“Visit Our National Parks”

Hayley Celio 9th period

5-11-09

Sunset of Sequoia and Kings Park.Sunset over the Central Valley bellow the parks.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon

• Location-southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley.

• Date Established: 10/01/1890

Directions

• To enter Sequoia National Park:From highways 65 or 99, go east on Highway 198 to the park entrance.

• To enter Kings Canyon National Park:From Highway 99, go east on Highway 180 to the park entrance.

Things to do

• Summer: Tour the Crystal cave, horseback riding, wilderness trips.

• Spring: Rock-climbing, snow play, skiing and snowshoeing.

• Fall: Picnicking, lodging, viewing viewpoints, walking.

• Winter: Ranger led program, rivers, visit museums, camping.

Fees and Reservations

• 7-day pass for Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and the Hume Lake District of Sequoia National Forest (Giant Sequoia National Monument): $20 per vehicle or $10 per person on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, or bus.

• Annual pass for Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and the Hume Lake District of Sequoia National Forest (Giant Sequoia National Monument): $30 admits all passengers in a private vehicle for one year from month of purchase.

• Annual America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass: $80.

Things to Know Before Coming• Montecito-Sequoia Lodge (in the National Forest between

Wuksachi and Grant Grove): Restaurant.• For you and your neighbors to see and appreciate wildlife, please

note that pets are not permitted on any of the trails in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

• In vehicles without trunks, all food and related supplies, including ice chests, must be stored out of sight. Cover them completely to hide them from view.

• Never approach any bear, regardless of its size. If you encounter a bear, act immediately. Throw objects at it from a safe distance. Yell, clap your hands, and bang pots together.

The Death of #583Help keep Sequoia and Kings Canyon bears wild by storing food properly and picking up all trash.

Stories• In the matter of subsistence interesting and significant differences

exist between the peoples of the western and eastern slopes of the Sierra. Those Yokuts who lived within the flats of the San Joaquin valley are of no great moment in this connection, for their subsistence exhibits many features which are not generally representative of California nor characteristic of those tribes which are of interest from the point of view of Sequoia National Park. Of far greater importance to museum exposition is the food getting activities of the foothill Yokuts, Western Mono, and Tubatulabal who, living in a region which abounded in the acorn, made use of this food in a typically California manner, and the Owens Valley Paiute, who, living in the arid Great Basin, utilized the pine nut in characteristic Shoshonean manner.

People

• Walter Fry helped start the first nature guide service in the parks.

• Col. Charles Young was the first African-American superintendent of a national park.

• Clyde's name was legendary. Many climbers would rank him second only to John Muir as an intimate pioneer of places inaccessible and second to none as a climber.

Plants

• Yellow Star Thistle: Long tan spines set yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) apart from similar thistles, such as tocolote (Centaurea melitensis).

• Foxglove: The highly distinctive foxglove flowers are borne along the upper part of a single, soaring stem (not visible here).

• Spanish Broom: Dense clusters of yellow flowers adorn Spanish broom in spring. A close-up view reveals pea-like flowers typical of the bean family.

Animals

• Big Horn sheep are among the endangered species protected by the parks.

• Marmots are a familiar sight in rocky areas of the High Sierra.

• Male Bullock’s Orioles stand out like living embers in the green foliage of Sierran trees. These birds are fairly common in the foothill woodlands throughout the spring and summer.

Environmental Factors

• Three out of four national park visitors say a chance to get away from unwanted noise is an important part of their park experience.

• Park scientists use special equipment to inventory sounds in a particular location.

• Photo by Richard Cain A view from the High Sierra Trail shows a thick layer of air pollution above the San Joaquin Valley. This mid-afternoon view looks down the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.

News

• Scoping Notice for Wireless Tower in Kings Canyon National ParkThe National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed construction of an eighty foot cellular tower on Park Ridge near Grant Grove within Kings Canyon National Park.

Laws and Policies

*Keep food in a bear free zone.*Do not start a fire without a permit.*Do not camp without a permit. *Keep away from bears.*Don’t feed bears. *Don’t come unless you have an annual pass or a

seasonal pass.

Park Planning• In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and

other laws and regulations, the park staff works to analyze all plans and project proposals to determine the degree of impacts on the human environment. If impacts are anticipated, the park then works to find alternatives and mitigations that reduce those impacts. The involvement and input of the interested and affected public is an essential component in this process.

• Current planning documents for all National Park Service managed sites can be accessed on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) System. Comments can be made on documents open for public review on this site.

Fire Management

• The fire and fuels management program works to protect ecosystems and communities by restoring fire's natural role in the environment and by reducing hazardous fuels.

Bookstore• Ash Mountain Visitor Center • Giant Forest Museum • Lodgepole Visitor Center • Kings Canyon National Park Visitor Center in Grant Grove • Cedar Grove Visitor Center • Road's End Wilderness Permit Station • Mineral King Ranger Station • The information desk at any of the park visitor centers can provide help

and resources to make your visit safe and enjoyable.

Hyperlinks

• http://www.npca.org/parks/kings-canyon-national-park.html

• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/616563/United-States/276431/State-nicknames-and-symbols

• http://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm