Yosemite Conservancy support makes interpretive programs possible in Yosemite National Park/Yosemite Conservancy, Keith Walklet

Editor's note: The following article was written by Gretchen Roecker, senior communications manager at Yosemite Conservancy.

Every year, Yosemite Conservancy supporters help fund projects in the park to restore trails and habitat, protect wildlife, provide educational programs, and more. As you explore Yosemite in 2019, keep an eye out for grant-supported work underway throughout the park, from El Capitan Meadow to high peaks in the Cathedral Range.

Head out for a stroll: Whether you’re on a popular Valley trail or a less-traveled wilderness route, look for California Conservation Corps members working with the park’s trail experts to repair damage from winter storms and improve hiking terrain.

Make it a meadow day: In the valley and Tuolumne Meadows, restoration crews will be working to reinvigorate wetland ecosystems that support diverse plant and animal life. At other meadows in the park, you might come across avian researchers as they conduct a 30th year of songbird studies.

Peregrine falcons soaring through Yosemite Valley/NPS

Watch the walls: Look for peregrine falcons and bats swooping near the valley’s granite edges – and for the scientists who are studying those cliff-dwellers as part of grant-supported research. Other 2019 wildlife-focused projects will help biologists survey mountain lion populations, study a rare fox species, monitor endangered bighorn sheep, and restore populations of native amphibians.

Travel back in time: Several 2019 projects delve into Yosemite’s past. Visitors will be able to learn about American-Indian history in the valley; head to the Pioneer Yosemite History Center to explore the role Chinese laborers played in the park’s early years; and browse newly digitized images from the park archives online. 

Feed your curiosity: Wondering what it’s like to scale Yosemite’s big walls? Stop by the seasonal Ask a Climber station in El Capitan Meadow to chat with a climbing expert. Looking for seasonal safety tips before your hike? Talk to a Preventive Search and Rescue volunteer. Know some nature-loving kids? Help them connect with their surroundings through year-round Junior Ranger activities, one of several grant-funded youth programs in the park.

These and many other projects are made possible through the generous support of people who love Yosemite. Visit our website (yosemiteconservancy.org) to learn more about the 2019 grants and how you can get involved. See you in the park!