Was in attendance had that sense of warmth and and regard for each other and for the country. It was really special. Coming up next, sierra Club Volunteer harold wood discusses the legacy of con survey shifts that conservationists and National List john your john muir. By thes hosted California Historical society, as a part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act. We want to hear harold would tonight. He will give us an incredible surney through john muir life. That legacy is stronger than ever. To hearing forward you talk. I promise to be relatively brief here and just say a few words of welcome. And thank you all for coming. I want to say that i really am a huge fan of the two organizations that had us here tonight. The California Historical society, what a great place for great work that is preserving our cultural and historic heritage here in california. And the partner, the sierra club. For all of the great work it has been doing since 1892 to protect our Natural Landscapes here and throughout the nation. What a legacy. A couple of quick questions, how many of you have been to yosemite before . , that is good. How about sequoia . Kings canyon . Lets not leave those guys out. Sequoia is our Second National park. Without his work we wouldnt have those places to celebrate and enjoy. I just want to say a few. Ersonal words this is a big year of celebration. 50 years of the wilderness act and the leg he is incredible. My family on my moms side, they johna little lazier then was. They waited until a Transcontinental Railroad was completed then bought a ticket and came out come of getting in as early as the 1870s. He came in a bit earlier than that. Time,ived, most of their in costa county. Saw johnzed they frequently in route to yosemite and they went up to yosemite themselves in the late 19th century. It was only a few moments ago in the grand historic reach of time that he was keyer and making a huge difference in our lives then and now. It is appropriate we are gathered here tonight, just shy of the centennial of his passing, which was Christmas Eve of 1914. We have so much to talk about tonight and think about what uir has givenjohn m us since. My moment that gave me the gift gift of an incredible childhood. 105 years olde tonight. I am dedicating whatever i have to say to my mom. My earliest memories are of being in the mountains on the ease side and west side and westside and upanddown and all around. Member when i could not have a passion for the outdoors and for nature. I could remember when not have passion for the outdoors and for nature. Fresno was pretty darn cool. Us, ato the east of couple of hours was sequoia and teens canyon. To the north of us was yosemite. Truly believed that was my own personal National Park. Up to the fact that in the 50s i trampled more medals than i care to remember, just being there. I felt i got to to grow up in the light of john muir. I o him personally a great debt of gratitude for all of the inspiration i oh him personally a great debt of gratitude for all his inspiration. As i was growing up i went on to live and work all over the country. For the last 45 years i have worked at the intersection of the media, mostly tv. Following him john muir following in john yours footsteps. Been one of the greatest athletes of the 19th century. Saunter and climb glaciers and get into the backcountry of Southeast Alaska and all of these places he went all over the world, twitterverse interpret them and care about them and help protect them. I lived in alaska for a long time and was still deeply involved. John muir went into alaska in ,he late 1870s, 1880s, 1890s the first anglo european to sort glaciers. O the many of you read his stories of adventure and discovery in that landscape all those years ago. 1899 he was on board the harem expedition. How many of you saw Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid . The canes the trains they kept robbing he was a person. The writings of meurer and the played anf muir instrumental role to begin the protection of the national forest. It became the largest forest inside the United States, still at risk and still battles being for battles being fought. We have our own personal specific memories. It is extraordinary to think about where he traveled, what he did, and the sierra club. And those that followed him in to build on those early years. Harold is going to cover so much of this, so i dont want to step on this. Ofo want to mention a couple things. I do have a few notes i wanted to remind myself to say to you. Area ik at the bay traveled and lived in alaska. 31 years ago this month my wife our first baby child. We decided it was time to come back to california. For me it was this gift of coming back and rediscover a place i dealt i knew really well that i felt i knew very well. Rediscover a place i felt i knew really well with fresh eyes. It tied with my values and my interests to john muir and the sierra club. Was great to come back and see all of this and recognize in the year subsequent to his death people i had to meet people i got to meet like ansell adams and many others. Hard, creating the wilderness act, pushing it forward. Specialans played a role in protecting the bay from utter destruction. The largest collection of protected public lands and open spaces, any major urban region on earth, 1. 2 million acres. Maybe 1. 