Fostering personal relationships with the wild: Oral history's role in recreation management

Abstract

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI) encompass much of central California's most stunning scenery. Dramatic peaks and passes, perennial snowfields, remote lake basins, alpine meadows, steep canyons, and shockingly big trees characterize the more than 800,000 acres of wild land that lie within the parks. Drought-resistant chaparral and blue oak woodlands blanket SEKI's low-elevation western slopes, while stark mountain summits (some more than 14,000 feet high) define its eastern boundary. Giant Sequoias-up to 270 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter-stand in sharp contrast to the gnarled and weathered trunks of whitebark and foxtail pines. The exceptional biologic and geographic diversity of SEKI is matched by its long and varied history of human use. Over the years the southern Sierra Nevada has served as a home, a playground, and a worksite for Native Americans, miners, mountaineers, horse packers, and hikers alike.

Citation

Steiner, Alison; Williams, Daniel R. 2017. Fostering personal relationships with the wild: Oral history's role in recreation management. In: Lee, Debbie; Newfont, Kathryn, eds. The land speaks: New voices at the intersection of oral and environmental history. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 48-64.