Conservation of Yosemite Valley
The Conservation of Yosemite Valley is a vital aspect of preserving the natural beauty and ecological integrity of this iconic location within Yosemite National Park, situated in east-central California. Originally designated as a state reserve in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln, Yosemite Valley represented a pioneering effort in the conservation movement, which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the national park system. Despite initial protections, the valley faced significant commercial exploitation, prompting early conservationists like John Muir to advocate for further safeguarding of its landscapes.
Muir's activism led to the expansion of protections in 1890, when federal recognition was granted to surrounding high country, and ultimately to the transfer of Yosemite Valley itself to federal jurisdiction in 1906, consolidating it within Yosemite National Park. Over the years, the park has grappled with challenges such as environmental impacts from tourism and the consequences of legislative decisions like the flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley for municipal water supply. The ongoing conservation efforts are complicated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which strained resources and delayed crucial preservation activities. Recent initiatives, including the Ackerson Meadow Restoration project, reflect the continuing commitment to addressing ecological issues and enhancing the park's natural habitats for future generations.
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Conservation of Yosemite Valley
IDENTIFICATION: Scenic valley of the Merced River located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in east-central California
The Yosemite Valley was part of the first reserve set aside by the United States as an area to be preserved for future generations, a concept that soon thereafter led to the establishment of a national park system.
White Americans first entered Yosemite Valley in 1851 during conflicts between California gold miners and local Native Americans. In 1864, after lobbying by early conservationists, US president Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Grant, which gave Yosemite Valley and an area a few miles to the south called Mariposa Big Tree Grove—15,900 hectares (39,200 acres) of federal land in all—to the state of California as a reserve to be used for public enjoyment and recreation. The state-supervised reserve was the first area specifically set aside by the United States to be preserved for all future generations. Its inception planted the seed for the national park system, although Yellowstone, not Yosemite, was the first site officially designated a national park, in 1872.
Despite the protection provided by the 1864 land-grant legislation, the floor of Yosemite Valley was used for commercial purposes, including plowing and orchard planting, timber cutting, and grazing. The unprotected, high-mountain country surrounding the valley was also logged and grazed. American preservationist John Muir, while exploring the area in the late 1860s, became concerned about these disturbances to the natural landscape. For the next two decades, he publicized his concerns and worked to preserve the high country.
Muir’s efforts paid off in 1890 when some 377,000 hectares (932,000 acres) of the high country surrounding Yosemite Valley gained federal protection through the establishment of Yosemite National Park. However, the valley itself and Mariposa Grove remained under California’s jurisdiction. Muir and others then worked to get Yosemite Valley transferred from state to federal government jurisdiction in order to protect it and consolidate the public holdings into a single, unified national park. To help rally public support for Yosemite Valley and other land in the Sierra Nevada, Muir and others founded the Sierra Club in 1892.
In 1903 Muir persuaded President Theodore Roosevelt that the valley needed federal protection, and in 1906 California ceded the area back to the federal government. Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove thus became part of Yosemite National Park. There was a cost, however: The overall size of the park was reduced to about 308,000 hectares (761,000 acres), and private mining and timber holdings in the park were excluded from restrictions. In 1913, despite the opposition of Muir and other conservationists, the US Congress approved a project to and flood Hetch Hetchy Valley in the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park to create a to supply water to the city of San Francisco.
Since its inception as a state park in 1864, Yosemite has been a magnet for tourists. By the early years of the twenty-first century, the national park was attracting millions of visitors—and their automobiles—each year. Minimizing the environmental damage that can be caused by such high numbers of visitors is an ongoing problem for Yosemite and for other national parks. With the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in 2020, came increasing difficulty in conservation efforts. Effects of the pandemic took the form of shifts in operational conditions for parks like Yosemite, which meant reduced staffing resulting in decreased supervision, increased safety issues and an overall decline in park revenue. This decreased staffing and revenue also resulted in a delay in time-sensitive operations like controlling invasive species and restoring degraded habitats.
In 2023, the park launched the Ackerson Meadow Restoration project, the largest such project in the history of Yosemite. It involves filling a large erosion gully to protect more than 40 hectares (100 acres) of rare wetlands. The project was schedule to be completed in 2025.
Bibliography
"Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project." National Park Service, 12 June 2024, www.nps.gov/yose/getinvolved/ackersonmeadow.htm. Accessed 24 July 2024.
"Ecological Restoration." National Park Service, 2024, www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/ecorestoration.htm. Accessed 24 July 2024.
Miller-Rushing, Abraham et al. "COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Conservation Research, Management, and Public Engagement in US National Parks." Biological Conservation, vol. 257. no. 109038, 2021, doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109038. Accessed 5 Mar. 2023.
Perrottet, Tony. “John Muir’s Yosemite: The Father of the Conservation Movement Found His Calling on a Visit to the California Wilderness.” Smithsonian 39, no. 4 (July, 2008): 48-55.
Radanovich, Leroy. Yosemite Valley. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004.