Kanab’s 2021 Amazing Earthfest features noted Utah author Fred Swanson

Stock image, St. George News

KANAB — Amazing Earthfest delivers 15 free virtual events this year over Zoom and Vimeo, running through Saturday, for your learning enjoyment in five distinct categories: arts and culture, community, documentary film, outdoor adventure, and science and land, all online due to COVID. Kanab’s 15th consecutive celebration of land and life on the Colorado Plateau will feature two noted Utah authors, each giving distinct presentations of their own. Here’s the story about one of them.

Frederick H. Swanson

Frederick H. Swanson is the author and editor of five books on Western U.S. history, including “Dave Rust: A Life in the Canyons,” which received the 2008 Utah Book Award. He is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers and recipient of the Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities.

According to Hank Hassell, author of “Rainbow Bridge: An Illustrated History,” Swanson’s latest book titled “Wonders of Sand and Stone: A History of Utah’s National Parks and Monuments,” published by the University of Utah Press, is a “masterpiece of scholarly research coupled with a skill in storytelling that is sure to engage even the casual reader who has an interest in the conservation of Utah’s wild and scenic treasures.”

From Delicate Arch to the Zion Narrows, Utah’s five national parks and nine national monuments are home to some of America’s most amazing scenic treasures, representing long expanses of geologic time. Drawing on extensive historical research, Swanson traces the fascinating human story behind the designation of these unique parklands.

“Wonders of Sand and Stone” presents little-known accounts of the region’s early explorers, scientists, artists and travelers, as well as local residents and tourism promoters who worked with the National Park Service to build the system of national parks and monuments we enjoy today. Swanson places these in the larger context of the Colorado Plateau eco-region, showing how a comprehensive, visionary approach is needed to safeguard these incomparable landscapes.

As scientists continue to uncover the astonishing diversity of life in these desert and mountain landscapes, and archaeologists and Native Americans document their rich cultural resources, the management of these federal lands remains critically important. Encompassing 160 years of the history of Utah’s stunning park lands, Swanson’s latest book advances and informs these discussions.

Swanson’s virtual presentation titled “Sandstone Wonderland” is set for Monday at 6 p.m. over Zoom. Click here to register and obtain your link to attend.

Join others from all 50 states and internationally for this fully virtual and unique learning festival. For full details and registration links to attend all the fascinating free events scheduled in Southern Utah’s 15th annual Amazing Earthfest, please visit the festival website.

Kanab’s nonprofit Amazing Earthfest gratefully acknowledges its 2021 local business sponsors: Honey’s Marketplace, Garkane Energy, WinGate Wilderness Therapy and Grand Canyon Expeditions. Thank you so much!

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