Tag Archives: Yosemite

Local News

YOSEMITE VISITORS SPENDING

Visitor spending supports 7883 jobs in local economy

Posted by Seth Conners

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 5,028,868 visitors to Yosemite National Park in 2016 spent $520,629,100 in communities near the park. That spending supported 7883 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $686,339,500.

According to a press release from NPS “Yosemite National Park welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Acting Superintendent Chip Jenkins. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning more than $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”

Gateway communities along the Highway 120, Highway 140, and Highway 41 corridors provide a wide variety of recreational opportunities and services to help meet the diverse interests and needs of the over 5 million visitors who travel to Yosemite National Park. “We are a proud partner of the Yosemite Gateway communities and the many small businesses that provide services for visitors traveling to Yosemite National Park throughout the year.”

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service.  The report shows $18.4 billion of direct spending by 331 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 318,000 jobs nationally; 271,544 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $34.9 billion.

According to the 2016 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.2 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.2 percent), gas and oil (11.7 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent), souvenirs and other expenses (9.7 percent), local transportation (7.4 percent), and camping fees (2.5%).

 

Report authors this year produced an interactive tool. Users can explore current year visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: go.nps.gov/vse.

The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.

To learn more about national parks in California and how the National Park Service works with California communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/california.

Local News

FREE ENTRANCE AT YOSEMITE

Yosemite National Park to waive entrance fees on the weekends of National Park Week.

Posted by Seth Conners

According to Jamie Richards from yosemite, Yosemite National Park will waive park entrance fees on the weekends of National Park Week, Saturday and Sunday, April 15 – 16 and April 22-23, 2017. National Park Week is a week-long celebration of our National Parks celebrated at National Park Service sites across the United States.

Fees being waived for the weekends of National Park Week include the park entrance only. All other fees associated with camping, lodging, or activities within the park are not waived.

April is a busy time to visit Yosemite National Park. Visitors are encouraged to plan their trips in advance and arrive to the park before 9:00 am. Parking areas throughout the park are expected to fill early in the day. Visitor parking will be available at the Yosemite Falls Day Parking Area, located near Yosemite Lodge and Camp 4, and at Half Dome Village. Visitors are encouraged to park and utilize the free park shuttle to get to the Yosemite Valley Village and Visitor Center.

Public transportation is a wonderful way to visit Yosemite Valley. YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) buses run multiple times daily and provide visitors with a safe and convenient way to visit the park. For more information and helpful travel tips, visit the following websites:

www.nps.gov/yose

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm.

www.YARTS.com

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200, press 1 and press 1 again.

Local News

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY

Yosemite Conservancy provides $12 million dollars to Yosemite National Park

Posted by Seth Conners

According to Scott Gediman from Yosemite, Yosemite Conservancy is providing $12 million in support to Yosemite National Park for 34 projects in 2017 including building a new trail to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias along a historic stage-coach route, restoring bee, butterfly and hummingbird habitat, and studying species in Ackerson Meadow, the newest area of the park.

 

“Incredible work is being done in Yosemite to protect habitat and wildlife and to make it an even better experience for visitors through our successful partnership with Yosemite National Park,” said Frank Dean, Yosemite Conservancy president. “Gifts from Yosemite Conservancy donors make this important work possible.” In recent years, the Conservancy has funded 570 completed projects with more than $113 million in grants.

 

“Yosemite Conservancy’s generous support provides ways for us to protect and learn more about the park’s natural environment so we can be even better stewards of this national treasure,” said Yosemite National Park Acting Superintendent Chip Jenkins.

 

In 2017, funding is going toward a variety of grants. One grant is funding a new trail to be built from the park’s South Entrance to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Crews will begin converting remnants of the historic Washburn Road, which was built in 1879 as a stage-coach route from Wawona to the Grove, into a trail by building creek-crossing bridges, constructing a new picnic area and repairing walls made by 19th-century Chinese laborers. The new trail is scheduled to open in 2018. Funding for the trail is in addition to the $20 million provided by Conservancy donors as part of a $40 million project to restore the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Yosemite National Park is providing $20 million in support for the restoration project. The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is expected to reopen to the public this fall.

