2011 Spring/Summer Magazine – Yosemite Conservancy

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY COUNCIL MEMBERS

CHAIRMAN

John Dorman*

VICE CHAIRMAN

Christy Holloway*

COUNCIL

Jeanne & Michael Adams

Lynda & Scott Adelson

Gretchen Augustyn

Meg & Bob Beck

Susie & Bob* Bennitt

Barbara Boucke

David Bowman & Gloria Miller

Allan & Marilyn Brown

Don & Marilyn Conlan

Hal Cranston*

Leslie & John* Dorman

Dave & Dana* Dornsife

Lisa & Craig Elliott

Kathy Fairbanks

Cynthia & Bill* Floyd

Jim Freedman

Bonnie & Rusty* Gregory

Christy* & Chuck Holloway

Suzanne & Dan* Jensen

Jennifer & Greg* Johnson

Jean Lane

Walt Lemmermann*

Bob & Melody Lind

Sam & Cindy Livermore

Jon & Lillian Lovelace

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Thomas Bowman

Ed Grubb

Genelle Relfe

*Indicates Board of Trustees

PRESIDENT’S NOTE

PRESIDENT & CEO

Mike Tollefson*

VICE PRESIDENT & COO

Jerry Edelbrock

Anahita & Jim Lovelace

Carolyn & Bill Lowman

Dick & Ann* Otter

Norm & Janet Pease

Sharon & Phil* Pillsbury

Arnita & Steve Proffitt

Bill Reller

Frankie & Skip* Rhodes

Angie Rios & Samuel Norman

Liz & Royal Robbins

Lennie & Mike Roberts

Dave Rossetti & Jan Avent*

Marjorie & Jay Rossi

Linda & Steve* Sanchez

Thomas & Irene Shephard

Dana Gaffery & Jonathan* Spaulding

Greg* & Lisa Stanger

Ann & George* Sundby

Clifford J. Walker*

Jill Appenzeller & Wally Wallner

Jack Walston

Art Baggett & Phyllis* Weber

Polly & Ward* Wolff

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Superintendent

Don Neubacher

Yosemite’s High Country

Imagine a place, with crystal clear waters, emerald green meadows and countless granite peaks reaching high into piercing blue skies; where each breath is cleansing and a feeling of peace and clarity pervades your senses. This idyllic place exists in Yosemite’s High Country, thanks to your support.

With this in mind, we dedicate this issue to exploring the upcoming projects, programs and events that are planned this summer in the High Country. Learn about the upcoming Tuolumne watershed trail restoration taking place with the help of the California Conservation Corps (CCC), and read our Expert Insights feature about the high elevation plant survey from park botanist Alison Colwell. Don’t miss the Q&A with founder of the Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series, Margaret Eissler, who shares with us her experiences in Tuolumne Meadows. Also revealed are ways for you to experience the High Country as a volunteer and, you the readers, share with us you own memories, with a special High Country-themed Reader Photos section.

We hope this issue will inspire you to explore beyond the valley this summer season.

Thank you for your help making all of this possible with your generous support to Yosemite Conservancy.

See you in the park,

Mike Tollefson, President

04 YOSEMITE’S HIGH COUNTRY

Summer marks the opening of Tioga Road and the return to Yosemite’s High Country paradise.

06 DREAMING OF THE FUTURE

Our signature Youth in Yosemite project is making a difference in the lives of young people, and helping secure a better future for Yosemite.

08 KEEPING YOSEMITE WILD

Yosemite’s wildest residents are better protected thanks to our work and your support.

10 EXPERT INSIGHTS

Botanist Alison Colwell discusses Yosemite’s “sky islands” and the survey of high elevation plants.

12 Q&A WITH A YOSEMITE INSIDER

Ranger Margaret Eissler shares Tuolumne Meadows stories and previews the Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series.

14 PROJECT UPDATES

CCC crews tackle 60 miles of trail, scientists unravel rockfall mysteries, Tuolumne Grove new educational signage, and more.

19 PROGRAM UPDATES

Keeping bears wild, nationally recognized theater performers, and 40 years of Yosemite adventures.

30 READER PHOTOS

Yosemite Conservancy supporters share their special Yosemite memories.

ABOVE Spring Pool, First Light, Tenaya Lake.

CORRECTION: Our apologies for mislabeling the photo of Yosemite’s living legend, Julia Parker, on page 08 of the Autumn.Winter 2010 issue. The caption referred to Lucy Parker, who instructs Yosemite Conservancy basketry courses alongside her mother, Julia Parker, and her daughter, Ursula Jones.

YOSEMITE’S HIGH COUNTRY

VENTURE BEYOND THE VALLEY THIS SUMMER TO PARADISE

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

— JOHN MUIR

“Will Tioga Pass open by May 15, or not until early June?”

Each year, this question is asked repeatedly in anticipation of the opening of Tioga Road and the paradise beyond: the Yosemite high country. Plowing begins in mid-April, but late snows can keep the pass closed until July.

