P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389
www.nps.gov/yose/news

November 1, 2005
For Immediate Release

Chinese Delegation Visits Yosemite National Park

A group of conservation professionals from China visited Yosemite National Park as part of an ongoing exchange program sponsored by the Department of Interior and the State Forestry Administration of the People's Republic of China.

The group of distinguished professionals works in various aspects of the Chinese Forestry Administration and Nature Reserves. The eight member delegation included managers, biologists, and university professors. Yosemite National Park was one of the first stops on their visit to the United States where they met with park superintendent Mike Tollefson and various park officials. After Yosemite, the group will visit the Merced National Wildlife Refuge, the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge, Crater Lake National Park, and several other protected areas..

The group received talks about Yosemite National Park management policies, fire ecology and practices, natural resources management, and took a tour of the Yosemite Museum. The group was accompanied by Peter Ward, Division of International Conservation, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Members of the delegation also explained the practices and management policies of parks and reserves in China.

The trip was part of an agreement signed in 2003 between the U.S. Department of Interior and the State Forestry Administration of the People's Republic of China that outlined various methods for the two countries to exchange ideas and share knowledge about practices in managing protected areas.

editors note: a photo of the delegation in Yosemite National Park is available by calling the Media Relations Office

-NPS-