A monthly recap of what we saw, heard and did in the park. Here’s what happened in April…
Curtains up!
The Yosemite Theater opened for the season on April 5. This spring’s lineup includes a pair of weekly live performances featuring Lee Stetson as John Muir, an inspiring film about the vertical world and climber Ron Kauk’s “return to balance,” and a behind-the-scenes look at life on Yosemite’s Search and Rescue team.
This summer, you can also catch “Yosemite Through the Eyes of a Buffalo Soldier,” starring ranger Shelton Johnson, and “Stephen Mather’s Best Ideas,” with reenactor Steve Hale portraying the first director of the National Park Service.
Keeping Yosemite wild
Early April brought the official launch of Yosemite’s new Keep Bears Wild website (KeepBearsWild.org). The site, developed with support from our donors, features a time-delayed “Bear Tracker” map and tips for protecting bears (and other wildlife).
From Keep Bears Wild, we’ll segue to Keep It Wild, the wilderness restoration program our donors have supported in Yosemite for nearly 30 years. April brought a fresh set of stats from the 2016 fieldwork, including these: Volunteers contributed more than 3,000 hours and helped survey more than 8,000 backcountry acres.
Many hands (and generous supporters) make a big difference in reversing human impacts in the wilderness. We’re looking forward to sharing updates from the 2017 season!
Treading lightly (and lyrically)
A group of Outdoor Adventure participants joined our resident naturalist for a weekend of backpacking and learning “Leave No Trace” practices for minimizing human impacts on the natural world. One adventurer even wrote a poem lauding the sixth principle of LNT:
If there is one thing that gives me the jitters,
It’s when people are cruel or careless with critters.
The bears in the woods and the squirrels in the weeds
All need us to help them take care of their needs.
Don’t bug them; don’t feed them; don’t try to catch ‘em.
And don’t go to hunt them with dogs that’ll fetch ‘em.
Respect their habitat and protect their existence:
Enjoy nature’s wildlife, but from a safe distance.
Caught on camera
Motion-activated cameras are a key tool in some of the wildlife research projects our donors support in Yosemite. This spring, remote cameras have offered glimpses at two mammalian study subjects.
River otters, a relative newcomer to Yosemite Valley, have made an appearance in images from cameras placed along the Merced as part of a project to study potential frog and turtle predators.
Meanwhile, motion-triggered snapshots from the park’s northern wilderness revealed a new detection of the rare Sierra Nevada red fox.
Celebrating our planet
On April 22, park visitors enjoyed a sunny (and fee-free) Saturday celebrating Earth Day in the Valley. The day’s festivities included creative crafts led by our Art Center coordinator and special Junior Ranger activities.
Speaking of extolling our planetary home, you’ll find plenty of praise-worthy sights (and sounds) in Yosemite this season. A mid-spring heat wave recently reminded us that summer isn’t too far off, but we’re still reveling in this verdant season – gaping at the gushing (and, quite literally, roaring) waterfalls, marveling at the lupine, redbud and dogwood brightening the banks of the Merced, and listening for the sweet songs of migratory birds returning.
Coming up on our calendars: Adventures in photography, geology and basketry; a series of painting classes at the Yosemite Art Center; and a warm welcome to our May Visitor Information Assistants, the monthlong volunteers who donate their time to help visitors make the most of their experience in the park.
See you in the park, and thanks for reading!