Millions of visitors come to Yosemite each year. For the vast majority, this means Yosemite Valley—views of the falls, Half Dome, El Capitan—and maybe a trip to Tunnel View and Glacier Point. This is a fine introduction to our incomparable park, but beyond the Valley is over 1,000 square miles of pristine wilderness: alpine lakes and meadows, majestic forests, glacial valleys, streams, rivers, waterfalls and granite as far as the eye can see.

This is the Yosemite that awaits those who venture up and over Tioga Pass. Whether driving east from Big Oak Flat past the dramatic vistas of Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows, or west from the white tufa spires of Mono Lake up the steep rock faces of Lee Vining Canyon to Tioga Pass, travelers making this journey across the Sierra experience the breathtaking transition between two very different but interrelated regions: the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin.

Stopping at safe, designated parking areas along Tioga Road is the easiest way to begin exploring the high country— with wilderness only a few feet away. Tenaya Lake is an excellent spot to begin the exploration—a simple picnic, a short hike or simply sitting alone on a rock provide the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and smell the cedar, pine and sagebrush.

Of course, the further you venture from the pavement, the more powerful the wilderness experience becomes. The first surprise is how quiet it is. Close your eyes; take a few minutes to enjoy an entirely different soundscape from what most of

“Wind in the trees is one of those things that drifts in and out of consciousness. It’s almost always there, but most of the time it’s in the background. Once or twice every day, it comes forward and one can really hear it. Sometimes it is almost conversational, and it is always musical. It’s one of the best things about being high up.”

— KARL KROEBER, Photographer & Author

us hear each day. Tune into the sounds of the wind, songbirds and flowing water—they can be magical.

For those willing to don a backpack and study maps, exploring the high country affords endless adventures. The High Sierra Camps, accessible by foot or by saddle, are an easy and painless way to get into the wilderness without packing a tent, food and water. The five hike-to camps are located six to ten miles apart along a loop trail. After a long day’s hike, there is nothing as sweet as arriving to a hot meal and a tent cabin, plus a campfire and the camaraderie of fellow hikers.

“I can still remember my first evening at Vogelsang. We were just finishing dinner after our hike in from Tuolumne Meadows when the camp manager, banging on a pan, announced that we should all get outside fast and look at the peak. Following orders, we emerged from the dining tent to see Vogelsang awash in alpenglow.”

— RENÉE SIMI, John Muir Heritage Society Donor

Perhaps the single most important thing wilderness offers is a chance to slow down, an invitation to connect with the world in all its wildness and on its terms. For many of us, it is the rare chance to get away from cell phones and computers. Continued on Page 11

DREAMING OF THE FUTURE

Youth in Yosemite Programs Power Aspirations of a New Generation

Going from noisy city streets to the wind-swept whispers of Yosemite’s sequoias can be disquieting to some. Yet, spending 40 days in the Yosemite wilderness gives young people like Valeria, a high school student from Merced County, a chance to envision new possibilities. She participated in Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC), a summer immersion program in Yosemite’s backcountry that improves teenagers’ academic, literacy and leadership skills. This fall she will attend Cornell University on a full-ride scholarship to pursue an engineering degree.

“I never dreamed of being able to attend an Ivy League institution, but ARC helped make that dream come true,” she says. “The program truly helped me see my passions and the need not only to help my community, but the world.”

ARC is one of 11 Youth in Yosemite projects the Conservancy is funding in 2011, including a range of education, leadership and career development opportunities for children and young adults.

Among them are Junior Ranger programs, which last year taught more than 27,000 children ages 7 to 13 about nature during visits to the park. The WildLink Program gives high school students their first chance to spend time in Yosemite’s wilderness during a weeklong expedition in the park. Still other programs combine the best in youth development with park preservation, such as restoring trails, museum archiving or working alongside National Park Service staff in wilderness areas.

Young people participating with California Conservation Corps (CCC), Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) will arrive in Yosemite this summer dedicated to helping improve the park for all visitors. They will spend time with park staff restoring trails in the Tuolumne area, treating invasive plant populations in areas like Pate Valley and Miguel Meadows, removing inappropriate campsites and surveying more than 24,000 acres of the park. They frequently depart with a longing to return. “YCC was the best thing that could ever happen to me…hope to come back,” expressed a participant at the end of last summer.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ARC program participants rejoice upon reaching a new height in their wilderness experience. Visitors learn from a park ranger during a Junior Ranger walk. Youth Conservation Crews work together on this trail repair project in the high country. An excited Junior Ranger with his handbook. ARC participants learned how to rappel on Yosemite’s granite walls.

“Yosemite is nature’s classroom. Connecting youth of all ages with nature and the park transforms lives,” shares Mike Tollefson, Conservancy president. “Hands-on experience opens up new life choices.”

One way to keep national parks relevant to future generations is to take the park outside of its boundaries and educate youth about how to care for nature before they ever set foot on a trail. Yosemite Leadership Program (YLP) partners with National Park Service employees and University of California, Merced (UCM) students to teach stewardship and leadership skills during academic programs and summer internships.

