Sierra Forever
Educating and inspiring people about Sierra Nevada and Great Basin public lands through high-quality interpretive programs, products, literature, exhibits, and events.
What We Do
Originally founded in 1970 as the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, Sierra Forever is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with local, tribal, and federal governments and fellow nonprofits to provide interpretive education about the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin landscapes. We hope to translate the beauty and uniqueness of public lands for people to develop a deeper appreciation of these places, and in turn, become better stewards.
Sierra Forever operates bookstores in visitor centers and ranger stations in collaboration with agency partners that include the Inyo, Humboldt-Toiyabe, Tahoe and Klamath National Forests, Death Valley National Park, Devils Postpile National Monument, Manzanar National Historic Site, and the Bureau of Land Management-Bishop Field Office. We also lead interpretive hikes and presentations, hold certified interpretive guide trainings, offer hands-on educational opportunities for kids, and lead land stewardship and conservation efforts.
Each year in October, Sierra Forever hosts the Eastern Sierra History Conference, designed to enhance awareness, enrich knowledge, and generate recognition of the culturally and ecologically diverse and complex heritage of the Eastern Sierra.
Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission is to educate and inspire people about Sierra Nevada and Great Basin public lands through high-quality interpretive programs, products, literature, exhibits, and events.
Our Vision is to create strong emotional and intellectual connections between people and the public lands of the Eastern Sierra, motivating them to protect and preserve this region through effective stewardship, responsible behavior and personal investment.
Land Acknowledgment
Public lands in the United States hold the creation stories, burial grounds, and ceremonies of Indigenous people who were killed or forcibly removed from their ancestral homes during territorial acquisition.
Many tribes, comprised of different bands, live in the Eastern Sierra region, caring for their native lands as they coexist with the ongoing impacts of colonization. Past or present tribes and bands associated with the region that this effort is aware of include, but are not limited to, the Miwok, Mono Lake Kutzadika’a, Mono/Monache, Nüümü (Paiute), Newe (Shoshone), Timbi-Sha, Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute, and Washoe.
Two Nüümü terms describe the region and provide important context. The first is Pamidu Toiyabe (Western Mountains), and the other, more widely known, place name is Payahuunadü (The Place Where Water Flows). This acknowledgement is an invitation to all organizations, residents, and visitors to recognize the way this history has shaped the present as all parties work together in anticipation of a better future.
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Educate | Inspire | Explore: Sierra Forever Educates and Inspires the public to Explore the Sierra Nevada in the hope of increasing the number of public land lovers and stewards among us today and into the future. Become our partner in this effort through your membership. There are various membership levels to choose from.
Sierra Forever Blog
Alabama Hills Ranger Report for July
The work deepened in July. Fire restrictions that arrived in late June became the rhythm of every shift. The [...]
Alabama Hills Ranger Report for June
We are excited to welcome Mo Li as the new Interpretive Specialist at the Alabama Hills! He jumped right [...]
Alabama Hills Ranger Report for April
After an unseasonably warm March in the Alabama hills, things cooled down in April and felt a lot more [...]