Projects that educate, inspire and improve visitor understanding of the Park's natural and cultural features are important because visitors are critical to Yosemite's preservation. Installing exhibits, producing brochures, and funding educational programs both broaden visitor knowledge and inspire stewardship.
Current Projects
FUNDING NEEDED: $1,249,527
Dixon Art Preservation
Joseph Dixon was an early National Park Service wildlife biologist/ photographer and this collection of his work contains approximately 7,400 early wildlife images from Yosemite and other western national parks. Acquired by the Yosemite Archives in 2008, the collection contains lantern slides, glass plates, nitrate, and cellulose photographic negatives, prints, and field notes created by Joseph Dixon from 1909 until his death in 1952. This project will move the collection into archival standard containers for long-term preservation and storage as well as digitize the images for increased access and use.
Hansen Interpretive Ranger Fund
Visitors to Yosemite attend hundreds of ranger-led presentations, hikes, and campfires each year, benefitting from the knowledge and enthusiasm of these experts on the Park and it habitats, history, and culture. The Bob Hansen Fund pays for a specially-trained ranger to provide feedback and training to interpreters from all organizations in Yosemite, so that the visitor experience of interpretive programs is greatly improved.
Happy Isles Exhibit Upgrade
Hundreds of Park visitors pass through the Nature Center at Happy Isles on a busy summer day. This grant replaces 12 taxidermy animals and birds on the ground or in trees in the exhibits with wooden or resin sculptures/ carvings to prevent exhibit damage from natural wildlife when the Nature Center is closed. The goal of replacing the 12 at-risk animals in this refreshed exhibit is to improve the quality and scope of the exhibit and better enhance the visitor experience.
Historic Archive Preservation
The Yosemite Archives contains approximately 100,000 slides and 8,000 historic drawings, including maps and blueprints of the landscape and historic structures of Yosemite. These collections represent a wealth of images that are essential for researchers and staff. However, both slides and drawings deteriorate each time they are handled, thus endangering these irreplaceable resources. This grant will provide for the scanning of over 18,000 images a year, preserving them for the future and providing access to them via easily accessible and researchable electronic media.
Indian Village Exhibit Renovation
The dioramas of Indian life are a very popular exhibit located in the Indian Village immediately adjacent to the Indian Museum and the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. The displays are currently showing wear and deterioration. This project will repair the exhibit, and an artist/conservator will refurbish the dioramas to top-quality condition. Additionally, the audio system will be upgraded for improved sound.
Junior Ranger Center at Happy Isles
In 2008 and 2009 - with the help of The Yosemite Fund - an expanded Junior Ranger program was created to engage more children in nature and the environment in Yosemite. This grant will provide funding needed to keep the Happy Isles Junior Ranger Center open 9 months a year, 7 days per week in 2010. Over 8,500 children benefitted from Junior Ranger programs in 2008, up from just 2,000 in 2007. This grant hopes to continue this dramatic improvement in number of curriculum-based programs offered to even more children in 2010.
Mariposa Grove Visitor Experience Studies
The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias was protected by Congress in 1864 along with Yosemite Valley as the first federally protected scenic area in the country. This project will generate plans for the improved protection and restoration of the Giant Sequoia groves for future generations by removing development from Mariposa Grove. The overall visitor experience will be enhanced with better vehicle circulation and staging areas, improved orientation and information facilities, and new picnic areas and comfort stations. Data gathering will provide information on archeology, water flow, wetlands, and wildlife, to ensure that these resources are being properly used and protected, now and into the future.
Nature Notes Web Series
Yosemite Nature Notes is a video series and provides an alternative to traditional interpretive programs. This grant will fund production of four new 10-minute episodes to join the four produced in 2008. These short documentaries feature Park rangers, resource managers and Park partners discussing a variety of topics, such as Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Wildflowers, Wilderness, Snow, and Maps. In just its first year, the Nature Notes series has over 20,000 viewers per month, and through the use of online social media this number is growing rapidly.
Tenaya Lake Rehabilitation
Tenaya Lake is a magnificent High Sierra lake off Tioga Road surrounded by granite domes, lodgepole forests and Yosemite’s vast wilderness. It’s the largest lake in Yosemite’s front-country. Because of its remarkable scenic qualities, its inviting blue water, and its proximity to Tioga Road, Tenaya Lake is one of the most popular destinations for summer visitors in Yosemite. This project will provide funding for studies and design concepts leading to the future restoration of the Tenaya Lake area.
Views and Visitors Museum Exhibit
Park visitors today continue to be fascinated with the experiences of their 19th century counterparts who visited Yosemite in its early days. This grant funds a new exhibit that will delve into Yosemite’s past by focusing on several important guest registers held by the Yosemite Museum, which recorded the names, dates, and the occasional commentary made by Park visitors. These original registers will be on display along with a new touch screen interface allowing visitors to “page-through” the original. The exhibit will also include period souvenirs, photographs, memorabilia, manuscripts and diaries from early Yosemite visitors.
Wawona Search and Rescue Cache Upgrade
Search and Rescue (SAR) response is a vital part of the Park’s overall emergency preparedness plan and having appropriate facilities for crews and equipment is a necessity. This project will refit the SAR cache in Wawona into an insulated, energy-efficient room to provide adequate storage for emergency response equipment, install gear lockers and shelves, and add protection against rodents. Having standardized SAR caches in all districts will ensure the readiness of the SAR teams to respond and effectively deploy in an efficient manner and decrease response times to emergencies, a critical element in maintaining visitor safety throughout the Park.
Yosemite Guide
Yosemite Guide is the main visitor information and orientation tool for Yosemite. Handed out at every entrance station, it provides useful, entertaining and timely information about the features and activities available in Yosemite. With the flexibility to include interpretative writing, Yosemite Guide also shares a passion for the Park, welcoming visitors and encouraging them to be stewards of the Park and to find their own passion for Yosemite. This project supports publication of the newly revised Guide.
Completed Projects
Restoration of scenic viewing spots including Tunnel View, Olmsted Point and Glacier Point. New permanent exhibits at the Happy Isles Nature Center, Wilderness Center, Mariposa Grove Museum, Valley Visitor Center and Parsons Lodge. Support for Yosemite's Wilderness Education Program. Production of the official visitor orientation film Spirit of Yosemite and renovation of an existing auditorium into a first class theater for the film. Distribution of Spirit film to California middle schools and support of Mariposa schools' Outdoor Education program.