John Krebs Wilderness Dedication Ceremony Planned
July 23, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact: Colleen Bathe, 559-565-3131
John Krebs Wilderness Dedication Ceremony Planned
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks proudly announce the dedication of the newly designated John Krebs Wilderness. A ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 11:00 am at the end of Mineral King Road in Mineral King Valley to celebrate this wilderness addition in southern Sequoia National Park.
On March 30, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the John Krebs Wilderness, designating 39,740 acres of spectacular sub-alpine and alpine environments in the Sierra Nevada ecosystem as federally protected wilderness.
Congressman Krebs, who served two terms in the Congress representing California’s 20th District beginning in 1974, is chiefly remembered for authoring legislation creating the Kaiser Ridge Wilderness and for the legislation that incorporated Mineral King into Sequoia National Park. As National Park Service officials, former colleagues, family and friends who will gather at the ceremony to be held more than 8,000 feet atop Mineral King can attest, the Congressman’s dedication to the preservation of wild lands remains unchanged.
“This day is a culmination of efforts to conserve forever the wildness of this beautiful valley,” Superintendent Craig C. Axtell said. “Work began in the 1970s to transfer this land to the National Park Service, preventing commercial development of the valley as a ski area. On this day, we celebrate this spectacular valley by designating a portion of it as wilderness, the highest level of protection we can provide.”
Speaking at the dedication will be Jim Costa, the honorable Congressman who currently represents the 20th District; Tom Bohigian, California State Director for Senator Barbara Boxer; Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Superintendent Craig Axtell; William Tweed, chairman of the Sequoia Natural History Association, and Former Congressman John Krebs. The dedication ceremony will be led by Kevin Hendricks, Chief Park Ranger.
