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Partners in the Parks: Capitol Reef National Park
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Join UVU Associate Professor Dr. Ashley N. Egan for a place-based learning experience at Capitol Reef National Park. Stay at the solar-powered Capitol Reef Field Station while exploring preservation, conservation, and wilderness through history, guest lectures, service work, outdoor excursions, and reflective writing. Activities include hikes, a star party, a service project, and development of a personal Wilderness Manifesto.

 Export to Your Calendar 5/15/2026 to 5/22/2026
When: May 15 to 22, 2026
Where: Capitol Reef Field Station
Torrey, Utah  84775
United States
Contact: NCHC Office
hello@nchchonors.org
(402) 472-9150


Online registration is available until: 4/17/2026
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Program Overview

Join Utah Valley University Associate Professor, Dr. Ashley N. Egan, along with several special guests for a unique, place-based educational experience nestled in the heart of Utah's red rock country. Explore concepts of preservation, conservation, and wilderness through the lens of those who have left their mark on Capitol Reef National Park (CRNP).

Stay at the modern, solar-powered Capitol Reef Field Station (CRFS), a field station partnership between Utah Valley University and the National Park Service. There, you will learn about the imprints on wilderness left by the Fremont Culture, Pioneers/Mormon settlers, cowboy culture, and the National Park System through readings, discussions, and reflective writing.

Key activities include:

  • Service Project: Work with park rangers to remove graffiti threatening historic engravings.
  • Guest Lectures: Enjoy a guided star party with a UVU Professor of Physics and Astronomy, a talk on CRNP geology, history of the West, and a botany walk.
  • Outings: Participate in several hikes, a guided history tour, and a horseback ride.
  • Reflective Writing: Develop a personal ethic on conservation and preservation through assignments such as "Petroglyphs, Power, and Place," "Embodiment," and developing a personal Wilderness Manifesto.

Registration Details

Program Size: 8-18 Students

NCHC Member Price: $930 (does not include airfare); Non-Member Price: $1860 (does not include airfare)

Registration Deadline: April 10, 2026

 

Tentative Itinerary

  • Topic: Intro to Wilderness, Preservation, Conservation, Place
  • Activities: Ice breakers, Get to Know You, Tour of CRFS
  • Topic: Contemporary Park Culture: Preservation vs Conservation
  • Activities: Hickman Bridge, Visitor's Center
  • Topic: The People of Long Ago
  • Activity: Petroglyph Hike, fire without matches, silent night hike to Pleasant Creek
  • Topic: Mother Nature
  • Activity: Cassidy Arch, Oregon trail native plant game, botnay-based hike
  • Topic: Cowboy Culture & other visitors
  • Activity: Horesback riding, Grand Wash Hike and Graffiti service project
  • Topic: Pioneers & Mormon Settlers
  • Activity: Yoga, Orchards, Historic Fruita, Student Creative Projects
  • Topic: Wander in Wilderness
  • Activity: Peer review of wilderness manifesto , Clean Field Station, Depart

Facilitators

Ashley Egan: aegan@uvu.edu

Kate McPherson: kmcpherson@uvu.edu
National Collegiate Honors Council ®
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • 440 N. 17th Street | #250 Knoll
  • Lincoln, NE 68588-0627
  • Tel: 402-472-9150 | E-mail: hello@nchchonors.org
    • Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CDT

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