John Muir National Historic Site and other cultural parks in the Bay Area

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John Muir National Historic Site and other
cultural parks in the Bay Area
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When we try to pick out anything by itself, we
find it hitched to everything else in the
universe.
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• 1838 Born in Dunbar Scotland.
• 1849 Family emigrates to Wisconsin.
• 1861 Enters University of Wisconsin.
• 1867 1,000 mile walk from Kentucky to Gulf of
  Mexico.
• 1868 Moves to California.
• 1871 Publishes article in New York Tribune
  arguing that glaciers carved Yosemite Valley -
  mocked by CA geologist.

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• 1880 Marries Louisa Strentzel
• 1889 Campaigns for a Yosemite National Park.
• 1890 Mr. Strentzel dies and Muir moves into
  Victorian home on ranch.
• 1892 Helps found Sierra Club elected first
  president.
• 1894 First book, The Mountains of California,
  published.

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• 1905 Louisa dies, continues to live on ranch with
  daughters Helen Wanda.
• 1908 Muir Woods National Monument established
  Muir begins fight against damming Hetch Hetchy
  Valley in Yosemite.

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• 1914 Dies in Martinez at 76 years of age.
• 1915 Daughters sell Muir House.
• 1964 Park Service purchases Muir House.
• 1996 NPS acquires Mt Wanda - 325 acres.

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Enabling Legislation

• It is the mission of the National Park Service
  at the John Muir National Historic Site to
  preserve and protect the Muir home and
  surrounding park areas as a public memorial to
  John Muirs efforts as a crusader for the
  National Parks, reservations and the conservation
  movement, and to educate the public concerning
  this significance.

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Staff

• Superintendent, Chief of Cultural Resources and 3
  person Administrative Staff cover JOMU, EUON
  POCH
• 2-3 Maintenance staff members
• Head ranger with two seasonal interpretive
  rangers (school groups and house)
• Part-time law enforcement and IT staff
• Visitation 30,000 in 2002.
• No Natural Resource staff

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Benefits from Inventory and Monitoring Program

• Includes all parks with significant natural
  resources
• Provided JOMU/EUON with quality natural resource
  data to assist with future management
• Will continue to include cultural parks in future
  long term ecological monitoring.
• New phase How to incorporate natural resource
  stewardship into a cultural park?

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Natural Resource work completed

• Vertebrate inventory by USGS (bats, mammals,
  reptiles, amphibians).
• Avian inventory completed by PRBO.
• Vascular plants (inventory, herbarium, invasive
  species population maps, vegetation map).
• Lepidoptera inventory.
• Water quality monitoring

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Natural Resource Projects

• Fire Management Plan for Mt Wanda.
• Management of invasive species.
• Flood and erosion control and management -
  Watershed Management Plan.
• Interpretation of Mt Wanda for visitors.
• Starting to use best available science for
  management (oak regeneration).

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Management Issues

• Unique suburban park concerns
• Fragmented landscape
• Increased urbanization

• Public/Private land concerns erosion,
  invasive species, etc.
• Community involvement
• Pool of volunteers

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• Eugene ONeill National Historic Site Danville,
  CA.
• Port Chicago National Memorial, Concord Naval
  Weapons Station Concord, CA
• Rosie the Riveter/WWII Homefront National
  Historical Park, Richmond, CA - NEW!!

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Eugene ONeill NHS

• 13 acres including barn, Tao House, pool and
  remaining orchards.
• In 1976, federal legislation declared the Tao
  House to be a National Historic Site and provide
  authorization for NPS to accept the site from CA
  and operate it as a memorial to Eugene ONeill
  and a park for the performing arts and related
  educational programs.

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Eugene ONeill NHS

• Lived in Tao House from 1937 - 1944
• Wrote many important works in house Long Days
  Journey into Night, The Iceman Cometh
• Adjacent to Las Trampas Regl. Wilderness.
• Located within a gated community in Danville.
  Requires reservations.
• Wildland/Urban interface issues. Private/public
  property issues.

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WWII parks

• The East Bay was home to much of the West Coasts
  manufacturing during WWII.
• 1944 explosion at Port Chicago. Tackles
  social/racial issues too.
• Rosie the Riveter celebrates the national effort
  of womens (and mens) contribution to WWII from
  home. Located at old Kaiser plant.
• RORI partnership b/w NPS, city, county, NGO.
• Current campaign for stories/memorabilia
  sponsored by Ford Motor Company.