A monthly recap of what we saw, heard and did in the park. Here’s what happened in March 2018…
This unofficial greeter welcomed people to Yosemite Valley during a March marked by late-winter snow storms. Photo: Carolyn Botell
Coming in like a lion (and staying that way)
After a relatively dry couple of months, the lion’s share of winter weather roared in at the tail end of the astronomical season. The Tuolumne winter rangers reported that 123 inches (over 10 feet!) of “Miracle March” snow fell in the high country; the storms even left the Valley coated in white, creating belated but beautiful winter-wonderland scenery.
All that precipitation helped reinvigorate the park’s waterfalls — to get a glimpse, check out the photo above (by Kelda McKinney), bookmark our Yosemite Falls webcam, and join us for a guided adventure this spring.
We’ve loved seeing park fans’ photos as spring slowly takes over from winter — don’t forget to share your Yosemite pictures from any season with us on Facebook, Instagram and Flickr!
A group of SCA interns is helping the park preserve historical images, including this 1967 photo taken near Upper Cathedral Lake. Photo: E.P. Menning, courtesy of NPS
At work in the archives
Many of the projects our donors support in Yosemite kick off in late spring, when the weather warms and animals are more active, but some work starts before winter slips away. This March, a group of Student Conservation Association interns joined the park’s historical preservation pros to start digitizing thousands of images from the Yosemite Research Library collection.
In addition to scanning and organizing the photographs to protect them for posterity, the SCA interns are helping identify public domain images to share on the National Park Service’s NPGallery site. We asked the interns to give us an inside look at their experience so far — stay tuned for the Q-and-A!
At this special San Francisco Zoo facility, experts from the zoo and the National Park Service are rearing California red-legged frogs, western pond turtles and other animals to give them the best chance of survival in the wild. Photo: Yosemite Conservancy
Frog field trip
For several years, our donors have been supporting efforts to restore Yosemite’s populations of California red-legged frogs and western pond turtles. One of our Bay Area-based staff members spent a drizzly March morning at the San Francisco Zoo conservation facility where dozens of the young frogs and turtles are being reared for future release in the Valley.
After admiring the animals’ terrestrial and aquatic habitats, she observed (and was duly impressed by) adroit amphibian experts, including two NPS biologists, as they microchipped dozens of frogs. The tiny PIT (passive integrated transponder) tags, which are about the size and shape of a grain of rice, help wildlife managers monitor released frogs.
Spring gathered
Toward the end of the month, Yosemite supporters from near and far came together in the Valley for our annual Spring Gathering event.
Funding for Yosemite’s future: a $12.5 million check representing our annual support to the park, made possible by our generous supporters! Photo: Yosemite Conservancy/Nancy Robbins
Per usual, the Saturday celebration was packed with programs: Participants practiced nature-journaling with Lora, our art program assistant (and former Yosemite Leadership Program intern); enjoyed walks and talks with naturalist and professional photographers; learned about rock-climbing, Preventive Search and Rescue, and park history; and got updates on projects their gifts are funding, including restoration efforts at Mariposa Grove and Bridalveil Fall.
Speaking of funding, our president and CEO, Frank Dean, presented Yosemite Superintendent Michael Reynolds with a $12.5 million check, representing the Conservancy’s annual support to the park. Thank you to everyone who makes that support possible, and to all who joined us for the festivities. (We’d love to see you at next year’s gathering — join our community of donors!)
Our art program team frolicked in fresh snow as they headed to Happy Isles. Photo: Yosemite Conservancy/Lora Spielman
Happy walks to Happy Isles
A fresh quilt of March snow didn’t stop the Conservancy’s talented two-person art team, Kristin and Lora, from heading to Happy Isles to finish up preparations for our 2018 season of artist-led workshops and drop-in Open Studio sessions.
This year’s schedule includes mosaics (April 2-7), watercolor, charcoal and graphite drawing, pastel, printmaking, scientific illustration, and much more.
March snow and rain revived waterfalls throughout the park, including Bridalveil Fall. Photo: Carolyn Botell
Coming up on our calendars: Guided trips galore, including casual backpacking excursions and adventures celebrating spring; the arrival of this year’s California Conservation Corps crews; and a few final touches on our May magazine — donate to get our semiannual publication in your mailbox!
See you in the park, and thanks for reading!
Main image: Yosemite Falls, March 2018, by Kelda McKinney
