Research and Education
in the National Parks

National Park Service Research and Education in the National Parks

PART I
THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM IN THE NATIONAL PARKS

YOSEMITE

In Yosemite the headquarter's museum functions with extraordinary success as a center for educational activities throughout the year. (See fig. 15.) New exhibits are being prepared from time to time by the museum preparators and other members of the permanent naturalist staff. A display of living plants, arranged scientifically, supplements the herbarium specimens.

FIGURE 15.—Situated over 2,500 feet below the Yosemite Falls, close to the wall of the canyon, is the central museum, a gift of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial. In addition to numerous exhibits, the museum building houses the park library and educational headquarters.

In the open area back of the museum a replica of one of the early Indian camps has been constructed. An old squaw occupies the camp daily; she demonstrates the weaving of baskets, preparation of foodstuffs, and sings Indian songs. This "live exhibit" has proved to be of great interest to Yosemite visitors. (See fig. 16.)

FIGURE 16.—The Yosemite Indians take part in the naturalist program. Park visitors are invited to watch the Indians at work annd learn the secrets of basket weaving. Frequently dance programs are arranged and special ceremonies conducted.

There is much to see on the floor of the Yosemite Valley, but for those who climb out of the gorge there is a still greater thrill. From Glacier Point, 3,254 feet above the valley floor, one can view the summit of the High Sierra through a sweep of 180°. There is a little stone lookout perched on the very rim of the gorge and here telescopes are available for those who wish to study in detail the waterfalls and granite domes of the Yosemite region. A ranger naturalist is in constant attendance at the trail-side station to answer questions regarding the geology, the trees, wild life, and history of the park. On Sentinel Dome there is another station, established solely for the study of granite. Here the visitor may learn of the giant forces of nature which have produced the granites of Yosemite.

In the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees a very attractive little museum building has been constructed. (See fig. 17.) It is a replica of an old log cabin which formerly stood in this grove of giant sequoias. Through the activities of the park naturalist, pertinent exhibits have been installed and the little cabin has been made the center of educational activities in the Mariposa Grove.

FIGURE 17.—The Mariposa Grove museum in the depths of a giant sequoia forest, Yosemite National Park. This structure, a replica of a log cabin which stood in this grove for many years, serves as a center for educational activities in this portion of the park. The visitors are looking at a section of a giant sequoia tree which has been placed at the end of the museum building.

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Last Modified: Sat, Feb 16 2002 10:00:00 pm PDT
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