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Frequently Asked Questions |
Is the Yosemite Association (Y.A.) a government agency?
What is Y.A.'s relationship to the National Park Service in Yosemite?
How long has Y.A. been doing business?
What does Y.A. do with the money it earns?
How can I support the work of the Yosemite Association?
What is the difference between Y.A. and the Yosemite Fund?
What activities does Y.A. engage in?
Q: Is the Yosemite Association (Y.A.) a government agency?
A: No, Y.A. is a non-profit, charitable corporation, recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the code. It is administered by a sixteen-member volunteer board of trustees.
Y.A. was formed
to support Yosemite National Park and stimulate interest in the National Park
System; to cooperate with the National Park Service in developing interpretive,
educational, research, scientific and environmental programs; to encourage
scientific investigation and research upon matters relating to Yosemite and
the areas embraced by the National Park System; and to engage in the commercial
activities desirable and appropriate to attain the foregoing purposes.
Q: What is Y.A.'s relationship to the National Park Service in Yosemite?
A: Y.A. operates
in the park under a contract with the National Park Service to sell educational
materials and provide interpretive services. Known as a "cooperating
association," Y.A. is one of some 65 similar organizations throughout
the national park system.
A: Y.A. was founded in 1923 to accept a grant from the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial to build the Yosemite Museum. It was the first such organization in the national park system. Originally called the Yosemite Museum Association, the organization changed its name in 1925 to the Yosemite Natural History Association. In 1985, the corporation began doing business as the Yosemite Association, to reflect the expanded scope and importance of the association's activities.
Q: What does Y.A. do with the money it earns?
A: All year long, Y.A. supports National Park Service programs in education, research, wilderness operations, and resources management. We also provide in-kind information services and make other donations that benefit Yosemite. In 2003, the value of our various contributions amounted to over $400,000.
Q: How can I support the work of the Yosemite Association?
A: By becoming a member of Y.A., by purchasing our publications and other products, by participating in our Yosemite Outdoor Adventure courses and other events, by donating to our efforts, by making a bequest to Y.A. in your will, and by volunteering your time.
Q: What is the difference between Y.A. and the Yosemite Fund?
A: The Yosemite Fund's mission is to raise money for projects that restore or enhance the natural conditions in Yosemite or improve visitor facilities. Y.A. created the Yosemite Fund in 1985 as a special fundraising organization for projects outside the educational realm. Now a separate non-profit group based in San Francisco, the Yosemite Fund supports programs that fall into the following categories: habitat preservation and restoration, endangered species and wildlife conservation, scientific research, trail repair and handicapped access, and cultural and historic preservation.
Yosemite National Park benefits immensely from the work of both the Yosemite Association and the Yosemite Fund, and we encourage everyone to support both organizations.
Q: What activities does Y.A. engage in?
A: Y.A. publishes educational materials about Yosemite, including guidebooks, self-guiding brochures, maps, junior ranger materials, and more. Through our ten stores inside and outside the park (including a small outlet at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport), Y.A. sells general literature about Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada, and markets over 60 products that it has produced, many of which have received design and publishing awards. The bulk of Y.A.'s revenues comes from sales, both retail and wholesale, locally and throughout the world.
A membership organization, Y.A. is supported by over 9,000 members, who aid in our work through their dues and by volunteering their time. The membership represents an important constituency for the park and is kept informed by Y. A. about issues pending in Yosemite. Members receive a number of benefits including a quarterly journal, Yosemite, an electronic newsletter via e-mail, discounts on publications, lodging, and outdoor courses, and opportunities to participate in special events.
Since 1971, the Association has put on a variety of field courses (now called Yosemite Outdoor Adventures) to help people gain a better knowledge of Yosemite's natural and human history. Hundreds of individuals from throughout the U.S. and beyond have participated in seminars ranging from watercolor workshops to studies of Yosemite's forests, bird migration, and geology presented by experienced and knowledgeable instructors.
Additionally, the Association handles backcountry reservations at Yosemite's Wilderness Center, provides bear-resistant food canister rentals for backpackers, maintains an Internet store (http://yosemitestore.com), cooperates in the Art Activity Center, and operates a ski hut for cross-country skiers in the backcountry during winter.
Y.A. also cooperates with the U.S. Forest Service in operating an information station and bookstore at the Groveland Ranger Station in Stanislaus National Forest, and with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at the New Melones Dam visitor center.
For answers to
any other questions, please contact us at P.O. Box 230, El Portal, CA 95318,
call (209) 379-2646, or send us e-mail.