The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is the consolidated management structure for Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park in California. The two parks have been jointly administered since 1943. They have a combined size of . It was designated the UNESCO Sequoia-Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve in 1976. It is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 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. History The area now occupied by the parks was originally inhabited by Native Americans. The Monache tribes, for example, would use the mountain passes as trade routes. As European settlers explored and settled in California, the indigenous population decreased rapidly due to the spread of foreign diseases such as smallpox. Preserving the area was not a priority for the settlers, who saw the area as a place for plentiful resources, particularly the sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum), as they were extremely plentiful and easily accessible. The Native Americans living there found themselves losing their only means of survival, and as a result of their desperation, they turned toward theft and crimes against the Spanish settlers in order to survive. The Parks were separately founded by two different acts of Congress before being joined in 1943. Sequoia National Park was first preserved as land set aside for recreation through a bill, Sept. 25, 1890, ch. 926, §1, 26 Stat. 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". The land was set aside to protect the sequoia trees from logging companies in order to keep the pristine beauty of the land for years to come. It wasn't until a few months after the bill had passed that the park was given the National Park name by the Secretary of the Interior, John Willock Noble. Stewart also collaborated with John Muir, who was known for his efforts to preserve Kings Canyon National Park, in order to achieve the formation of the National Park Service. Sequoia was expanded in 1926. After establishing Sequoia National Park, General Grant National Park was also established. General Grant National Park was later was abolished by