Category: Nature

Wet Winter Means Good News For Mono Lake

Posted on by lbschutte

Rush Creek flows towards Mono Lake in the distance. Photo by Chris Austin.

Late winter storms and a heavy snow pack kept Tioga Pass closed weeks later than normal this year. That’s not necessarily something you want to hear if you live in the little mountain town of Lee Vining where residents wait expectantly for Tioga Pass, their major thoroughfare to the West, to open every year. But Lee Vining residents are getting a special treat this year. All that snow that kept Tioga Pass closed so long is melting and causing the level of Mono Lake, the life blood of Lee Vining, to rise.

Mono Lake has a troubled history and is a victim of the great California water wars of the early 1900s. During the early part of last century Los Angeles needed water to grow. An inauspicious plan was launched to divert water from Eastern Sierra lakes and the Owens River and channel it through aqueducts to storage basins around the Los Angeles area giving L.A. the water it needed to grow.

After years of water diversion that nearly destroyed Mono Lake’s ecosystem completely, environmental advocates in the 1980s were finally able to convince the state officials that Mono Lake was a rare gem that should be saved and complete diversion of the streams that feed Mono Lake was halted. Since then a steady flow of water has been allowed to enter the lake raising it little by little.

Over the last few weeks Mono Lake has seen the benefit of this years overly wet winter as many of the surrounding lakes used by LADWP and SCE to send water to L.A. and generate power have filled overcapacity adding extra water to that which flows into Mono Lake on a normal year. Already this year Mono Lake has risen over a quarter of a foot since June 1st and is currently rising about an inch a week. Currently the level of Mono Lake is 6,382ft, the second highest recorded level for the lake since the plan to refill the lake was enacted.

To find out more about Mono Lake and what you can do to help protect its rare beauty visit the Mono Lake Committee at MonoLake.org

Don’t Miss the Dogwoods

Posted on by lbschutte

Yes, in case you haven’t been paying attention, it’s that magical time when all the Dogwood trees in Yosemite Valley bloom and this awesome black and white by Bill Head is proof that you need to head up to Yosemite this weekend with your camera before you miss this spectacular event.

The Dogwoods bloom a green bloom that turns satiny white (now). The flowers then release their pollen which coats the blooms making them yellow for several days (Dogwoods pollinate by wind blowing pollen from tree to tree). After pollination the flowers start to wilt and degrade before eventually falling off.

The whole process takes 3-5 weeks with the best time to take photos being when the blooms have turned white. They present great contrast in photos to the shady areas where the trees love to grow.

Photo by Bill Head.

Don’t Bring Your Own Firewood to Yosemite

Posted on by lbschutte

While not necessarily an invasive species, this photo shows the damage that bugs can do to trees in Yosemite. Photo by Letsgetridofny.

@YosemiteScience posted a link to this interesting page I hadn’t seen before. Yosemite National Park Service officials are asking that you don’t bring your own firewood into the park. Why? Because it can bring invasive bugs and diseases that could cause great damage to Yosemite’s fragile ecosystem.

What Is Yosemite National Park Doing about Forest Pests?

It is much easier to prevent the introduction of a forest pest than it is to control an infestation after it has been introduced. Early detection is also important in managing a spread. Park managers are conducting aerial surveys, monitoring traps and forest health, identifying potential for introduction of non-native insects and diseases, and educating the public in order to prevent any introductions from occurring.

How Can Visitors Help Prevent the Spread of Forest Pests?

Don’t transport firewood outside a 50-mile radius of location of procurement: Forest pests don’t stop at the park border, and they can cause serious problems when they spread to wild areas. Use local firewood, leave unused wood behind when you go home, and burn firewood where you bought it.
Don’t bring outside plant materials into the park: It might seem attractive to brighten your campsite with a supermarket azalea, or, if you live in the park, to plant a row of rhododendrons from a nursery in front of your cabin. Plants from outside nurseries can bring new insects and diseases into Yosemite.

How Can Visitors Properly Obtain Wood in the Park?

