In The Nature Episode We Were Introduced To Yosemite National

“The Condor’s Shadow,” written by David S. Wilcove, is a book about the conservation of wildlife in America. It describes multiple species that have been in danger of extinction, or gone extinct. The book goes into depth on how these animals came to the brink of extinction and why they couldn’t be saved or the measures taken to restore them. One of the major themes throughout the book was habitat destruction in forests and aquatic ecosystems alike. This led to the extinction of some species. When it comes to the destruction of forests it affects not only the animals but the trees as well. Many trees

Yosemite National Park is a beautiful park that is just hours away from San Francisco and has some of the best hiking and scenic areas found in our National Parks. Camping at Yosemite can be a challenge though. All of the campsites within Yosemite are on a reservation system that fills up in seconds after the dates are opened. Seriously! If you know you want to camp within the park, please plan way ahead of time to secure a spot. When making a reservation make sure you are signing up for an RV or a tent space. If you are tent camping, know that you will have to park a little bit away and carry your gear in as there is no space for you to park next to your tenting spot. Yosemite camping can get

It is so horrible to see all of that timber go to waste. Our society depends on timber a lot and we need so much of it to produce so many useful goods. What would happen if we did not have any timber to make homes or proved some type of shelter? We would be lost and have no where to go. Prescribed burns can prevent that great loss of timber and save a lot of trees. Although one purpose of controlled burns is to curve paths for huge forest fires, they are also used to freshen up the area. If an area of trees is left untreated from prescribed burns, the sands are expected to decline in growth (Mitchell 1). Also, to ensure a healthy forest,

Yosemite National Park, is a beautiful piece of nature it is a 195 mile nature getaway from the urban life that is lived San Francisco, CA and 315 miles away from the fast pace and overwhelming life that is lived in Los Angeles CA. This place is like no other in the beauty of its nature. The park is “747,956 acres, and is the home to hundreds of wildlife species and thousands of Yosemite plants” (U.S. Nat. Park Service). Yosemite is known for so many beautiful features, from its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves and biological diversity. And also for its two rivers which are the Tuolumne and Merced rivers. These rivers begin in the park and flow as far as west to the

It’s in our nature to assume wildfires will just go away, but for a Native American the values are different. Especially when it comes to their land burning, Natives have always thought of the land as sacred and a gift from the creator. In social environments it’s normal to assume that land is used for farming, trees are used for paper, and land is used for building on. As one basic concept for all, the thought of land burning means the loss of values. “The blackened tree stumps stand out against a clear blue sky. The land burned, and there is a smell of charcoal and ash in the air. People in the area are used to wildfires, but as California and much of the western US endures its fifth year, residents are wondering when there will be any respite from the flames and smoke” (Kieran Cooke). It shouldn’t have to become a normal thing to hear about wildfires. Conditions like these

Under the soil of the forest there is a huge layer of redwood roots. Roots from a redwood tree may only grow 3 feet down but they can grow up to 20 feet out away from the trunk of the tree. The roots of many redwood trees are grown together any many times, when a tree starts to lean, the thick layer of roots can hold it up. When redwoods start getting cut down this can ruin the layer of roots that covers almost all of the forest. Then redwood trees would not have much support as they do and would be more inclined to fall over. Cutting down redwoods would also lower the chance of reproduction. Redwood trees only reproduce every so often, this process could take over five years. First the redwood drops acorns that fall to the forest floor. Then after some time, a larger type or acorns is dropped and releases pollen which pollinates the first acorn (Hemmerich 2014). Many of the seeds do not grow at all. Only about one in every 200 seeds will grow and become a full sized redwood tree. Of course this process does not happen overnight, it can take up to 100 years for a seed to grow and become a mature redwood tree (Hemmerich 2014).

As a historically semi-arid environment, California has also suffered heavily from several environmental impacts as a result of the current drought conditions. The first of these is on its forests. The US Forest Service estimates that 12 million trees have died in the past year due to drought; this combined with the drying of forest floor material greatly increases the flammability of the landscape. The result of this is the numerous devastating wildfires that have swept through the state throughout 2015, costing not only wildlife and habitat but also human property (CBS News, 2015) (Lustgarten, et al., 2015) (Google, 2015). Aside from wildfires, the drought and associated loss of habitat is said to be having a negative effect on both flora and fauna due to their contribution to the spread of West Nile Virus, whilst also threatening populations of geese, ducks, salmon and Joshua trees (Lustgarten, et al., 2015) (Beaudry, 2015). Finally, with groundwater contributing up to 50% of stream flow in drought, there is a worry that over usage near the coast could result in irreversible salinization through the drawing in of salt water (USGS, 2016) (Kasler & Reese, 2015).

