our Sampler classes and hiking classes as well! We hope, with GCNHA's proximity to the area, to see an increasing number of field school activities in the whole park. This is the beginning of something really fine as the lake and surrounding backcountry offer a large number of unique outdoor experiences. Join us in wishing them all the best!

Kids at Grand Canyon

GCGS is proud to announce that it has just made a matching funds challenge grant to Grand Canyon's Kids at Grand Canyon program. We believe that its mission, which is to forge life-long connections between school children and our national parks, perfectly dovetails with our mission, and we are excited to help bring the Grand Canyon to students everywhere! The program offers learning adventures for students and teachers throughout the the world through field trips, lesson plans, in-school outreach programs and distance learning through Internet-based educational programs. If you want to contribute too, go to Kids at Grand Canyon.

California Condor Restoration Project

GCFS has long partnered with the Peregrine Fund's Condor Project in the Vermilion Cliffs area, and now we are pleased to assist its new public education program to help the public stay informed and participate in their historic effort to recover one of the world's largest and most critically endangered species, the California Condor. The Condor Cliffs program incorporates this message in five major video productions, a live bird show at an IMAX theater, and public television and radio. GCFS purchased a special MacBook computer for the Condor Cliffs project to help them broadcast direct from the field to their webpage at Condorcliffs.org, and to their facebook page CondorCliffs. We have also donated equipment for use in the field.

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

A new nonprofit partner, Friends of the Cliffs, is forming to provide several services to the Monument, and it is our hope that they will soon offer a field school as well. When the Friends group has attained its 501c3 status, GCFS plans to grant funds to help initiate a field school in Vermilion Cliffs.

Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument

Grand Canyon-Parashant is working on a partnership project as well, but it is not as far along as Vermilion Cliffs. Again, when a nonprofit offering a field school is formed, GCFS will offer support.

What now?

All of us at GCFS want to sincerely thank you for your support over the years. It has truly been our privilege to work with such talented educators and devoted conservationists and with so many enthusiastic individuals who understand that exploration and education are valuable and powerful ways to protect the lands we love. You truly are the heart of GCFS, and we have been fortunate indeed to meet you and to serve you.

While we are leaving Northern Arizona, Grand Circle Field School is neither disbanding nor giving up its mission. We expect to continue exploring and educating about the extraordinary wildlands of the world. But more on that later...

Happy Trails

from your friends at Grand Circle Field School

.....until we meet again!