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Yosemite's oldest non-profit support group, the Yosemite Association, celebrates 80 years of service to the park on August 4th of this year. The association also claims the distinction of being the first such group to operate within an individual park in the national park system.
A special celebration will be held August 4th in Yosemite Valley to commemorate the organization's anniversary and its eight decades of partnership with the National Park Service in Yosemite. The event, to be held in front of the Yosemite Museum, will begin at 1:00 p.m. and include addresses by representatives of the Yosemite Association board and staff, the National Park Service, and the Yosemite community. The organization also will present anniversary gifts to the Yosemite Museum, and serve birthday cake!
The group, originally known as the Yosemite Museum Association, was organized as the first cooperating association in the national park system in 1923. There are now nearly 70 similar organizations, modeled on the association, in national parks throughout the country
The Yosemite Association has a long tradition of supporting the park. In 1924, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial made a large gift to the association, which was used with other donated funds to construct the Yosemite Museum. It later expanded its mission to provide assistance for museum programs, the research library, and a variety of other educational activities.
As the association grew, it began to publish educational materials to enhance the study of natural and human history in Yosemite. In recent years, the association's publication program has expanded, and it regularly produces high quality, award-winning books and maps, including the landmark An Illustrated Flora of Yosemite National Park and Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend.
The association maintains a roster of over 9,000 members, and its current activities include the operation of bookstores in park visitor centers, a program of outdoor courses; several wilderness-related initiatives (bear canister rentals and wilderness permit reservations among them); and numerous other educational programs in Yosemite.
With its earned revenues, the Yosemite Association donates funds to the National Park Service to support education, research, and environmental efforts in Yosemite. Throughout its history, the association has contributed more than $10 million to aid park programs in Yosemite.
The Yosemite
Association, the first support group in Yosemite and the first national park
cooperating association in the country, is proud of its accomplishments over
the past 80 years, and looks forward to making even greater contributions
to the park in the new century. To learn more about the Yosemite Association
or the special anniversary event call 209-379-2646.
July 3, 2003
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