OUR MISSION
The Denali Education Center was founded in 1989 in order to develop and implement research, education and communication programs that benefit the Denali Park bioregion, the state of Alaska, and our planet. We believe that wilderness provides an educational opportunity to teach and to share values common to all of us.
Register for Denali Discovery Camps here
Come Visit! Denali Weeks 2008
Don't forget about Denali Week and Denali Mini-weeks! These are great opportunities to visit family and friends working in the area or just come up for an amazing learning experience in Denali this summer. All you need to do is get to Denali and we will take it from there! All lodging, meals, programs, and trips into the park are included! Leave the details to us and come to Denali. It's a trip of a lifetime that you won't soon forget. For more details regarding Denali Week please click here or for Denali Mini-Weeks click here.
New Wheels!
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We are pleased to announce the newest member of our fleet! With a generous grant from the Rasmuson Foundation and an in-kind donation from Pacific Environmental Corporation (PENCO), we recently purchased a 31 passenger bus to use as a new program vehicle. This smaller bus will provide an economical alternative to our transportation needs and will allow us to be more flexible when transporting our program participants. Rasmuson Foundation is a private family foundation based in Anchorage dedicated to promoting a better life for Alaskans. PENCO was formed as part of American Marine Services Group and provides emergency marine oil spill response and related environmental services. We are incredibly grateful to all of those who helped to make this purchase successful and encourage you to learn more about both the Rasmuson Foundation and PENCO by going to their websites at www.rasmuson.org and www.penco.org.
Updated March 27.
Winter is Wonderful!
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Our Elderhostel season began with a happy howl again this year as 47 people joined us in Anchorage for our first program of the season focusing on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race! Mushing-fever abounded as participants attended race related events including the musher's banquet, the ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage and then out to Willow, AK for the official start of the race.
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While we waited to see if Lance Mackey could pull another miracle out of his sled bag, many of the Iditarod crew came along for our second Elderhostel program of the year, the brand new Winter in Interior Alaska. 30 hardy folks took to the road for a taste of the Alaskan winter beginning in Talkeetna with the focus on climbing Mt McKinley. It was then off to Healy and Denali National Park for a visit to the winter visitor's center and programs with varied topics including wolf research, bird migration, and a visit to a local sled dog kennel. We saw scores of caribou in Cantwell and flagged down the Alaska Railroad for a beautiful trip through the Alaska Range. Our last evening in Healy culminated with a magnificent aurora! The next day we headed north, catching a glimpse of Mt McKinley and after taking our chance to win the Nenana Ice Classic it was on to Fairbanks and the Museum of the North, finishing the evening with a trip to the World Ice Art Championships. It was an amazing start to what promises to be another outstanding year of Elderhostel programs!
Updated March 27.
Welcome Back Willie!
Executive Director Willie Karidis celebrates 100-year anniversary of Charles Sheldon's winter exploration in the wilderness of Denali
Our Executive Director Willie Karidis has been in the Toklat area of Denali National Park since late January and has returned home from the park to complete his 70 days retracing the footsteps of park visionary Charles Sheldon. Willie's trip has been a tribute to Sheldon's work and marks the 100th anniversary since Sheldon over-wintered in the same area of Denali; a life altering event that proved to be a major impetus in Sheldon's quest to establish Mt McKinley National Park, later renamed Denali National Park. Willie has been busy attempting to recreate many of Sheldon's photos, 100 years to the date, and making observations of temperature, bird species, animal activity and more. To read about Willie's journey and send him your well wishes, please click here: "Wilderness of Denali 100"
Congratulations, Willie!
LOCATION
Located upon ten wooded acres near the eastern boundary of Denali National Park & Preserve, the home of Denali Education Center is the Charles Sheldon Center and Riverside Hall, also known as the "Learning Center" or "Elderhostel Classroom." We welcome visitors to this remarkable land and experience what makes this place so very special. The Denali Education Center is located at Milepost 231 of the George Parks Highway, seven miles south of the Denali National Park entrance, behind the McKinley Village Lodge.
INFORMATION
For more information about programs or events sponsored by the Denali Education Center, call 907.683.2597 or e-mail us at info@denali.org.
If you would like to be placed on the Denali Education Center mailing list to receive Community Series updates, please send your name, street address and email address to mail@denali.org. We hope to see you in Denali!
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