Yosemite Conservancy

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Yosemite Conservancy We inspire people to support projects and programs that preserve Yosemite and enrich the visitor experience for all.

50+ years after the last Tribal village in Yosemite was intentionally destroyed, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation reclai...
10/12/2026

50+ years after the last Tribal village in Yosemite was intentionally destroyed, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation reclaimed a piece of home with the return of the village’s last remaining cabin – the Wilson Cabin.

On a crisp May morning in 2023, a wooden cabin made its way slowly through Yosemite Valley, perched atop a tractor trailer. Its windows are weathered by time, and its floorboards slant from prior relocations. But the cabin never left the Valley and was never forgotten by the people who once called it home.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, learn more about the Wilson Cabin’s return to Wahhoga in the article: https://goyose.org/47bUwdJ

10/09/2026

In this living history retelling, Ranger Brian Chavez portrays historic park naturalist George Melendez Wright as he recalls his time at Yosemite National Park.

George M. Wright was a key figure in Yosemite National Park’s history. He became an assistant park naturalist in Yosemite in 1927. While living in Yosemite Valley, he noticed an imbalance in the wildlife living there. Due to recent human intervention, deer were plentiful while cougars were scarce, non-native Tule elk dominated the population, and black bears were being fed by visitors as roadside entertainment.

To address this mismanagement and restore nature’s balance, he met with many people who lived on and used park lands, including Totuya (or Maria Lebrado), the granddaughter of Chief Tenaya and possibly the last person to have known Yosemite Valley before European contact. Able to communicate with each other in Spanish, Wright took her firsthand accounts of her people's management of the land to deepen his understanding of how humans and animals interacted with the landscape of Yosemite.

Through this work, Wright proposed (and helped fund) a first-of-its-kind wildlife biology plan for the national parks. He improved wildlife management in Yosemite Valley and later became the first division chief of the newly established Wildlife Division of the National Park Service.

Have you ever wondered where the idea for bear boxes came from? During the late 1920’s, black bears in Yosemite National...
10/07/2026

Have you ever wondered where the idea for bear boxes came from? During the late 1920’s, black bears in Yosemite National Park were often eating from dump sites, roaming through camps, sniffing out human food, and being exploited for our entertainment.

George Meléndez Wright recognized the disservice in this and pioneered the first wildlife biology plan, using his own money, for the National Park Service.

Joined by his colleagues Joseph Dixon and Ben Thompson, Wright compiled their enormous body of field research into a report, Fauna No. 1. This text was far ahead of its time being the first to recommend bear boxes to reduce human/bear conflicts, a practice not adapted until decades later!

Next time you store your ice chest full of delicious sandwich ingredients in your bear box and latch it closed, you can thank George Meléndez Wright for inspiring service-wide wildlife conservation!

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
Image: Moon rising over mountain landscape by Cara Wood Harris ()

Happy Rock-tober from everyone's favorite granite wonderland - Yosemite! As temperatures cool and leaves begin to change...
10/02/2026

Happy Rock-tober from everyone's favorite granite wonderland - Yosemite! As temperatures cool and leaves begin to change color, there is still an abundance of Conservancy programs to deepen your connection to the park.

Sunset and Stargazing programs are now on Fridays and Saturdays through November.

Art Classes at Happy Isles will continue until October 16 when Happy Isles Art & Nature Center closes for the season.

On National Mule Appreciation Day, October 26, Yosemite's mules will take over the Conservancy's social media for a day.

Learn more about Conservancy's programs in the park at https://goyose.org/4i2eCfx.

Happy Birthday Yosemite National Park! 🥳 🎂On October 1, 1890, Yosemite became the third official national park. 136 year...
10/01/2026

Happy Birthday Yosemite National Park! 🥳 🎂

On October 1, 1890, Yosemite became the third official national park. 136 years later, Yosemite remains one of the most beloved national parks in the world. What do you love the most about Yosemite?

“A park is a place where people from all walks of life can come together and find common ground.” - Frederick Law Olmsted

Yosemite brings people from across the globe together. Millions of people travel annually to seek awe in the majesty of nature. Whether we gather at Olmsted Point or Yosemite Falls, under the Grizzly Giant or in Parsons Memorial Lodge, the common ground of our national park, this shared space is ours collectively, to care for and steward for future generations.

Happy Birthday Yosemite National Park. Thank you for being here, for all of us. And thank you to all the stewards, past and present and future, who help the park to thrive.

Photos:
Joyful people posing at Olmsted Point by Keith Walklet
Hikers on the Mist Trail by Sabrina Claros
Visitors enjoying the Grizzly Giant by Gretchen Roecker
Crowd nestled in at the Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival at Parsons Memorial Lodge courtesy of NPS

09/30/2026

Happy forests need healthy fires. Welcome back to Yosemite Science! Marty Anderson, Conservancy Naturalist, is talking trees and pine bark beetles this week for the second part of our Fire Ecology series.

