Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

[3] The Parks feature a wide variety of animals that include over 200 species of birds, gregarious slender salamander, western toad, western spadefoot toad, rainbow trout, coyote, Mexican free-tailed bat, rubber boa, common kingsnake, and many more.

[6] As European settlers explored and settled in California, the indigenous population decreased rapidly due to the spread of foreign diseases such as smallpox.

478, passed by Congress and signed by President Benjamin Harrison on September 5, 1890, largely due to the efforts of Colonel George W. Stewart, who is known as the "Father of Sequoia National Park".

[8] Harold Ickes, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior was the one fighting for the formation of the Kings Canyon National Park.

The two adjacent parks extend from the foothills of the San Joaquin Valley to the crest of the Sierra Nevada and contain the highest parts of that range.

Pleistocene glaciers left an abrupt topography of granite carved canyons and domes and hundreds of glacial lakes.

The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park needs to undergo approximately $160 million in renovations to current facilities.

Archaeological sites date back at least five thousand years, indicating the presence of Native American peoples throughout the Sierra Nevada.

Past herding of sheep (1850-1900) and cattle (1850-1940) has resulted in significant changes in the species composition and extent of upland and foothill vegetation.

[15] Park administration conducts a number of controlled burns each year to prevent and reduce future forest fires.

The growers clear-cut vegetation, reroute waterways, utilize illegal fertilizer and pesticides, and alter the natural landscape.