For immediate release
December 1, 2021
Media Contact: Kimiko Martinez, 415-891-2643, [email protected]
Yosemite Conservancy Partners on Once-in-a-Century Wildlife Book with Beth Pratt and Robb Hirsch
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (Dec. 1, 2021) — Yosemite Conservancy has partnered with conservation leader and author Beth Pratt and photographer Robb Hirsch to publish the first in-depth account of wildlife in Yosemite National Park in almost 100 years.
Yosemite Wildlife is intended to inspire wonder and educate, and will fill a niche that has only been occupied by field guides in the past 100 years. While Yosemite is home to more than 400 species of vertebrates across varied habitats from 1,800 to 13,000 feet elevation, the last single book showcasing park wildlife was Grinnell and Storer’s Animal Life in the Yosemite of 1924.
Yosemite Wildlife will:
- Include more than 200 photographs, highlighting animal life on the Valley floor, its big walls, in sequoia groves, and high country.
- Feature some of the most common animals that park visitors may encounter, such as mule deer and marmots; as well as park and Sierra Nevada endemics, like the Yosemite great grey owl and Yosemite toad; and remarkable lesser-known wildlife such as the Yosemite cave pseudoscorpion and Sierra Nevada red fox, and more.
- Celebrate the park’s rewilding successes and consider creatures that might one day roam within its boundaries.
“This is the book of a lifetime for me,” said Pratt. “I have been wandering in Yosemite for over 30 years, observing and studying the park’s wild world. This landmark work will both celebrate the park’s wildlife and help further scientific understanding.”
Yosemite Wildlife is planned to be released in 2023 – the same year as the Conservancy’s 100th anniversary.
“We are passionate about Yosemite’s natural history,” Hirsch said, “and committed to make this information engaging and accessible for the public.”
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About Yosemite Conservancy
Yosemite Conservancy inspires people to support projects and programs that preserve Yosemite National Park and enrich the visitor experience. Thanks to generous donors, the Conservancy has provided more than $140 million in grants to the park to restore trails and habitat, protect wildlife, provide educational programs, and more. The Conservancy’s guided adventures, volunteer opportunities, wilderness services and bookstores help visitors of all ages to connect with Yosemite. Learn more at yosemite.org or 415-434-1782.
About Beth Pratt
A lifelong advocate for wildlife, Beth Pratt has worked in environmental leadership roles for more than 30 years, and in two of the country’s largest national parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone. She serves as the California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation. Beth also leads the #SaveLACougars campaign to build the largest wildlife crossing in the world to help save a population of mountain lions from extinction, and her conservation work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC World Service, CBS This Morning, The New York Times, The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, Men’s Journal, NPR and more. Her published books include I Heart Wildlife: A Guided Activity Journal for Connecting with the Wild World (2020) and When Mountain Lions are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out in California (2016). More information about Beth and her work at bethpratt.com.
About Robb Hirsch
Biologist by training, naturalist by heart, and photographer by passion, Robb Hirsch has an intimate relationship with the natural world. This connection was established early during annual childhood visits to Yosemite. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of California–Irvine, Robb began a career as a field biologist, working on a variety of projects for California State Parks, the US Geological Survey, and several private firms. Robb’s photography has been featured in international competitions, calendars, magazines, and gallery showings, and he leads customized, small group and private photography workshops in Yosemite and surrounding Sierra Nevada. He is the author/photographer of The Nature of Yosemite: A Visual Journey (Yosemite Conservancy, 2019). More information about Robb and his work at robbhirschphoto.com.