The National Park Service plans for a warmer, drier future but record drought in the Southwest shows there’s no time to spare. National Parks Traveler is producing a multi-part series of articles this summer exploring the effects of climate change on the National Park System’s landscapes, wildlife, economics, and planning.
Recent thunderstorms that developed over Yosemite National Park sparked at least 17 wildfires, according to park staff, with three having been suppressed while the others were being allowed to burn for resource benefits.
A brutal heat wave, coupled with a long-running drought, has many national parks in the Western half of the country enduring broiling temperatures and increased fire danger. Temperatures Wednesday at Death Valley National Park could reach 128 degrees at Furnace Creek, the National Park Service said, while fire danger at Grand Teton National Park inched up to "high."
Yosemite National Park is proposing a fee increase for overnight camping to enable the park to keep up with the rising costs of campground operations. Increased revenue from campground fees will enable the park to better maintain facilities, enhance visitor services, and provide for better resource protection.
Yosemite National Park is one of the jewels in the crown of the National Park System. It has soaring walls of granite, feathery waterfalls, and high country that takes you into a transformative realm of nature.
"Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more."
Though the coronavirus pandemic limited some national park visitation last year, and adversely impacted many charitable organizations that provide funding to parks, the Yosemite Conservancy was able to provide $11.5 million to Yosemite National Park for projects this year.
"First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more."
Science, interpretation, and resource management are among the areas in the National Park System that have taken hits from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study of how park operations across the country were affected by Covid-19.