Blogs

Mid-August in the Eastern Sierra is hot, dry and forest crews are busy tending to fires. With the drought in California and concerns over wildfires impacting residential areas, you'd think public lands organizations would be overwhelmed by obstacles and downtrodden with negativity. However, much like a natural wildfire, the resiliency and diversity of life that develops from it is often stronger than it was before. This sense of resiliency and adapting to the land was one I got as well when I spoke with Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA) and learned about the work they are doing to empower communities and educate visitors in Eastern California's remote, mountain landscape.

Bob Gardner, Executive Director of the ESIA was quick to promote the success of ESIA's "high quality interpretive programs, exhibits and publications" and explained that their mission is to educate people to be stewards of the land. Since the early 1970s, ESIA has partnered with the Inyo National Forest and has jointly operated bookstores and visitor centers at eleven locations throughout the Eastern Sierra. Together, they've created educational videos, published campground guides and developed a newly printed Junior Ranger booklet to support Junior Ranger programs in their visitor centers.

In addition, ESIA has partnered with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and many local nonprofits to support and implement a range of projects to excite and attract visitors. Projects such as Mono Lake volunteer training and the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Migrating Mural -- a series of murals painted along California's Highway 395 to showcase the life of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep -- were projects that took time, energy and strong partnerships.

Through educational outreach and creative programming, ESIA aims to present to a diversity of audiences. "Visitors come to the Eastern Sierra to really get away. It's a little less crowded here and there are a lot of opportunities," said Gardner. Equidistant from San Francisco and Los Angeles, Gardner added that they receive international visitors and a spillover of visitors hiking through Yosemite National Park. 

But what about the local diversity? This was a topic that Bob Gardner had brought to our attention and what sparked my interest in interviewing ESIA for the Member Spotlight. To engage with their local community, ESIA is developing a Latino Outdoors pilot program that brings families to the Eastern Sierra and makes the lands more accessible. 

ESIA is in the planning stages and they are looking for feedback on how to make their Latino Outdoors program beneficial to Inyo and Mono Counties which are 21% and 26% Latino. “There isn’t a lot of opportunity for the families to get out,” he explained. The children may participate in field trips through schools but the families do not seem to have the access or the funds. To help families who may not have the transportation, funding or English language that other visitor programs assume, ESIA is working with local Spanish teachers, leaders in Latino communities and local partners to develop a program that includes these families and helps them connect with their public lands through meaningful experiences.

Take a look at ESIA's Interpretive Calendar and you'll see that the heat has not forced them inside; their programs and partner programs are thriving as they work to include diverse audiences to care for the Eastern Sierra. If you get a chance to visit the 700,000+ year old Mono Lake or the surreal pines in Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest be sure to stop at an ESIA visitor center, attend an education program and support the great work that ESIA does for the Eastern Sierra.

If you have suggestions for ESIA as they develop this exciting program, visit the Member Forum and respond to Bob Gardner’s discussion post. To learn more about ESIA, visit their website at http://www.esiaonline.com/.