Yosemite Conservancy Newsletter | July 2022

Photo © Yosemite Conservancy/Megan Orpwood-Russell

Recent News from Yosemite

The first significant wildfire of the season in the park, the Washburn Fire, started on July 7 near the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and has grown to nearly 2,500 acres as of Monday morning. The Mariposa Grove is closed, Wawona Road (Highway 41) is closed south of Yosemite West, and the Wawona community has been evacuated.

We're grateful that all our park-based staff are safe, and that prescribed burning and other precautions are being taken to support Yosemite's fire-adapted ecosystem. However, smoke is in the air (as you can see on our El Capitan webcam) and air quality and visibility in the Valley will continue to be impacted by the fire. If you're traveling to Yosemite, use Highway 140 or 120 to enter the park, and expect smoky conditions. We’re watching the situation closely and hoping for the best.

In other news:

• Reservations required to enter: In case you missed it, our National Park Service partners have instituted a peak-hours reservation system from May 20 through September 30, 2022. This means that a reservation is required to drive into or through Yosemite National Park from 6 am to 4 pm every day. The goals of the system are to help manage congestion, ensure the safety of visitors, staff, and residents, and promote an enjoyable park experience. Those without reservations can still access the park if they enter before 6 am or after 4 pm.
• Mask mandate: COVID-19 community levels are currently high in Mariposa, Tuolumne and Madera counties. This means masks are required in federal facilities and enclosed public transportation for staff, visitors, and others, regardless of vaccination status. This applies throughout Yosemite National Park.
• Free bikes have returned: The Yosemite Bike Share has officially reopened in Yosemite Valley! This completely free program is made possible by generous donors including Peet’s Coffee. Again, we *strongly recommend* downloading the app to your phone before you leave for the park. Learn more about the Yosemite Bike Share — including step-by-step instructions to get and use the mobile app — on our website.
• Know Before You Go, Tioga Road edition: Our latest blog post has some important information for anyone hoping to visit the Yosemite high country by way of Tioga Road this season. From fun facts to facilities, plus a helpful map, we've got all the details you need to enjoy the High Sierra during the summer 2022 Tioga Road Rehabilitation. Check out our Tioga Road Tips!

Photo © Tom Stahl

2021 Annual Report

Resilience is at the heart of both the work of Yosemite Conservancy and Yosemite itself: this is ancient land that has seen enormous change. Human influence on the natural environment is significant, but thanks to our supporters, there is good news to share, too — especially about efforts to ensure the continued resilience of Yosemite’s plant and animal communities. 

Read more about the good work made possible by our generous donors in Yosemite last year in our most recent annual report.

Photo courtesy of NPS

Bridging Boundaries to Protect Migratory Birds

This year, Yosemite is celebrating 32 years of songbird banding, making it the longest-standing Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program in North America. This ongoing monitoring continues to fulfill Yosemite’s larger goals of protecting birds through science, and giving young people and visitors hands-on experience in wildlife conservation. Scientists publish papers on long-term trends and the effects of climate change on songbirds, which helps park management develop data-driven restoration projects. This includes Conservancy-funded projects such as the ongoing work in Ackerson Meadow, which will protect and enhance habitat important to meadow birds. Our donors have provided vital funding for the park’s songbird research program since its infancy.

This article was originally published in Park Science magazine, Volume 36, Number 1, Summer 2022 and has been reposted with permission to our blog.

Photo © Yosemite Conservancy/Alison Walton

Spend A Night, Donate A Dollar (Or More!)

Looking for a place to stay during your next Yosemite trip? Choose a hotel that partners with Yosemite Conservancy, and each night you stay, you’ll have the option to donate to support important projects that are helping to take care of our national park!

By supporting hotels and other businesses that support Yosemite, you can help preserve the park anytime, anywhere. Thank you!

Photo © Yosemite Conservancy

Junior Ranger Collection

We've got new products for our Junior Rangers! Check out our new Junior Ranger-themed pins, field guides, and a green-and-gray hat celebrating little Yosemite lovers and future park stewards.

If you haven't heard of Yosemite's Junior Ranger program, learn more here! Conservancy supporters have been funding the park's Junior Ranger activities since the early 2000s. Participating kids pledge to learn about, care for, and protect all the wonders in our national parks and other wild places. This year, with donor support, Yosemite’s Junior Ranger leaders are building on work that began in 2021 to offer adaptive programming to better serve kids with a variety of learning needs.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN YOSEMITE

Ongoing: naturalist walks (stargazing programs, sunset walks, & Wawona history walks), kids’ art classes (every Mon-Thurs from June-August), nature journaling walks (every Thurs through August 25), and daily art classes (every Mon-Fri) which feature a new artist every week —

July 18-22: Pastel Landscapes with Tsungwei Moo

July 25-29: Watercolor with Michael Friedland

August 8-12: Pen and Ink with Daniel Masterson

August 15-19: Watercolor and Ink with Mariko Lofink

August 22-26: Mosaics in Yosemite: Class 2

August 29 - September 2: Colored Pencil with Fiorella Ikeue

Check out these trips to some of Yosemite's most iconic and inspiring destinations —

July 14: Adventure Combo: Hike and Stargaze #2

July 15-17: Backpack: Clouds Rest Through-Hike

July 23: Day Hike: Little Devils Postpile

August 4-7: Intro Backpack: May Lake Art & Story Stroll

August 11-14: Women’s Backpack: Clouds Rest (Two Nights)

August 18-21: Backpack: May Lake and High Peaks

August 18-21: Backpack: Mt. Conness

August 25-28: Backpack: Ten Lakes LGBTQI+

August 28-31: Backpack: Yosemite Creek to Eagle Peak

These Yosemite Field School programs, along with our Art Retreats and overnight astronomy trips, are designed for curious minds —

July 21-24: Yosemite Field School: Life in the Alpine Backpack

July 28-29: Overnight Under the Milky Way: Murphy Creek

July 29-30: Overnight Under the Milky Way: May Lake #2

July 30-31: Overnight Under the Milky Way: May Lake #3

August 4-6: Yosemite Field School: Alpine Ecology

August 11-14: Yosemite Field School: Bighorn Sheep Backpack

August 12-14: Yosemite Field School: Tuolumne Meadows Geology

August 27-28: Overnight Under the Milky Way: May Lake #4

August 28-29: Overnight Under the Milky Way: May Lake #5

Keep in mind that your registration for a Conservancy outdoor adventure, custom adventure, or art program (excluding our one- to two-hour Naturalist Walks) includes a peak-hours reservation. You’ll have park access for the duration of your program.

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