"To celebrate America's 250 anniversary, learn about what some have called America's greatest idea. The concept of preserving and protecting natural wonders for all was a revolutionary idea and was influenced by geologic processes eons ago. In the presentation, we will discuss why America has so many national parks, how the landscape formed, why the Western US has so many more parks than the East, and the geologic story of how North America has evolved. This presentation will discuss a diverse range of natural wonders to explore, and will highlight some of the great western parks.

Danny Foley is a geologist who has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in geology and geography from Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University (NAU). He is an active scientific researcher who has worked in various geoscience roles including for NASA in planetary geology, and as an instructor of geology and geography in higher education at various colleges such as NAU and Grand Canyon University. He has never met a rock he didn’t like, with his field work having taken him to remote corners of the world from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Foley is interested in better understanding our dynamic world and how geologic processes and materials work in an overall system.

This program is presented with funding from Friends of the Prescott Public Library."