MEDIA RELEASE

1/27/2025

–For Immediate Release—

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

Spirit of Punxsutawney Phil, Our Night Sky, Nature Journaling and More in Store with Sierra Forever at the Alabama Hills in February

Will Punxsutawney Phil cast his shadow on the fanciful rocks of the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area this year? Well, visitors can let their imagination soar as they join Sierra Forever and its public lands partners for a free Groundhog Day Nature Walk on Sunday, Feb. 2.

“No matter what Punxsutawney Phil reveals in Pennsylvania, in our Alabama Hills, spring is definitely on its way!” said naturalist and volunteer Nancy Hadlock, who will lead a stroll to reveal the Alabama Hills’ seasonal changes.

(For the record, there are no groundhogs in the Alabama Hills, as this species of rodent lives primarily in the Eastern U.S. and Canada. The town of Punxsutawney, Penn., has a groundhog mascot named Punxsutawney Phil who, according to folklore, can help predict the weather. Phil is released each year on Feb. 2, Groundhog Day. If, after exiting his burrow, Phil sees his shadow and decides to go back inside, it is believed there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, there will be an early spring.)

“Due to our warm winter,” Hadlock said, “there are some adventurous animals roaming and a few determined plants in bloom. We will explore and discover a few of these and learn fun facts about them. This is a 1.5-mile gentle walk, but good walking shoes are recommended along with layered clothing, a hat and water. We meet at the Mobius Arch parking lot at 11:00 am and the stroll ends at 12:30 pm.”

Likewise, every Saturday in February there will be other just-as-fun free outdoor activities, all starting from the Mobius Arch Trailhead unless otherwise indicated, and led by Sierra Forever and its Bureau of Land Management and Death Valley National Park partners:

• 1, from 11 am till Noon: Desert Plant Walk;
• 8, from 10 am till 12:30 pm: The Alabama Hills Backcountry;
• 15, from 1 to 2 pm: Geology Walk;
• 15, from 7 to 8 pm: Our Night Sky (at Tuttle Creek Campground); and
• 22, from 11 am to 1 pm: Nature Journaling.

Our Night Sky was rescheduled to Feb. 15 from the last Saturday in January due to cold weather and cloud cover that weekend. It will bring together presenters from the Inyo National Forest, Death Valley National Park, and Sierra Forever “for an evening exploring constellation stories, planets, and discussions of the scale of what we see,” said Sierra Forever’s Alabama Hills Interpretive Specialist Ashley Anderson. “Come sip complimentary hot cocoa while gazing through a telescope at celestial bodies above! The event is free, but if you would like to camp at Tuttle Creek Campground, it is $10 and first come, first served.”

The Nature Journaling walk on February 22 is based on the art book, “The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling,” Anderson explained. “It encompasses observation skills and techniques for drawing and visually understanding our environment,” she said.

“Whether their interest is more scientific or personal, participants will learn to record meaningful entries into sketchbooks and journals about their time outdoors. We will be talking about how to make rocks look like local granite rocks, clouds look like Eastern Sierra clouds, and how to be more curious about the world around us. Supplies will be provided, but if you have your own sketchbook or journal you are encouraged to bring that.”

“The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling” may be purchased through Sierra Forever for $35 plus tax (and shipping, if applicable). Please see a short description of it at Sierra Forever’s Webstore, shop.sierraforever.org. The book is very popular, so if it should not be in stock at local visitor centers where Sierra Forever manages book and interpretive product sales, it can be ordered by staff, through the webstore, or by writing to [email protected].

More details about each of the February hikes at the Alabama Hills may be found on the events page of Sierra Forever’s website, sierraforever.org/events. Please note that all Sierra Forever outdoor events are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice due to weather or other factors. For more information on Alabama Hills events, write to [email protected].

About Sierra Forever

Founded in 1970 as Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA), Sierra Forever 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. Sierra Forever 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, and the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife in Southern Nevada. Sierra Forever also hosts the Eastern Sierra History Conference annually each fall in the Bishop area. For more information, please visit sierraforever.org.

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