Lecture series features wildfire fighting, intraterrestrials, area hikes

Brown Bag Lecture
stock image | St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Each Friday, the Bureau of Land Management and its partners host the popular Brown Bag Lecture series which provides unique opportunities for members of the public to learn more about the area’s natural resources and public lands.

Speakers include geologists, range specialists, biologists, archaeologists, rangers and other specialists who delve more deeply into subjects tied to the Arizona Strip and surrounding public lands. For those who want to learn more before venturing out or are curious about these remote and rugged landscapes, the lectures are an excellent way to bring the resources and related issues to the community’s doorstep.

The lectures are held at the Interagency Information Center, located at 345 E. Riverside Drive in St. George. Programs begin at noon and last one hour. Admission is free, but space is limited for this popular lecture series so those interessted in attending are encouraged to call ahead for a free ticket reserving a seat: Telephone 435-688-3200.

The lecture series is sponsored by the Dixie/Arizona Strip Interpretive Association, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.

October 2014 Brown Bag schedule

  • Oct. 10 – Wildfire management on the Arizona Strip

BLM Arizona Strip District Fire Management Officer Mark Rosenthal and the crew of Engine 3035 will present a discussion on fire management and the equipment used on the Arizona Strip to fight wildland fires on public lands.

The Arizona Strip, commonly referred to as “the Strip,” covers more than 3 million acres across three management units between the Utah border to the north, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the south and spans from the Mesquite, Nevada-area to the west to the Paria, Utah-area to the east. The Strip’s remote and rugged terrain often poses a host of unique and interesting logical challenges in firefighting efforts.

  • Oct. 17 – Natural wonders of southwest Utah and northwest Arizona

Discover more of southwest Utah and northwest Arizona’s natural wonders with Bo Beck, co-author of the popular guidebook “Favorite Hikes In and Around Zion National Park.”

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1956 and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Beck joined the Air Force in 1975 where he taught global survival to U.S. Air Force crew members. In 1996 Beck became an active member of the Zion National Park High Angle Search and Rescue team and today enjoys sharing his extensive outdoor experience with adventurers seeking gear and advice at the Desert Rat.

  • Oct. 24 – On a hunt for intraterrestrials

Join Diana Northrup as she leads us on a journey into the subsurface of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument’s fascinating caves on a hunt for intraterrestrials — or microbes that live deep underground. The studies of these intraterrestrials have revealed the existence of various microbes; those that break down debris such as the bodies of animals, some that “eat rock” such as copper and other minerals and others that can cycle nitrogen.

A unique, close up look at images of these tiny microbes with their varying shapes and patterns appear to be a gallery of nature’s most beautiful artwork. The lecture will also be illustrated with award winning photos of the Parashant’s caves and science-in-action.

Northrup holds a doctorate in biology from the University of New Mexico and has been studying cave sciences since 1984. Northrup’s work has been featured on NOVA, CNN, Discovery Channel and National Geographic. She has also been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, and was recently awarded the Science Award by the National Speleological Society.

Reserve a seat

  • To obtain tickets visit the Interagency Information Center at 345 E. Riverside Drive, St. George, or telephone 435-688-3200 for more information on obtaining tickets.

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