Project overview: Provide support to NPS to ensure permanent staff can be hired to support research in Yosemite. Reduce the time, money, and energy spent on acquiring and training a new annual workforce each year, thereby maximizing limited resources for critical work to achieve park goals.

How your support helps: Extreme conditions in the past several years reflect the increased severity of climate change impacts: large, high-intensity fires; long-term hazardous smoke; extreme snowfall; and flooding. With less experience and training, temporary staff are deeply affected by these conditions. Additionally, a highly seasonal workforce strains supervisors because of long hiring processes, competition with other park needs for seasonal housing, and the need to provide training year after year.  

This project will fund two seasonal positions to support long-term Conservancy-funded work in ecological restoration and wildlife biology, coinciding with priorities identified in the strategic plan. Time spent on hiring, training, and staffing logistics will be reduced, and supported individuals will become a reliable, consistent part of the overall program that is continually evolving to best meet park needs. 

This year: Funding will offset labor costs of project-specific, Yosemite-funded proposals in 2024 and beyond to support long-term sustainable capacity for critical knowledge and skills within the Resources Management and Science department.

Project partners: Yosemite National Park