2019 Spring/Summer Magazine – Yosemite Conservancy

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY

Protecting Yosemite Wildlife

INSIDE

Safeguarding Peregrine Falcons

Studying Yosemite’s Wild Cats

Exploring Yosemite’s Diverse Habitat

Q&A with Yosemite Conservancy’s

Resident Naturalist

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY COUNCIL MEMBERS

CHAIR

Bob Bennitt*

VICE CHAIR

Dana Dornsife*

PRESIDENT & CEO

Frank Dean* VICE PRESIDENT & COO

Jerry Edelbrock

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Kevin Gay

COUNCIL

Hollis & Matt Adams*

Jeanne & Michael Adams

Gretchen Augustyn

Jenny Augustyn & Ali Meghdadi

Suzy & Bob Bennitt*

David Bowman & Gloria Miller

Marilyn & Allan Brown

Steve & Diane Ciesinski*

Kira & Craig Cooper

Hal Cranston & Vicki Baker

Carol & Manny Diaz

Leslie & John Dorman*

Dave* & Dana Dornsife*

Jewell* & Bob Engstrom

Kathy Fairbanks

Sandra & Bernard Fischbach

Cynthia & Bill Floyd*

Jim Freedman & Karine Joret

Susan & Don Fuhrer*

Bonnie Gregory

Rusty Gregory*

Karen & Steve Hanson

Laura Hattendorf & Andy Kau

Chuck & Christy Holloway

Christina Hurn & Richard Tassone

Jennifer & Gregory Johnson

Walt Lemmermann

Melody & Bob Lind

Sam & Cindy Livermore

Steve Lockhart & Karen Bals

Anahita & Jim Lovelace

Mark Marion & Sheila Grether-Marion

Patsy & Tim Marshall

Kirsten & Dan Miks

Robyn & Joe Miller

Kate & Ryan Myers

Janet Napolitano

Dick Otter & Judy Wilbur

Sharon & Phil Pillsbury*

Gisele & Lawson Rankin

Bill Reller

Pam & Rod Rempt*

Frankie & Skip Rhodes*

Liz Robbins

Dave Rossetti & Jan Avent*

Lisa & Greg Stanger*

Jennifer & Russ Stanton*

Ann* & George Sundby

Clifford J. Walker*

Wally Wallner* & Jill Appenzeller

Jack Walston & Sue Estes

Helen & Scott Witter

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Superintendent Michael Reynolds

*Indicates Board of Trustees

OUR MISSION

Yosemite Conservancy inspires people to support projects and programs that preserve Yosemite and enrich the visitor experience.

PRESIDENT’S NOTE

Yosemite Wildlife

hen I was working as a ranger in Yosemite, we would sometimes say, after a frustrating day, “At least Half Dome will be there tomorrow.”

For us, that granite icon embodied the inspiring, enduring nature of Yosemite National Park. Earlier this year, a partial government shutdown brought an air of anxiety to the park, as employees and resources bore the impact of weeks of uncertainty and bare-bones staffing. As I write this, however, the rangers are back at work, and, thanks to your support, Yosemite Conservancy is at their side to continue to preserve this amazing place.

Half Dome and its fellow icons might dominate views, but Yosemite is also renowned for biodiversity — and with your support, rangers are working to protect the park’s animal species. In this issue, you’ll learn how Conservancy donors have helped Yosemite reach major milestones in wildlife management, such as bringing bear-related incidents to a record low, reintroducing endangered bighorn sheep, confirming the presence of a rare fox and restoring the park’s peregrine falcon population. In the following pages, you’ll also explore some of the protected habitats on which Yosemite’s animals depend — including many that have been restored with support from Conservancy donors. The park is a haven for animals, such as great gray owls, mountain lions and rare amphibians, whose ranges are shrinking or fragmented. In these stories, you’ll see how habitat-focused projects help wildlife, and how you can learn more about Yosemite’s ecosystems through our Outdoor Adventures and at the Happy Isles Art and Nature Center.

As you read this, Yosemite is shifting to summer after an exceptionally snowy winter. The migratory songbirds are returning, the waterfalls are roaring — and, yes, Half Dome is still there.

COVER PHOTO Yosemite provides a protected home for about 90 mammal species, including the mule deer that graze in meadows throughout the park.

Frank Dean, President

Connect with us online!

CONTENTS

SPRING.SUMMER 2019 VOLUME 10.ISSUE 01

IN THIS ISSUE DEPARTMENTS

04 SAFEGUARDING PEREGRINE FALCONS

Discover how Yosemite wildlife experts are partnering with rock-climbers to ensure long-term protection of peregrine falcons.

08

STUDYING YOSEMITE’S WILD CATS

Learn why “Conservation Canines” might be the key to studying the elusive mountain lion in Yosemite.

10 PROTECING YOSEMITE’S BIG WALL BATS

Scientists turn to cliff surveys and rockclimbers to prevent white-nose syndrome in bat populations.

12

AT HOME IN THE WILD

Explore Yosemite’s diverse habitats and the wildlife that call them home.

14 Q&A WITH A YOSEMITE INSIDER

Yosemite Conservancy resident naturalist Pete Devine shares how visitors can connect with the natural world.

16 GRANT UPDATES

Learn how biologists are bolstering bighorn sheep populations, how scientists are using cameras and canines to study the Sierra Nevada red fox, and how visitors can protect bears in Yosemite.

