MAlt Trip: Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park in southwestern Utah was the destination of a group of students who hoped to assist the National Park Service in their efforts to protect and preserve the country’s natural and cultural resources. Living out of tents in the Park’s campground, students performed routine trail work that included sawing and lopping trees and digging water bars. However, cold weather and snow often hindered the students’ effort to perform trail maintenance – eight inches of snow blanketed the Park in the first weekend!

In response to the weather, students traveled to Parashant National Monument in Arizona to clean up an oasis newly conserved by the Bureau of Land Management. They also helped with seed propagation in the Park’s greenhouse and worked in the Park’s recycling center. In spite of the weather, students were able to do a significant amount of work and to increase their understanding of park maintenance and management. Moreover, trip leaders and participants were able to gain a new appreciation for community service.

In the words of trip leaders Hannah Panci and Alyssa Panning: “Not only was our work valuable to the Park in making it more accessible to visitors, but the appreciation and love of service work that we gained will continue to serve us and others throughout our lives.”

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