Tag Archives: Yosemite

Conservation, National Forests, National Parks

Returning Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep to the heart of Yosemite

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are back in Yosemite’s Cathedral Range after over 100 years of absence!

Between March 26 and April 3, 2015 seven ewes were moved to the Laurel Creek area of Sequoia National Park. During this same time period ten ewes and three rams were were moved from the Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Park and released into the cliff habitat of the Cathedral Range in Yosemite National Park. All migrated sheep are in great condition, with nine of the Cathedral Range ewes pregnant (the single non-pregant ewe is a yearling).

From the National Park Press Release:

A multiagency operation was recently concluded that returned two herds of endangered bighorn sheep to locations in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks, Inyo National Forest, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, worked together on the complex operation in the Sierra Nevada.

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Interesting Places, National Parks

Ansel Adams Gallery reopens in Yosemite

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The National Park Service is reporting that the first phase of the Ansel Adams rehabilitation project has finished, and that the Ansel Adams Gallery has reopened! It’s a great place to visit.

From the Press Release:

The Ansel Adams Gallery Rehabilitation Recently Completed at Yosemite National Park

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Activities, National Parks

Yosemite National Park Joins National Find Your Park Movement

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

National Park Week is April 18 – 26 this year.  Yosemite National Park has joined the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation’s public awareness campaign as the National Park Service ramps up for it’s Centennial in 2016.

From Yosemite National Park’s Press Release on the NPS website:

National Park Week 2015 Encourages Everyone To Find Your Park

Yosemite National Park joins parks, programs and partners across the country to encourage everyone to find their park and share their stories online at FindYourPark.com. Launched yesterday by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, Find Your Park is a public awareness and education campaign celebrating the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 and setting the stage for its second century of service.

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National Parks

Yosemite National Park Launches New Website to Commemorate 125th Anniversary

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

On October 1, 2015, Yosemite National Park will commemorate the 125th anniversary of the establishment of Yosemite National Park. On that date President Benjamin Harrison signed legislation which created the United States of America’s third National Park. With a stroke of a pen, over 1,500 square miles of pristine California land was preserved for future generations.

To celebrate this occasion, Yosemite National Park has launched a new website specifically geared to the 125th Anniversary.

From the National Park Service:

“The events in the gateway communities were a huge part of the success of the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant,” stated Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park Superintendent. “We are looking forward to working closely with our gateway communities again as we celebrate this significant historical milestone.”

The website offers a calendar of all anniversary events, projects, and commemorations that will take place throughout 2015. Additionally, visitors to the site will be provided opportunities to share their Yosemite stories;read a timeline of Yosemite’s rich history;learn how to host and/or organize an anniversary event or activity;and apply to use the anniversary logo on retail products.

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Outdoors, Videos

Ghost Towns – Yosemite Nature Notes

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

California’s Gold Rush initially occurred in 1848 and lasted at a fevered pitch until 1855.  Gold and silver were still to be found after that period, and many prospectors tooled the Sierra Nevada looking for the ore that would change their lives.  Tioga Hill became home to these hearty men who lived and moved stone by hand in the 1880s.  Tioga Pass at the crest of the Sierra Nevada range saw men come in droves.  They brought machinery, livestock, and dreams. They built towns like Dana Village, Bennettvile and worked at places like the Golden Crown Mine.

From the video: “today’s popular Tioga Road was once a simple wagon road built to access the wealth of minerals that were never found.”

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