National Parks Traveler

About Yosemite Conservancy

In 1923, the Yosemite Museum Association became the first nonprofit cooperating association in the National Park Service. The Association, which formed to manage the creation of a museum in Yosemite National Park, set the stage for other NPS partner groups, and lives on nearly a century later as Yosemite Conservancy. 

Today, the Conservancy draws on an enduring partnership with the NPS, and the support of people who love the park, to pursue our mission of supporting projects and programs that preserve Yosemite and enrich visitor experiences for all. Our staff, donors, program participants and volunteers help ensure a bright future for Yosemite, home to millennia of human history and to breathtaking beauty that helped inspire the national park idea. 

Funding High-Priority Projects

The Conservancy funds grants to Yosemite to restore trails and habitat, study and protect wildlife, conduct research, preserve and share park history, and provide high-quality visitor services. So far, that support has added up to over $140 million in grants for more than 700 projects. 

The Yosemite Conservancy provided $20 million to help pay for the restoration of the Mariposa Grove that was completed in 2018/©Yosemite Conservancy, Gretchen Roecker

Those grants, made possible through support from generous individuals and institutions, have funded repairs on trails throughout the park; renovations of classic overlooks such as Tunnel View and Olmsted Point; and the revitalization of Mariposa Grove. With donors’ support, our partners in the park have reintroduced bighorn sheep, studied vanishing glaciers, protected black bears, provided educational programs for tens of thousands of visitors, and much more. 

In 2021, your support can help fund more than 40 projects in Yosemite, including efforts to study Pacific fishers and rare red foxes, save sequoias and black oaks, celebrate the legacy of artist Chiura Obata, keep visitors safe through Preventive Search and Rescue, and inspire the next generation of public lands leaders. Other major, ongoing Conservancy-supported projects include restoring the area around the base of Bridalveil Fall and creating a new Welcome Center in Yosemite Village.

Funding from the Yosemite Conservancy helps fund wildlife research in the park/NPS

Experience Yosemite

A big part of the Conservancy’s mission-driven work is devoted to providing enriching visitor experiences — and we’re passionate about helping people experience the park in meaningful, memorable ways. 

If you’re in Yosemite during the summer, you might spot Conservancy volunteers pitching in on restoration projects, sharing safety tips on the Mist Trail, or answering visitors’ questions. We’re grateful to our volunteers for donating their time and talents to help the park! 

Our year-round Outdoor Adventures, led by experienced naturalist guides, invite people to get to know Yosemite on day hikes, snowshoe walks, birding weekends, backpacking trips, and more. For 2021, we’re offering a series of Yosemite Field School courses that offer an in-depth exploration of topics such as geology, climate change and alpine ecology. 

Through the Yosemite Conservancy visitors can explore various areas of the park, such as Clouds Rest/Jon Paul Salonen

From April through October, visitors can join the Conservancy’s weekday outdoor art classes in Yosemite Valley. Whether working with watercolor, pastel or any other medium, making art in the park is a great way to slow down and see your surroundings from a fresh perspective. We also offer private, personalized adventure and art programs in any season for individuals and groups. 

Heading into the backcountry? The Conservancy team helps manage Yosemite’s wilderness permit system and bear-proof canister rentals, as well as the historic Ostrander Ski Hut.