20 PROGRAM UPDATES

Discover Outdoor Adventures at every elevation in Yosemite Wilderness, and enjoy art along the river at the Happy Isles Art and Nature Center.

23 THANKING OUR DONORS

Your generosity makes a difference in Yosemite.

28 WHY I GIVE

Conservancy donors share their stories of inspiration and passion.

30 READER PHOTOS

Yosemite Conservancy supporters share their special Yosemite memories.

ABOVE Yosemite’s diverse habitats support diverse wildlife. Pikas depend on rocky alpine terrain; other animals rely on wetlands, rivers or forests.

WALLS LIFE ON THE

Protecting peregrine falcons, with help from climbers

rom the ground, El Capitan looks smooth, its gleaming granite polished by long-ago glaciers. As you get closer, though, cracks and crevices take shape. A dark figure appears at a ledge. You catch a glimpse of white chest, a sharp beak and yellow eyes, and then ...

LIFT-OFF! The peregrine falcon launches, gliding on a 40-inch wingspan over the Valley, before transforming into an avian arrow, skydiving in a “stoop” that can surpass 200 miles per hour. After striking its prey, the peregrine returns to the wall, where nestlings wait for their meal.

Peregrine falcons, whose name fittingly means “wanderer,” are found on six continents and always nest high above the ground. In urban areas, they make homes on tall structures; in the wild, they look for cliffs, such as the ones lining Yosemite Valley. They dwell at the top of the food chain, though this does not protect them from other threats, including those driven by human activity.

Before the mid-20th century, there were more than 3,800 adult peregrine pairs in the United States. That number started to plummet in the 1950s; by 1974, only 324 pairs remained, with zero in Yosemite. The culprit: dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), a pesticide. Insects ingested DDT; small birds ingested insects; and falcons ingested small birds, swallowing a concentrated toxin that made eggshells so

“The goal is a win-win situation, whereby climbers can push physical human boundaries on the same cliffs where the peregrine falcon, a protected bird of prey, can have space to comfortably nest and raise its young.”

— SARAH STOCK

Yosemite Wildlife Biologist

dangerously fragile that adult peregrines would accidentally crush their eggs.

Thanks to a nationwide ban on DDT and concerted rehabilitation efforts, peregrines have made a comeback. A 2006 survey estimated that populations in the U.S. had rebounded to at least 3,000 pairs.

While Yosemite’s walls and domes offer ideal habitat for the recovering raptor, they remain vulnerable to human disturbance. That rocky habitat also makes the park a coveted climbing destination. Seeing peregrines up close can be aweinspiring for a climber; for the falcons, that interaction is potentially fatal. Young falcons depend on their parents for food and protection; if climbers accidentally scare adult falcons from the walls, the nestlings might starve or be eaten.

Park managers, however, see rock-climbers not as a threat to Yosemite’s peregrine population, but as part of the longterm solution to protecting them. In the early years of recovery efforts, Yosemite climbers worked with wildlife

ABOVE A peregrine falcon launches into the air to defend its territory at Glacier Point, high above the floor of Yosemite Valley.

experts to replace DDT-thinned eggs with healthy chicks in cliffside falcon nests. Today, with your support, climbers are continuing to play a key role in ensuring peregrines continue to thrive.

In the early 1990s, Conservancy donors helped fund efforts to restore the park’s falcon population. In 2009, biologist Jeff Maurer launched a program to protect peregrines through targeted closures of climbing areas; after his death that same year, his family made a gift in his memory to ensure his work could go on. Between 2009 and 2018, Yosemite researchers documented 30 new nests; in 2018, they observed 26 young peregrines — the most ever documented in the park.

Yosemite’s successful approach stands out for its focus on balancing falcon management and visitor recreation. Rather than issuing indiscriminate climbing closures, Yosemite researchers and rangers implement data-driven, responsive regulations. Wildlife managers monitor nests throughout the season, and they impose, adjust or lift closures based on each peregrine family’s activity. By avoiding off-limit areas and

educating fellow adventurers, climbers help ensure falcon fledglings have the best chance of survival.

In 2019, your support is helping the park continue efforts to protect peregrines. As researchers search for signs of peregrine activity in late winter, spring and summer, their observations inform decisions about closures, which also shape buffer zones above the cliffs to prevent helicopters from flying unnecessarily close to falcon nests.

This year, with your help, wildlife experts are creating a management plan to share with other parks where climbers and falcons overlap, so they can apply Yosemite’s proven tactics for protecting both peregrines and climbing areas.

For decades, climbers and wildlife managers have worked together in Yosemite to help peregrines thrive on the walls. Thanks to their ongoing efforts — and your support — visitors have the chance to see a success story in action: a falcon saved from extinction, floating and diving above the Valley.

ABOVE Researchers use information from peregrine surveys to implement climbing-route closures designed to protect young raptors as they hatch, grow and take their first flights.

Looking for Lions

NON-INVASIVE TECHNIQUES HELP SCIENTISTS STUDY YOSEMITE’S WILD CATS

s dawn breaks over the Yosemite high country, you pack up your tent, lace up your boots and hit the trail. You notice raindrops clinging to pine boughs, remnants of an overnight shower. Then, something catches your eye underfoot: a four-toed paw print pressed into the damp earth, about 4 inches wide, with three lobes at the back and two at the front.

That mark belongs to a shy, solitary creature that generally eludes human observation. Its owner roams the park at night, hunting for deer and small mammals, and retreats to secluded shelter during the day.