 

Among the research projects funded is a study of Monarch butterflies, one of the most prolific international migratory animals, and now a candidate for the Endangered Species List, and other pollinators to help determine why their numbers are declining. Funding also will restore bee, hummingbird, butterfly and other pollinators’ meadow habitat in the park that is losing ground to invasive grasses, meadow fragmentation and other factors. Yosemite is a refuge for pollinators, which play an essential role in healthy ecosystems but are experiencing worldwide declines due to habitat loss. As part of a multi-year project, scientists will release more Western pond turtles and red-legged frogs in Yosemite Valley and additional yellow-legged frog populations at alpine lakes to aid efforts to restore those species. Another grant will study species like the great gray owl and willow flycatcher in 400-acre Ackerson Meadow, which became part of Yosemite in 2016 with major support by Yosemite Conservancy donors.

 

The Conservancy’s arts, cultural and theater programs forge deeper connections with park visitors of all ages to create lasting memories and encourage life-long stewardship. Dozens of accomplished artists teach Yosemite Conservancy’s art workshops. Yosemite Theater performances at the Valley Visitor Center entertain and educate visitors from around the world. Sales from Conservancy bookstores, which sell items like trail maps and educational books and videos, are poured back into Yosemite. At park Wilderness Centers, Conservancy staff provides bear canister rentals and backcountry permits. Yosemite Conservancy Outdoor Adventure programs are a unique way to see, learn about and experience the park, and inspire people to care for one of the world’s natural treasures.

 

Learn more at yosemiteconservancy.org or call 1-415-434-1782.

Photo provided by Yosemite Conservancy

 

Local News

YOSEMITE ROADS

Yosemite National Park working to repair Big Oak Flat Road.

Posted by Seth Conners

According to Jamie Richards from Yosemite, Yosemite National Park is moving forward with repairs to the damaged Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 West) leading to Yosemite Valley. Severe storms have impacted the road and it continues to be unsafe for vehicular travel, and has been closed since late February. The Federal Highways Administration has selected a contractor to repair the road. Work is expected to begin next week.

Significant rain and snow this winter has saturated the soils, resulting in movement under the road bed. This soil movement has caused a large fissure to form in the roadway that has resulted in both lanes of traffic being unsafe for vehicles. Soils under the road continue to move, causing further damage. Over 100 feet of road, near the Big Meadow Overlook, has been impacted by this fissure. There is no estimated date for the road to reopen.

“We fully understand that this is a major impact to park visitors and businesses along the highway corridor,” stated Yosemite National Park Acting Superintendent Woody Smeck. “We are working as quickly as we can to get the road reopened safely.”

Visitors are still able to visit Yosemite National Park via the Big Oak Flat entrance. Crane Flat and the Merced and Tuolumne Groves of Giant Sequoias are accessible and open. The park has waived the entrance fee for visitors entering the park via Highway 120.     

The Wawona Road (Highway 41) is currently open within Yosemite National Park. However, visitors traveling to the park from the south will not be able to access Yosemite National Park, on Highway 41, due to road damage on the highway in Fish Camp, just south of the park’s entrance. Caltrans is working on road repairs. Please check with Caltrans for current road conditions. http://www.dot.ca. gov/

Highway 140 (El Portal Road) remains open and clear for all vehicular traffic and is the only access to Yosemite Valley, the Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, and Wawona. Visitors traveling on this road are urged to drive slowly and be aware of rocks and debris on the road.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200 and press 1.

Local News

BUSY WEEKEND EXPECTED IN YOSEMITE

Heavy traffic expected in Yosemite this weekend

June 30, 2016
by Seth Conners

If travelers arrive at any of the Yosemite National  Park entrances this weekend they can expect delays of up to two hours.  According to park officials parking and traffic are expected to be especially challenging this weekend and travelers in the park should plan accordingly.  The park has added 300 new parking space to suppress some of the problems experienced in the past, however delays are still expected during peak hours.  The park strongly urges travelers to arrive very early to avoid some of the problems created by excessive traffic.
Park visitors are strongly encouraged to utilized the free shuttle busses in Yosemite Valley that has been recently expanded to reach as far El Capitan Meadow and Bridleveil Falls.  These busses use HOV transit lanes which are far more efficient than normal traffic lanes.