Marty explores why there are so many dead trees in Yosemite and how this issue can be resolved. Gentle Fires! The seven associated Tribes of Yosemite tended the landscape with cultural burning since time immemorial, until settlers put a stop to this practice and now we are learning from the repercussions of this choice. The park has reintroduced mechanical thinning and controlled burns to Yosemite, moving towards a healthier forest.

Do you have any burning questions about Yosemite? Let us know in the comments below!

Description: Flames of a controlled burn, a naturalist stands in a dead hallowed out tree, a video of tree tops, a naturalist standing infant of a dead tree, and a naturalists sitting on a downed log.

09/29/2026

Too many trees?! Welcome back to Yosemite Science! Marty Anderson, Conservancy Naturalist, has a burning question this week: Is there such thing as too many trees?

In Part One of this two part series Marty explores Fire Ecology in Yosemite. The seven associated Tribes of Yosemite had participated in controlled burning of the forest floor for centuries, until settlers put a stop to this practice and now we are learning from the repercussions of this choice.

Thanks in part to Conservancy donors, Tribal-led fire crews are bringing fire back to the landscape. Learn more about the Tribal crews in the article, Little Fires, Big Purpose: https://yosemite.org/little-fires-big-purpose/

Do you have any burning questions about Yosemite? Let us know in the comments below!

Description: A naturalist explores a dense forrest in Yosemite, a video of a controlled burn near El Capitan, a mossy forrest floor, a vintage photo of settlers on horses in front of Upper Yosemite Falls, a naturalists sitting on a downed tree.

09/25/2026

What do you look forward to in fall?

Seasons are changing in Yosemite. Earlier sunsets, pops of color, quieter trails, and yet, there is still the make glow of golden hour on the granite.

Deepen your connection with Yosemite through a Conservancy program this fall:
- Sunset walks with a Conservancy naturalist through October 10 yosemite.org/natualist-walks
- Art classes and retreats at Happy Isles Art and Nature Center through October 16: yosemite.org/art
- Explore Yosemite's Night Sky with stargazing through November 21: yosemite.org/stargazing

09/18/2026

Look who tagged along on a recent sunset walk!? Conservancy guide Paul Amstutz had the best time trading nature knowledge with pepper steps. What’s your favorite fun fact about Yosemite?

Want a guided naturalist experience just like Pepper Steps? Use code PEPPER for 50% off any sunset walk or stargazing program from now until the end of the year. Register online at yosemite.org/naturalist-walks.

Video by Pepper Steps.
Description: Pepper and Paul talk on a trail around a meadow in Yosemite Valley, they point to different plants, butterflies, and geologic features, gesturing playfully as they volley nature facts back and forth.

09/17/2026

Children's Book Giveaway: Nos gusta tanto este libro que queremos regalarlo. (Scroll down for English)

¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana de parte de Yosemite Conservancy! Para celebrar la herencia hispana en tierras públicas, Yosemite Conservancy regalará 15 copias de su primera publicación bilingüe: “Forest en Familia/El bosque en familia”, escrita por Cynthia Harmony y con ilustraciones de Renata Galindo.

La historia sigue a Emilia y su familia en un día compartido en el bosque. En cada rincón, hay sorpresas, deliciosos tamarindos y recuerdos familiares que crearon juntos, en la naturaleza.

Para participar del sorteo de El bosque en familia, debe seguir a Yosemite Conservancy y etiquetar en un comentario a un (1) amigo con quien le gustaría disfrutar de un día de El bosque en familia en Yosemite. Se podrá participar hasta las 11:59 p. m. (PST) del Día de las Tierras Públicas, el 26 de septiembre de 2026. Los ganadores se seleccionarán al azar, y recibirán una notificación la semana posterior. Solo se permite un ganador por grupo familiar. Exclusivo para residentes de EE. UU. Facebook no respalda ni patrocina este sorteo.

We love this book so much we’re giving it away! Happy Hispanic Heritage Month from Yosemite Conservancy! To celebrate Hispanic heritage in public lands, the Conservancy is giving away 15 copies of its first bilingual publication “Forest en Familia/El Bosque en Familia,” written by Cynthia Harmony and illustrated by Renata Galindo.

The story follows Emilia and her family on their Forest en Familia day. There are sorpresas around every corner, tasty tamarinds, and family memories made together in nature.

To enter the Forest en Familia Giveaway, follow Yosemite Conservancy and tag one (1) friend that you would love to Forest en Familia day with in Yosemite in a comment. Entries will be received until 11:59 PM PST on Public Lands Day, September 26, 2026. Winners will be selected at random and notified the following week.Only one winner per household, US residents only. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook.

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Yosemite Valley Visitor Center
Yosemite Village, CA
95389

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