Summer campers with the Moab Valley Multicultural Center’s Canyons & Cultures summer camp enjoy a hike with CFI with additional assistance from Moab Museum staff.

Providing outdoor learning opportunities for Grand County school children has long been an essential component of the Museum’s work. This spring, the Museum’s core curriculum-aligned field trip programs served 350+ Helen M. Knight Elementary School students. Designed in collaboration with teachers to complement each grade level’s subject matter, the outings took students to historically significant sites around Grand County for hands-on exploration of history, culture, and science.

Canyonlands Field Institute summer campers visit the Moab Museum to participate in scavenger hunts, read books, examine fossils and special artifacts, and explore the Museum exhibits.

The fun continues this summer as the Museum is busy collaborating with several local organizations to bring elementary school-age students fun, educational summer camp activities both at the Museum and out and about in the community. Through collaborations with the Moab Valley Multicultural Center (MVMC), Canyonlands Field Institute (CFI), and Youth Garden Project (YGP) summer camp programs, dozens of local youth will be visiting the Museum, taking educational hikes, examining specimens, or working on art projects designed to enrich their understanding of Moab area stories.

The MVMC has long provided a variety of educational programs for local youth, and this year the Museum is helping to develop and deliver educational outdoor activities for MVMC’s Canyons and Cultures summer camp. This active and fun-filled camp, which is presented in collaboration with CFI, brings students to beautiful locations throughout

MVMC campers explore the stream during a hike in Grandstaff Canyon.

Grand County on Mondays during the summer months to hike, swim, and explore their natural surroundings.

Through trips to exciting places like CFI’s Professor Valley Field Camp, Grandstaff Canyon, Mill Creek, and Moonflower Canyon, the summer camp provides an opportunity for kids to build relationships, have fun outdoors – and learn about and grow an appreciation for the natural and human histories of the Moab region that they call home. Swimming, journaling, and unstructured exploration are

A young artist shares a drawing at Professor Valley Field Camp.

essential parts of Canyons and Cultures summer camp to which the Museum contributes staff support and educational activities.

Additionally, summer campers participating in CFI’s summer camps (including campers enrolled in a collaborative camp with YGP) have been visiting the Museum to learn about the region’s fossils, human history, and more. In early July, a group of visiting CFI campers learned about dinosaurs, touched some fossilized specimens found in the Moab area, and completed a drawing treasure hunt as they explored the fossils on display in the Museum.

Participants and staff enjoy some cool fun at CFI’s Professor Valley Field Camp and Professor Creek.

The Moab Museum is grateful to our peer institutions working to provide educational opportunities to youth in Grand County. We are honored and eager to develop and deepen important collaborations with organizations like CFI, MVMC, and YGP that allow us to share the stories of southeastern Utah’s past.

The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 8:00 pm during the summer months. Visit the website for more information, and consider becoming a member. When you join the Moab Museum at any membership level, you directly support the preservation of the region’s cultural and natural history as well as youth education programs. Members empower the Moab Museum to grow, inspire, and serve the community now and for future generations.

118 East Center Street, Moab — 435-259-7985 — moabmuseum.org

Red Cliffs Lodge, on the banks of the mighty Colorado River, is home to the Moab Museum of Film & Western Heritage. The lodge is built on the old George White Ranch, a key location for nine of the big westerns including Rio Grande, Cheyenne Autumn, Ten Who Dared, The Commancheros, and Rio Conchos.

The late George White was founder of the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission, the longest ongoing film commission in the world.

In the museum one can learn more about film locations, how the sets are built, and how the filming process is managed on nature’s own sound stage. On display in the museum are production photographs, movie posters, autographed scripts, props from the many pictures filmed in the area, and displays about the western ranching heritage. For information, call Red Cliffs Lodge at 435-259-2002.

Through the magnificent landscapes of southeastern Utah, writers have been inspired and stories born here. Zane Grey, the famous western novelist, traveled through the area in 1912. His visit inspired him to write his book Riders of the Purple Sage. The book was made into a movie starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan, and filmed on locations around Moab.