Date: January 25, 2017
Contact: Mike Theune, Acting NPS Public Affairs Officer, 559-565-3703
Contact: Dayna Higgins, SPC Communications Director, 559-561-4808
SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. January 25, 2017 – The Sequoia Parks Conservancy (SPC) has been awarded a $94,074 donation from the Easterday Family Foundation to fund three research and restoration projects in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
The funded projects include assisting in the restoration of endangered mountain yellow-legged frog habitat and populations, supporting black bear research and management, and aquatic and wildlife ecosystem studies in the foothills area of the parks. The generous donation will allow Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to expand our current efforts and will be a great contribution to our work fulfilling our mission to protect the parks, wildlife and habitat that make Sequoia and Kings Canyon special and unique places.
“Our national parks are living classrooms and research venues for us to better understand how our planet works and how to best protect these special resources for future generations. Donations toward these types of programs are key for our parks and staff to succeed in their efforts. The funding from the Easterday Family Foundation is much more than a gift to the Conservancy. It’s a contribution to the future of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks,” said Mark Tilchen, executive director of the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.
Active research and science is a key component of the mission of the National Park Service. These projects provide opportunities for the NPS to conduct additional research with students first-hand. From new discoveries to long-term monitoring, national parks are living laboratories that give a glimpse not only into our past and present, but our future as well.
“It is through the generosity of groups such as the Easterday Family Foundation that we are able to continue the peer-reviewed research that is so vital to understanding these parks’ flora and fauna,” shared Christy Brigham, acting Superintendent and Chief of Resource Management and Science for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. “This type of scientific research is critical to making sound management decisions as we study resiliency in the face of environmental changes.”
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About Sequoia Parks Conservancy
The non-profit partner to the National Park Service in Sequoia and King Canyon National Parks. The Conservancy funds and enables projects and programs that protect, preserve, and provide access to the natural and cultural resources of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. To learn more, visit www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org.
About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
These two parks, which lie-side-by-side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, serve as a prime example of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Over 1.5 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks for the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/seki or 559-565-3341.
