by Harold Wood
March 26, 2016
Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center
On March 17, 2016, the Sierra Club board of directors reconsidered its prior decision, and the board of directors agreed to fund the LeConte Memorial Lodge for another year, while simultaneously tasking the LeConte Lodge Team with the charge to raise funds for the program in 2017, and to also raise an endowment fund to permanently fund the program.
The Sierra Club built the LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite National Park in 1904. For 112 years the Sierra Club has operated it as a public visitor center, presenting and promoting the conservation ethic through public programs, educational displays and a library.
(See: http://vault.sierraclub.org/education/leconte/)
The annual cost is less than $100,000 per year, and involves over 100 volunteers and many program presenters who assist a paid curator during each summer season from May - September.
Until recently, the LeConte Lodge operating expenses were funded by restricted funds before those funds ran out in 2013. Since then, LeConte has been funded through unrestricted (c)(3) funds. Club staff were concerned that these unrestricted funds were not being applied to the highest priority programs adopted through the Club's recently adopted Strategic Plan.
In addition to funding concerns, the issue was complicated by the board's discovery that Joseph LeConte's 19th century writings about race were inconsistent with the Club's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan. LeConte's racist views were expressed even after the Civil War, and today Sierra Club leaders and members find his writings on race "offensive and indefensible." Last Fall, the Sierra Club requested the National Park Service to change the name of the building. Later, concerned that the NPS might not agree to that, the board of directors decided to discontinue the program entirely. This decision, made in November, 2015, was not made public until January 2016, and then there was a storm of protest from volunteers and California chapters complaining about discontinuing the program, feeling that a new name would solve the problem. The Board met again to discuss the issue in late February, 2016, and received testimony from dozens of supporters of the program, including many volunteers, multiple California Chapters and the regional conservation committee. The Board also learned that the NPS has confirmed its willingness to change the name. The NPS has now informed us that the new name will be "Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center." This change is intended to disassociate the Sierra Club and the National Park Service from the racist writings of Joseph LeConte, and to instead honor the many additional conservation leaders who have promoted protection for Yosemite and other national parks. This reflects the current substance of the exhibits in the Lodge, which celebrates the history of John Muir , William Colby, Edward Parsons, Marion Randall Parsons, Aurelia Harwood, Ansel Adams, David Brower, Dr. Edgar Wayburn, and many other past Sierra Club leaders. The library and exhibits also address current challenges, like global climate change.
At its March 17, 2016 meeting, the Board recognized "the great value of the environmental education center presently known as LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite National Park." The board noted its gratitude to the dedicated volunteers, program presenters, and staff who have kept this program alive and well over the years. It noted, "Through their efforts tens of thousands of park visitors have gained a greater appreciation of the natural world, the national parks, and the role of the Sierra Club in promoting conservation and environmental protection."
However, to avoid having the lodge program compete with other Club programs for limited unrestricted funds in future years, the Sierra Club Board of Directors adopted a new plan for funding the lodge.
The key components of the plan are as follows:
The board agreed to restore funding for the 2016 season at the same level as in prior years.
The board established three fundraising goals for LeConte, one short term and two longer term:
• By no later than October, 2016, the Team is challenged to raise at least $90,0000 to fully fund the lodge operations in fiscal year 2017.
• By no later than August 1, 2017, the committee is challenged to raise $1 million with the intended purpose being to establish and build up a long term endowment to fund the Lodge.
• The Team is tasked with raising a total of $2 million by August 2018 for the creation of a long term endowment for ongoing support of LeConte Lodge. Amounts short of the $2 million goal will be used for ongoing program expenses, not converted to an endowment.
If the Team fails to raise these funds, the board will consider discontinuing funding and staffing, and transferring management of the Lodge over to the National Park Service.
Please help keep the Club's oldest public outreach and education program as a key part of the Sierra Club's legacy! A website for making tax-deductible donations to support the Lodge program is already available online here:
http://vault.sierraclub.org/leconte/
If you're paying with a personal check, please write restricted to LeConte Memorial Fund in the memo line and make it payable to: The Sierra Club Foundation.
Send it to: The Sierra Club Foundation
85 Second Street, Suite 750
San Francisco, CA 94105
To learn more about the Lodge, visit: http://www.sierraclub.org/education/leconte/
To get involved to keep this shining beacon of the Sierra Club legacy alive in Yosemite National Park, Contact: Michael Bryant michael.bryant@sierraclub.org (707) 579-1429.
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