Park ranger Jesse Chakrin directs the UCM Wilderness Education Center, where students intern on campus. “By bringing the values of parks and wild places into their homes, we can create a sense of ownership that will inspire the next generation of park stewards,” he says.

Daniel, 24, says his experience with YLP changed his approach to life. “This program has helped me to find my way; it has opened new doors, reinstalled a sense of empowerment, cemented my desire for a life in the outdoors, and most importantly, showed me the value of service to others and the environment.” Over

the past two years, student rangers from UCM have shared their experiences with more than 3,000 high school students.

“College students have a cool factor that opens lines of communications with high school students,” says Chakrin. “We hope to instill in them an environmental ethic that they will carry forward into whatever profession they choose.”

An excerpt from the poetry of ARC participant Liliana, 16, “I Am the Merced River,” shows how Youth in Yosemite programs inspire a new generation:

I am the Merced River

Easy going and courageous

Always looking forward

Never looking back

Pushing myself to my potential

Flowing gracefully to my next journey…

A journey undoubtedly shaped by her 40 days in Yosemite’s wilderness.

Read the full-length poem and more from other Youth in Yosemite participants. Visit yosemiteconservancy.org/youth

“Yosemite is nature’s classroom. Connecting youth of all ages with nature and the park transforms lives.”

— MIKE TOLLEFSON

KEEPING YOSEMITE

Ensuring The Future For Yosemite Wildlife

Visitors are drawn to Yosemite for its incredible scenery, but often the most memorable part of the trip is a first encounter with a wild creature, or hearing its call from the treetops. These encounters with nature help us to see that Yosemite is more than a park for visitors--it’s home to a wide range of unique species.

We are dedicated to the preservation of Yosemite wildlife through research and wildlife management projects, and programs that help you explore their habitat.

GREAT GREY OWL observed in Wawona. THESE FEMALE BIGHORN SHEEP were relocated to augment existing herds in the Sierra Nevada.

WILD

GREAT GREY OWL

Conservancy projects have led to better protection of Great Grey Owls in Yosemite, while our outdoor programs provide an opportunity to observe them in the wild.

BIGHORN SHEEP

Conservancy funding helped support the reintroduction of Sierra Bighorn Sheep over 20 years ago. Support continues this year with a collaring project that will allow scientists to follow the animals’ movements, and help prevent exposure to domestic herds.

AMERICAN BLACK BEAR

Yosemite Conservancy bear-proof food lockers and bear canister rentals help keep Yosemite’s black bears wild.

YOSEMITE CAVE PSEUDOSCORPION

Pseudoscorpions are a species of arachnid that resemble a true scorpion but do not possess a stinger or a tail. Conservancy funding for important fieldwork led to the discovery of this exciting new species.

PACIFIC FISHER

In 2009, a three-year study began to document the presence of the rare Pacific Fisher and provide valuable information that can aid in their recovery efforts.

To learn more about wildlife in Yosemite visit us at yosemiteconservancy.org for more information.

BLACK BEARS, like this one in Hetch Hetchy, should consume only foods found in the wild. YOSEMITE PSEUDOSCORPION inhabits the park’s granite talus slopes. THE PACIFIC FISHER is a candidate species under the federal Endangered Species Act.

YOSEMITE’S SKY ISLANDS

YOSEMITE’S SKY ISLANDS AND HIGH ELEVATION PLANTS

BY ALISON COLWELL, PHD. BOTANIST

Scattered along the crest of the Sierra Nevada from the northern end of Yosemite to the southern end of SequoiaKings Canyon National Parks are a series of small, isolated table lands perched atop soaring escarpments. These odd landscape features, dubbed ‘Sierra skyislands’ by John Thomas Howell, are fragments of an ancient land surface that existed prior to glaciation.

These boulder and stony-surfaced sky islands are thought to be sculpted primarily by frost-thaw and wind-scour forces. They were left behind by the glaciers that shaped much of Yosemite, and at their high elevation are relatively arid and cold. They typically face south

or west, exposing them to the sun and the prevailing winds, which melt and scour away much snowfall. Together, these forces create an unusually harsh but also uniquely stable environment.

In this environment, over many millennia, an extremely specialized community of sedges, grasses and “cushion plants” has evolved. Cushion plants are typically compact, slow growing, and have remarkable longevity. These traits facilitate survival in a harsh climate with a very short growing season, but leave the plants vulnerable to competition and replacement in a warming climate by faster-growing species from lower elevations. These plants are dependent on a stable habitat, specifically one with soil moisture maintained by some snow

TOP Parson’s Peak, one of Yosemite’s sky islands, is a striking example of a high elevation unglaciated surface.

BOTTOM The proportionally large and showy flowers of this sky pilot help attract pollinators in alpine regions.

cover in the winter and cool temperatures in the summer. The decreasing snowpack predicted by climate change models will leave these plants vulnerable to extinction.

