Yosemite National Park Celebrates National Park Week and Earth Day with Special Programs and Activities
Date: April 17, 2008
President George W. Bush has proclaimed April 19-27, 2008 as National Park Week and encourages everyone to enjoy the natural wonders and inspirational history found in parks across the country.
The theme of this year's National Park Week is "Kids in Parks." About 200 parks, including Yosemite, will commemorate the 2nd Annual Junior Ranger Day on April 26, 2008 with plenty of fun-filled activities and special events, including ranger-led activities at 10 am and 2 pm, bear programs with Yosemite's wildlife staff, and fun service projects designed for kids and families.
Yosemite National Park will also celebrate Earth Day Weekend (April 19-22) with a variety of stewardship and educational activities intended to improves the visitor's understanding of the park. These include poetry walks, family programs and activities, volunteer opportunities, and special evening programs including a presentation of the EarthDance Film Festival, and much more. The Earth Day Weekend celebration is presented by Yosemite National Park and partners including DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., The Ansel Adams Gallery, the Yosemite Fund, the Yosemite Institute, and the Yosemite Association.
Visitors can call 209/372-0200 for more information on National Park Week, Junior Ranger Day, and Earth Day Weekend activities. Complete lists of activities and programs are also available at http://www.nps.gov/yose or at http://www.nps.gov/npweek.
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April 17, 2008 03:15PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,050 |
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Earth Day 2008 Schedule of Events
Friday, April 18th, 2008—Launch of Earth Day Weekend!
7:00-8:30p Earth Day Family Night! Join Park interpreters and educators for an evening of song, entertainment and fun—launch Earth Day weekend off right! Yosemite Lodge at the Falls Amphitheatre.
Saturday, April 19th, 2008
8:30-9:30a Family Nature Walk @ Wawona, Spend an hour around Wawona with the family using all your senses to discover the wonder of our critters in Yosemite. Meet at the Wawona Hotel Fountain--Walk will last 1 hour.
9:00a Photography Walk with AAG, Join a photographer from the Ansel Adams Gallery (AAG) for a walk around the park. Information/sign ups at Ansel Adams Gallery.
10:00a Wawona Shuttle to Yosemite Valley Earth Day events leaves Wawona, Inquire at the front desk for more information
10:30a-2:30p
• Yosemite Village Mall Celebration, Wander between the Village Store and the Visitor Center to learn more about NPS’ bear patrol and sustainability practices, electric vehicles from the DNC transportation fleet, Yosemite Institute, Yosemite Association, DNC’s “GreenPath” efforts, and more. Stop by and pick up your Yosemite Earth Day souvenir!
• Children’s Tent
• Earth-Friendly Products, The Village Store sells nearly 200 organic or sustainable items, and over 40 percent of its cleaning products are environmentally friendly. Stop by the Village Mall to visit with vendors and receive free samples.
11:30 – 12:00 Porch Talk
Ansel Adams the Conservationist, Join Evan Russel on the side steps of the Ansel Adams Gallery to hear about the environmental contributions of this great man.
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Sustainable “Salad Bar” Tasting, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts has a company-wide initiative to incorporate sustainable practices into all business decisions. Come by the tables in front of the Visitor Center to sample some of the organic and sustainable foods used in DNC at Yosemite’s kitchens.
1:00pm-2:00pm
Earth Day Cake & Lemonade, Enjoy Earth Day Cake in front of the Valley Visitor Center!
2:00pm
Earth Day Family Walk-- Energy and Evolution: Nature's Power Sources, Bring the entire family for a journey through Time that will take you from the farthest reaches of the vast Universe to the inside of the tiniest flower in Yosemite Valley and the connections they each share. Meet in front of Valley Visitor Center.
4:30pm – 5:45pm
Poetry and Parks: A Walk and Reading, NPS Ranger Margaret Eissler will take visitors on an easy stroll. Meet on the lawn behind The Ahwahnee.
8:00-9:00pm
American Indian Stories and Flute, Join NPS Ranger Ben Cunningham-Summerfield to learn more about Yosemite’s Miwok culture, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls Amphitheatre
Sunday, April 20th
Yosemite Valley Activities
10:00a-12:00p
In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams Walking Tour, Join an Ansel Adams Gallery staff photographer on a walk retracing Ansel's footsteps around the valley floor. Learn insight about his philosophies and techniques as you visit a number of locations from which Ansel Adams composed images that helped motivate the American environmental movement, and which inspired reverence for the Earth's unique gestures. Sign up/info at the Ansel Adams Gallery.
8:00pm
Planet Earth: Seasonal Forests, Come discover some other locations in the world that share Yosemite's most important ecosystem -- the temperate forests. From the award winning Discovery Channel miniseries "Planet Earth", this film will travel the globe illustrating the unique adaptations that life exhibits in order to survive the harsh seasonal changes that come with these forests, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls Amphitheatre
Wawona Activities
10:00am
Golf Course Talk, Did you know Wawona operates a golf course that is certified with the Audubon Society? Come meet at the Golf Shop for a short talk about what DNC P&R @ Yosemite does to take care of Yosemite, while still offering a place “fore” golfers!
6:00pm-7:30p
Earth Day Craft-- Join Interpreters at the Wawona Sunroom to make your own free Earth Day craft! All ages are welcome; a guardian must accompany children.
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 –Earth Day, 2008!
9:00am – 11:00am
Stewardship Project, Join Yosemite Resources Management and Science staff for an Earth Day work party. Assist in the restoration of the majestic meadows and open spaces of Yosemite Valley by removing non-native Himalayan blackberry to allow native plants and animals to reclaim the areas. Meet in front of the Visitor Center and we’ll provide all tools and gloves. Closed-toe shoes required.