3, i lose track. It is growing. That is an extraordinary legacy. Goes back to all of the decades of work and labor that so many people provided. We have all of these things we get to benefit from. The National Park service idea deeply rooted right here in california. John muir, at the center of that whole concept. Kent. E william in 1908 the National Monument which is now part of the golden gate recreation area, one of the first National Parks created right where people live. Now you can trace that dna back. The university of california deeply connected to the establishment of the National Park service is. All of these connections, these ideas that took root here and grew, it is an amazing legacy that we get to benefit from right here. And then especially the wilderness that we are focusing on here today. The great passionate voice and advocate for wilderness, far ahead of his time. Here er in 1964, the work of the sierra club and others. And california, right at the front of support of that. They have been at the center of innovation. A very long time. Vicki, back here so far. Lets see here. Has more wilderness areas than any other state in the nation. We have 149 of the 758 National Wilderness areas right here in california. Alaska, my old stomping grounds, has more acreage. It is a little larger. By the way, we have to thank the sierra club and some others for making that possible, when they worked throughout the 1970s. Late december, 1980, weeks before Ronald Reagan took on the job, they were able to get passed and signed by jimmy carter the National Alaska largesttion act, the conservation act in human industry, protecting 104 million acres, the site the size of the state of california. Doubling our wildlife refuge system. An amazing thing. It roots back to the sierra club, roots back to john muir. We have 15 of our land mass in california as wilderness. We are only 1 behind alaska. That is not bad. California is very close. Thefornia is also one of only states that has its own state designated wilderness areas that grew out of the federal designations of 1964. We have taken this idea, 50 years old, and put it to ground here in california. We have 12 wilderness areas officially designated as a california state park. Here, then the region Regional Park district, largest Regional Park district in the world, 100 14,000 acres, it has three designated wilderness areas. Right near where john muirs historic home is. Water, thend but wilderness area is now celebrating its aquatic its 40th anniversary this year. We have all that and a whole up muiras a result of john and his gifts to us in california. Enough from me. I could go on for a long time but i am really looking forward to hearing harold wood. He has a great thing to tell us about. A great story to take us and tell us about john muir. He lives right here near fresno. He had that Great Outdoor backyard i used to have. Meurer off the the john muir education team. He also chairs the Educational Programs in you 70 in yosemite. Curator of the john muir exhibit and master of its website on the sierra club. Answers questions. Harold basically answers questions from young people of all ages constantly about john beer john muir. He is a walking encyclopedia of his life and legacy. He doesnt just chronicle john beer, he is an environmental activist himself john muir, he is an environmental activist himself. He was very involved in helping to promote and create, through his efforts, wilderness areas in the state of washington, including clearwater. Parenthetically, washington is third behind alaska and california for division of land mass and wilderness areas it is 10 in washington. Harold, thanks for your efforts in helping you get to that number. Helping get to that number. Harold is going to take us on an incredible journey tonight here inside yosemite, down a virtual john muir trail. Harold, its all yours. [applause] good evening, everyone. As i have worked since 1994, maintaining the sierra clubs im constantly reminded how john muir is as relevant today as he was 100 years ago. Every day i am notified by google news of an article mentioning john beer. Every week i received a steady stream of emails with questions and requests about john muir. 100 years after his death, john muir is still well known for his ability to inspire many people from all over the world, all nationalities, to experience and care about the natural world. Imagine my surprise when someone sent me an article today from the los angeles times, questioning the relevance of john muir today. The author said we do not need wilderness because hispanics dont go to yosemite. Not my experience. Et john muir only expires only inspires wilderness areas. As we heard he inspired many local urban parks as well. A strawman vision of john muir that is historically inaccurate and toled to completely complete and accurate per trail of his inspiration around the world today. Accurate portrayal of his inspiration around the world today. I think we will respond adequately to the misinformation of that article. Last few yearse provides many examples of the continuing inspiration of john muir. The categories i would like to cover include international inspiration, land protection, education, and the arts. 2014 is the anniversary of many events related to wilderness, National Parks, and force protection. And forest protection. Event, it is 100 years after john muir died after losing a battle to save hetch hetchy. We can celebrate the 50th anniversary of the wilderness act today only because the legacy of john muir and his followers. In many ways celebrating that wilderness the wilderness act is not about ager. It is more fundamentally about people. Even though john muir lived before organized efforts for legislativeilderness preservation systems, his own efficacy for wildlands laid the groundwork for public support for future wilderness legislation. Find that john muir is becoming more and more a global inspiration as his life is celebrated increasingly throughout the u. S. , his birthplace in scotland, and elsewhere. Of course, this is nothing new for the california historic society. The society came up with 50 nominees considered as the top 10 greatest californians. A committee of 17 historians selected these nominees. A poll was conducted of society