User talk:Cdeuschle

The Grand Canyon Association is the National Park Service’s official nonprofit partner raising private funds to benefit Grand Canyon National Park, operating retail shops and visitor centers within the park, and providing premier educational opportunities about the natural and cultural history of the region.

History
GCA was originally founded by naturalist Edwin D. McKee in February 1932 as the Grand Canyon Natural History Association (GCNHA). In 1937, GCNHA was legally established as a cooperating association, which is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the education and preservation programs of federally protected lands.

The purpose of GCNHA was "to stimuate and encourage scientific research and investigation in the field of geology, botany, zoology, ethnology, archaeology, and related subjects in the Grand Canyon region."

In October 1994, the association's board of directors approved changing the name of the association from Grand Canyon Natural History Association to Grand Canyon Association, in part to emphasize an expanding list of services, books, and products focusing on cultural history, thus not always fitting the bill of "natural history."

Books
GCA publishes 3 to 5 books on average annually. Topics of their books include original research on the Grand Canyon, scientific monographs, American Indian history, and guidebooks.

In association with Grand Canyon National Park, GCA copublishes the park's newspaper, The Guide, with translations in many languages, including Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French, German, Korean, and Italian.

Exhibits
In 1990, GCNHA funded the restoration and reopening of Kolb Studio. Then, in 1993 GCNHA reopened the studio's auditorium as a public exhibition space. The venue hosts rotating exhibits that speak to the inspirational power of the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Field Institute
The Grand Canyon Field Institue (GCFI) was founded in 1993 to support Grand Canyon National Park's efforts to offer educational and interpretive services. GCFI offers more than 60 rim-based and backcountry classes a year.