The rarely seen Puma concolor goes by many names, including cougar, panther and puma, and in Yosemite, mountain lion. Whatever you call them, these large, tan felines are a lynchpin in the ecological web. Mountain lions influence the movements of

fellow predators, keeping prey populations in check and on the move. In Yosemite, that can mean preventing deer from overgrazing native plants, such as black oaks and willows. Their hunting skills help other animals, too, by providing carrion that feeds mammals, insects and birds.

Mountain lions typically avoid people, but they haven’t been able to avoid the hazards of living in proximity to humans. In California, more than 12,000 lions were killed by hunters in the first half of the 20th century. The state made mountain lions a “specially protected species” in 1990, making them illegal to hunt, but the cats still face a serious challenge, as urban development, wildfires and bark beetle infestations fragment their habitats.

As mountain lion habitat is lost across the state, Yosemite’s more than 700,000 acres of protected Wilderness could serve as a refuge for the species. California wildlife managers are looking to the park not just as a potential haven, but also as an ideal place to study lions’ habitat requirements and gather information to shape statewide conservation efforts.

Scientists know little about Yosemite’s mountain lion population. In the late 1990s, the Conservancy funded a study that used radio-telemetry to monitor a handful of collared lions; from that data, researchers calculated that approximately 45 lions were using the park. Today, however, scientists think that total is an underestimate, skewed by the challenge of having to collar and track a notoriously evasive mammal.

Now, with your support, researchers are taking advantage of a more efficient, less invasive technique to explore Yosemite mountain lions’ numbers, genetics and habitat needs. The key ingredient to their approach isn’t a new high-tech tracking tool — it’s a group of four-legged detectives: scent dogs. These highly trained detection dogs and their University of Washington–based handlers are working with Oregon State University researchers and Yosemite scientists to search for mountain lion scat in the park. The dogs locate the designated droppings, and researchers use the scat to learn more about lions — including their DNA makeup, territory and population size — all without disrupting the wild felines.

By providing key insights into the diversity, habitat preferences and conservation needs of the state’s vulnerable, vital big cats, this study will help expand scientists’ understanding of mountain lions within Yosemite, while also contributing to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s statewide mountain lion conservation strategy.

The next time you notice a paw print on a Yosemite trail, study its size and shape — you might be treading through the habitat of a keystone species, whose story and challenges are coming to light, thanks to your support.

OPPOSITE As top predators, mountain lions play a key role in the Yosemite ecosystem, but scientists know little about the park’s Puma concolor population. TOP Know your tracks! Mountain lion prints feature four tear-drop-shaped toes and three lobes on the heel. Unlike coyotes and other canines, these wild felines don’t usually leave visible claw prints.

SHARING SPACE WITH MOUNTAIN LIONS

Mountain lions typically avoid crossing paths with people. Since 1890, there have been only 16 verified lion attacks on humans in California. Still, brushing up on best practices for sharing space with wildlife in Yosemite can help keep you — and the park’s big cats — safe.

As with all wildlife, you can help protect mountain lions by driving slowly on park roads, reporting lion sightings to rangers and storing food securely. Feeding deer and other animals can attract predators to developed areas, so be sure to keep your snacks to yourself!

Mountain lions usually don’t want to run into you; help them steer clear by making your presence known. Avoid hiking solo at dawn, dusk or after dark, and keep kids and pets close by. If you do encounter a lion, don’t run, approach or crouch down. Instead, stand your ground, maintain eye contact, and make yourself as big and loud as possible.

PROTECTING

Big Wall Bats

Scientists turn to cliff surveys and climbers to prevent white-nose syndrome

s the sun sets and the dark sky blankets the Sierra, another world awakens. Songbirds and squirrels cease their daytime chatter, and nocturnal animals stir under the glow of the Milky Way. Among those creatures of the night is an essential, but often misunderstood, group: bats.

Bats are Earth’s second largest group of mammals. Of the

world’s more than 1,000 species, 17 live in Yosemite. They share space with humans on six continents, and like most wild animals, they typically try to avoid us. They play a critical role in their home habitats and in our human food system. They help control insect populations, pollinate plants, and serve as a food source for owls, raptors and other predators.

Bats have a bit of a branding problem. In popular culture,

they’re often tied to fear and mystery. Their spooky, sinister reputation belies their reality. Shattering bat-related myths can help people see that the world’s only true flying mammals are more benevolent than baleful, but that only goes so far in protecting bats from threats to their homes and health.

As deforestation, urbanization and light pollution disrupt the habitats and dark skies on which they depend, bats also face a serious challenge from a deadly disease: whitenose syndrome (WNS), an infection caused by the Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) fungus, which thrives in the cool caves many bat species use as winter roosts. The fungus forces hibernating bats to wake from their winter dormancy, burn through their energy reserves and, eventually, starve.

WNS has devastated bat populations in the eastern U.S. and Canada. The Pd fungus has not yet reached Yosemite, but it has been detected in Washington state and could spread — potentially via rock-climbers.

Scientists don’t yet know the extent to which people might serve as vectors for Pd, as they move among cliffs and caves, but Yosemite researchers are taking a proactive approach

to mitigate the potential for climbers to inadvertently introduce the fungus to the park’s rock-roosting bats.

