YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY AUTUMN.WINTER 2018 :: VOLUME 09.ISSUE 02 Preserving Yosemite’s History & Culture INSIDE Preserving the JMT for Future Hikers Honoring American-Indian History Expert Insights on the History of Buffalo Soldiers Q&A with Yosemite’s Program Manager for Cultural Resources PHOTO: (OPPOSITE) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/KEITH WALKLET. CONSERVANCY/KEITH © YOSEMITE (OPPOSITE) PHOTO: OUR MISSION Yosemite Conservancy inspires people to support projects and programs that preserve Yosemite and enrich the visitor experience. PRESIDENT’S NOTE YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY COUNCIL MEMBERS Travel Back in Time CHAIR PRESIDENT & CEO osemite is renowned for its spectacular Bob Bennitt* Frank Dean* scenery, but that’s not the only thing that VICE CHAIR VICE PRESIDENT, Dana Dornsife* CFO & COO makes it a special place. For thousands Jerry Edelbrock of years, human stories have taken shape alongside granite cliffs and giant sequoias. COUNCIL Hollis & Matt Adams* Christina Hurn & Jeanne & Richard Tassone In this issue, we look at how people throughout Michael Adams Jennifer & history, including Yosemite’s native residents, Gretchen Augustyn Gregory Johnson early conservationists, and modern-day rangers Jenny Augustyn & Walt Lemmermann Ali Meghdadi Melody & Bob Lind and researchers, have played a part in preserving Suzy & Bob Bennitt* Sam & Cindy Livermore one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. David Bowman & Steve Lockhart & Gloria Miller Karen Bals Marilyn & Allan Brown Anahita & Jim Lovelace These stories trace the roots of the John Muir Trail, delve into ranger Shelton Steve & Diane Ciesinski* Mark Marion & Johnson’s dedication to sharing the tales of Buffalo Soldiers, and explore how Kira & Craig Cooper Sheila Grether-Marion Yosemite’s traditionally associated tribes worked with the park on a landmark Hal Cranston & Patsy & Tim Marshall Vicki Baker Kirsten & Dan Miks project to protect a place deeply connected to American-Indian history. Carol & Manny Diaz Robyn & Joe Miller Leslie & John Dorman* Kate & Ryan Myers You’ll also get a glimpse of the vast historical resources preserved by the Yosemite Dave* & Dana Dornsife* Janet Napolitano Lisa & Craig Elliott Dick Otter & Museum, which was built in the 1920s with support from the Conservancy’s Jewell & Bob Engstrom Judy Wilbur predecessor — one of the first acts of philanthropy in a national park. Thanks Kathy Fairbanks Sharon & Phil Pillsbury* to you, the Conservancy continues to support projects that improve access Sandra & Gisele & Lawson Rankin Bernard Fischbach Bill Reller to the museum’s collections while protecting historical images and artifacts. Cynthia & Bill Floyd* Pam & Rod Rempt* Jim Freedman & Frankie & Skip Rhodes* The human experience in Yosemite can be just as powerful as the park’s Karine Joret Liz Robbins incomparable grandeur. The memories we build in the park – from a first Susan & Don Fuhrer* Dave Rossetti & Bonnie Gregory Jan Avent* view of the Valley, to a favorite family hike in the high country – inspire us to Rusty Gregory* Lisa & Greg Stanger* care for and preserve this place. Karen & Steve Hanson Jennifer & Russ Stanton* Laura Hattendorf & Ann* & George Sundby Andy Kau Clifford J. Walker* By supporting Yosemite today, you are part of the park’s story. Thank you for Chuck & Wally Wallner* & your generosity, and enjoy this time-traveling look at your favorite park! Christy Holloway Jill Appenzeller Jack Walston & Sue Estes COVER PHOTO Every inch of Yosemite is steeped in natural and human history, from the soaring YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK summit of Clouds Rest (pictured), to the shores of Superintendent Michael Reynolds Tenaya Lake and the historic John Muir Trail. Frank Dean, President Donors’ gifts have helped preserve places and *Indicates Board of Trustees stories tied to the park’s past. PHOTO: © KARYN O’HEARN. Connect with us online! Follow Yosemite Conservancy, and stay connected. 02 AUTUMN.WINTER 2018 PHOTO: (OPPOSITE) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/KEITH WALKLET. CONSERVANCY/KEITH © YOSEMITE (OPPOSITE) PHOTO: AUTUM.WINTER 2018 CONTENTS VOLUME 09.ISSUE 02 ABOVE The John Muir Trail treats hikers to stunning views of the same Sierra Nevada scenery that captivated Muir more than 100 years ago. IN THIS ISSUE DEPARTMENTS 12 EXPERT INSIGHTS 04 RESTORING THE Park ranger and mounted patrol officer Shelton Johnson shares an inside look at JOHN MUIR TRAIL Yosemite’s legacy of Buffalo Soldiers. Learn about Muir’s legacy of 14 Q&A WITH A conservation in Yosemite, and how his YOSEMITE INSIDER influence inspires modern-day restoration Scott Carpenter, program manager for of the park’s iconic hiking trails. cultural resources in Yosemite, explains how NPS experts preserve Yosemite’s history. 16 GRANT UPDATES 08 A RESTORATION View vintage photos from Yosemite’s ROOTED IN TRADITIONS archives, learn how a trail restoration is OF STEWARDSHIP restoring access to Yosemite history in Wawona, and more. Travel back in time to see how Yosemite’s early inhabitants – American Indians – 20 PROGRAM UPDATES Adventure into the past, as our expert served as the original guardians of the naturalists bring history to life in Yosemite park, and see how their legacy is being Wilderness and honor the legacy of art. honored in current preservation projects. 