Project overview: Combat nearly a century of sediment deprivation and water loss in Tuolumne Meadows and protect local biodiversity and water quality by removing the remnants of a 1930s gravel mining area located directly upstream of the meadows.

How your support helps: The construction of Tioga Road, and subsequent paving in the 1930s officially connected Yosemite National Park’s eastern and western boundaries, opening the door for visitors to explore and find appreciation of the High Sierra. At the same time, the road’s completion left behind remnants of construction — including the Tioga Gravel Pit that was used to excavate gravel for the road’s construction. 

For nearly a century, this unrestored gravel pit has quietly altered the health of Tuolumne meadows, trapping sediment that the river needs downstream. Without these natural sediment building blocks, the river has carved deeper into its channel, lowering groundwater and slowly drying out one of Yosemite’s most treasured landscapes. Today, that stress is visible: wetlands are shrinking, the river is unable to spill into the meadows as it once could, and the wildlife that depend on these habitats are compromised. 

To help Tuolumne heal, Yosemite Conservancy donors are teaming up with the National Park Service, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, American Rivers, and leading scientists to decommission the mining area and reconnect natural sediment flows in Tuolumne River. In doing so, we can help Tuolumne Meadows regain its sponge-like soils, revive its wetlands, and accelerate progress toward a healthier river system across Yosemite. 

This year: In 2026, this project will support a healthy Tuolumne — protecting drinking water for more than two million people while improving habitat for rare species. Thanks to Conservancy donors, the project will also enable partnership between the National Park Service, Yosemite Conservancy, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, American Rivers, and leading scientists. Together we will finalize the Tioga Gravel Pit restoration pre-planning phase through a multi-party agreement, creation of compliance ready-alternatives, and drafting of schematic designs for the preferred alternative. The project is expected to return the site to its natural contours within several yars, at which point the landscape’s natural processes will take over and guide the ecosystem’s long-term recovery.

Project partner: Yosemite National Park