This year, with your support, scientists are embarking on a project to study areas where bats and climbers cross paths in Yosemite. Pd can only survive in a narrow range of temperatures and humidity levels; by identifying caves and crevices where those environmental conditions exist, scientists can document and manage potential fungal hot spots.

Professional researchers aren’t the only ones pitching in on this work. As part of this project, the park’s wildlife experts are encouraging climbers to report bat-related observations from their ascents, and they are enlisting climbing staff and volunteers to record bat evidence, as they patrol popular routes.

Results from this research will help wildlife managers develop a plan for preventing WNS from taking hold in Yosemite — and for engaging climbers in ongoing efforts to protect the park’s bats. By mobilizing climbers as citizen scientists and conservation advocates, scientists hope to shield Yosemite’s bats from this disastrous disease and ensure these critically important creatures can continue to find safe winter shelter on the big walls.

OPPOSITE White-nose syndrome affects many bat species, including little brown bats. With your help, scientists are working to protect Yosemite’s flying mammals from this deadly fungal affliction. LEFT Yosemite climbers and climbing rangers play a role in preventing the spread of WNS by reporting their observations of bats on the cliffs. RIGHT A scientist holds a Yuma bat, one of the Yosemite species vulnerable to WNS.

At Home in the Wild

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF YOSEMITE’S DIVERSE HABITATS

n a single day in Yosemite, you can experience dense forests, open meadows, rugged slopes and alpine lakes. The park’s varied terrain supports an array of wildlife, including nearly 90 mammals, 165 birds, 13 amphibians, 22 reptiles and innumerable insects. Some animals stick primarily to one type of habitat; others might move from woodlands to wetlands to riverbanks, as they seek food, shelter and mates.

Each habitat featured here is one you might encounter in the park — and has been the focus of Conservancy donor–supported efforts to study and protect park ecosystems and the wildlife that depend on them.

MOUNTAINS

MEADOWS

MEADOWS

Sponge-like Sierra meadows soak up snow and rain, and support a variety of plants and animals. Look for deer grazing, coyotes hunting small mammals, butterflies pollinating wildflowers and birds searching for insects.

MOUNTAINS

Biodiversity dwindles at upper elevations, but some hardy creatures thrive on high peaks. Pikas dwell in talus fields, marmots bask on boulders, and bighorn sheep balance on steep slopes.

FORESTS

Yosemite’s woodlands offer abundant food, including nuts, seeds, sap and bark-dwelling bugs. Broken “snags” hold owl nests; tree cavities house Pacific fishers, squirrels and woodpeckers; and hollow trunks harbor hibernating bears.

WATER

Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs are returning to high-elevation lakes, thanks to your support. In the Valley’s aquatic ecosystems, look for restored populations of California red-legged frogs and western pond turtles.

CLIFFS

Yosemite’s walls look barren from afar, but they’re remarkably alive. Lichen stripes rock faces; peregrine falcons, black swifts and bats roost on the cliffs; and Mount Lyell salamanders scale granite.

Protect Wild Places — And Wildlife

Easy ways to minimize your impact on Yosemite ecosystems:

• Stay on designated trails.

• Pitch tents on durable surfaces.

• Camp and clean up at least 100 feet from water.

• Leave natural objects in place.

• Pack out all waste, including food scraps.

CLIFFS

“My favorite plants are giant sequoias; they’re like botanical dinosaurs!”

— PETE DEVINE

Yosemite Conservancy’s Resident Naturalist

Q&A

ABOVE

WITH A YOSEMITE INSIDER

Pete Devine, the Conservancy’s resident naturalist, draws on his extensive Yosemite knowledge to help visitors connect

osemite Conservancy’s resident naturalist, Pete Devine, is a former park ranger, Yosemite’s first Leave No Trace master educator and a longtime student of his Sierra Nevada surroundings. In his words, naturalists are “simply people who pay attention to the natural world” — but his work is far from simple. As a frequent leader of our Outdoor Adventures, he has helped thousands of visitors gain a fresh perspective on their surroundings, minimize their environmental impact and appreciate the “unexpected lessons” nature offers on any Yosemite journey.

Q

:: What inspired you to pursue a career as a naturalist?

A :: I was lucky to grow up with access to woods, meadows and brooks, and to have parents who were interested in what lived out there. I’ve always taken great pleasure in being outdoors and learning about our surroundings.

Q :: What makes Yosemite special, from a naturalist’s perspective?

A :: Yosemite Valley’s scenery is exceptional on a planetary scale. Within and beyond the Valley, Yosemite’s elevational

with their surroundings.

range (2,000'–13,000') protects wonderful biotic diversity. Most of the park is a designated Wilderness area, a status that acknowledges its natural beauty and biodiversity, and ensures an extraordinary level of stewardship.

Q

:: What are your favorite Outdoor Adventures to lead, and what do you hope people take away from these programs?

A :: I especially appreciate leading overnight wilderness treks, including to Lyell Glacier and Half Dome; on those journeys, people have more time to relate to the beauties of our protected lands. After any Outdoor Adventure program, I hope visitors come away with a sense of why people pushed to protect Yosemite’s granite canyons, sequoia forests, foothills and peaks in the 1800s. I hope they grasp that everyone, not just naturalists or National Park Service staff, has an opportunity to share this priceless treasure — and a responsibility to look after it.

Q

:: What are your favorite Yosemite animals and plants?