Fourth of July Weekend, Yosemite, free shuttle, independence day, national parks, el capitan
Photo by Gary Young Photography
Community News, Local News

Bighorn Sheep back in Yosemite

Endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Restored to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks

The Recently Completed Cooperative Effort Included California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A multi-agency operation was recently concluded that returned two herds of endangered bighorn sheep to locations in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.  The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks, Inyo National Forest, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, worked together on the complex operation in the Sierra Nevada.
Between March 26 and March 29, 2015, nine ewes (females) and three rams (males) were moved from the Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Park to the Cathedral Range in Yosemite National Park. In addition, seven ewes were moved to the Laurel Creek area of Sequoia National Park; the CDFW will attempt to move an additional three rams to that area on March 30.

The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep is the only federally endangered mammal in Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon.  This animal was listed in 2000 after the population plunged to a low of about 100 individuals.  The population has since increased to over 600, which marks an important milestone towards their recovery.  Prior to the arrival of western settlers, which brought unregulated hunting and diseases in their livestock, bighorn sheep populations likely numbered in the thousands.

This latest chapter in the multi-year recovery effort involved the capture of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep in wilderness areas on these federally managed lands.  CDFW staff and volunteers, as well as veterinarians, biologists, and staff from other agencies, assessed the health and safety of the animals throughout the entire process.  Each animal was fitted with a radio collar and a Global Positioning System (GPS) collar in order to track its movements over the next several years.

The newly released bighorn sheep are expected to thrive in their new homes because both of these historically occupied areas have superb summer habitat with adequate forage, are close enough to other Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep to provide the potential for connectivity among herds, and are far enough from most domestic sheep grazing areas to provide a buffer from potential disease transmission.

“This is a legacy event for Yosemite National Park and the bighorn sheep,” said Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park Superintendent.  “Additionally, this is one of the Signature Centennial projects for the National Park Service and we are ecstatic to see bighorn sheep in the Cathedral Range for the first time in more than 100 years.”  “This project would not have been possible without the leadership of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and strong interagency cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Woody Smeck, Superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
“With this week’s reintroductions, we now have bighorn distributed throughout all geographic areas identified as critical habitat in the Recovery Plan,” said Tom Stephenson, leader of the Recovery Program with CDFW.
Yosemite Conservancy funded equipment and experts to bring the new herd into Yosemite National Park, as well as the GPS collars to track the animals’ movement and location.  Over the past 20 years, Yosemite Conservancy has funded nearly $630,000 to help protect bighorn sheep by supporting research, translocation efforts, radio and GPS collars.  The Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation and the Wild Sheep Foundation funded the translocation into Sequoia National Park.
“Bighorn sheep are a true symbol of wilderness and represent the need to protect wild lands,” said Frank Dean, Yosemite Conservancy President.  “With the reintroduction, visitors will experience a wilderness similar to that found in the days of John Muir, when large alpine wildlife was abundant.”
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are well known for their large size, strength, and ability to negotiate precipitous terrain.  Adult males, called rams, stand over three feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 220 pounds; females, called ewes, weigh up to 155 pounds.  Both rams and ewes have permanent horns; rams’ horns are massive and coiled, whereas ewes’ horns are shorter with less curvature.  Bighorn sheep display a range of body coloration, from dark brown to almost white, and have a large white rump patch and a short, dark tail.  Rams live to be 10 to 12 years old, and ewes live to be 12 to 17 years old.  During breeding season (rut), bighorn rams compete for their right to mate with ewes.  Dominance behavior includes kicking, butting, neck wrestling, and dramatic horn clashes that sound like thunder.  Breeding generally takes place in November.  Starting at two years old, ewes give birth to one lamb between late April and mid-June.  Mothers typically wean their lambs by five months of age.  The lambs become independent of their mothers when they are about one year old.

Yosemite Conservancy/Steve Bumgardner.
Yosemite Conservancy/Steve Bumgardner.

Sheep_CFW_gopro2_still (1)

Sheep_on_landscape

all photos by Yosemite Conservancy/Steve Bumgardner.

yosemite, eastern sierra news, bighorn sheep
Community News, Local News

Glacier Point opening, no word on Tioga

Glacier Point Road opening Saturday

Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park to Open Tomorrow, Saturday, March 28, 2015

The Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park will open for the season to automobile traffic tomorrow, Saturday, March 28, 2015, at 6:00 a.m.  All visitor services at Glacier Point will be fully operational.  The Bridalveil Creek Campground will open within the next several weeks.

Visitors are urged to drive slowly and with caution, as wildlife may be present on or near the roadway.

