Lee Stetson performs as renowned naturalist in Yosemite, on PBS series

For anyone who has seen Lee Stetson's riveting portrayal of John Muir, the first American naturalist of renown, and founder and president of the Sierra Club, the fact may be lost that Stetson was himself a man with an accomplished life before the idea of bringing Muir onto the ...

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Striking foodie gold in California Gold Rush region

It's not as well known as Napa or Sonoma, but the Mother Lode region of Northern California along the western side of the Sierra Nevada is just as rich in scenery, food and wine.The natural beauty of this area stretching from Lake Tahoe south to Yosemite National Park is ...

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Yosemite National Park to Have 20% More Wildfires by 2050 - And They'll Be Stronger, Too

According to research published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, Yosemite is likely to see about a 20% increase in both the number of fires and the area of land which burns at high intensity, from 2020-2049.Read ...

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Yosemite National Park Gifted $5.8 Million

Yosemite National Park's meadows, trails and wildlife are better off thanks to a $5.8 million contribution by the nonprofit Yosemite Fund. Saturday a check was presented to Acting Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga at the Fund's Donor Day event in Wawona. Donors have paid for 56 projects so far this year to improve the Park. ...

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Snow closes two roads in Yosemite National Park

Park rangers say two popular routes through Yosemite National Park are closed for the second time this month because of snow and icy weather. Tioga Road, the highest elevation route through the Sierra Nevada, closed Monday to all traffic. Glacier Point Road, one of the park's popular sightseeing paths, is ...

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Half Dome cables down at Yosemite

The season is definitely changing at Yosemite National Park, where the Half Dome cables have been removed for the season, and where snow and ice are causing temporary road closures. The cables, which enable hikers to summit the majestic granite dome, are taken down each fall and replaced in the spring. ...

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Your minivan is one big pic-a-nic basket, say Yosemite's black bears

This just in: Bears (at least, Yosemite National Park's black bears) view your minivan as one big, delicious pic-a-nic basket. A new report in the Journal of Mammalogy has the details of data collected on bear-related vehicle break-ins -- more than 900 of them -- between 2001 and 2007 ...

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YARTS celebrates 10 years: Bus service makes trips to Yosemite National Park car-free

Recently, a group of 40-plus people gathered in front of the Visitor's Center in Yosemite National Park for a quiet yet much-deserved 10-year anniversary celebration of the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System."When we started 10 years ago, this had never been done," says Vikki Bauer, YARTS chairwoman of the ...

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Halloween at Yosemite National Park

Stop by Yosemite National Park on Halloween weekend for spooky crafts, creepy critters, and hikes under the stars! On Friday, October 30, join the Halloween History Stroll for a walk through the Yosemite Cemetery. A short walk among the headstones will help piece together the story of some of the ...

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Springville trio pushes through hardship to complete Sierra Nevada journey

It was an adventure as hair-raising as it was poignant and charitable.Jack McArthur still gives an audible shiver describing the boulder-strewn trails and gaping river canyons that stretched out before him and his friend this summer.Mike McGinnis, his buddy, said the terrain ahead of them in the Sierra Nevada ...

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Yosemite Ranger Uses Life Story To Reach Out To Latinos

Yosemite National Park sits on the edge of California's rural San Joaquin Valley, a farming region that's nearly 50 percent Latino. Yet few of the region's Latino residents ever visit the park.That's where Yosemite ranger Mauricio Escobar comes in, with an unusual job and a unique life story.You might ...

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Yosemite basket maker a living legend

Her hands are like the grand and timeless Yosemite Valley where she has lived the better part of 60 years. They are strong and steady, with the feel of permanence like the smooth granite faces of El Capitan and Half Dome.Her agile fingers still weave willow branches into masterful ...

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Half Dome Overlook gets a makeover at Yosemite

The park has announced the completion of a $800,000 rehabilitation of the Half Dome Overlook.The overlook, located on Big Oak Flat Road, is the first chance many visitors have to see Yosemite Valley's iconic features, such as Half Dome framed between the granite walls of El Capitan and the ...

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New plan for Merced River in Yosemite Park

A decade of litigation over the Merced River in Yosemite National Park ended Wednesday when the federal government agreed to completely rewrite a key management plan for the river.Under the agreement -- which was filed in U.S. District Court in Fresno -- the National Park Service will start from ...

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Yosemite park ranger, legend of John Muir star in Ken Burns' national parks documentary

Ken Burns was well along in making his much anticipated national parks documentary before he had the experience that for many crystallizes why the parks have such a hold on the American consciousness. He saw Yosemite for the first time. "I've never in my life felt the way I felt ...

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