Implement rare species monitoring of bird and bat...
Project overview: Implement rare species monitoring of bird and bat communities, stewardship opportunities, and adaptive management at the Ackerson Meadow restoration site — the largest single wetland-restoration project in the history of the Sierra Nevada.
How your support helps: Prior to the donation of Ackerson Meadow to Yosemite National Park in 2016, the area was privately owned for over a century and suffered impacts from road building, logging, ranching, and more. The restoration of more than 100 years of manipulation is not a small feat, but the National Park Service and partners successfully restored Ackerson Meadow’s robust hydrology and functioning expansive wetlands — a project completed in 2024. This work was incredibly important for the benefit of threatened and endangered wildlife species, overall ecosystem diversity, water storage, and landscape resiliency.
The Ackerson Meadow restoration site now presents an enormous opportunity to learn about species’ response to restored landscapes. With your support, National Park Service biologists will continue to quantify responses of rare species — northwestern pond turtles, great gray owls, songbirds, bats, and vegetation communities — and analyze collected data against pre-restoration species’ behavioral data. This work finalizes the restoration and implementation of the Ackerson Meadow project and establishes a standard for similar projects throughout the Sierra Nevada.
This year: In 2026, teams will continue the success of the landmark restoration through new monitoring initiatives, stewardship actions, volunteer opportunities, and adaptive management. Funds will directly support National Park Service staff in assessing wildlife and rare plant responses to restoration and continuing invasive plant surveys and treatments. This project will also continue to offer deep and enriching volunteer and educational programs for people to connect with and learn about Yosemite.
Project partners: Yosemite National Park; American Rivers; National Park Foundation; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Stanislaus National Forest