The typical response to climate warming noted worldwide is that of species’ ranges trending upward in both elevation and latitude. For plants such as these, already inhabiting the highest level of the landscape, uphill migration is not an option and local extinction is instead the probable outcome. In Yosemite, the distance between sky island sites is large, so survival of sky island species by natural dispersal to other, similar sites is a very unlikely event.

Most of Yosemite’s sky islands are difficult to reach and thus relatively protected from human impacts such as trampling. However, emerging knowledge about the impact of climate warming on this region makes it imperative that their atrisk plant communities be documented soon. Yosemite Conservancy is currently funding a botanical survey of the flora of ten sites over three years of Yosemite’s sky islands. This survey, started in July 2010, is finding and documenting all the plant species present, and gathering baseline information that will both preserve basic information for posterity and inform potential future monitoring efforts on the flora.

Read more about this study: yosemiteconservancy.org/magazine

ALISON COLWELL is a botanist at Yosemite National Park where her focus is inventory and monitoring of the park’s rare plants. She earned her Ph.D. in Population and Evolutionary Biology from Washington University, where she studied gene evolution in parasitic plants. Before coming to Yosemite in 2003, Alison worked for the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle where she developed genetic markers for Myxozoan parasites of fish. Although her main passion is investigating Yosemite’s fascinating flora, Alison also finds time to study her current favorite group of parasites, the flowering plants of the genus Orobanche

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY has provided a grant to Yosemite National Park to fund a botanical survey of the flora of Yosemite’s sky-islands. This survey will document all the plant species, and inform park management on future monitoring efforts of these at-risk plant communities. Additionally, the Conservancy is funding restoration efforts on Cathedral Peak and Mount Dana that will remove social trails and guide hikers to one single trail away from ecologically sensitive areas.

Yosemite’s High Country continued from page 5

We go to the wilderness expecting a vacation, some exercise and maybe a few good photos, but we come back changed. These places have the ability to lift our spirits, to remind us of what is really important and so often missing in our dayto-day lives.

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, overcivilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”

— JOHN MUIR

ABOVE Hikers in Yosemite’s high country prep water for a day hike.

ALISON COLWELL WITH LUPINE ALPINE BUTTERCUP

“As a child, I associated summers in Tuolumne Meadows with absolute freedom.”

— MARGARET EISSLER

Supervisory

Park Ranger

Q&A

WITH A YOSEMITE INSIDER

Margaret Eissler spent summers in Tuolumne Meadows where her parents were caretakers of the Sierra Club property at Soda Springs. The magnetic pull of Tuolumne drew her back in 1985 to work for the Yosemite Association, and in 1987 she joined the National Park Service as a summer seasonal ranger naturalist. In 1992 she founded the Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series, an annual forum for the arts and sciences.

Q :: Please describe your connection to Yosemite National Park and Tuolumne Meadows.

A :: As a child, I associated summers in Tuolumne Meadows with absolute freedom. My sister and I immersed ourselves in the mountains and meadows. We waded and swam, watched baby squirrels peek out of their holes and the marmot family sun themselves on the big rock in front of the cabin. We hopped from rock to rock. We watched our favorite rock gardens and sometimes watered them. I never dreamed of being a ranger. I don’t know why. Only many years later did working in Yosemite become an idea.

Q

:: Tuolumne Meadows and much of the surrounding area have inspired many park visitors,

creating a lasting, heartfelt connection. Why do you think this place touches people so deeply?

A

:: It is the vibrant flurry of activity compressed within the eight to ten weeks of high-elevation summer—the plants and animals trying to get everything done before winter comes. It is the open sky, bright blue or with thunderheads or studded with stars. It is the combination of granite domes, peaks and broad meadows with a river meandering through; the sense of community—the employees and visitors who return year after year and the first-time visitors who fall in love with the place as we have. There is something about Tuolumne Meadows that is very special, even magical. This can’t easily be put into words. You have to come and experience it for yourself!

Q :: Parsons Memorial Lodge is a beautiful historic building —why is it such a special place for park visitors?

A :: Parsons Memorial Lodge, a National Historic Landmark built in 1915, is a simple, rustic building with granite rock walls, lodgepole pine beams and casement windows overlooking the Tuolumne River. It was not a lodge to sleep in but rather a mountain headquarters, reading room and gathering place open to the public. Parsons Memorial Lodge was a lively place, especially when hikers and campers took shelter from afternoon thunderstorms. Visitors read books, studied maps, played games, and shared stories, ideas and inspirations.

Q :: Yosemite Conservancy supports the Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series, a speaker’s series that takes place annually. What is the history of this event?

A :: In 1992, Tuolumne interpreters decided to honor and celebrate the historic Soda Springs property and all who had traveled through with a series of programs. It felt right to have the lodge once again fulfill its original purpose as a vibrant gathering place where ideas were exchanged.

The series is a forum for the arts and sciences, a menu of diverse and often cutting-edge offerings. Artists join research

scientists, naturalists, historians, philosophers and planners in the annual summer line-up. The setting, the easy walk through the meadow to Parsons, the intimate space, the audience—a warm and enthusiastic mix of park visitors, park staff and residents from surrounding communities—make the experience unforgettable for all involved.

