Introducing the Big Basin Nature Museum & Research Center

Double Your Support to Promote a Cycle of Conservation

People of all ages learn about the wonders of nature by engaging their senses. Textbooks and lectures might work well for subjects like math, but redwood science is best understood when smelled and touched. That’s one of the reasons plans are underway to renovate and improve the Nature Museum and Research Center at Big Basin.

“We wanted to give our park visitors something to take with them as they venture into the park,” says Elizabeth Hammack, State Parks Interpreter III and museum renovation project manager. “Folks will be able to immerse themselves into the exhibits. A scene will unfold in the exhibit turning ordinary visitors into keen wildlife observers.”

Elizabeth explains that this project, already being designed, encourages visitors to assume the identity of a native park species and explore the interactive exhibits, learning about their being’s habitat, food sources, natural predators, and current chances for survival. Through this experience, visitors will discover which conditions threaten the creature’s survival, the science supporting its persistence, and what they can do to ensure its prolonged existence. The museum will also include a new Citizen Science Lab where visitors will learn about scientists who have studied and protected Big Basin for over a century along with the current science revealing new knowledge about the redwoods, wildlife, and the plants of the park. Visitors will also have an opportunity to share their own park experiences. A Wi-Fi hotspot will attract many seeking to use their personal electronic devices and will also provide them with additional interpretive information.

“Everything about this museum is geared toward inspiring visitors to care more deeply about the ecosystem of the park,” says Brenda Holmes, Mountain Parks Foundation executive director. “That way they’ll naturally want to help protect their ancient redwood forest treasures.”

But transforming park visitors into stewards of the environment won’t happen unless donors like you make it possible. The good news is that the project is already 66% funded. More good news is that every dollar donated to the project, up to $25,0000, will be matched dollar-for-dollar thanks to a generous matching grant from the Dean Witter Foundation.

In the spirit of this country’s very first conservationists who helped protect Big Basin in 1902, this opportunity offers a wonderful way for you to help ensure your park’s survival for years to come.

Making Connections That Last Lifetimes

How Nature Interpretation Can Save Your Parks 

 

When he leads his school programs, Henry Cowell Interpreter, Steven Ellmore, often begins with a question: “Who does this land actually belong to?” The children suggest that the owner might be the governor. Maybe it’s the ranger. When he explains that this park actually belongs to each of them, their eyes and mouths open wide. They appear visibly pleased with this new information. But there’s a catch.

“Well, if you own it,” Steven explains, “then you want to protect it to make sure it’s around. You want to respect it, right?”

They nod in agreement. They really get it. He’ll often find them picking up trash, or telling their parents that they shouldn’t pick a flower so other people can enjoy its beauty. Once, Steven described the extraordinary ways in which banana slugs contribute to the forest. Afterward, one little girl took a leaf and went around lifting the little yellow creatures from the path, setting each of them gently to the side so they wouldn’t be trampled.

Steven comes from a long line of dedicated nature lovers. His grandfather was president of the Sierra Club in the `20s and `30s. His grandmother was the first woman to climb the east face of Mount Whitney and Higher Cathedral Spire in Yosemite. What draws Steven to teach visitors about the natural phenomenon of the park is creating connections like the ones he’s been making with the children.

“These parks only survive through a force of will,” Steven explains. “And that comes from people caring about them. If people don’t care about them, if they don’t have that connection, these things could easily disappear.”

Steven says that interpretation helps visitors make these connections because the stories he tells “make it real” for them. They discover something precious and want to protect it. But here again, there’s another catch. It takes an army of volunteers and staff, not to mention the support from people like you. 

“All of these things cost money. But you get a lot of value for every dime you put into this place,” says Steven.

Having spent time in other parks where interpretation was not the focus, Steven realizes that visitors often don’t make these connections on their own. Only those who realize the importance of inspiring future park stewards will ensure that these connections continue to happen.

“You’re helping maintain something that is really special,” Steven says with sparkle in his eye, “and something that, not only the next generation can see but also generations to come.”

Why not make your legacy visible to your great grandchildren by helping Mountain Parks Foundation make those connections with a gift to support our state parks.