A :: So easy! My favorite animal is the Steller’s jay. Almost every visitor will see and hear these gorgeous, intelligent birds, and they’re a great gateway to learning about fellow creatures. My favorite plants are giant sequoias; they’re like botanical dinosaurs. We can only imagine T. rex and triceratops, but we could gaze up at a sequoia this weekend.

Q :: How can people develop a deeper connection with the natural world?

A :: Observe the sky outside your home; take a few breaths of plant-generated oxygen; listen to wind, rain or birds. Spend time with rangers, docents, trip leaders or neighbors who enjoy exploring flowers, birds or geology.

And, of course, join us for an Outdoor Adventure! Bring your curiosity, and we guarantee you’ll learn something new — not just from your naturalist guide, but also from fellow participants.

Experience the park with Devine and other expert naturalists: Find your next Yosemite adventure at yosemiteconservancy.org/outdoor-adventures, or email adventures@yosemiteconservancy.org.

“Yosemite Valley’s scenery is exceptional on a planetary scale.”

ABOVE Devine has led numerous Conservancy backpacking trips to Yosemite’s eastern edge, where he has also spent years studying the park’s vanishing glacial ice. RIGHT Devine, Yosemite’s first Leave No Trace master educator, is an expert in minimal-impact hiking skills — including navigation!

New Grants for 2019

TRAIL REHABILITATION & ACCESS

CCC Crews Restore Trails:

Merced River Watershed

CCC Crews Restore Trails:

Tuolumne River Watershed

Restore Legendary Valley Trails

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Protect Endangered Bighorn Sheep

Protect Peregrine Falcons

Save the Sierra Nevada Red Fox

Save Yosemite’s Native Amphibians

HABITAT RESTORATION

Ackerson Meadow: Science and Stewardship

Keep It Wild: Restore Yosemite’s Wilderness

Plant Flowers to Save Pollinators

Restore Pothole Dome Wetlands

Restore Yosemite Valley Wetlands

Restore Yosemite Valley Vistas

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Protect Big Wall Bats

Research the PCT: Trail Use Studies

Study Songbirds: 30th Anniversary

Survey Mountain Lion Populations

CULTURAL & HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Build the Wahhoga Roundhouse

Celebrate Climbing History: Initial Study

Engage Tribal Youth in Anthropology

Expand Education at the Pioneer History Center

Honor American-Indian Traditions

Keep Horses at the Heart of Yosemite

Preserve Historic Orchards

Protect Snow Creek Cabin

$200,000

$200,000

$200,000

$91,345

$35,000

$84,440

$130,000

$175,000

$125,000

$91,675

$49,525

$100,000

$75,000

$50,000

$62,300

$60,000

$150,000

$35,000

$200,000

$14,912

$100,000

$57,078

$40,000

$37,590

$21,000

Share Park History: Photos from Yosemite’s Past $70,440

VISITOR SERVICES & EDUCATION

Adventure Risk Challenge: Empower Future Stewards

Ask a Climber

Build Stewardship Through Bilingual Outreach

Junior Ranger Programs

Keep Visitors Safe: Preventive Search and Rescue

Keep Yosemite Moving: Explore Travel Patterns

$80,000

$51,300

$45,000

$139,790

$25,000

$400,000 Parks in Focus:

Inspire Youth Through Photography

Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series

Sport Shop Conversion to Welcome Center

Upgrade Visitor Resources at Big Oak Flat

Upgrade Wawona Winter Search and Rescue

WildLink: Teens Connect to the Natural World

Yosemite Climbing Stewardship Program

Yosemite Leadership Program: Education and Internships

$20,000

$15,000

$1,800,000

$150,000

$10,000

$35,000

$120,100

$179,400

Yosemite Valley Bike-Share Program $30,000

TOTAL $5,555,895

Color represents Youth in Yosemite Programs.

BEARS IN BALANCE

HOW GRANT-FUNDED WORK HAS HELPED “KEEP BEARS WILD”

cratched trees. Berry-speckled droppings. Five-toed prints. If you come across those clues in Yosemite, take a moment to appreciate the wild creature that left them behind: an American black bear.

Up to 500 bears live in Yosemite, but seeing one is a relatively rare occurrence. Within recent decades, however, bears were a common sight, as feeding pits and food-packed cars drew them to campgrounds, roads and parking areas.

During the past 20 years, donors have funded ambitious efforts to counter major threats to bears’ survival in the park: human food and speeding cars. These projects have included installing thousands of wildlife-proof food lockers, using GPS collars to study bears and adding roadside signs that prompt drivers to slow down. The public can learn about protecting bears through a Conservancy-supported website, www.keepbearswild.org, and merchandise line, and through our bear-proof food-canister rental program.

The impact of these diverse tactics is enormous: The park reported fewer than two dozen bear-related incidents in 2018, down from more than 1,500 in 1998. Now, it’s up to all visitors to continue that positive trend, by storing food securely, observing wildlife from a safe distance and driving slowly on park roads.

LEFT Numbered ear tags and GPS collars help wildlife managers identify, monitor and protect individual bears in Yosemite. GPS-monitoring and other Conservancy donor-funded projects have spurred a dramatic drop in bear–related incidents in the park. PHOTO: © COURTESY OF NPS.

SAVING WILD SHEEP

AFTER A HARSH WINTER, BIOLOGISTS

BOLSTER YOSEMITE’S BIGHORN POPULATION

igh in Yosemite’s mountains, a small but growing group of alpinists deftly navigates the world above 10,000 feet: Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, an endangered subspecies found only in their namesake mountains.

