Photo by Jeremy Evans
The Sierra Club sponsors regular evening and daytime programs at the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center during the summer.
Programs held at the the Center are indicated as "Bus Stop #12." Other programs held elsewhere in Yosemite Valley are indicated by appropriate bus stops.
PLEASE NOTE: Specific programs are subject to change or rescheduling. Please call ahead if you wish to attend a specific program at (209) 372-4542. Seating for each program held at the Center is limited to seating of 50 guests
Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center - Programs 2018
Interpretive Programs are held in the YCHC, Shuttle Bus Stop #12. Free and open to the public, all programs are limited to 50 guests, due to NPS restrictions and space limitations. No advanced tickets are available. Tickets are distributed at 7:15 pm on the evening of the program. Doors open at 7:45 pm.
MAY
Friday, May 4 – “Along the John Muir Trail. Mt. Whitney to Half Dome”
Lee Terkelsen, Nature and Historical Filmmaker. Join Lee in his narrated hiking video through the High Sierra to Yosemite.
Saturday, May 5 – “Astrophotography in the Sierra Nevada under the Moon & Stars”
Jeremy Evans, Nature Photographer/Filmmaker/Sierra Club Outings Leader. Night Sky Landscapes from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney captured by Jeremy in amazing photographs and videos.
Sunday, May 6 – “John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt: Yosemite 1903”
Tom Bopp, John Muir Historian & Celebrated YNP Musician. An Evening of historic revelry as Tom takes us on the journey with Roosevelt and Muir in Yosemite.
Friday, May 11 - “American Indian Storytelling and Flute Music”
Ben Cunningham-Summerfield, YNP Interpretive Ranger. Spend an evening with Ben as he weaves together lyrical sounds and stories. A great family program.
Saturday, May 12 - “Mount Diablo: A Study in Preserving Landscape”
Stephen Joseph, Landscape and Nature Photographer. Magical photographs of the iconic Mount Diablo: East Bay California’s remarkable natural monument with over 700,000 annual visitors.
Friday, May 18 – “Inspiring health and well-being through deep connections to Nature & Spirit”
Heather Sullivan, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Balance Rock. Join Heather in a discovery of Balance Rock, a YNP Park Partner, with storytelling & journaling to find in Yosemite its transformational power. Paper and pens provided.
Saturday, May 19 – “Yosemite People: Street Photography in the Wilderness”
Jonas Kulikauskas, Photographer, author Yosemite People. Jonas turns the camera lens from landscape to showcase the people that work in and visit Yosemite National Park—photographic storytelling of daily life in Yosemite.
Friday, May 25 – NO PROGRAM MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Saturday, May 26 – NO PROGRAM MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
JUNE
Friday, June 1 – “Hike to Mount Whitney”
Lee Terkelsen, Nature and Historical Filmmaker. Join Lee and his students on this narrated video hike across the High Sierra.
Saturday, June 2 – “Along the John Muir Trail: Mt. Whitney to Half Dome”
Lee Terkelsen, Nature and Historical Filmmaker. Join Lee in his narrated hiking video through the High Sierra to Yosemite.
Friday, June 8 – “American Indian Storytelling & Flute Music”
Ben Cunningham-Summerfield, YNP Interpretive Ranger. Spend an evening with Ben as he weaves together lyrical sounds and stories. A great family program!
Saturday, June 9 – “Following John Muir into Wild Yosemite”
Bob Hare, Photographer/Historian. Join Bob on this trip back in time to discover where Muir camped, journaled & sketched in the upper Merced & Tuolumne River canyons.
Friday, June 15 – “Search & Rescue in Yosemite”
John Dill, YNP Search & Rescue Ranger. Learn about the techniques used by the YNP Search & Rescue Rangers
Saturday, June 16 – “John Muir & the Big Trees”
Michael Wurtz, Director of Special Collections, University of the Pacific, home of the John Muir papers. Meet Michael & experience his journey in discovering Muir’s joy & respect for the Giant Sequoia.
Friday, June 22 – “Climbing Yosemite Walls”
Dave Bengston, Director, Yosemite Mountaineering School. If you ever wanted to see what it’s like to climb Yosemite’s granite walls, meet Dave and watch him climb LeConte Rock. Demonstration followed by a narrated presentation on outdoor activities in Yosemite.
Saturday, June 23 – “Rise & Fall of Sierra Nevada Glaciers”
Dr. Greg Stock, YNP Geologist. Greg, the first YNP Geologist, takes us on a journey in the formation and disappearance of the Sierra Glaciers.
Friday, June 29 – “Yosemite Climbing: Meeting Heroes & Giving Back”
Ken Yager, Director, Yosemite Climbing Association. Ken shares his personal experience climbing Yosemite Walls & creating the Yosemite Climbing Association, & his vision for Yosemite’s Facelift. Learn about the Sierra Club’s role in early climbing in Yosemite.
Saturday, June 30 – “Going Batty! All About Bats!”
Burleigh Lockwood, Wildlife Biologist, Fresno-Chaffee Zoo. No live Bats! But plenty of fun, as Burleigh, a bat expert, helps us discover the world of bats. A great family program!
JULY
Friday, July 6 – “147 Years of Yosemite Climbing”
Doug Robinson, Yosemite Climber. Experience the history of Yosemite’s legendary climbers, with a legendary climber! Inventing gear and creating pathways up Yosemite’s granite walls.
