The Yosemite Fund is seeking $1 million for youth programs to cultivate future park stewards through hands-on experience in Yosemite National Park.

“These programs build knowledge, leadership skills and a love for the outdoors,” said Mike Tollefson, president of the nonprofit Yosemite Fund. “In many cases, youth work side by side with National Park Service employees doing projects that preserve, protect and improve the park. Amid Yosemite’s grandeur, young lives are changed.”

Donations will fund a variety of programs in 2010 for children and young adults.

Crews with the California Conservation Corps (CCC), a program for young adults in their late teens and early 20s, will repair several front country trails and more than 60 miles of backcountry trails.

Look for complete details in the next edition of the Mariposa Gazette.