Rockfalls close Church Bowl area



 Two rockfalls occurred near the Church Bowl picnic area of Yosemite National Park on April 3 and 4. Following the falls, the National Park Service has instituted a hard closure for the eastern portion of the area. Both rockfalls happened at night, the first at 11:15 p.m. on April 3 and the second at 10:35 p.m. on April 4. The […]

Yosemite sees Easter and spring break visitor boost



Visitors to Yosemite National Park experienced some of the first waits of the season at entrance stations over the Easter holiday weekend. So far this year, Park visitation is up close to 20 percent over this time back in 2011. While most visitors make their way to the Park in motor vehicles, the high price of gas may make Yosemite’s […]

NOAA Reports Unprecedented March Warmth



State College, Pa. — 10 April 2012 — AccuWeather.com meteorologists report the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their March 2012 National Overview report today, confirming that March was more than just a month of scattered warmth — it shattered records across the U.S., becoming the only month ever recorded, except for January 2006, that had surpassed its record […]

Park unveils 150th anniversary logo



 Yosemite National Park will unveil the Yosemite Grant 150th anniversary logo on Thursday, April 12, at the Yosemite Gateway Partners meeting. The Park, in partnership with all of Yosemite’s communities and Park partners, is currently in the planning stages to commemorate the upcoming milestone anniversary.  June 30, 2014 marks the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant Act, in which President Abraham Lincoln […]

Mariposa history featured on public radio



For those citizens interested in a bit of Mariposa history, a fictional tale based upon fact will be broadcast Wednesday April 18, at 7 p.m. by Valley Public Radio, FM 89.3, as part of their Writer’s Read program. The story, in attempting to portray the lives and duties of schoolteachers at the turn of the 20th Century, has as its […]

Yosemite admission will be free April 21 through 29



Yosemite National Park will celebrate National Park Week and Earth Day from Saturday, April 21 through Sunday, April 29.   Many special events and activities are being sponsored by the National Park Service (NPS), DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. (the park’s primary concessioner) and the Ansel Adams Gallery. To help celebrate National Park Week and Earth Day, Secretary of the Interior Ken […]

Benson testifies for Ferguson fix



 The permanent fix of Highway 140 near the Ferguson Rock Slide is one step closer to fruition. Mariposa County Administrative Officer Rick Benson testified in the California State Assembly on Tuesday in favor of a bill that will allow the "incidental take" of limestone salamanders in the area. The bill, which relaxes the environmental restrictions of the project, was unanimously […]

Possible lodging cuts could hit TOT funding

MERCED RIVER PLAN NO. 3

 Yosemite managers are fine-tuning a plan to limit crowding and protect the Merced River from tourist trampling. When finalized later this year, the plan will likely reduce the number of visitor lodging units in Yosemite Valley. County officials are casting wary eyes at the proposed cuts—because they will reduce critical hotel-tax revenue. Four of five preliminary alternatives released last month […]

2012-04-05 E-Edition