MEDIA RELEASE

7/22/2024

–For Immediate Release—

Contact: Louis Medina, Outreach Director, Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, [email protected], Cell 323.788.7447

Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association Announces FREE Evening Campfire Programs at Select Campgrounds Throughout the Eastern Sierra

The Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA) is announcing its lineup of Evening Campfire Programs this summer and fall at several campgrounds throughout the Inyo and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests. These events are free and open to campground guests and the surrounding community: You do not have to stay at the campground to attend.

This year’s presentations are primarily focused on Eastern Sierra wildlife, including bighorn sheep, bears, mountain lions, birds, pika, and animal adaptations. Naturalists are all qualified ESIA staff, but almost two-thirds of the presentations will be given by ESIA’s Executive Director, Jeff Gabriel, who is a certified interpretive trainer/guide accredited through the National Association for Interpretation.

“Understanding our surroundings and those non-humans that live there, too, is so important to the protection and enjoyment of what we have,” Gabriel said. “The campfire programs were created to share fascinating information about the natural world with those who happen to be enjoying our national forest campgrounds.”

Upcoming programs, which happen at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates, are as follows:

ESIA Evening Campfire Programs 2024 – All Held at 6:30 PM
Date	Topic	Campground	Area	Naturalist
Fri, 7/26	Animal Adaptations	New Shady Rest	Mammoth Lakes	Frankie DeVine
Fri, 7/26	Bears	Robinson Creek	Bridgeport	Jeff Gabriel
Sat, 7/27	Bears	Twin Lakes	Mammoth Lakes	Ashley Anderson
Fri, 8/2	Mountain Lions	French Creek	Tom’s Place	Ashley Anderson
Fri, 8/2	Bears	Robinson Creek	Bridgeport	Jeff Gabriel
Fri, 8/2	Bears	New Shady Rest	Mammoth Lakes	Frankie DeVine
Sat, 8/10	Mountain Lions	East Fork	Mammoth Lakes	Ashley Anderson
Sat, 8/17	Bears	Robinson Creek	Bridgeport	Jeff Gabriel
Fri, 8/23	Animal Adaptations	Oh! Ridge	June Lake	Jeff Gabriel
Fri, 9/6	Sierra Birds	*(Continued)* New Shady Rest	Mammoth Lakes	Jeff Gabriel
Sat, 9/7	Bears	Robinson Creek	Bridgeport	Jeff Gabriel
Sat, 10/5	Bighorn Sheep	Oh! Ridge	June Lake	Jeff Gabriel
Sat, 10/12	Mountain Lions	Four Jeffrey	Bishop	Jeff Gabriel
Sat, 10/19	Pika	New Shady Rest	Mammoth Lakes	Jeff Gabriel

Please note that the program schedule is subject to changes, cancellations, and additional program offerings based on staff availability, weather, forest closure due to fire danger, and other considerations. For the most up-to-date information on Evening Campfire Programs, visit sierraforever.org/events.

ESIA’s Evening Campfire Programs have been going on for seven years with a slight break during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are offered as a part of the interpretive agreement ESIA has with the Inyo and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forests. This year, ESIA is grateful for the financial support of Vista Recreation, the Inyo National Forest campground concessionaire.

About the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association

Founded in 1970, ESIA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that partners with local, tribal, and federal governments and fellow nonprofits to provide interpretive education about the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin landscapes, in the hope of inspiring members of the public to develop a deeper appreciation for public lands, and thereby become better stewards. ESIA operates bookstores in visitor centers in collaboration with agency partners that include the Inyo, Humboldt-Toiyabe, Tahoe, and Klamath National Forests, Death Valley National Park, Devils Postpile National Monument, Manzanar National Historic Site, and the Bureau of Land Management’s Bishop Field Office. For more information, please visit ESIA’s website, sierraforever.org.

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