Sedona, AZ: The Site Host and R.O.C.K.S. Programs established by Pink Jeep Tours at the Honanki Heritage cliff dwelling and rock art site southwest of Sedona has been named a finalist in the Arizona Preservation category for the 2008 Governor's Tourism Awards.
The winner for this category will be announced at the Governor's Awards Luncheon at the Governor's Conference on Tourism, the premier annual gathering of Arizona's tourism industry, Thursday, July 10, 2008, 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson.
The Governor's Tourism Awards are given each year to honor individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the Arizona tourism industry.
The Site Host Program was created to help preserve the beautiful ancient ruins and rock art and is the first point of contact for the visiting public. With limited government budgeting available, Pink Jeep Tours took a strong role in helping preserve this site for generations to come, and is an important element of Arizona's history and legacy. The site host position is essential to promote good site etiquette, which includes not disturbing the ruins, touching the rock art, or any other kind of vandalism. Pink Jeep Tours pays for the site host position, which is staffed seven days a week. Pink Jeep Tours is in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the Friends of the Forest, a local volunteer group.
"The growing numbers to the site, and the lack of degradation to the fragile ruins, justifies the need for the site host program each year," said Shawn Wendell, owner of Pink Jeep Tours. "Continued education for the respect of Arizona's natural wonders is among the greatest success that can be measured by the project."
Pink Jeep Tours also developed the complimentary Off-Road Learning Program called R.O.C.K.S. (Reinforcing Our Children's Knowledge of Sedona) for fourth-graders. R.O.C.K.S. is a cultural excursion that takes the students to the Honanki ruins site in the Pink Jeeps and combines the thrill of an off-road adventure with fun and educational activities that encourage a love of nature and a respect for fragile eco-systems and the Native American cliff dwellings. Fourth grade students from three elementary schools in the Sedona area receive activity packets filled with engaging educational material, safety information, games, gifts, and an eco-ranger certificate.
Pink Jeep Tours, the premier adventure tour company of Northern Arizona, was founded in 1960 and has its corporate headquarters in Sedona, Arizona. It serves visitors from around the world with a corporate fleet of 63 vehicles and is the only Jeep tour company with guide trainers certified by the National Association for Interpretation on its staff.
For more information on Pink Jeep Tours call (800) 873-3662 or visit www.pinkjeep.com.
Article courtesy of Jessica Dennison.
Posted June 25, 2008.
