Our Impact: Past and Future
Pinnacles Condor Fund
Since 2003, Pinnacles National Park has been a release site for endangered California condors. The program now co-manages over 90 birds of the more than 250 flying free in the wild.
The Pinnacles National Park Foundation, through the Pinnacles Condor Fund, supports California condor recovery efforts at Pinnacles National Park. Learn more about how to spot condors (and differentiate them from their smaller cousins, turkey vultures) on the National Park Service website.
Park Improvements
A vital part of our mission is to support educational opportunities and ensure positive experiences for visitors to the park. The Foundation has partnered with the National Park Service management and The Fund for People in Parks to install educational signs, improve trails, set up viewing scopes, and more.
With limited federal funding and increasing numbers of park visitors, many of the trails, signs, and other critical parts of the park experience are in jeopardy. Steep terrain, heavy use, and continual erosion degrade trails quickly, while signs fade in the sun over time. Our work to improve the park experience is never done!
San Benito Working Landscapes Group
The San Benito Working Landscapes Group (SBWLG), a project of the Pinnacles National Park Foundation, is a voluntary partnership among agencies, ranchers, and non-governmental organizations that work with the ranching community and other landowners to identify conservation opportunities that help ranches stay viable to preserve the open landscapes of San Benito County.
In recognition of the vital role that ranchers play in caring for San Benito County’s unique and valuable rangelands, the SBWLG connects land owners and managers to tools, events, and opportunities to support the economic viability of family ranches, and the stewardship of natural and cultural resources. The SBWLG also connects willing landowners and conservation partners for on-the-ground range management or wildlife habitat improvement projects.
This project has been supported with funding from the Rose Foundation’s California Wildlands Grassroots Fund, Pinnacles National Park, the Loma Prieta Resource Conservation District, and private donations.
Bear Valley School
The historic Bear Valley School was constructed in 1903 on roughly one acre of land in southern San Benito County at what is now the eastern boundary of Pinnacles National Park. The one-room, wood-frame structure was the principal school in the area until 1950, and continued serving as the nucleus of the community’s social life. It continues to hold strong emotional and historic associations for local residents, many of whom are descended from the first generation of settlers who went to school here as children.
The National Park Service acquired the school in 2011 in order to preserve this important part of area history. The Pinnacles National Park Foundation plans to aid in the historical preservation and rehabilitation of the site and history surrounding it.
Bacon Ranch
Pinnacles National Park is home to uniquely preserved examples of California history, including the historic Bacon Ranch, established by homesteaders in 1852. The National Park Service acquired the 2,600-acre property in 2006. It’s a short walk from the east side campground and park store.
The Pinnacles National Park Foundation has worked with the Fund for People in Parks to design and install exhibits that tell the story of the Bacon Homestead. Much work lies ahead to ensure that the site is preserved and that its history can be shared with future generations of visitors.
Junior Ranger Program
The Pinnacles National Park Foundation has funded Explorer Kids Daypacks for visiting children to utilize on the trail, filled with supplies to enable exploring of the park, and the translation of the Pinnacles Jr. Ranger guidebook into Spanish.
Make an impact
Ready to support these and other vital projects? Support Pinnacles National Park Foundation with a tax-deductible donation today!
Photo: Dan Handalian