2011 schedule of events is available at yosemiteconservancy.org

Q :: What advice would you give to someone planning a first trip to Tuolumne Meadows?

A :: Stay as long as you can. There is so much to see and do, especially if you like to walk. Tuolumne Meadows is a jumping off place for a wide variety of hikes of different lengths and difficulties in all directions. Attend an interpretive program, maybe one about wildflowers or birds or bears or geology--or attend a campfire, go hiking all day with a ranger or watch the stars. Be sure to stop at the visitor center. We will be happy to give you the information you need.

ABOVE Parsons Lodge.

PHOTO: ©YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY

New Projects for 2011*

CULTURAL & HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Historic Lake Vernon Snow Survey

Cabin Restoration

$37,890

Museum Stereograph Images Preserved $24,438

HABITAT RESTORATION

Mariposa Grove Restoration

Tenaya Lake Restoration: East Beach

Wilderness Restoration in Meadows and Valleys

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Research Dates Yosemite’s Rockfalls

Understanding the Cause of Yosemite’s Rockfalls

TRAIL REPAIR & ACCESS

Legendary Valley Trails Restoration

Tuolumne Backcountry Trails

Restoration by CCC Crews

Yosemite Trails Campaign (5 trails)

Youth Crews Restore Campgrounds, Trails and Habitat

$467,395

$350,000

$199,775

$19,570

$99,570

$390,450

$355,700

$2,500,000

$320,000

VISITOR SERVICES & EDUCATION

Adventure to Leadership: Youth Development Program with ARC

Archives Digitized through SCA Internships

Ask A Climber

Bilingual Journal to Engage

Diverse Communities

Campground Amphitheaters Renovated

Campus Wilderness Center Connects Students to Yosemite

Horses and Mules in Yosemite:

Renewing Traditions

Junior Range Program

Sustainable Campsites in Yosemite Creek Campground

Teens Connect to Yosemite Wilderness through WildLink

Tuolumne Grove Giant Sequoias

Educational Signs

UC Merced Intern Yosemite Leadership Program

Views and Visitors Exhibit II: Yosemite

Experience in the 20th Century

Yosemite Nature Notes: A Yosemite Web Video Series

Yosemite Youth Art and Poetry Contest

Yosemite’s 150 Year Celebration

WildLink Alumni Explore Careers in Yosemite

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Bear Boxes in Yellow Pine Volunteer Area

TOTAL

TUOLUMNE GROVE

$93,515

$43,350

$29,890

$26,100

$87,420

$109,128

$50,000

$90,000

$100,142

$9,000

$127,800

$59,848

$61,795

$60,000

$20,700

$17,180

$11,500

$18,900

$5,781, 056

*Total project funding is included for multi-year projects.

The wonders of the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias span the ages. Located near Crane Flat on the Big Oak Flat Road, it is home to about 25 large Sequoias, including the Dead Giant, 29 1/2 feet in diameter at its base, with a tunnel cut through it in 1878 by engineers to accommodate a road. Today, the grove and its 3,000-year-old inhabitants remains a place of wonder for visitors, as well as geologists, historians, climatologists and more.

Unlike the more famous Mariposa Grove, there is no interpretive tour guiding visitors in Tuolumne. Its grizzled signage is outdated, damaged, inaccurate and unsightly. This project will help improve the experience for park visitors. After about a mile hike to the ancient grove, visitors will see new signs along a self-guided nature trail that will orient people, protect the trees and provide updated scientific and educational information--all the better to appreciate and understand the world’s oldest living things.

ABOVE New interpretive signage, like these signs in Mariposa Grove, will provide a better experience for park visitors in Tuolumne Grove.

TUOLUMNE GROVE OF GIANT SEQUOIAS — THE OLD AND THE NEW

YOSEMITE TRAILS

TIOGA TRAILHEADS, CATHEDRAL PEAK, MT. DANA AND RED PEAK PASS

Several trailheads along Tioga Road will receive major improvements this summer that will create improved safety and way finding for hikers. Designated areas for picnicking and group gatherings will help protect the natural habitat. If you’re traveling on Tioga Road this summer you may see trail crews making enhancements at Yosemite Creek, Ten Lakes, Tamarack Flat, Snow Creek and Gaylor Lakes trailheads.

A successful project on Mount Hoffmann in 2009 created the opportunity for more cooperative efforts to eliminate social trails on backcountry peaks. Work this summer on Cathedral Peak and Mount Dana will provide visitors with safe, delineated routes that concentrate hikers on a single trail and allow restoration of eroded areas, providing protection to these ecologically sensitive systems. Trail crews will also be in the wilderness repairing portions of the John Muir Trail near Donahue Pass and on Red Peak Pass above Lower Ottaway Lake.

Hopefully, you’ll have a chance to see some of this work up close while out hiking and experiencing the natural wonders of Yosemite.