22 ANNUAL REPORT EXCERPT See the impact of your gifts in Yosemite. A MODERN MOMENT 10 26 WHY I GIVE FOR A HISTORIC MUSEUM Conservancy donors share their stories of Preview art and artifacts from the new inspiration and passion. online exhibit that will bring Yosemite’s 30 READER PHOTOS museum collections to global audiences. Yosemite Conservancy supporters share their special Yosemite memories. YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 03 THE ULTIMATE Sierra S unter a PRESERVING THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL FOR FUTURE ADVENTURERS n March 1868, a young man with a strong Scottish accent stepped off a ship at a San Francisco pier. He asked a stranger for directions out of town. “Where do you want to go?” the stranger asked. “To any place that is wild.” Thus began John Muir’s 310-mile, two-month walk to the Sierra Nevada, the first of many visits to the place that would, thanks in large part to Muir’s influence, become Yosemite National Park. The year after his ramble to Yosemite, Muir spent his famous “first summer in the Sierra”; in the ensuing decades, he explored, studied and fought for wild places throughout the West. Though he passed away more than a century ago, John Muir lives on through his legacy: in his informal title, “Father of the National Parks”; in the Sierra Club, which he helped co-found in 1892; and in the many places that bear his name, such as California’s Muir Woods, Alaska’s Muir Glacier and Scotland’s John Muir Way. In addition to playing a key role in the creation of numerous national parks, including Yosemite, Mount Rainier and the Grand Canyon, Muir promoted LEFT Donors’ support has helped restore sections of the John Muir Trail, a popular backpacking and hiking route that honors the legacy of its famous namesake. PHOTOS: (LEFT) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/KEITH WALKLET. (ABOVE) © JOHN MUIR PAPERS, HOLT-ATHERTON SP. YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 05 Donor-Funded UPPER CATHEDRAL MEADOW Improvements to the Restoration crews relocated a stretch of the JMT out of JOHN MUIR TRAIL wetland habitat to ensure the long-term health of the meadow and trail. LYELL CANYON Repairing ruts and shifting YOSEMITE VALLEY the trail to dry terrain has Sections of the JMT helped to protect the have been resurfaced meadow ecosystem and with sustainable tread create a more enjoyable to improve the hiking hiking experience. terrain and make the trail more resilient. PHOTOS: (TOP) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/KEITH WALKLET. (MIDDLE & BOTTOM) © COURTESY OF NPS. hiking trails — or sauntering trails, as he might have said, Since then, countless people have set foot on the JMT, preferring reverent wandering to fast-paced trekking — as whether for half-day jaunts, through-hikes to cover the full a way to help people reconnect with the natural world. 210 miles, or even longer expeditions on the 2,663-mile, 50-year-old Pacific Crest Trail, which overlaps with the JMT In Yosemite, you’ll see Muir’s name on signs pointing the for about 160 miles, including in Yosemite’s Lyell Canyon. way to the John Muir Trail (JMT), the 210-mile route that connects Yosemite Valley and Mount Whitney. Every year, All those footsteps mean that eight decades worth of thousands follow that famous trail, which leads to destinations wilderness-wanderers have had a chance to experience the such as Vernal Fall, Half Dome and Cathedral Peak. forests, meadows and mountains that captured Muir’s heart — but they also result in heavy, sometimes detrimental As the story goes, what is now the JMT was first dreamed impacts on the aging trail. Over the years, Conservancy up in 1884 by 14-year-old Theodore Solomons, who would donors have funded numerous projects to repair and grow up to be an accomplished explorer and naturalist. A protect the JMT for future generations of hikers. plan for the long-distance trail along the spine of Muir’s “Range of Light” took shape over decades, as geologists, As you follow the JMT from its starting point at geographers and adventurers explored peaks and passes. Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, look for restored steps Originally proposed as the “High Sierra Trail,” the route and smooth sections resurfaced with sustainable, self- was renamed in Muir’s honor after his death in 1914 and healing material; in late spring, you might encounter was completed in 1938, 100 years after his birth. donor-supported California Conservation Corps crews 06 AUTUMN.WINTER 2018 preparing the trail for the busy summer season, before they head into the backcountry. In the high country, you’ll see evidence of donor-funded work near Upper Cathedral Lake, where crews shifted a 0.4-mile stretch of the JMT to more durable ground in 2010. Originally, the rutted trail bisected the lakeside meadow, cutting off water flow; now, hikers follow the JMT through a lodgepole pine forest, enjoying Muir’s unmatched “repose … of the deep green woods” while leaving the wetland untrammeled.