Saturday, July 7 – “China Sister Parks: Huangshan National Park and Jiuzhaigou National Park”
Pete Devine, Yosemite Conservancy Naturalist & Master Guide. Through amazing photographs of Pete’s tour with the Yosemite Conservancy, spend an evening touring Yosemite’s sister parks in China.
Friday, July 13 – “Hidden Wonders of the Yosemite Night Sky & Outer Space”
Janet Wood, JPL/NASA Volunteer Ambassador/Sierra Club Member. Enjoy breathtaking images from NASA that explore night skies and distant planets, moons, stars, and galaxies.
Saturday, July 14 – “Continuing Inspiration of John Muir”
Harold Wood, John Muir Historian, Sierra Club John Muir Webmaster. Join Harold as he saunters with the legacy of John Muir into the 21st century.
Friday, July 20 – TBA
Saturday, July 21 – “Hiking Along the John Muir Trail: Mt. Whitney to Half Dome”
Lee Terkelsen, Nature and Historical Filmmaker. Join Lee in his narrated hiking video through the High Sierra to Yosemite.
Friday, July 27 – NO PROGRAM
Saturday, July 28 – “Muir Ramble Route”
Donna and Peter Thomas, Book Artists/Authors of Muir Ramble Route and Anywhere that is Wild: John Muir’s First Walk to Yosemite. Donna and Peter hiked from San Francisco to Yosemite in the footsteps of John Muir. Discover how Muir traveled to Yosemite in 1868 and how you can follow his footsteps.
AUGUST
Friday, August 3 – “Little TyCooney & the Big Yosemite Race”
Steven Riley, Children’s Book Author. Meet Steven and hear his story about the Yosemite Raccoon that inspired the book about the Big Yosemite Race. A great family program.
Saturday, August 4 – “Search & Rescue in Yosemite”
Jack Hoeflich, YNP Valley Chief Law Enforcement & SAR Ranger. Meet Jack. Learn about the challenges of rescues in Yosemite Valley, on its lofty granite walls and along the Merced River.
Friday, August 10 – “American Indian Storytelling & Flute Music”
Ben Cunningham-Summerfield, YNP Interpretive Ranger. Spend an evening with Ben as he weaves together lyrical sounds & stories. A great family program!
Saturday, August 11 – NO PROGRAM
Friday, August 17 – “Bears and Bear Management in Yosemite”
Katie Patrick, YNP Wildlife Management Technician . Katie introduces the initiatives, policies, and programs that keep the black bears wild.
Saturday, August 18 – “Search and Rescue in Yosemite”
Jack Hoeflich, YNP Valley Chief Law Enforcement & SAR Ranger. Meet Jack. Learn about the challenges of rescues in Yosemite Valley, on its lofty granite walls and along the Merced River.
Friday, August 24 – “Hike to Mount Whitney”
Lee Terkelsen, Nature & Historical Filmmaker. Join Lee and his students on this narrated video hike across the High Sierra.
Saturday, August 25 – “Along the John Muir Trail: Mt. Whitney to Half Dome”
Lee Terkelsen, Nature & Historical Filmmaker. Join Lee in his narrated hiking video through the High Sierra to Yosemite.
Friday, August 31 – NO PROGRAM LABOR DAY WEEKEND
SEPTEMBER
Saturday, September 1 – NO PROGRAM LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Friday, September 7 – “American Indian Storytelling & Flute Music”
Ben Cunningham-Summerfield, NPS Interpretive Ranger. Spend an evening with Ben as he weaves together lyrical sounds & stories. A great family program.
Saturday, September 8 – “John Muir & the Big Trees”
Michael Wurtz, Director of Special Collections, University of the Pacific, Home of the John Muir Papers. Meet Michael & experience his journey in discovering Muir’s joy & respect for the Giant Sequoia.
Friday, September 14 – “Leave No Trace and How to Utilize the Techniques”
Michael A. Elliott, Leave No Trace Master Educator, Sierra Club Member and Volunteer. Michael introduces the methods and spirit behind keeping wilderness wild.
Saturday, September 15 – “Charles Kellogg: The Bird Singer & Friend of John Muir & the Redwoods”
Mike Monroe, Director, Morgan Hill Historical Society. An introduction to Charles Kellogg, a forgotten naturalist, who sang like a bird & fought to save the coastal Redwoods.
Friday, September 21 – “Mount Diablo: A Study in Preserving Landscape”
Stephen Joseph, Nature & Landscape Photographer. Magical photographs of the iconic Mount Diablo: East Bay California’s remarkable natural monument with over 700,000 annual visitors.
Saturday, September 22 – “Going Batty! All About Bats”
Burleigh Lockwood, Wildlife Biologist, Fresno-Chaffee Zoo. No live Bats! But plenty of fun, as Burleigh, a bat expert, helps us discover the world of bats. A great family program.
Friday, September 28 – “Yosemite’s Landmarks. Origins & History of Yosemite’s Places & Names”
Jeremy Evans, Nature Photographer/Filmmaker/Sierra Club Outings Leader. Did you wonder who explored and named Yosemite’s iconic landmarks? Saunter with Jeremy on this evening of historic discovery.
Saturday, September 29 – “Hiking the John Muir Trail: Three Weeks of Stories, Photographs & Short Films”
Jeremy Evans, Nature Photographer/Filmmaker/Sierra Club Outings Leader. Join Jeremy on the John Muir Trail.
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END OF SEASON
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT THE YOSEMITE CONSERVATION HERITAGE CENTER AND FOR JOINING THE SIERRA CLUB
Always in Nature,
Bonnie J. Gisel, Curator, Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center
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