In 2006, the Campaign for Yosemite Trails was launched and successfully raised over $13.5 million. The trails selected for work within this campaign represent the most critically compromised, heavily used and high profile trails in Yosemite. Trail work originating with this campaign is expected to continue through 2012.

TOP A beautiful day at Upper Cathedral Lake. MIDDLE Cushion buckwheat atop Mt. Dana.

BOTTOM Social trails will be eliminated as part of the years’ trail restoration efforts.

ROCKFALL RESEARCH

SCIENTISTS RESEARCH MYSTERIOUS ROCKFALLS IN YOSEMITE

“By researching rockfalls, park staff can improve visitor saftey.”

— GREG STOCK National Park Service Geologist

Scientists love a good mystery. The age of the rock avalanche that dammed Tenaya Creek to form Mirror Lake is one. Scientists know that Yosemite’s iconic domes and cliff faces were formed by rock fractures called exfoliation joints that contribute to rockfalls, but little is known about how these rock fractures form and grow. The Conservancy is funding two related research studies to help unravel mysteries of Yosemite rockfalls past and present.

“By researching rockfalls, park staff can improve visitor safety by better understanding the conditions that trigger rock falls. This information will also add to our understanding of how rockfalls have shaped Yosemite over the years,” says geologist Greg Stock of the National Park Service.

Research involves gathering measurements of stress in the rock and developing models to help predict the formation of exfoliation joints. New technology can determine the exposure ages of rock samples to determine how often in the last 15,000 years very large rockfalls have occurred.

LEFT The rockfall pictured occurred in October 2008. RIGHT Exfoliation joints, like these near the summit of Half Dome, dictate where rockfalls occur, but their formation is still not well understood.

LAKE VERNON CABIN

There’s a simple outpost in Yosemite’s backcountry, a plain yet unique log cabin built in 1946 that still stands. The Lake Vernon Snow Survey Cabin has a long history of sheltering folks, even today. Search-andrescue crews, scientists seeking hard-to-reach data, and rangers on patrol all use it to store gear, rest, plan and think.

The rustic cabin is a classic example of the log construction of its day, and has been deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Without needed repairs and maintenance, especially on its roof, the cabin will continue to deteriorate. This project will employ a Yosemite Historic Preservation Crew to remove and replace the roof and stovepipe, make other repairs, and protect the logs. Once finished, this historic cabin will again proudly hold its history and serve its intended purpose for years to come.

Yosemite Looks Good On You.

You can show your love for Yosemite anytime by shopping at any Yosemite Conservancy Store. With each purchase benefiting the park, this is just one more way for you to show support for Yosemite.

Conservancy donors receive a 15% discount online with code SPRINGAD*

this unique cabin preserves Yosemite history.

YOUTH WORKING ALONGSIDE PARK STAFF WILL RESTORE YOSEMITE TRAILS BEFORE DURING AFTER

CCC CREWS & TRAIL RESTORATION

The 2011 California Conservation Corps (CCC) crew arrives in April and will set up their front-country camp in Foresta (in Yosemite). This camp will serve as home base while crewmembers develop the backcountry skills, fitness and group dynamics that will propel them through the summer season. Work during this early period will focus on low-elevation trail repair in Yosemite Valley and near Big Oak Flat.

Once summer arrives and the snowpack is reduced enough to allow access to the high country, the crew will set up camp northeast of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and direct their efforts on trails within the broad-reaching Tuolumne watershed. Putting their new skills to work, crewmembers will complete trail repair and maintenance on the Tilden Creek Trail near Tiltill Mountain, before moving to the Stubblefield Canyon area to focus on repairs to the Pacific Crest Trail.

In late September, after repairing nearly 60 miles of trail, the crew will hike out and join fellow CCC crews from all over California for an end of season celebration at Camp Mather.

TOP Hikers can easily find and enjoy this cleared trail. MIDDLE CCC crews hard at work clearing the trail. BOTTOM In this before photo, the trail is obscured and difficult for hikers to locate.

ART IN YOSEMITE

Yosemite Conservancy works to preserve Yosemite’s cultural and historic past, while also engaging its future stewards. One of the ways we connect past and present is through the Yosemite Theater where every night, May through September, visitors are taken on a journey that explores the lives of Yosemite legends. Each of our nationally recognized performers recount exciting tales of life in Yosemite, from that of Buffalo Soldier Elizy Bowman, portrayed by Shelton Johnson, or that of an early 20th century visitor, through the music of Tom Bopp; contemporary adventures are shared by famed Yosemite climber, Ron Kauk.

Johnson, whose Buffalo Soldier story fascinates Sunday night audiences, expresses his view of the Yosemite Theater experience:

“…our theater of granite and sky…where a climber hangs above the world, while below a celebrated naturalist tells the story of his life, a buffalo soldier wanders close by on patrol, and a man remembers through song the romance of a Yosemite that was. Here, there’s always tension in the cliffs and waterfalls, and tales of great adventure play out in the darkness of night.”

In each of these stories, we can relate to the sense of adventure, passion and love of nature that Yosemite inspires in all of us.

