A monthly recap of what we saw, heard and did in the park. Here’s what happened in April…
Arts in the park
What to do after a long day of hiking, picnicking and scenery-gazing in Yosemite Valley? Spend an evening at the Yosemite Theater, which opened for the season in early April! In addition to long-running audience favorites, our 2018 theater lineup includes a new show about Florence Hutchings. Though she lived for only 17 years, “Floy,” the daughter of entrepreneur James Mason Hutchings, etched her spirited character into park history. (All shows start at 7 pm.)
As stars took the stage in Yosemite Village, our art team celebrated the first few weeks of art workshops and studio sessions at Happy Isles Art and Nature Center. Participants made personalized mosaics, captured spring scenery in watercolor and acrylic, got creative with kid-friendly crafts, and more.
Thank you to our theater performers and volunteer art instructors for an incredible first month of arts in the park, and to everyone who has supported Yosemite by participating in our programs! Want to add a show or workshop to your Yosemite itinerary? Check out our 2018 theater and art schedules.
This black bear was spotted in a meadow near Crane Flat at the end of April, not far from a road. Stick to the speed limit to help keep bears and other wildlife safe in the park! Photo: Carolyn Botell
Where the wild lives are
As the snow melted and a delicate green palette pervaded lower elevations, animals grew more active — as did wildlife-watching humans! Black bears began emerging from their winter dormancy, groggily stretching their limbs and wandering from their dens.
This spring, summer and fall, bears will be active in Yosemite, searching for grasses, berries and acorns to eat. Humans will be active, too, driving to trailheads, cooking camp food, and hiking through forests and meadows. As you experience and explore your park, do your part to help protect bears: Drive slowly and alertly, store your food in bear-proof canisters or lockers, and keep your distance.
Birds burst into the spring spotlight in April, too. We spotted a wide range of avian species, including acorn woodpeckers, black-headed grosbeaks, Bullock’s orioles and American robins. Not sure where to start with bird-watching? Go with a guide! This spring, our naturalists are leading two-hour walks in Yosemite Valley, starting at 8:30am (birds) and 1:00 pm (plants). Monday walks start at Happy Isles; Wednesday and Friday walks start at the Valley Visitor Center.
We hope you can join our guides for a stroll this spring — or take a look at our upcoming Outdoor Adventures for more ways to learn about Yosemite flora and fauna with an expert.
Outdoor Adventurers joined one of our naturalist guides for a weekend of observing birds and wildflowers in Ackerson Meadow. Photo: Carolyn Botell
Early dogwood flowers brightened the scenery at Happy Isles in April. Photo: Lora Spielman
April showers and flowers
After a stormy March that brought late (but welcome) wintry weather to the park, April charged in with its own momentous meteorological event. Toward the beginning of the month, a warm atmospheric river flowed through the Sierra, bringing heavy rain to the Valley and snow-saturated high country.
The combination of rapid snowmelt and rain pushed the Merced River well above 13 feet. Water flooded roads and meadows — reaching a depth of 4 feet in some areas! — and the Valley closed temporarily for visitor safety. Our webcams offered a glimpse of the action, as Yosemite Falls roared and dark clouds churned around granite domes and peaks.
By the end of the month, showers had given way to flowers (in our photography, at least). Cheery apple blossoms, manzanita flowers, baby blue-eyes and graceful dogwood painted parts of the park in pastel, to the delight of our camera-toting team members.
As always, in Yosemite, the seasons don’t shift in a clear-cut way … snow reappeared in the Valley in mid-April (as evidenced in the main image above, taken from Turtleback Dome). Glacier Point Road reopened on the 28th, then closed again (temporarily) as another storm blew through. And on May 1, freshly frosted trees on Sentinel Dome gleamed in the morning sun.
Days for days
On World Book Day (celebrated annually on April 23), we highlighted some of the many books made possible by our publishing program.
We’re fans of celebrating the park and planet all year, but April always offers a few extra excuses to fete our favorite place. Last month, we marked Earth Day, Junior Ranger Day, National ParkRx Day and Arbor Day, to name a few. Find a Rainbow Day was the perfect occasion to take a look at colorful Yosemite photos, and World Book Day gave us the chance to highlight some of the many park- and nature-themed books our publishing team has produced over the years.
Many of April’s festive days coincided with National Park Week, which occurs annually around Earth Day. This year, we joined fellow park-lovers to shine a spotlight on #ParkStars, including donors and volunteers, researchers and restoration crews, wildlife and wild landscapes … and, of course, actual astronomical stars, which are wonderfully visible in Yosemite thanks to limited light pollution. (Read our “Park After Dark” post for inspiration to experience Yosemite’s dark night skies!)
Speaking of special days…
One of our team members celebrated her recent April birthday on a Conservancy Custom Adventure in Yosemite Valley. With her intrepid guide, ranger-naturalist Dick Ewart, she hiked the Yosemite Falls Trail to Columbia Rock and “Oh My Gosh” Point, took in the views from Old Big Oak Flat Road, and played in the lingering snow on Sentinel Dome. At one point, she ran into a group of students from UC Merced — and learned that their leader, a Yosemite park ranger, was an alumnus of two donor-supported youth programs: Adventure Risk Challenge and the Yosemite Leadership Program!
Coming up on our calendars: The start of the 2018 Ask a Climber program (brush up on climbing FAQs before the season starts); a grant-funded study focused on understanding how people move around the Valley (look for rangers handing out GPS units at entrance stations); opportunities to hone your skills in watercolor, charcoal and moonbow photography; a basket-weaving workshop with the legendary Julia Parker; and our first Half Dome trips of the season. Click here to learn about and register for our activities in the park — and remember, your participation supports Yosemite.
See you in the park, and thanks for reading!
Main image: April snow frosted Yosemite’s trees and granite. The view above was captured in the middle of the month near Turtleback Dome; the gray line snaking through the trees is Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy. 120). Photo: Carolyn Botell