The Rim Fire of 2013 ravaged the slopes of the Stanislaus National Forest leaving many areas severely burned and unable to recover. Restoration efforts have been made and 56,000 saplings were planted in 2016 in the most severely burned areas; but the forest still has a long way to recovery. Fires are a naturally occurring hazard in the Stanislaus National Forest, and have contributed to the replenishment, control, and sustainability of the forest; but fires of the Rim Fire's intensity are very rare. The Rim Fire destroyed over 277,314 acres of habitat, harmed many mature trees, and ruined the layers of topsoil, and increased erosion and runoff. The devastation of the Rim Fire would not be have been so intense if it weren’t for past fire

Background. On June 12, 2011 in Sierra Vista, Arizona – a city near the Mexican border, a suspected human-caused fire was started within the Coronado National Monument Park, along the southern tip of the Huachuca Mountains in Southern Arizona and quickly shot through the canyons south of the city of Sierra Vista. Over the course of 14 days, the wildfire burned to some extent 100% of the park’s acreage; destroyed a total of 62 homes, 18 outbuildings and 4 businesses (Youberg & Pearthree, 2011) and mandatory evacuations were in effect due to the fires moving quickly towards the outskirts along with the danger of the smoke that blanketed the town. The fire was wind-driven spread and was aided by high temperatures and low humidity.

The rising number of high severity wildfires in California has significant ecological, economic, and health impacts. Many western American forests are adapted to frequent low severity fires. However, the majority of these forests, and particularly the mixed conifer forests of California, are not adapted to high intensity fires and do not possess fire resistance adaptations such as serotinous cones to protect seeds. Consequently, high severity fires have significant negative impacts on California forests, and the absence of low severity fires has considerably altered many fundamental ecosystem processes (Miller et al. 2008). Prior to 1900, low severity fires would burn every 6-15 years. Low severity fires are generally non-lethal, have minimal change to the overstory, and kill mainly small trees. In the past, these fires were started naturally by lightning, or by Native Americans who used low severity fires to manage the forests.

In regards to the geologic components of Yosemite National Park, it essentially has two main parts. The first part is the deposition and deformation of the metamorphic rocks and the emplacement of the granitic rocks during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods. The second part is the uplift, erosion, and glaciation that took place with the rocks during the Cenozoic period. Yosemite National Park is relatively helpful in regards to observing the display of its geologic changes. When the Cretaceous period was ending which was roughly 65 million years ago, the granitic core of the range started to become

For many young people the summer season includes plans to travel the world, take leaps in life, explore new things, and make lasting friendships. For some people summer means traveling across the country from Maine to California. Residing in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, Yosemite National Park. Allana Hall describes Yosemite as “a tight knit community nestled in tree covered wilderness that leaves you speechless and wanting more”. Yosemite is a unique city-like national park that lies far from most other civilization but is bustling with guests and locals within the walls of the valley. Allana states “everyone stays in canvas tents, were charged $7 a week for rent. Living here is simple, and everyone is like family. There is a

Because most greenhouse gases would remain in the atmosphere for a long period of time, the temperature of the earth will be continuously rising. If global heat-trapping emissions proceed at a medium to high rate, temperatures in California are expected to rise 4.7 to 10.5°F by the end of the century1. With the rise of temperature, the climate of California would also be changed. California has large area of forest and farmland, hundreds of miles of coastline, large amount of snowpack, and other natural wonders. And these special treasures of nature are especially at risk2. So it is very necessary to understand the strategies of California to combat climate change.

Humans have been changing the Western forests' fire system since the settlement by the Europeans and now we are experiencing the consequences of those changes. During the summer of 2002, 6.9 million acres of forests was burnt up in the West (Wildland Fires, 1). This figure is two times the ten year annual average, and it does not look like next summer will be any better (Wildfire Season, 1).

Forests have covered the earth for millions of years, providing habitat and food for animals and humans. These forests have stabilized different ecosystems and have continued the natural cycle that keeps plants and animals in check. The discovery of fire changed all of this. It was the beginning of deforestation, a process that has continued and increased over the last 200,000 years. Humans are the responsible party for the deforestation that has occurred. Humans discovered that animals could be driven with fire. This led to accelerated forest loss due to uncontrolled burning for hunting use (Miller & Tangley 1991: 28). Agriculture was the next problem