The species’ return to its historical habitat is a recent milestone, after disease and hunting annihilated Yosemite’s wild sheep in the early 1900s. In 2015, with donors’ support, biologists released a herd in the Cathedral Range. These sheep held on during the record-setting 2016–2017 winter, which caused bighorn deaths throughout the Sierra. As of late 2018, the Cathedral herd had 11 sheep, including four lambs.

With your support, scientists are working to ensure the bighorns can thrive on their own through increasing herd numbers and genetic diversity, and by monitoring the bighorns through surveys and GPS data. Each sheep that gains a foothold on Yosemite’s steep slopes brings the park’s effort closer to long-term success — and the species closer to recovery.

ABOVE Park researchers use on-theground surveys and GPS data to monitor Yosemite’s wild sheep, an essential element of their efforts to establish a self-sustaining bighorn population in the Cathedral Range.

ABOVE Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep once ranged throughout the Sierra Nevada, but their numbers nosedived in the early 20th century. With your help, these endangered mammals are making a comeback in Yosemite.

SEARCHING FOR THE RED FOX

SCIENTISTS USE CAMERAS AND DETECTION

DOGS TO STUDY A RARE MAMMAL

igh above Yosemite’s most popular trails, where snow lingers well into spring, hushed forests provide food and shelter for one of North America’s rarest mammals: the Sierra Nevada red fox.

In 2015, researchers conducting surveys through a Conservancyfunded grant reported the first sighting of this elusive subspecies in Yosemite in nearly a century. The remote camera image, of rustcolored fur and a long, white-tipped tail against sparkling snow, catapulted the fox into the scientific spotlight.

Since then, researchers have worked to learn more about the Yosemite-area fox population. They’ve hiked and skied to remote areas to set up camera stations, sorted through thousands of motion-triggered images, and analyzed scat and hair samples. Their work has contributed to a sobering calculation: Only 29 known adult red foxes remain in the Sierra Nevada. Without a comprehensive conservation plan, this high-altitude hunter could face extinction.

This year, thanks to a 2019 donor-funded grant, scientists are using remote cameras and scat surveys in known and potential fox habitat to gather additional data on the animal’s distribution, range and population size within Yosemite. This research will help shape a strategy to save one of the Sierra’s scarcest species, the red fox, before it vanishes.

TOP In late 2014, a Sierra Nevada red fox trotted in front of a remote camera in northern Yosemite. The resulting image was the first confirmed sighting of the fox within park borders in 99 years. ABOVE Research doesn’t stop when snow falls! Field crews ski into the Yosemite Wilderness to check and maintain cameras used to study the Sierra Nevada red fox.

GET IN THE [VEGETATION] ZONE

EXPLORE ANY ELEVATION ON A CONSERVANCY ADVENTURE

hen you look at a map of Yosemite, it’s easy to trace the park’s trails, pick out lakes, spot sequoia groves and identify mountain ranges. Within the topographic lines, however, is another way to look at the landscape: vegetation zones. Through our Outdoor and Custom Adventures, you can experience each of Yosemite’s five zones, from low-elevation foothills to high peaks, with an expert naturalist.

Foothill-Woodland Zone

1,800'–3,000' 15,074 acres

Low elevations on the park’s western edges host manzanita, blue oak, wild lilac and other plants adapted to hot, dry summers and minimal snow. Catch this zone’s early wildflowers and waterfalls during day hikes at Hetch Hetchy and in the Merced River Canyon.

Lower Montane Forest

3,000'–6,000' 166,000 acres

A Mediterranean climate — hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters — reigns in this zone, where you’ll find black oaks, incense-cedars and giant sequoias. Immerse in biodiversity, as you hike in Mariposa Grove, birdwatch at White Wolf, and learn about diverse wildlife in Yosemite Valley.

Upper Montane Forest

6,000'–8,000' 216,000 acres

As you gain elevation, summers shorten and temperatures fall. Red fir, western juniper, and lodgepole and Jeffrey pines thrive here, a place where meadows bloom from June through August. Connect with this zone on full-moon hikes and casual overnight trips near the rim of Yosemite Valley, or on a trek to the top of Half Dome.

FOOTHILL-WOODLAND

(1,800'–3,000', 15,074 acres)

UPPER MONTANE FOREST (6,000'–8,000', 216,000 acres) LOWER MONTANE FOREST

(3,000'–6,000', 166,000 acres)

Subalpine Forest

8,000'–9,500'

297,000 acres

Cool temperatures and wet winters mark this zone, home to shortlived summer flowers and conifers, such as western white pine and mountain hemlock. During guided backpacking trips from Tuolumne Meadows, fly-fishing weekends and geology programs, you’ll experience glacial features and snow-fed rivers throughout the subalpine forest.

Alpine Zone

9,500'+ 54,362 acres

The landscape above the tree line, marked by exposed rock and limited vegetation, supports resilient animals, such as pikas, bighorn sheep and white-tailed ptarmigans. Explore these elevations — the park’s highest — during backpacking trips to remote peaks or day hikes to hidden lakes.

