Educational Media Reviews Online

"To insure Yosemite's survival for future generations, we must learn from lessons in the past." -- Lee Majors

The incredible but fragile beauty of Yosemite is beautifully captured in this combination travelogue, history, and guide to resource management video. Lee Majors narrates the consummate guide for ecologically correct visitors to Yosemite, including geography, attractions, contacts, weather, lodging, history, native residents, and the best way to enjoy and preserve the natural setting.

Filmed entirely on location in the park, the video logically weaves views of the park today with old film footage and stills of early park visitors and activities, including film of a daredevil ancestor balancing on a log over a precipice. Majors narration is clear and precise as he camps, walks, bicycles and drives through various attractions, viewing wildlife, and interviewing park rangers and resident Ahwahneechee Indians, inserting appropriate historical commentary along the way.

The jacket notes that "help[ing to] secure this 'jewel of California's Sierra Nevada's' for generations to come" is an underlying theme. However, the focus on the Parks origins and the Park Service's efforts to reverse past mistakes and to educate the public brings this theme to the fore. Early practices like encouraging hand-feeding of bears, maintaining non-indigenous wildlife in a zoo for wealthy tourists, putting out lighting-set fires, or shooting sparks (Firefall) down the waterfall are now eschewed in favor of allowing the native flora and fauna to act as naturally as possible without being disturbed. The past management practices are also linked to commentary about society at the time. Specific facts, such as the giant Sequoia's need for fire in order to survive, are presented along with specific tips for visitors, such as avoiding walking too close to the individual trees. Detailed descriptions of the park areas (only 10% of visitors ever bother with the High Country), phone numbers for general and weather information, seasonal advice, and driving instructions are also included.

From its discovery by a small military regiment in the mid 1800s and President Lincoln's subsequent designation in 1864 of a huge tract of land for public use to its significance as the cornerstone of our current national parks system, the history of Yosemite is significant to the future of Earth's resources as a whole. The history of the most recent native inhabitants, the Ahwahneechee Indians who still live in a village on the grounds, assists in preserving their unique culture and continued presence. Credit is also given to Yosemite's founders and shapers, including Frederick Law Olmsted (the first overseer of its 1100 square miles) and environmentalist John Muir (who was instrumental in keeping Yosemite wild and inspiring Teddy Roosevelt to create more parks).

The camera work and sound are excellent, although some of the color can seem washed out due to the time of day some of the scenes were filmed. There are two oddly discordant scenes, which could be improved in future releases. In one, Majors is telling us how wonderful it is to arise early and breathe in that fresh air while standing next to a rather smoky and smoldering campfire. In the other, just after he tells us about climbing the granite walls of El Capitan, he comments: "look at that guy -- he must be nuts" referring to a climber suspended from a sheer drop in some sort of sling. However, overall the flow and pace of the dialogue interspersed with old and new images is very satisfying. The goal of the video is achieved: to show us how to visit Yosemite in such a way as to protect it for future generations.

Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries, particular those with environmental studies or travel collections. Targeted to intermediate-adult audiences, however this would be very suitable for junior high students as well.

Chip Taylor Communications also offers an older 25 minute video entitled Yosemite National Park (1998) which is a more in depth historical treatment.

There are a wealth of sites with information about Yosemite on the Internet. Yosemite National Park is the National Park Service official site, and includes a printable travel guide as well as tons of visitor information including weather and weather related closures, history, maps, a bookstore and volunteer information. The Yosemite Association maintains a resource with visitor information, background, seminars, related links, old and contemporary diary writings about and photos of the park, and a virtual site with QuickTime panoramas and a live webcam of Yosemite Valley. The Yosemite-Sierra Visitors Bureau maintains an impressive site with all the usual visitor information as well as a wedding planning page and a special kids page. A particularly interesting eclectic set of links maintained exclusively by long-time locals can be found at Awesome Yosemite Links. Even the Yosemite Concession Services Corporation, the Delaware North Company who runs the concessions at the park, has their own web pages.

More information on the people who shaped Yosemite is also available. The National park Service also maintains a web page for The Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, physically located in Brookline, Mass and The John Muir National Historic Site physically located in Martinez, Calif. A brief history of Yosemite Valley includes a section on The Ahwahneechee, a branch of the Southern Sierra Miwok Indians; and the Yosemite Association has published a book available from Amazon.com entitled Legends of the Yosemite Miwok compiled by Frank La Pena, Craig D. Bates, and Steven P. Medley.