MEDIA RELEASE

9/24/2024

–For Immediate Release—

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

Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association Announces 2024 Eastern Sierra History Conference, Coming Up Oct. 25-27, at Cerro Coso College, Bishop

Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA) invites the public to attend the 9^th Annual Eastern Sierra History Conference, scheduled for Oct. 25 -27, at the Bishop Campus of Cerro Coso Community College, at 4090 W. Line St. Tickets are available for purchase at sierraforever.org/eshc.

ESIA Executive Director Jeff Gabriel credits Mono County District 3 Supervisor Bob Gardner as the conference’s creator. “As the former executive director of ESIA,” Gabriel said, “Bob established the conference nine years ago with the idea of highlighting the rich history of the Sierra Nevada.”

Offering two days of lectures and presentations from authoritative speakers, plus educational field trips on the third day, the Eastern Sierra History Conference delivers extensive knowledge about the nature, culture, history and economy of our region, deepening attendees’ understanding of such topics as geology, mining, watersheds and hydrology, wildfire management, Native American wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge, tourism and outdoor recreation, ranching, the legal protection of public lands, and more.

ESIA Board Member Char Miller, PhD, an award-winning teacher and writer who is a professor of environmental history at Pomona College in Claremont, said, “The Eastern Sierra History Conference offers a unique moment when historians—both ‘buffs’ and ‘profs’—gather to celebrate, explore, and deepen our understanding of this remarkable region’s captivating and complicated stories.”

Miller himself will be opening the conference by presenting one such complex story focused on wildfire and wildfire management, which is the subject of his new book, Burn Scars: A Documentary History of Fire Suppression, from Colonial Origins to the Resurgence of Cultural Burning. “Together we’ll read and discuss several key documents in Burn Scars that reveal fire’s fraught history in California and the West,” he said.

Other much-anticipated presentations include:

• A history of the Pine Creek Tungsten Mine, plus a guided visit to the mine, by author Joe Kurtak;
• A history of the Grant Lake Reservoir by author and historian Robert Marks, PhD, including the drama behind the building of the first Grant Lake Dam in 1915 by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power;
• A look at the life and work of acclaimed European-born Eastern Sierra ski instructor Hans Georg, by author and historian Dana Miller;
• A snapshot of the local Paiute language and culture presented by Owens Valley Career Development Center Yahoda Language Program Coordinator Brian Poncho, Language Specialist Amara Keller, and Language Teacher Lavina Bengochia; and
• A tribute to legendary Mule Man Bobby Tanner, who died June 22, at age 64.

Miller’s book, as well as other works related to this year’s presentations and the Eastern Sierra in general, will be available for purchase at the conference.

Altogether, 15 presentations will be offered on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, at the college. The outings scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 27 are a Tungsten Mine Tour at Pine Creek and a Mono Basin Scenic Area Tour, celebrating the 40^th Anniversary of its designation.

Ticket prices range from $50 to $140 for adult three-day, senior, student, single day, outing only, and video recording options. There are special perks for attendees thanks to the partnership of local businesses:

• Free breakfast and lunch on Days 1 and 2 of the conference are included in the ticket price thanks to generous discounts ESIA receives from popular caterer Pupfish Café; and
• For those traveling to the conference from out of town, the Elms Motel, at 233 E. Elm St., in Downtown Bishop, will offer discounted rates between Oct. 24 and 27. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-848-9226 and mentioning attendance to the “Eastern Sierra History Conference.” More information is available at com.

ESIA has received generous sponsorship support from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Perry Motors for this year’s conference but is still seeking sponsors interested in helping to offset such conference costs as speaker honoraria, venue rental, food, and scholarships for students. Potential sponsors are asked to express their interest by kindly writing to [email protected].

The history of the Eastern Sierra, Gabriel said, which begins with the Indigenous people who are the original inhabitants and land stewards of our region, can be a beacon of hope to us all.  “Understanding what happened in the past is critically important to guiding us into the future.”

“Join us,” Miller said, “and add your voice to the conversation.”

Again, to purchase tickets, visit sierraforever.org/eshc. For questions, or to purchase tickets over the phone, please call 760-872-1220.

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 and ranger stations in collaboration with agency partners that include the Inyo, Humboldt-Toiyabe, Tahoe, and Klamath National Forests, Devils Postpile National Monument, Manzanar National Historic Site, Death Valley National Park, and the Bureau of Land Management’s Bishop Field Office.  For more information, please visit ESIA’s website, sierraforever.org.

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