2019 OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

BY ZONE

ALPINE ZONE

August 2–4

Yosemite Day Hikes: Life Above the Tree Line

August 8–10

Women’s Advanced Backpack: Rafferty Creek and Amelia Earhart Peak

August 29–September 1

Wilderness Skills Backpack

September 6–8

Casual Backpack: May Lake and Mount Hoffmann

SUBALPINE FOREST

June 28–30

Outdoor Adventure Alumni Reunion: Tuolumne Meadows

July 11–14

Backpack to Glen Aulin and Waterwheel Falls

August 10–11

Fly Fishing and Aquatic Life

August 23–25

Tuolumne Meadows Geology

UPPER MONTANE FOREST

July 4, July 27, August 3

Overnight Under the Milky Way

July 18–21

Women’s Backpack: Yosemite Creek and Eagle Peak

August 16–19

Casual Backpack: North Dome & Indian Rock

LOWER MONTANE FOREST

June 8–9

Yosemite Without a Car

ALPINE ZONE

(9,500'+, 54,362 acres)

SUBALPINE FOREST

(8,000'–9,500', 297,000 acres)

Visit us online at yosemiteconservancy.org/ outdoor-adventures to browse and sign up for 2019 Outdoor Adventures.

June 13–16

Watercolor Weekend: Capture Valley Scenery

October 13

Yosemite With Your Dog

December 14

Sequoia Stroll in Mariposa Grove

FOOTHILLS-WOODLAND ZONE

November 16

Day of the Woodpecker

CONNECTING ART & NATURE

appy Isles Art and Nature Center is housed in a historic stone structure in a quiet corner of eastern Yosemite Valley, easily accessible by shuttle, bicycle or foot. Outside the center, you can experience wetland, riparian and forest habitats; gaze up at granite walls; and watch the Merced River rush by. Inside, a colorful studio and educational exhibits invite visitors of all ages to explore natural history and express themselves through creative projects, and a Conservancy bookstore offers art supplies, field guides, sketchbooks and other items.

This spring, we expanded our art offerings, which include daily workshops, drop-in sessions and children’s classes, by adding a new activity: guided Art in Nature Walks. On these family-friendly, naturalistled walks, you’ll start to see Yosemite ecosystems through a new lens, while studying your surroundings and exploring relationships among shapes, colors and textures in the natural environment.

With help from your guide, you’ll use artistic techniques to capture details of the Happy Isles ecosystem, bringing your observations of plants, animals and landscape features to life on the page. You’ll end the walk with a creative record of your experience in this special place, and with a new suite of artistic skills to draw on wherever you go in the park.

To view and register for art programs, visit yosemiteconservancy.org/happy-isles-artand-nature-center.

ABOVE Yosemite’s youngest visitors can explore their surroundings through art during children’s classes and new “Art in Nature” walks based at Happy Isles.

NEW HAPPY ISLES–BASED ARTIST NATURALIST WALKS

COMBINE CURIOSITY AND CREATIVITY

PHOTO:

Donor Events & Activities

THE JOHN MUIR HERITAGE SOCIETY is a community of generous Yosemite Conservancy donors, who have demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting and preserving Yosemite with annual gifts of $1,000 and more. Society members receive invitations throughout the year to join National Park Service and Yosemite Conservancy leadership on expert-led project tours and naturalist hikes, at private receptions and dinners, and at other special events both inside and outside the park. These gatherings provide an opportunity for members to connect with other like-minded individuals passionate about making a difference in Yosemite National Park.

For more information about the John Muir Heritage Society or events, please contact Kelda McKinney at kmckinney@yosemiteconservancy.org or 415-434-8446 x329.

Tuolumne Meadows

Fall Colors

Marilyn Whelan & Barbara Coulter

Tuolumne Meadows

Spring Colors

Tonia Pierce, Mary Gardner & Superintendent Mike Reynolds

Hetch Hetchy with naturalist Dan Webster Bracebridge Bracebridge

Pothole Dome hike with photographer Nancy Robbins

Eliza & Katrina Hart with Esther & Gerry Levandoski

Bridalveil Fall groundbreaking with NPS Project Manager Brad Lewis, NPS Chief of Interpretation Sabrina Diaz and Deputy Superintendent Teri Austin

Fall Colors

Ron & Ann Berg

Van Kuran and her granddaughters enjoy a sunny day in the Valley near the same spot where her husband, Pete, had presented his fraternity pin to her decades earlier. RIGHT

The Van Kurans celebrate and support Yosemite by donating time and resources — and by sharing the park they love with their family.

A Shared Passion

Long after falling for Yosemite — and each other — these park fans keep giving back

n a fateful day in Yosemite Valley, Pete Van Kuran presented his girlfriend, Virginia, with a special gift: his fraternity pin, the 1960s preamble to a marriage proposal. Their first shared visit to Yosemite was a college field trip as students at Stanford. Not long after, Pete proposed — well, pre-proposed — at the top of Yosemite Falls.

Since then, the Van Kurans have backpacked and skied throughout the park, completed the High Sierra Loop with their adult daughters, and shared their passion for Yosemite as dedicated Conservancy supporters who have joined the Conservancy’s John Muir Heritage and Legacy societies. Pete has also spent nine seasons as a Conservancy volunteer.

Today, more than 60 years after their first Yosemite experiences, Pete and Virginia still love spending time in the park — and now, they get to share their special place with a new generation of stewards: their grandchildren.

“We hope to be good role models for visitors, as they learn how to take care of the park and preserve it for the future.”