Be Inspired. Discover the range of Arts in the Park programming on our website yosemiteconservancy.org

YOSEMITE LEGENDS COME TO LIFE

TOP Ranger Shelton Johnson as fictional Buffalo Soldier, Elizy Bowman. MIDDLE Ron Kauk in action. BOTTOM Pianist Tom Bopp takes visitors back in time with vintage songs of Yosemite.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF EXPLORATION

Yosemite Conservancy’s Outdoor Adventures is celebrating its 40th year of providing exceptional experiences for park visitors, and sharing our passion for Yosemite. Over the years, our programs have led tens of thousands of park visitors to hike, observe, experience and explore Yosemite.

Outdoor Adventures has deep roots in the park, having been established in 1971 in order to supplement National Park Service interpretive services. In the early days, there were just four field seminars. Today, we offer over 30 adventures on subjects like Native American basket weaving, backpacking and photographing natural phenomena, like the elusive “firefall” at Horsetail Fall. These programs take place in a variety of locations, from Mariposa Grove to Tuolumne Meadows, and to the farthest reaches of Lyell Glacier. Through these programs visitors experience Yosemite in new ways, and the fees benefit our work in the park.

Outdoor Adventures has been expanded to include custom activities for groups and families. These special programs are organized exclusively for your group and include a naturalist who will guide you on your very own Yosemite adventure. Exploring with us means you can do more to provide for Yosemite, while enjoying everything the park has to offer.

Find your adventure. Visit yosemiteconservancy.org to learn more.

ABOVE Exploring the tracks of a tenebrionid beetle in Wawona.

RIGHT Tenebrionid beetles, commonly known as darkling beetles, are found in the foothills, valleys and mountains of California.

PHOTOS: (TOP) © KEITH WALKET. (BOTTOM)

WILDERNESS PROGRAM

00 to 500 American black bears call Yosemite National Park home. Though their natural diet is mostly seeds, berries and insects, in Yosemite it is common to find bear scat littered with plastic wrappers or other traces of human food. Access to human food in cars, campgrounds and wilderness areas is unhealthy for the bears and can lead to aggressive behavior, and in extreme cases, euthanization.

In an effort to protect Yosemite’s wildlife, the Yosemite Conservancy helped fund the installation of more than 2,000 bear-proof lockers throughout the park. The Conservancy also partners with the National Park Service to administer a park-wide bear canister rental program. The goal is to provide a user-friendly and affordable system for renting bear canisters that are required for storing food and scented items while on overnight trips into the wilderness.

These efforts have proven successful with bear incidences plummeting since the initiative began in 1999. This year, Yosemite Conservancy is funding the installation of new bear-proof lockers and wildlife educational resources in the Yellow Pine volunteer area. Through the combined efforts of the bear canister rental program, bear-proof lockers and educational resources, we are helping to ensure protection for campers and wildlife.

Planning a wilderness trip in Yosemite? Rent a bear canister at one of the five Wilderness Permit Stations located within Yosemite. Visit yosemiteconservancy.org to learn more.

PROTECTING YOSEMITE’S BEARS

LEFT Bear-proof food storage lockers prevent bears from foraging in campsites.

RIGHT Backpackers rent a bear-proof locker at the Wilderness Center.

Join us in Tuolumne Meadows

When was the last time you visited Yosemite? Mark your calendars and join us this summer in Tuolumne Meadows. Experience the splendor of the High Country August 19-21, 2011 while celebrating the ribbon cutting of one of the most exciting projects in the area – the restoration of Tenaya Lake! Learn firsthand how your gifts are benefiting Yosemite.

John Muir Heritage Society members who give $2,500 or more annually are warmly invited each summer for a weekend of insider talks, an intimate dinner created just for you by The Ahwahnee Hotel, naturalist-led hikes and fascinating discussions at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge fire ring. Watch for your invitation in the mail and come join the fun.

Love Yosemite.

The Yosemite license plate features the world famous image of the valley from Tunnel View. Californians who purchase this specialty plate for their vehicles help provide funding to many diverse projects within Yosemite National Park.

It’s a great way to show your love of Yosemite and brighten the commute for other drivers.

ABOVE JMHS Guardian level members enjoying the splendor of the high country on a naturalistled hike. RIGHT JMHS Guardian level members pause for a photo before hiking around Cathedral Lake in 2010.

Working to Make a Difference

Alison Burns Sterley of Anchorage, Alaska has volunteered with Yosemite Conservancy for seven years. She arrives every summer with other volunteers to help with important work restoring trails and removing invasive plants and fire rings. Sterley has volunteered at multiple sites in Yosemite Valley, Sunrise, Lyell Canyon, Vogelsang and Rafferty Creek.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR FAVORITE VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE.

My favorite activity is to find fire rings where they shouldn’t be, and clean up the campsite. It’s a search and rescue operation, great fun and very satisfying to tidy up the wilderness.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT BEING A CONSERVANCY VOLUNTEER?