members, and john muir was chosen as the overall number one greatest californian. Not to be outdone, the scots decided to be the sided to have a pulled about the greatest scott. They did decided to have a scot. Bout the greatest they included many patriots of scotland. Well, john muir did not win this exercise, but title went to his favorite poet. So he really won. Robert burns. John muir would have approved. He treasured burns all of his life. Burns,ing about robert john muir could wax elegantly when he was describing trees or glaciers. He wrote, his lessons of divine love and sympathy to humanity, which he preached in his poems and sent forth whitehot from ringing andas gone singing around the globe, stirring the hearts of every andand race ar race. The appreciation for john muir in the land of his birth is increasing. Scotlandst of homecoming celebration. The country celebrated a yearlong john muir festival, with a series of special events, programs, and enterprises, all focused on bringing john muir home to his birthplace in scotland. One of their major efforts was to establish a walking and cycling route in scotland named in john muirs honor. They were going to chop going to call it the john muir trail, but realized that could be confused with the wilderness route in sierra, california. Instead it goes across the middle of scotland, including many of the urban areas. The john muir way stretches 134 miles across scotlands the west, running from to his birthplace in dunbar on the east coast. The walking and hiking trail is only one of the many efforts in scotland this year to bring home his legacy. Publications sought to remind people that john muir so often taught of that john muir, so often thought of as american and californian, was born and raised in scotland. There was even a National Conference in scotland about parks and protected areas that was named the john muir conference. I am told all of the keynote speakers quoted john muir favorably in some way or another. Has taken some years of efforts in scotland to remind the scottish that john muir was born in a small seacoast fishing village of dunbar. After two decades, that reminder has become effective. Placed uir birth birthplace trust, a citizens , have worked hard to remind people of scotland and many visitors from the United States about john muir as a scottish environmental hero. Muirs first climbing experiences run the Dunbar Castle ruins. Was born in the small white on the left. The largerved to house on the right. The smaller building was renovated in 2003 to a Museum Dedicated to john muirs life and work. It has thousands of visitors every year. In 2012 they counted 100,000 visitors is the museum open. It includes many great exhibits on three stories, designed to inform visitors and young people about the importance of john the, and through him importance of protecting the Natural Environment of all sizes, large and small. Replace hosts numerous programs with School Groups in the community. Hostsn muir birthplace and was programs with School Groups in the community. When the new Scottish Parliament building, edinburgh, was dedicated in 2004, the spirit of john euro of john muir was included. Before quotations from preeminent writers and authors of scotland were inscribed. There is an inscription from john muir, reading, the battle for conservation will go on endlessly. It is part of the universal battle between right and wrong. The closest equivalent to that attributed in the United States is the extra mile volunteer pathway in washington dc. This is a new National Monument dedicated to the spirit of volunteering in america. John muir was given a plaque on the volunteer pathway in 2009 by the points of light organization. The extensive inscription is sort of like a hollywood walk of fame. Called john muir and the worldwide influence of the sierra club. He raised awareness about the fragility of the wilderness and made us mindful that in preserving it we Say Something wer than ourselves save something greater than ourselves. The trust was established as a Membership Organization in 1983 to conserve wild land and while places in the united kingdom. By theh inspired americas sierra club, the hastegy the John Muir Trust to work through less legislation. The John Muir Trust actually purchases wild landscapes and now owns some of the finest wild land in the highlands, mountains, and islands of scotland. The john muir award is a large part of the trust Environmental Education program. Is awardedir award retrospectively at an annual dinner. It is more like a College Academic certificate or scout merit badge that both young people and adults can deliberately earned by completing a series of identified tasks. Goal is to encourage people to connect with, enjoy, and care for while places, large and small. Aroundacy has been scotland quite a number of years before the homecoming celebration this year. Environmental education efforts especially have focused on john muir. Booklets and curriculum seek to remind children in scotland that he is one of their own, that they would do well to follow in his footsteps. There was even a graphic novel of john muirs life published this year. Free copies were sent to every secondary school in scotland, and teacher resources are available on the web, as well as free pdf downloads of this novel. Novel, the book rather closely follows john pretty accurately, while simplifying and paraphrasing for a young audience. Age 11 emigrated to wisconsin with his family in 1849. He was soon put to work rooting out the forest to plant crops. He fell in love with the lake near their house, where he learned to swim by watching the frogs. He admired the flowers in the meadow by the lake. When he left the farm to attend the university of wisconsin, he asked his family put a fence around the flowery meadow to keep the wildn