Black people spotted in Yosemite. Officials elated.

[Liberal_in_LA]

Yosemite seeks a more diverse visitor base
Only about 1% of the nearly 4 million people who visit the national park each year are black, and the park system remains largely the province of whites. So officials were elated earlier this month when two groups of African Americans were touring Yosemite the same day.

-----------------

For more than 60 years, the National Park Service has been trying to reach out to African Americans and Latinos. But its 395 parks, monuments, waterways, historic places and recreational areas remain largely the province of white Americans and tourists from around the world.

In an interview, Park Service Director Jon Jarvis reiterated an old lament: Parks must attract a more diverse slice of the American public or eventually risk losing taxpayer support. Yet only about 1% of the nearly 4 million people who visit Yosemite each year are African Americans.

So officials were elated earlier this month when they learned that two groups of African Americans, the one from Grace United Methodist and one from the Inglewood Senior Center, were touring the park on the same day.

That meant there were more than 65 black Americans on the valley floor on the same day, an event so rare that ranger Shelton Johnson — who is of African American and Native American descent and has worked in Yosemite for 18 years — called it "possibly unprecedented."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-yosemite-diversity-20111030,0,5386759.story

:bounce:

[Swede]

1. I love the Onion.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

14. That was my first thought.

[TwilightGardener]

2. I laughed, but that's kinda sad.

[lsewpershad]

12. Sad indeed

But the question is WHY?

[appleannie1]

3. More black people cannot afford to go on vacations. Simple as that.

The onion has a way of pointing out small truths in a comical way.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. This is a real article, LA times, not the Onion. Black people go on plenty of vacations

[lpbk2713]

5. Interesting.

I had no idea NPS kept track of visitors by race/ethnicity. :shrug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. I worked at a museum long time ago. Organizations try to keep track even if they don't ask

by sometimes doing spot checks, having someone count visually (making assumptions about race). Or asking zip codes and determining race breakdowns by zip.

There was concern if large ethnic groups didn't visit.

[Nye Bevan]

6. The National Park Service monitors the races of those who visit National Parks?

Kind of weird.

[Ezlivin]

8. With careful management, breeding pairs could be introduced to the park

Like we've done with the bison and the wolf....

[Glassunion]

10. +1

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. ....

:spray: :spray: :rofl: :rofl:

[UnrepentantLiberal]

17. That's just wrong.

[Fuzz]

19. This story is ready for a "Mutual of Omaha presents' kind of parody.

[Brother Buzz]

9. Black Jack Pershing could have sung praises about those Buffalo Soldiers, too

That is, if TPTB allowed him

[Ian David]

11. There are very few African-American adults at Girl Scout Family Camping weekends.

However, there is nearly (but not quite) proportional representation among children attending Girl Scout childrens' summer camp.

This is based upon my casual, informal observations, so I could be wrong. I didn't exactly do a head count or spend an hour going, "There's a black child... there's a black child..."

In any case, it would be a good idea to try and increase interest in camping among various ethnic groups.

[TBF]

16. Must vary by area - our troop is 1/3 black and the parents camp. nt

[Ian David]

18. Kewl. n/t

[reACTIONary]

15. Great Post! Interesting and I learned something....

..here is a link to the buffalo soldiers' history of park service: http://www.nps.gov/yose/historyculture/buffalo-soldiers.htm

[Brother Buzz]

20. The Buffalo Soldiers served honorably at the Presidio, San Francisco, too

http://www.nps.gov/prsf/historyculture/presidio-garrison.htm



Captain Young and the men of I and M troops remained at the Presidio for one last duty before being dispatched to patrol Sequoia National Park. Their duty was to serve as special escort to the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, on his West Coast tour of California. The President visited San Francisco on May 12th through 14th (1903). Thousands of people turned out to greet the Chief Executive.

Accompanying the President through the streets of San Francisco were Buffalo Soldiers on horseback flanking several carriages of honored guests. Captain Young was attired in his dress blues; the soldiers were resplendent wearing their neat but simple blue uniforms with a pill box cap, white canvas leggings and gloves.

The troops provided not only an escort and security for the distinguished guest, but also served as "Guard of Honor." The San Francisco Call lauded Troops I and M as two "crack military organizations that had the honor of forming Roosevelt's escort."

[occupyeverywhere]

21. There are quite a few black park rangers

Mostly at African American related historic sites and NPS sites in D.C. and other large cities, I've seen a few African American rangers in the larger nature parks.