One of the coolest things about staying in Tuolumne Meadows is some of the great programs that take place at the Parsons Lodge (by Soda Springs). The 2008 Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series was just announced and it looks like an awesome schedule this year.
All programs, unless otherwise noted, begin at 2 pm and last approximately one hour. Allow 30 minutes walking time to Parsons Memorial Lodge from either Lembert Dome parking area or the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. Admission is free.
JULY
Saturday, July 19
Lightning: What Strikes Our Fancy
Slide presentation by Dr. Jan van Wagtendonk, Research Scientist, USGS Field StationSunday, July 20
Bats, Birds, and Butterflies: Illuminating the High Sierra through Stories
Performance by Ane Carla Rovetta, naturalist, illustrator, and storytellerSaturday, July 26
Bugs of the Underworld: The Natural History of Aquatic Insects
Video and talk by Ralph and Lisa Cutter, naturalists and award-winning nature videographersSunday, July 27
Reading the Land: A History of Geologic Research in Yosemite
Slide presentation by Greg Stock, Park GeologistAUGUST
Saturday, August 2:
2:00 pm: Ooolation! Singers
A performance of nature-inspired music by young singers led by hammer dulcimer player Malcolm Dalglish and singers Naomi Dalglish, Joshua Kartes, and Georgia Rose Armstrong Park7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Practice and Process: Prints and Writings in the Mountains
Slide presentation by Tom Killion, artist, and talk and reading by Gary Snyder, writer/poet, from Mountains and Rivers Without EndSunday, August 3
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Practice and Process: Prints and Writings in the Mountains
Discussion of the woodcut printing process by Tom Killion, artist, and talk and reading by writer/poet Gary Snyder—poems of place from his fifty years of work and writingSaturday, August 9
Celebrating Yosemite’s Rivers and 40 Years of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Slide presentation by Kristina Rylands, NPS Tuolumne Planning Project ManagerSunday, August 10
Rock Glaciers as Refugia during Changing Climates: Pika, Plants, and Water
Slide presentation by Connie Millar, Senior Scientist, USFSSaturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17
12th Annual Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival
Poets David Hinton, Li-Young Lee, and Jay Leeming; Musician Shira Kammen, violin and vielleSaturday, August 23
Ansel Adams in the Sierra Nevada
Slide presentation by Michael Adams, M.D., son of Virginia and Ansel AdamsSunday, August 24
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Good Summer Rain: Songs and Stories of Place
Concert and writing workshop by award-winning singer/songwriter Erica WheelerSaturday, August 30
Mono Lake’s Tributaries: An Eventful Past, A Promising Future
Slide presentation by Greg Reis, Information Specialist, Mono Lake CommitteeThis series is supported by the National Park Service, Yosemite Association, Loralee Tucker Hiramoto Memorial Fund, Friends of Parsons Lodge, Institute for Law and Systems Research, and Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.