Virtual Events Explore Threatened Park Landscapes in the Southwest

On September 22, NPCA, the Wilderness Society and GreenLatinos will present an online screening of “The Mystery of Chaco Canyon,” narrated by Robert Redford. Then, on September 29, NPCA will join the National Park Service, filmmaker and advocate Cody Perry, and other area experts for a discussion about Dinosaur National Monument and the surrounding area.

More details on each event can be found below. We hope you’ll consider attending one or both to educate yourself about these amazing sites and discover ways to put your knowledge into action by speaking up for their continued protection.

Chaco Event Details

WHAT: Documentary Screening of “The Mystery of Chaco Canyon”

Written and directed by artist and archaeoastronomer Anna Sofaer, this documentary examines the unanswered questions surrounding the massive prehistoric structures of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. While the Chacoans left no written text to explain their culture, their thoughts are preserved in the language of their architecture, roads and light markings. Pueblo Indian leaders — descendants of the Chacoan people — regard the Chaco cultural landscape as a sacred place and speak of the significance of Chaco to the Pueblo world today. After the film, we will share ways you can help protect this extraordinary cultural landscape from threats posed by current Bureau of Land Management plans.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 5:30 - 7 p.m. Mountain Time

WHO: The screening will open with a panel discussion with Governor Brian Vallo of the Pueblo of Acoma and Julia Bernal with Pueblo Action Alliance to discuss Chaco Culture National Historical Park and their ongoing work to protect the Greater Chaco Landscape.

The September 22 recording is available here. (Passcode: 1^HcGL2#)

Dinosaur Event Details

WHAT: Roundtable with Voices of Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument is a hidden gem within a dynamic rural landscape straddling northwest Colorado and the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah. The park — best known for its treasure trove of dinosaur fossils and its deep and wild canyons along the Green and Yampa Rivers — is also an International Dark Sky Park, offering incredible stargazing opportunities by night. By day, it serves as a wildlife migration corridor for species such as mule deer and pronghorn. Unfortunately, Dinosaur is also part of a landscape dominated by industrial oil and gas development, which threatens air quality and the very things that make this place so special.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 29, 4 - 5 p.m. Mountain Time

PANELISTS:

• Cody Perry, filmmaker, advocate and NPCA consultant
  
• Dan Johnson, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services, Dinosaur National Monument, National Park Service
  
• Jennifer Holloway, Executive Director, Craig Chamber of Commerce
  
• Jenny Biggs, school teacher, Vernal, Utah
  
• Tom Elder, Dinosaur National Monument volunteer and dark skies expert
  

RSVP: Please RSVP here to receive video and call-in information.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Dinosaur National Monument are unlike anywhere else in the world. Join us and local advocates fighting for the futures of these special places to learn how you too can add to the calls for long-term protection.