MEDIA RELEASE

10/21/2024

–For Immediate Release—

Contact: Louis Medina, Outreach Director, Sierra Forever (AKA Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association); [email protected]; Cell 323.788.7447

Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association Announces New Name, Sierra Forever, and Corporate Logo to Be Introduced at Upcoming Eastern Sierra History Conference

Bishop, CA – Sometimes less is more. That goes for the new name of the local education and conservation nonprofit known for more than half a century as Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association: ESIA will soon begin doing business as, simply, Sierra Forever.

This new easy-to-remember yet lofty name has been well received by visitors, partners and staff during a monthlong soft launch, and will be formally announced along with the introduction of a new corporate logo at the upcoming 9^th Annual Eastern Sierra History Conference, which Sierra Forever will host at the Bishop Campus of Cerro Coso Community College from Oct. 25 through 27.

“Our name and logo have served us well for over 50 years, but we have grown and evolved, and it is time to make a change,” said Board Chair Don Chambers.

The organization currently operates bookstores in 17 visitor centers and ranger stations throughout Sierra Nevada and Great Basin public lands on both sides of the California/Nevada state line, leads interpretive hikes and presentations, delivers certified interpretive guide trainings, offers hands-on educational opportunities for kids, and spearheads land stewardship efforts in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and local Tribal and nonprofit partners. It boasts 17 year-round employees and up to 30 during the summer season and has an annual operating budget of just over $2 million.

Bi-state Sage Grouse Protection, Climbing Rangers, Snow School for Inyo and Mono County Fifth Graders, Alabama Hills Stewardship and Avalanche Training are some examples of the organization’s important work. This summer, Sierra Forever began English/Spanish bilingual outreach, including a modest offering of bilingual children’s books for sale through its bookstores and webstore.

Roots

All these accomplishments represent tremendous growth since Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association was launched as an all-volunteer effort in February of 1970, with just three volunteers supporting the work of one national forest, the Inyo, at four ranger stations under the nation’s first ever participating agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and a nonprofit organization, according to Executive Director Jeff Gabriel. By July of that same year, the Toiyabe National Forest (which had not yet merged with the Humboldt) had also negotiated ESIA’s assistance in managing book sales at its ranger stations, he said.

At the time, the word “interpretation,” or one of its variations, had to be part of the name of any organization that signed a partnership agreement with the Forest Service, Gabriel said. According to the National Association for Interpretation, whose certified interpretive guide trainings Gabriel is qualified to teach, interpretation is “a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us.”

But that nomenclature is no longer mandatory.

What’s in a name?

“Sierra Forever is powerful,” Chambers said, “and it evokes a calling and emotion that we want visitors to the Eastern Sierra to have.”

The name also serves the organization’s vision: “To create strong emotional and intellectual connections between people and the public lands of the Eastern Sierra, motivating them to protect and preserve this region through effective stewardship, responsible behavior and personal investment.”

And while ESIA’s name is changing, the nonprofit’s commitment to interpretation is not, as is reflected in its mission, which remains the same: “To educate and inspire people about Sierra Nevada and Great Basin public lands through high-quality interpretive programs, products, literature, exhibits, and events.”

What’s in a logo?

The name change actually began with a logo redesign brainstorming session about five years ago, Chambers explained. While COVID and other immediate challenges stalled the rebranding project, the idea for a shorter organizational name was birthed out of that effort, and the organization has already been using SierraForever.org as its web address for the past few years.

Sierra Forever’s new corporate logo was designed by local artist and Big Pine Paiute tribal member Topah Spoonhunter and is basically a repurposing of the logo for the Eastern Sierra History Conference, the organization’s signature annual event for which it is best known.

“The History Conference logo worked well with the name Sierra Forever,” Gabriel said.

Heavy in soft browns, blues and grays, with an artful use of black and white contour lines, the logo design integrates images representative of the unique flora, fauna, geology and climatology of the Eastern Sierra in a fanciful, stylized landscape: with bighorn sheep, an ancient bristlecone pine, a snow-covered mountain peak, and the dramatic swirls of a Sierra Wave cloudscape.

“Our new logo is simple and beautiful,” Chambers said. “People will like it.”

Looking Back, Going forward

Gabriel came on board as Executive Director in November of 2016. Chambers had just joined the board months before that and became Board Chair in 2018.

“We’ve really worked as a team of two on this project,” Chambers said.

For his part, Gabriel said, “When considering where ESIA started in 1970, where we are today, and where we’re going, this rebranding will springboard us into the future. I truly believe that our new name and logo, as well as our ongoing work, will help future generations to go on enjoying and protecting the landscapes that we all cherish.”

Eastern Sierra History Conference

History Conference tickets are still available for purchase online at SierraForever.org/ESHC. For more information, please write to [email protected].

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