Registration Information:
This is the information and payment page for the Dry-stone Masonry Preservation and Repair workshop. Submit payment to complete your registration and secure your enrollment in the workshop. Remember, you are not enrolled in the workshop until you have paid tuition. If you are paying on behalf of a trainee, email best_preservation@nps.gov to let us know who you paid for.
Tuition is collected by our Partner, Preservation Maryland through their program The Campaign for Historic Trades, who is 889-B compliant.
If there are no seats left, you have been placed on the waitlist and will be notified when a seat becomes available.
Do not pay tuition if you have not submitted a 2025 BEST Workshop Registration Form and received a confirmation email.
Student discount available: Upon check out, please use the following code if you fall into this category.
STUDENT700: This code is for student trainees to pay a discounted tuition amount of $50. You are eligible for this tuition rate if you are a college or university student enrolled at least half time in an accredited institution. Do not purchase this ticket if you are not a college/university student trainee. You should only purchase one ticket per workshop.
Overview:
Dry-stone masonry - where stones are stacked on one another without the use of mortar – is one of the earliest building skills developed by humans and used for building shelters, fortifications, burials, structures, farm enclosures, trails, and roads. In national parks, this method of construction is commonly seen on historic trails, often as retaining walls made from local stone. Using the retaining walls on trails in Zion National Park as a laboratory, students in the Dry-Stone Masonry Preservation and Repair workshop will learn about and explore the behavior, condition, treatment, and maintenance of dry-stone masonry systems within a trails context. After experimenting with the material and physical properties of different stones, students will conduct condition assessments on trail resources in Zion determine causes of deterioration and identify appropriate treatment approaches. Trainees will practice shaping and placing stones, as well as how to approach basic stabilization of dry-laid masonry systems.
Quick Reference:
• 7:45 AM arrive at the Ribault Club
• 8:00 AM start time
• The workshop runs until about 4:30 PM daily
Bring:
• Coffee, snacks, and lunch
• Water bottle
• Notebook
• Pencil or pen
• Layers, hat, and sunscreen
• Comfortable field clothing you don't mind getting dirty
Expectations:
• You are expected to actively participate in all parts of the workshop, even those that may be out of your comfort zone OR so inside your comfort zone that you don't think you can learn anything -you can always learn more
• Expect to make mistakes and support your fellow trainees in their participation and mistakes
• There will be concepts and information that are unfamiliar to you, that is okay that you won't have all the answers, that's why you're coming to a workshop
• There may be concepts and information that are very familiar to you. We hope you will take that opportunity to help teach and guide your fellow trainees graciously (after asking them if they would like assistance, of course), as well as gain new perspectives from the subject matter experts guiding the workshop
• Keep an open mind and think critically