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Pedal, Play and Protect Bike Ride, Join Park staff for this fun and educational scavenger hunt by bike to Valley sites to learn about earth-friendly projects and initiatives in Yosemite. Cost is $5/person, which includes bike rental (participants may also use their own bike). Advance reservations required. Info/tickets at any tour desk.
7:00-9:00p
EarthDance Film Festival, Presented by the Oakland Museum of California, EarthDance is the largest collection of environmental shorts in the United States. Join us for films recounting personal stories that invite you to celebrate and explore your multifaceted relationship to the natural world. Donations will be accepted as admission; Visitor Center Theatre, Stop #9
Friday, April 18th, 2008—Launch of Earth Day Weekend!
7:00-8:30p Earth Day Family Night! Join Park interpreters and educators for an evening of song, entertainment and fun—launch Earth Day weekend off right! Yosemite Lodge at the Falls Amphitheatre.
Saturday, April 19th, 2008
8:30-9:30a Family Nature Walk @ Wawona, Spend an hour around Wawona with the family using all your senses to discover the wonder of our critters in Yosemite. Meet at the Wawona Hotel Fountain--Walk will last 1 hour.
9:00a Photography Walk with AAG, Join a photographer from the Ansel Adams Gallery (AAG) for a walk around the park. Information/sign ups at Ansel Adams Gallery.
10:00a Wawona Shuttle to Yosemite Valley Earth Day events leaves Wawona, Inquire at the front desk for more information
10:30a-2:30p
• Yosemite Village Mall Celebration, Wander between the Village Store and the Visitor Center to learn more about NPS’ bear patrol and sustainability practices, electric vehicles from the DNC transportation fleet, Yosemite Institute, Yosemite Association, DNC’s “GreenPath” efforts, and more. Stop by and pick up your Yosemite Earth Day souvenir!
• Children’s Tent
• Earth-Friendly Products, The Village Store sells nearly 200 organic or sustainable items, and over 40 percent of its cleaning products are environmentally friendly. Stop by the Village Mall to visit with vendors and receive free samples.
11:30 – 12:00 Porch Talk
Ansel Adams the Conservationist, Join Evan Russel on the side steps of the Ansel Adams Gallery to hear about the environmental contributions of this great man.
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Sustainable “Salad Bar” Tasting, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts has a company-wide initiative to incorporate sustainable practices into all business decisions. Come by the tables in front of the Visitor Center to sample some of the organic and sustainable foods used in DNC at Yosemite’s kitchens.
1:00pm-2:00pm
Earth Day Cake & Lemonade, Enjoy Earth Day Cake in front of the Valley Visitor Center!
2:00pm
Earth Day Family Walk-- Energy and Evolution: Nature's Power Sources, Bring the entire family for a journey through Time that will take you from the farthest reaches of the vast Universe to the inside of the tiniest flower in Yosemite Valley and the connections they each share. Meet in front of Valley Visitor Center.
4:30pm – 5:45pm
Poetry and Parks: A Walk and Reading, NPS Ranger Margaret Eissler will take visitors on an easy stroll. Meet on the lawn behind The Ahwahnee.
8:00-9:00pm
American Indian Stories and Flute, Join NPS Ranger Ben Cunningham-Summerfield to learn more about Yosemite’s Miwok culture, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls Amphitheatre
Sunday, April 20th
Yosemite Valley Activities
10:00a-12:00p
In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams Walking Tour, Join an Ansel Adams Gallery staff photographer on a walk retracing Ansel's footsteps around the valley floor. Learn insight about his philosophies and techniques as you visit a number of locations from which Ansel Adams composed images that helped motivate the American environmental movement, and which inspired reverence for the Earth's unique gestures. Sign up/info at the Ansel Adams Gallery.
8:00pm
Planet Earth: Seasonal Forests, Come discover some other locations in the world that share Yosemite's most important ecosystem -- the temperate forests. From the award winning Discovery Channel miniseries "Planet Earth", this film will travel the globe illustrating the unique adaptations that life exhibits in order to survive the harsh seasonal changes that come with these forests, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls Amphitheatre
Wawona Activities
10:00am
Golf Course Talk, Did you know Wawona operates a golf course that is certified with the Audubon Society? Come meet at the Golf Shop for a short talk about what DNC P&R @ Yosemite does to take care of Yosemite, while still offering a place “fore” golfers!
6:00pm-7:30p
Earth Day Craft-- Join Interpreters at the Wawona Sunroom to make your own free Earth Day craft! All ages are welcome; a guardian must accompany children.
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 –Earth Day, 2008!
9:00am – 11:00am
Stewardship Project, Join Yosemite Resources Management and Science staff for an Earth Day work party. Assist in the restoration of the majestic meadows and open spaces of Yosemite Valley by removing non-native Himalayan blackberry to allow native plants and animals to reclaim the areas. Meet in front of the Visitor Center and we’ll provide all tools and gloves. Closed-toe shoes required.
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Pedal, Play and Protect Bike Ride, Join Park staff for this fun and educational scavenger hunt by bike to Valley sites to learn about earth-friendly projects and initiatives in Yosemite. Cost is $5/person, which includes bike rental (participants may also use their own bike). Advance reservations required. Info/tickets at any tour desk.
7:00-9:00p
EarthDance Film Festival, Presented by the Oakland Museum of California, EarthDance is the largest collection of environmental shorts in the United States. Join us for films recounting personal stories that invite you to celebrate and explore your multifaceted relationship to the natural world. Donations will be accepted as admission; Visitor Center Theatre, Stop #9
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