Yosemite Blog

Category: Environment

  • Big changes at Tunnel View today.

    Well, I missed it. I wish I could have been at Tunnel View today to photograph the historic moment, but I wasn’t. They cut three large ponderosa pines down that have been blocking the view for many years. All that is left are the stumps, and for now, the lingering scent of pine sap. Those…

  • El Portal Road Getting Emergency Repairs

    A section of the El Portal Road into Yosemite Valley is finally getting the repairs it needs after it was nearly destroyed by flood 10 years ago. FresnoBee.com: “Massive digging equipment rumbles back and forth in the snow on the 11-foot-wide road, snaking through a steep canyon where the wind whistles and the sun doesn’t…

  • Sierra Club Calls Highway 140 Fix ‘Ridiculous’

    Merced Sun Star: Fearing danger to motorists and damage to a scenic river canyon, some environmentalists say the state is moving too quickly to rebuild the western route into Yosemite National Park. That’s a new twist in the story of a massive [rockslide] that shut down Highway 140 for months in 2006 and slowed hundreds…

  • Climbing’s Growing Popularity Damaging to the Environment

    Climbing Yosemite’s big walls and peaks has long been considered a sport for only the most hardcore but with the sports growing popularity many would-be peak baggers are making their way out of the gym and heading for the National Parks where growing crowds of climbers are wreaking havoc on the environment. Daily Herald: “Evidence…

  • Yosemite Facelift Overwhelming Success

    The Yosemite Climbing Association Newsletter is out and it looks like the Yosemite Facelift was an overwhelming success again this year. Yosemite Climbing Association: “The 2007 Facelift was very successful. The final count was 2,945 volunteers that contributed 18,335 man hours. The cleaning was contagious as people jumped in to help participants fill their bags.…

  • NPS Officials Want to Cut Down Trees so Tourists Can See Better

    The National Park Service has released their plan for overhauling the Tunnel View Overlook, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the park, but some of the ideas presented may not be that popular with locals including removing trees so visitors can see better. Hanford Sentinel: “The proposed $2.3 million plan would expand public…

  • Red Bear Dead Bear

    Almost everyone I’ve talked to has told me the one animal they hope to see in Yosemite is a bear and I admit, they’re my favorite too. Right now bears are active all over the park. Every campground gets a nightly visit that’s why it’s important for you to properly lock up your food in…

  • Get Involved: Join The Planner-For-A-Day Workshop

    The National Park Service is having it’s next Planner-For-A-Day workshop on this coming Saturday, August 11th at the Parsons Lodge in Tuolumne Meadows. The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the recently released Tuolumne Planning Workbook, a report on the progress of both the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Plan and the Tuolumne Meadows…

  • Fire is Nature’s Way in Yosemite

    The Merced Sun-Star ran a very good piece Saturday on fire in Yosemite and the National Park Service’s use of wildland fires to preserve the natural balance within Yosemite. mercedsunstar.com: “From the cabin of a helicopter that hovered over a forest, National Park fire chief Kelly Martin studied the serrated orange flames that danced across…

  • Don’t Like the Smell of Sweaty Feet? Don’t Cancel Your Trip Yet.

    I spoke to Adrienne Freeman with the National Park Service yesterday and if you’ve been thinking about canceling your trip to Yosemite because the prospect of smelling the aroma of sweaty-feet from the recently discovered Yosemite bog-orchid, don’t worry about it. The populations of the flowers are so small you probably won’t notice the smell…