PINECREST, Calif., May 10, 2021 – In honor of Arbor Day on April 30, Visit Tuolumne County partnered with Pinecrest Expedition Academy, whose students planted a new grove of Giant Sequoias at the iconic Kennedy Meadows Resort & Pack Station nestled in the Sierra Nevada.
“Visitors love to come to our region to see the Tuolumne Grove in Yosemite National Park, and we hope this new grove will entice more people to come up the Highway 108 corridor and explore the beautiful scenery of our area,” said Lisa Mayo, president and CEO of Visit Tuolumne County. “Planting this new grove was also a fun way to engage a young generation and inspire them to continue to serve as destination stewards.”
Visit Tuolumne County gifted the three planted baby sequoia trees to signify the region's commitment to sustainability and destination stewardship. Pinecrest Expedition Academy developed a curriculum for students to learn about the sequoias, how to test pH levels of soil and the process of planting a new grove. The students will continue to monitor and support the trees, tracking growth and maintaining an online chart on the school's website, which will be publicly available to view.
The grove project also illustrates nature coming full circle. The seedlings of the now planted sequoias were first given to journalists as a gift at TravMedia's IMM USA event in 2018, and three years later made their way back to Tuolumne County. Journalist Kim Grant who received eight of the seedlings had been growing them and assisted in transporting three of the trees back to the destination, so they could be planted at home as a new grove of Giant Sequoias.
To learn more about Visit Tuolumne County and its commitment to destination stewardship, go to VistTCToday.com. learn more about the Pinecrest Expedition Academy, go to PinecrestExpedition.org. To visit the grove and learn more about Kennedy Meadows Resort & Packstation, go to kennedymeadows.com.
ABOUT VISIT TUOLUMNE COUNTY
Visit Tuolumne (“to-all-o-me”) County (VTC) is the official destination marketing organization for Tuolumne County in Northern California with a mission to increase visitation, travel spending and overnight stays. Tuolumne County is just a 2 1/2-hour drive east of the San Francisco Bay Area. The destination is known for its pristine, scenic expanse reaching into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Gold was discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848, setting off the major gold rush of 1849. The main highways leading to the picturesque drive from the Bay Area are Highways 108 and 120 from the west and Highway 49 from the north. The State Highway 120 entrance to Yosemite National Park is considered the “front door” of the park for the Bay Area. The Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park and other surrounding areas provide natural vistas and settings for hiking, water skiing, horseback riding, rafting, camping, snowmobiling, boating, snow skiing, fishing and other outdoor activities. Seven restored historic hotels, four golf courses, numerous and varied dining establishments, historic saloons, four wineries, a hard cider distillery, train rides, casinos, seven museums, two state historic parks, two live theaters, many bed-and-breakfast inns and a variety of Airbnb accommodations are among the many other attributes that make the county a year-round vacation destination. For more information, go to VistTCToday.com.
ABOUT PINECREST EXPEDITION ACADEMY
Pinecrest Expedition Academy is a micro K-8, private elementary school in the Pinecrest area of Tuolumne County. The academy emphasizes hands on, project-based learning based upon a traditional curriculum. Pinecrest Expedition Academy's mission is to inspire a diverse group of learners to achieve academic excellence while developing a strong sense of character and community. The program is highly academic with a focus on utilizing traditional curriculum for project-based learning. The academy uses field work expeditions to reinforce and practice what is learnt. Pinecrest Expedition Academy believes that learning through experience philosophy supports student discovery, academic development and depth of knowledge. Pinecrest Expedition Academy believes that the element of discovery can be expanded, leading to better outcomes in the academic classroom. To learn more, visit PinecrestExpedition.org.