Project overview: Establish the groundwork and site maps for Tribal plant gatherings to uplift cultural practices and the inclusion of traditional ecological knowledge in Yosemite. 

How your support helps: The ancestors of people affiliated with the seven Tribes and nations of Yosemite National Park have relied on ancestral wisdom generated over millennia to care for the plants and animals of this place to sustain and grow their families, cultures, and spiritual beliefs. In 2016, the National Park Service Gathering Plant and Plant Parts by Federally Recognized Tribes regulation came into effect, requiring an environmental assessment to evaluate the potential impacts of the regulation on Yosemite’s environment.  

Previously, Yosemite Conservancy donors funded the completion of an in-house Traditional Plant Gathering Environmental Assessment, using a combination of National Park Service (NPS), Tribal, and contracting resources. Now, if the assessment is approved, Tribal representatives and NPS managers will discuss updates and outcomes of the permit process, begin planning the gathering process, and discuss the process of monitoring of traditional gathering area.  

This year: In 2025, a Scientists in Parks intern will be employed to work alongside Tribal representatives in creating a protected map of potential gathering locations, including work plans to mitigate potential gathering overlap. This map will assist Tribal gatherers in establishing gathering sites for multiple plants listed in the Traditional Plant Gathering Environmental Assessment submitted in 2024. 

Project partners: Seven Affiliated Tribes of Yosemite and Yosemite National Park 

Herbert Glazer

Bridgeport Indian Colony Tribal Chairman

Project Notes

“A thoughtful, well-crafted Tribal plant gathering plan would ensure Tribes have the opportunities to collect native plant material legally, sustainably and in a traditional manner that protects and enhances Tribal cultures and park resources.”