Humanities in the Wild: Dinosaur Trackway Hike

Humanities in the Wild is going Jurassic on Wednesday, May 12 at 5:00 p.m. Join us for an exploratory outdoor experience that encourages you to step into the beautiful and rugged landscape of Red Fleet State Park's Dinosaur Trackway.

Traverse a trail once trekked by dinosaurs with paleontologist Mary Beth Bennis and Ute storyteller Larry Cesspooch, and learn about the science and history behind Red Fleet Reservoir along the way. The evening will end with light refreshments and conversations about the environment and humanities.

Masks are required. Limited space available. Register at www.uintahlibrary.org/h20today or in the registration form below.

Find us here: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/dinosaur-trackway

Mary Beth Bennis has a BS degree from Colorado State University.  She has worked for Colorado State Parks as a seasonal ranger and interpreter, Utah State Parks as a POST certified Ranger, and Curator of Education and the National Park Service as a Quarry Interpreter. Her passion is all things Natural History but especially, paleontology, geology and botany.  She has been working in collaboration with colleagues overseas on fossil logs from the Morrison Formation.  This research has already identified a new species of the genus Xenoxylon, and Agathoxylon.  She also has a passion for music, performing both as a singer and in a bell choir and has been a life-long horseback rider.  She has two boys, whom she adores more than life itself.

Larry Cesspooch is a contemporary storyteller who incorporates film, music, traditional artifacts, and animation into his stories. He grew up on the Uintah & Ouray Ute Reservation in Northeastern Utah. Cesspooch served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman in Vietnam, Hawaii, and Texas. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts for his AA, and the Anthropology Film Center for his BA, both in Santa Fe, N.M. on both G.I. Bill and tribal scholarships. After returning home from his military service in 1979, Cesspooch created the "Ute Tribe Audio-Visual," one of the first tribal production groups in the United States, which has produced over 600 films on Ute culture, language, and history for the Utes, including “The Ute Bear Dance Story,” which screened at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. Cesspooch also worked as an editor for the Ute Bulletin tribal newspaper, and as the Ute Tribe public relations specialist.  In 2002, Cesspooch established his own production studio, "Through Native Eyes Productions." He remains one of the Ute spiritual leaders, frequently delivering talks about spirituality, and specific Ute cultural customs. He currently maintains one of the sweat lodges on the Ute Reservation, and conducts both spiritual blessings and Native wedding ceremonies.

This event is part of Think Water Utah, a statewide collaboration and conversation on the critical topic of water presented by Utah Humanities and its partners. For more information on events throughout the state, see www.utahhumanities.org

This event is made possible with support from the Uintah County Library and Utah Humanities.