Geoscience Education in Public Parks: Harriman State Park, NY

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ABSTRACTGeoscience Education in Public Parks: Harriman State Park, New YorkA universal model is being developed for Geoscience education in public parks near urban centers. This phase of the project will be to develop an educational videotape and a website. The model is being developed in the 75,000 acre Harriman-Bear Mountain-Sterling Forest State Park, 25 miles to the north of New York City in the Hudson Highlands. The park nowreceives 4.2 million visitors annually including a large proportion of groups who are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Outstanding roadside and trailside rock exposures beautifully illustrate fundamental principles of Geology, Mining, Environmental Science, and Civil Engineering. Through them, visitors will be provided with an exciting, hands-on science education experience. One area of geology that is especially well illustrated is that developed during the Rodinian tectonic cycle. An ongoing research project on this aspect of the geology involves five researchers from different schools and their students. The results of these ongoing investigations will be integrated into both the videotape and website. The videotape will be made using new footage from the park as well as film resources donated by ABC Inc. and will be widely distributed to participating museums,schools, and recreational groups. Interlinks within the site will explain the science and scientific data that leads to the explanations presented. Topics for field trips will be largely based upon NJ and NY Science Educational Standards for ready use in K-12 curricula.