It’s permitted to gather downed wood in the park for personal use. It’s prohibited, however, to gather wood in certain areas: in Yosemite Valley, in Sequoia groves, and above 9,600-feet elevation. (Note: Downed wood gathered in park areas outside the prohibited areas is allowed to be brought into the Valley as firewood.) Wood may also be available for sale by the park concessioner.(NPS)

For more information on invasive species check out the Yosemite Nature Science Forest Pests page.

Wildflowers!

Posted on by lbschutte

Beautiful wildflowers in Yosemite. Photo by Michelle H.

It’s March and you know what that means, wildflowers! It looks like it’s going to be another spectacular show this year in the Merced Canyon as recent rains have really greened up the hills and given the flowers plenty of water. If you’ve never been to Yosemite in the spring to see the wildflowers take a look at this great video from Yosemite Nature Notes.

Don’t forget if you’re planning on seeing the wildflowers they start at the lower elevations and make their way up as temperatures rise. Right now it’s best along the Merced River between Briceburg and El Portal. Those of you coming into the park via 120 or 41 can either detour down 49 to Mariposa and then into the park on 140 or leave the park on 140 to Mariposa if you want to see the flowers. Your park entrance fee is good for 7 days so if you decide to leave and reenter you shouldn’t be charged again.

Global Warming Could Be Helping Yosemite’s Aspens

Posted on by lbschutte

Aspens along the Highway 395 corridor just east of Yosemite’s Tioga Pass entrance. Photo by Loyd Schutte.

Researchers have come up with some interesting findings regarding Carbon Dioxide, the green gas believed to be largely responsible for global warming, it’s making the aspen trees grow like mad!

The study conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota at Morris (UMM) and published in the journal Global Change Biology, showed that elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide during the past 50 years have boosted aspen growth rates by an 50 percent.

According to the researchers the accelerated growth rates of aspen could have widespread unknown ecological consequences. Aspen is a dominant tree in mountainous and northern forested regions of North America. Aspens are considered a “foundation species,” exerting a strong influence on the plant and animal communities and dynamics of the forest ecosystems where they reside. Researchers are afraid the increased growth of the Aspens could push out and cause slower growing species of plants to become extinct.

(via Science Blog)

Yosemite Bears Targeting Minivans

Posted on by lbschutte

A tagged black bear in Yosemite Valley. Photo by Simon Phipps.

Yes, it’s true, Researchers have found that black bears searching for food in Yosemite National Park have been targeting minivans over other types of vehicles. In a recent article that appeared in the Journal of Mammology, researchers have found that black bears in Yosemite break into minivans almost 4 times as often as other vehicles.

From 2001 to 2007, minivans ranked first or second in vehicle break-ins by black bears in Yosemite Valley, the team reports. To find out whether this trend was simply due to a high number of minivans, the researchers recorded the make and model of 3,766 vehicles in the area from 2004 to 2005. They found that the minivan break-in rate during that time was more than 4 times higher than what one would predict based on the number of minivans parked overnight.

Bears may be attracted to minivans because those vehicles are popular among families with children, whose spilled food and drink could leave an odor, the authors say. Alternatively, observations suggest that bears can open the rear side windows of minivans more easily than those of other vehicles. Since most break-ins are likely due to a small number of bears, it’s also possible that a few bears are just repeating the same behavior. (Conservation Magazine)

Caution: Deer Entering Roadway

Posted on by lbschutte

Deer in the headlights. Photo by Bert Dennison.

Mule deer are beginning their yearly migration from the mountains to the foothills after the recent storm dusted the Sierra Nevada with the season’s first snow. Drivers are advised to use caution especially the first few hours before and after dawn and sunset when deer actively move in search of food and water.

A good size buck can weigh several hundred pounds and not only do major damage to your vehicle but can also cause you to lose control and leave the roadway or veer into opposing traffic which is far more dangerous than hitting the deer initially.

Deer commonly winter along Highway 140 from the Merced county line and into Yosemite Valley. Please do not feed or approach deer. They have been known to gore people.