Yosemite National Park Archeologist Laura Kirn Wins Prestigious Award
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Laura Kirn is the 2010 recipient of the Stephen K.F. and Katharine W. Lee Prize from the Goucher College Master of Arts in Historic Preservation program. The Lee Prize was established in 1999 by Antoinette J. Lee, National Park Service Deputy Assistant Director for Cultural Resources, in honor Lee's parents. The Lee Prize is given each year for the best paper or project from a Goucher College graduate student that addresses the preservation of America's diverse heritage, including cultural and ethnic groups, life-style diversity, and the cultural imprint of other defined groups on American society. Kirn’s work documents the historical significance of the Wesley and Alice Wilson House, the last remaining building from the Indian Village in Yosemite Valley. This modest house embodies the importance of the National Park Service’s historical and ongoing relationship with American Indians. Kirn is currently the Branch Chief for Anthropology and Archeology in the Division of Resources Management and Science at Yosemite National Park. |
Did You Know?
Giant sequoias are a fire adapted species. Their bark is fire resistant and fire helps open the sequoia cone and scatter the tiny seeds. Fire also clears forest debris from the mineral soil and provides a nutrient rich seed bed as well as clearing competing species.