Hiking and camping in Yosemite is always an amazing experience. Being a volunteer in Yosemite adds another dimension. You see more when you’re working behind the scenes, and you have more time to appreciate your surroundings.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A CONSERVANCY VOLUNTEER?

My dad started taking me on weekend hikes as soon as I could walk. All the miles we shared together are the basis for our close bond and for my bond to the wild places of the world. What inspires me to continue being a volunteer is my belief that the restoration activities Yosemite Conservancy supports, will ensure that kids, like I was, and adults, like I am, will continue to be able to connect to Yosemite

Thank you Alison, and all our dedicated volunteers!

Calling All Volunteers!

Volunteering in Yosemite is an excellent way to give back to Yosemite and help improve the visitor experience. Volunteer for a week this summer and join a dedicated crew of other Yosemite supporters to renew and restore trails, campgrounds and wilderness areas. Looking for more? Stay for a month and join our team of visitor information volunteers offering guidance at locations throughout the park.

Learn more at yosemiteconservancy.org

Sterley restores an illegal campsite back to its natural condition.

PHOTOS: (TOP) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY. (BOTTOM) © TONY DEMAIO.

TOP Volunteer Jackie Wagoner helps a park visitor plan their day. BOTTOM Week long volunteers are all smiles as they pause for this photo.

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY

Magazine of Yosemite Conservancy, published twice a year

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Jennifer Miller

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Pete Bartelme

Alison Colwell

Dan DiVittorio

Margaret Eissler

DESIGN

Plumbline Studios

PRINT PRODUCTION

Schuyler Greenleaf

Noel Morrison

Laurie Stowe Mike Tollefson

TradeMark Graphics, Inc.

STAFF

SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE

Mike Tollefson, President & CEO

Jerry Edelbrock, Vice President & COO

Darlene Bellucci, Annual & Planned

Giving Manager

Edin Draper-Beard, Executive Affairs Manager

Schuyler Greenleaf, Project Director

Greg Immel, Data Services Manager

Holly Kuehn, Administrative Assistant & Registrar

Jennifer Miller, Marketing & Communications Director

Roger Miller, Institutional Giving Officer

Adriana Pannick, Development Associate

Kit Thomas, Controller

Christina Yu, Data & Donor Services Assistant

Kristine Zeigler, Development Director

YOSEMITE OFFICE

Kristen Anderson, Sales Information Assistant

Aline Allen, Art & Education Center Coordinator

Tom Arfsten, Valley Complex Supervisor

Nicole Brocchini, Museum Store Supervisor

Pete Devine, Resident Naturalist

Nathan Ernster, Wilderness Information Assistant

Michelle Hansen, Bookrack Assistant

Carolyn King, Office Manager

Todd King, Retail Director

Suzy Hasty, Volunteer Program Manager

Denise Ludington, Accounting Coordinator

Noel Morrison, Communications Manager

Elvira Popken, Sales Information Assistant

Angie Sberna, Accounting Director

John Samples, Warehouse Coordinator

Shelly Stephens, Inventory Manager

Laurie Stowe, Wilderness Center Manager

Spring.Summer 2011 :: Volume 02.Issue 01

© 2011

Federal Tax Identification #94-3058041

It’s Easy to Connect with Yosemite Conservancy

CONTACT US

Donor Services

Yosemite Conservancy 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104

800.469.7275 or 415.434.1782

Fax: 415.434.0745

info@yosemiteconservancy.org

STAY CONNECTED

Learn how your gifts have supported Yosemite. Visit our website and sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter.

Visit yosemiteconservancy.org

WAYS

TO SUPPORT

Friends of Yosemite

Protecting the beauty and wonder of Yosemite for future generations. Visit yosemiteconservancy.org/ friends-yosemite

Sequoia Society

Making a monthly donation is an easy way to make a lasting difference. Visit yosemiteconservancy.org/ sequoia-society

John Muir Heritage Society

Investing in Yosemite’s future with generous gifts of $1,000 or more annually.

Visit yosemiteconservancy.org/johnmuir-heritage-society

Gifts of Stock

Significant contribution to protect and preserve Yosemite. We want to thank you for your gift. Please contact Darlene Bellucci at 800.469.7275 x318 or dbellucci@yosemiteconservancy.org to notify us of your gift.

Joseph Le Conte Legacy Society

Leave a legacy to Yosemite. For more information about making a legacy gift, contact Darlene Bellucci at 800.469.7275 x318 or dbellucci@yosemiteconservancy.org.

Gifts in Honor

Distinctive and inspirational gifts that help provide for Yosemite’s future. Visit yosemiteconservancy.org/giftshonor or for more information, call 800.469.7275, or email us info@yosemitefund.org.

Gifts in Memory

Recognize a loved one with a special gift that protects and preserves Yosemite.

Visit yosemiteconservancy.org/giftsmemory or for more information, call 800.469.7275, or email us info@yosemitefund.org.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Greet park visitors, restore meadows or repair trails.

Visit yosemiteconservancy.org/ volunteer, or call 209.379.2317

San Francisco, CA 94104