UA News

An outdoor family expo on the UA campus will feature a screening of the new Ken Burns film, "The National Parks," and a panel discussion.

A local expo celebrating the nation's park system has three events scheduled to encourage families to get outside and enjoy the National Parks.

The "National Parks Family Expo" on Saturday, Aug. 29 features activities and interactive displays encouraging people to visit and enjoy the U.S. national parks.

The National Parks Family Expo runs from 2 to 4 p.m. on the grounds of Centennial Hall on the University of Arizona campus, and is presented by Arizona Public Media in partnership with the Friends of Saguaro National Park, the Udall Foundation and the Western National Parks Association.

Following the outdoor expo is a special screening of the new PBS documentary from filmmaker Ken Burns, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

The screening takes place inside Centennial Hall and is scheduled to include a prerecorded introduction from director Burns as well as highlights from the film. (Part 1 of "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" premieres Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD/KUAT Channel 6.)

Following the special screening is the panel discussion, "Community Conversation: The State of the National Parks," moderated by Arizona Illustrated Host Bill Buckmaster and emceed by Ellen Wheeler, executive director of the Udall Foundation.

Confirmed for the panel are Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado, chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands for the House Committee on Natural Resources; and Darla Sidles, superintendent of Saguaro National Park.

More information on this special family event – including the latest participants in the "State of the National Parks" panel discussion – can be found on the Community page of the Arizona Public Media Web site.

"Southwestern Gems: Our Desert National Parks," which was produced locally by the team that produces "The Desert Speaks," premieres Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD/KUAT Channel 6 with an encore broadcast Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m., followed by the premiere of "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

"Southwestern Gems: Our Desert National Parks" is a stunning showcase of America's national parks, monuments, preserves and historic sites of the four major North American deserts: the Great Basin Desert of Nevada and Utah, the Mohave Desert of California, the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico and Texas.