— PETE & VIRGINIA VAN KURAN Yosemite Conservancy Donors

ABOVE Virginia

TOP The Chens (Darwin, Adrienne, Bethany and Jessica) try to visit the park as a family at least once a year. On their early 2019 trip, they enjoyed spectacular winter scenery after a series of storms spread a snowy quilt over the Valley. ABOVE In 2018, Jessica Chen and her daughters took advantage of the Conservancy’s Custom Adventures program to learn from a knowledgeable naturalist guide during a personalized high country experience.

Making Yosemite Memories

A family tradition of visiting — and supporting — Yosemite

essica Chen has made many Yosemite memories over the years, from her first visit to the Valley at around age 6, to annual trips with her husband, Darwin, and their two daughters.

The Chens made their first donation to the Conservancy in 2010, inspired in part by the people who first introduced Jessica to the park: her grandparents. Growing up, Jessica saw how her grandparents’ philanthropy — including as Yosemite supporters — made a difference. Today, the Chens support the Conservancy’s overall mission as members of the John Muir Heritage Society, Sequoia Society and Legacy Society.

Giving back is at the heart of the Chens’ belief system. Like Jessica’s grandparents, she and her family are tapping into that generous spirit to ensure Yosemite memories for future generations to come.

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY

Magazine of Yosemite Conservancy, published twice a year.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Jennifer Miller

MANAGING EDITOR

Alexa Schneier

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Frank Dean Alexa Schneier

Gretchen Roecker

DESIGN

Eric Ball Design

STAFF :: San Francisco

Frank Dean, President & CEO

Jerry Edelbrock, Vice President & COO

Caitlin Allard, Major Gifts Officer – Northern California

Alison Dombroski, Campaign & Development Projects Manager

Edin Draper-Beard, Executive Affairs Manager

Laura Garland, Director of Accounting

Kevin Gay, Chief Financial Officer

Debra Holcomb, Planned Giving & Data Services Director

Marion Ingersoll, Development Director

Pongphat Kimpol, Data Services Assistant

Holly Kuehn, Development & Donor Services Assistant

Eryn Ligon, Data Services Analyst

Isabelle Luebbers, Annual Giving Director

Kelda McKinney, Events Manager

Jennifer Miller, Marketing & Communications Director

Laurie Peterson, Institutional Giving Officer

Gretchen Roecker, Senior Communications Manager

Alexa Schneier, Marketing Manager

STAFF :: Yosemite

Adonia Ripple, Director of Yosemite Operations

Kristen Anderson, Art Programs Manager

Greg Archer, Retail Accounting Coordinator

Nicole Brocchini, Museum Store Supervisor

Emily Brosk, Warehouse Coordinator

Kylie Chappell, Adventures Programs Manager

Katie Coit, Retail Operations Manager

Pete Devine, Resident Naturalist

Teresa Ellis, Sales Information Assistant

Schuyler Greenleaf, Projects Director

Ryan Kelly, Projects Manager

Olotumi Laizer, Valley Sales Supervisor

Mark Marschall, Volunteer Programs Manager

Cassie May, Program Coordinator, Adventures

Simon McIntosh, Volunteer Programs Coordinator

Madison Smith, Program Coordinator, Wholesale

Laura Spielman, Art Programs Coordinator

Shelly Stephens, Inventory Manager

Laurie Stowe, Wilderness Programs Manager

STAFF :: Pasadena

Patti Johns Eisenberg, Senior Major Gifts Officer

– Southern California & National

Spring.Summer 2019 :: Volume 10. Issue 01 ©2019

Federal Tax Identification No. 94-3058041

Ways to Give

THERE ARE MANY WAYS you and your organization can support the meaningful work of Yosemite Conservancy. We look forward to exploring these philanthropic opportunities with you.

CONTACT US

Visit yosemiteconservancy.org

Email info@yosemiteconservancy.org

Phone 415-434-1782

INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Development Director

Marion Ingersoll mingersoll@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x324

Annual Giving

Isabelle Luebbers iluebbers@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x313

Major Gifts – Northern California Caitlin Allard callard@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x318

Major Gifts – Southern California Patti Johns Eisenberg peisenberg@yosemiteconservancy.org 626-390-1503

FOUNDATIONS

& CORPORATIONS

Laurie Peterson

lpeterson@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x328

PLANNED GIVING & BEQUESTS

Debra Holcomb dholcomb@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x319

Mail

Yosemite Conservancy 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104 Fax 415-434-0745

HONOR & MEMORIAL GIFTS

Isabelle Luebbers iluebbers@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x313

GIFTS OF STOCK

Eryn Ligon stock@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x330

SEQUOIA SOCIETY MONTHLY GIVING

Isabelle Luebbers iluebbers@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x313

MATCHING GIFTS

Isabelle Luebbers iluebbers@yosemiteconservancy.org 415-434-8446 x313

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Mark Marschall mmarschall@yosemiteconservancy.org 209-379-2317 yosemiteconservancy.org/volunteer

Yosemite Conservancy

101 Montgomery Street, Suite 1700

San Francisco, CA 94104

Your Yosemite Legacy

Honor the park that is close to your heart with a legacy gift to Yosemite Conservancy, and help protect this special place for generations to come.

Naming Yosemite Conservancy as a beneficiary in your will, trust or bank account ensures the park remains well-preserved and accessible for future visitors. Your gift will become part of the legacy fund, which improves the park and makes meaningful work possible.

To find out how you can leave a legacy to Yosemite, contact Debra Holcomb at dholcomb@yosemiteconservancy.org or 415-434-8446 x319. yosemiteconservancy.org/plannedgiving