ESIA works with the Inyo County Office of Education on their Taking Root program which provides once-a-month outdoor education to third-grade students of Inyo County. The most recent program ESIA delivered was on seed dispersal and this was featured in the December 31st issue of The Inyo Register. Thank you everyone at The Inyo Register for sharing information on this important program and some facts on seed dispersal as well. Read the article.

The Alabama Hills Interpretive Hikes, led in partnership by ESIA, Bureau of Land Management, and Alabama Hills Stewardship Group, were highlighted in an article within the December 10, 2019 issue of  The Inyo Register. Our thanks to The Inyo Register team for helping us spread the word and educate and inspire people to feel a connection to our public lands. Read the article.

The Bishop Area Climbers Coalition, Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA), and Friends of the Inyo in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office, and the Inyo National Forest have hired two climbing rangers to patrol the increasingly popular climbing and bouldering areas in the Bishop area. The Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce, Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation, Touchstone Climbing Inc., along with individual organization fundraising events have contributed funds to help support the two climbing ranger positions. The rangers will be focused on the Tablelands, Happys and Sads, the Buttermilks, Pine Creek, the Owens River Gorge and Upper Gorge, the Sacreds, and the Druids. One of the main goals for the rangers is to provide education to climbers about where to park and camp, Leave [...]

Artist Topah Spoonhunter will be giving a talk about his new exhibit, currently being displayed on Manzanar’s gallery wall, on Saturday December 7, 2019 at 11 a.m. The talk will be followed by a Q&A. Topah’s pieces explore themes of Indigenous existence in Payahüünadü (the land of flowing water), what is now known as the Owens Valley. This event is free and open to the public. Artist Topah Spoonhunter’s exhibit will run until January 31, 2020. Topah Spoonhunter is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and grew up on the Big Pine Paiute Reservation in Big Pine, California. With a formal education in business, his professional career has included work for non-profit organizations, local government, and various tribal governments. He is a self-taught artist and designer who is [...]

It’s difficult to believe it has been a year since Gary passed.  We miss him dearly and remember his friendship, love for family and professionalism.  In an email last April, those of us working on the Gary Barnett Memorial Tahoe National Forest Portal Sign Project gave a brief update on the progress of the sign. We are finally at the point where we can request donations for the portal sign at the westbound I-80 boundary of the Tahoe National Forest.  This project was very important to Gary.  His brother Greg Barnett recently sent the following note about Gary’s wish to complete the portal sign: "Gary spent thirty-five years working with the Forest Service, on the Klamath, Eldorado, and Tahoe National Forests and took immense pride in its traditions and history.  [...]

Topah Spoonhunter is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho tribe and grew up on the Big Pine Paiute Reservation in Big Pine, CA. His professional career has included work for non-profit organizations, local government, and various tribal governments. He is a self-taught artist and designer. Topah's work is now on display at Manzanar National Historic Site. His pieces explore themes of Indigenous existence in Payahüünadü (the land of flowing water), what is now known as the Owens Valley. November 17, 2019 - January 31, 2020 Manzanar National Historic Site Visitor Center This program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 760-878-2194 ext. 3310, or visit www.nps.gov/manz or www.facebook.com/ManzanarNationalHistoricSite.

Welcome to the Fall 2019 issue of The Interpreter, the second edition of the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association's (ESIA) quarterly newsletter. This quarter we recap our busy summer programs and events, look forward to fall programs and events, and resurrect our Sierra Partner Membership Program. Summer recap: Campfire programs Mono Lake Patio Talks Mono Lake's South Tufa Tours Eastern Sierra Book Festival Mammoth Lakes Library Storytime Mammoth Lakes Kids Corner Preschool 5th Annual Eastern Sierra Youth Outdoor (ESYO) stewardship program 6th Annual Arborglyph Extravaganza stewardship program Coming this Fall: Inyo County School programs Mono County Library programs SnowSchool Winter Adventure Series Authors and Artists Series 4th Annual Eastern Sierra History Conference Mountainfilm on Tour We know you love the Sierra Nevada as much as we do, and we'd like to share even [...]

Manzanar National Historic Site will host author Stephanie Morrill on Sunday, October 20, 2019. Morrill will be discussing her new book, Within These Lines. This event is free and open to the public. The book talk will be held in the west theater of the Manzanar Visitor Center from 11 a.m. to noon and will include a Q&A portion. After the talk, Morrill will be signing books in the Manzanar bookstore. This young adult historical fiction novel explores the World War II era relationship between an Italian American girl, Evalina Cassano, and a Japanese American boy named Taichi Hamasaki. The pair begin a relationship prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After Executive Order 9066 is passed, Taichi and his family, along with other west coast residents of Japanese ancestry, [...]

Hosts Stacey Adler and Christopher Platt deliver a high altitude dose of ABC's - Adventure, Books, and Conversation on The Oxygen Starved Podcast. This episode features Molly Trauscht, ESIA Program Operations Manager, as the featured guest in the Conversation section of the podcast. Molly highlights the upcoming Eastern Sierra History Conference, October 25-27, year-round programs including summer programs for visitors and winter programs for local schools, and the partners we work with to educate the public, of all ages. Listen to the podcast.