Work together to preserve and protect Yosemite.
Yosemite gives to us. It’s only natural to give back. For all that we gain from gazing at the scenery, walking the trails — volunteering to keep her beauty seems the right thing to do.
Yosemite Conservancy Donor and Work Week Crew Volunteer
Join a dedicated community of Yosemite enthusiasts as you work together to preserve and protect the park. Our work crews are led by National Park Service rangers, in cooperation with Yosemite Conservancy, to improve habitats and trails throughout the park.
Projects have varying fitness levels, often requiring physically demanding work. Crews of up to 20 volunteers camp in the park and receive three hearty meals a day, as well as a commemorative T-shirt and hat. Participants generally work four days per week and are off on Friday. Our work week crews complete a variety of projects throughout the park. Find more information about this year’s priority projects below.
Our work week participation fee has increased from $325 to $375 for 2021, due to increased operational costs associated with COVID-19 precautions.
Yosemite is a dynamic place with unpredictable weather and natural conditions. While work week projects are planned to accomplish specific goals, they could be modified or canceled by the National Park Service at any time.
COVID-19 and the regulations put in place to stop the virus from spreading have presented many challenges for the work week program, mostly due to the remote setting and lack of sanitation infrastructure. Instead of canceling another year of valuable volunteer projects, the Conservancy has worked closely with the Yosemite Leadership Team, which includes public health officials, to create a condensed version of the work week program. This program will be open to all volunteers who were placed and then unable to participate in 2020 due to the pandemic.
This year, work week crews will spend 7 weeks working in Ackerson Meadow in groups of 10. The work will include removing invasive grasses, collecting seeds, surveying and repairing fence line, and collecting material for the dam project. The dam project includes performing maintenance to beaver dam analogs and erosion control along the stream banks and gullies to enhance the wetland and floodplain within the gully network. Learn more about Yosemite Conservancy’s 2021 pre-restoration effort in Ackerson Meadow.
Participation in 2021 work weeks has been reserved for those whose program was canceled in 2020; this year’s application will be sent to those eligible volunteers via email. We anticipate that restoration work in Ackerson Meadow will be a long-term volunteer project. Look for this and other volunteer work week opportunities in 2022!
Use your creative talents to lead Yosemite-focused art classes that inspire and educate visitors.
Build camaraderie with coworkers while supporting the park during a weekend of restoration work.
Spend a month sharing your Yosemite knowledge to help visitors navigate and enjoy the park.
Help Yosemite’s youngest visitors connect with the park through art during the summer season.
