Member News

Please see the flier above or click here for an upcoming event this coming Saturday, July 18, 2015 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm,  organized by the Protectors of Tule Springs and the National Park Service and held at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. Please feel free to join this free event and pass on the information to those who might be interested in attending. There will be several announcements related to the future of the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.

This is not a Las Vegas Tourist Guides Guild event, so please contact the Nevada State Museum with any questions.

Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas

309 S. Valley View Blvd.

Las Vegas, NV 89107

702-822-4340

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From the NPS site, http://www.nps.gov/tusk/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm:

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument was established as the 405th unit of the National Park Service Dec. 19, 2014.

It was established to “conserve, protect, interpret and enhance for the benefit of present and future generations the unique and nationally important paleontological, scientific, educational and recreational resources and values of the land.”

The monument is 22,650 acres. It is located just north of Las Vegas, Nevada, and stretches along US Highway 95 north of Aliante and Centennial Hills to Creech Air Force Base.

The paleontological period represented at Tule Springs ranges from 200,000 to 3,000 years ago. It is rich with significant paleontological resources from the ice age, including the Columbian Mammoth, extinct horses, camels and bison, and the dire wolf.

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is open during daylight hours.

Because it’s a new park, there is no visitor center, facilities or parking areas. Right now to access the park, people can park on nearby public roads in the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, and they can enter the monument on foot.

More information about Tule Springs can be found on the Protectors of Tule Springs website.

This article from Groups Today Magazine speaks to the value of a local guide for visiting groups, and includes some quotes from NFTGA President, Barbara Foos.

The Right Tour Guide

A goal for any group leader is to keep participants satisfied and engaged.

Success depends on many variables, including how a group’s itinerary is developed, planned, executed, and presented.

It can be argued that even a mediocre itinerary presented with competency and enthusiasm can turn an average trip experience into a great one.

Using an independent step-on guide can be a factor in adding value to a group travel experience. Not all guides are created equal, and some travel companies commonly rely upon their staff for guiding duties. But for a group leader to be an “expert” wherever he or she goes is a lot to ask, especially if an itinerary includes multiple cities, regions, or countries.

“Tour guides are great people, who have a passion for an area where they live and who want to share it with others,” said Barbara Foos, president for the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.

Foos, a longtime docent at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver and past president of the Rocky Mountain Guides Association, says hiring a local guide can add value to your group’s overall experience, but it’s important to ask the right questions and get references beforehand. She believes guides should be able to accurately present local knowledge and have stage presence, good eye contact, and an outgoing personality.

Click here to read this article in its entirety in the digital edition of Groups Today magazine.