The Tioga Road, the popular east-west crossing of the Sierra Nevada in the northern portion of Yosemite, remains closed at this time.  Currently, there is no anticipated opening date for the Tioga Road.

For up to date, 24 hour road and weather information, please call 209-372-0200.

tioga road, yosemite, eastern sierra news
Local News

Yosemite Road Work

Three Transportation Projects Underway in Yosemite National Park

The effort includes work on the Tioga Road corridor.

Yosemite National Park initiates one transportation project and concludes two others that will improve parking, road conditions, and traffic flow in the park. The projects will provide additional parking in Yosemite Valley, improve restrooms and reorganize the Tuolumne Grove parking area, and repair and maintain portions of the Tioga Road.  The projects are slated to be completed by Memorial Day, 2015.

Improvements to the parking area at Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias began in September 2014.  Currently, the grove, trail, and parking lot are open to the public.  The project entails improvements to the restrooms, new interpretive signs, a designated bus drop-off location, an improved picnic area, and better organized parking.  

In June of 2014, the park began a multi-phased maintenance project to repair the Tioga Road corridor, the park’s east-to-west highway that connects Groveland and Lee Vining.  The primary rehabilitation work involved a 15 mile segment from the Crane Flat intersection to just east of the White Wolf Campground.  The construction work includes improvements to culverts, grading, pavement resurfacing, new signage, and road striping.

This month, the park will begin the first phase of improvements to the Yosemite Lodge parking area in Yosemite Valley.  The completed project will include an expanded parking area just west of Yosemite Lodge.  The additional spaces will help to improve traffic flow in Yosemite Valley by parking vehicles west of Lower Yosemite Falls.  A future phase will include the installation of permanent bathroom facilities.

COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, snow plow clearing Tioga road, file photo, clearly not this year…there is no snow this year.

mono county, yosemite, eastern sierra news
Local News

Yosemite National Park Possible Fee Increase for 2015

Yosemite News Release
October 20, 2014
For Immediate Release

Yosemite National Park Proposes Entrance Fee and Campground Fee Increase

30 Day Public Engagement Period Begins Today 

Yosemite National Park is proposing to increase entrance fees into the park.  The single vehicle entrance fee would change from $20 to $30 for a seven day pass.  The park’s annual pass would increase from $40 to $60.  The current rate of $10 per individual or motorcycle would increase to $15 for an individual and $25 per motorcycle.  Interagency Passes, which are honored at all federally managed land units, are not affected by the proposed fee increase and will remain at $80 for the regular pass, $10 for the Senior Pass and free for the Access and Military passes.  The current park entrance fees have been in place since 1997, when a seven day pass was increased from $5 to $20 per vehicle.  According to the U.S. Bureau of labor and Statistics, $20 in 1997 is equivalent to $29.64 in 2014.  This fee change will allow Yosemite to maintain consistent revenue while adjusting accordingly for inflation.
The additional revenue from the fee increase will be used to enhance visitor services, including repair and maintenance of park facilities, restoration and rehabilitation of visitor service buildings, additional park programs and transportation services, and increase resource protection.
Yosemite National Park is also evaluating current campground rates to determine if camping fees are adequate to sustain campground operations.  The current campground rates have been in place since 2006 and range between $5 per night to $20 per night for family sites and $40 per night for group sites.  The park is proposing to raise camping fees with fees ranging from $6 per night to $24 per night for family sites and $48 per night for group sites.  The park will utilize comparable campground rates and public feedback to determine if an adjustment to campground fees is warranted.
A 30-day public engagement period on the proposed fee increase is open today, Monday, October 20, 2014 through Thursday, November 20, 2014.  Feedback will be accepted via email at: yose_planning@nps.gov and via U.S. Mail at: Superintendent Attention Proposed Fee Increase P.O.  Box 577 Yosemite, CA 95389.  The public is also invited to an open house in the Yosemite Valley Auditorium, located behind the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., which will include public engagement.
The new fees could be implemented in early 2015.  However, the implementation schedule may vary based on the results of civic engagement.  The park will develop an implementation schedule that supports local communities and interested stakeholders.
The park is a strong economic engine for the region and local communities.  Previous fee increases have had no negative effect on visitation levels.  This fee increase is part of a larger National Park Service initiative to standardize fees in similar national parks across the country.
-NPS-
Yosemite National Park / National Park Service / Yosemite / Fee Increase / Entrance Fee / Campground Fee