OAKHURST — There are still a few spots open for the Reforestation Workshop, available to private forest land owners and foresters on Thursday, Apr. 27, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Oakhurst Community Library. Cal Fire, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and UC Extension, in partnership with Madera County District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler’s office, will be hosting ...

MARIPOSA — The Mariposa Symphony Orchestra’s (MSO) 15th Season continues as its Spring Concert is performed twice – on Saturday, Apr. 29 at 7 p.m. in the Fiester Auditorium of Mariposa County High School, and again the next day as a special 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Apr. 30 in the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee) in Yosemite National ...

Written by Elizabeth Gabriel — MARIPOSA COUNTY — Gov. Jerry Brown has declared the drought over – for now — except for Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne counties. The latest snowpack numbers showed the Central Sierra is at 168 percent of normal. But that’s no reason to slack off on the water-saving strategies you’ve developed. To help you keep conserving, ...

MADERA COUNTY — Sheriff Jay Varney will have the honor of hosting Madera County’s 10th Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony on May 9, at Courthouse Park. Representatives from law enforcement agencies throughout Madera County will attend to honor fallen peace officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office invites the citizens ...

CLOVIS – The Sierra National Forest (SNF), Bass Lake Ranger District, Fuels and Fire Management staff are planning to ignite a prescribed burn on the Source Kinsman Fuels Project on Saturday, April 22. Using the advantage of favorable weather conditions, SNF says extra fire personnel and equipment will be committed to the project until the treatment is extinguished as burn ...

NORTH FORK — North Fork Boy Scout Troop 357, along with Cub Pack 357, will be holding a recruitment evening at the Scout Building in North Fork (next to the Town Hall) on Thursday Apr. 27 at 7 p.m. In addition to weekly meetings, Scouts of Troop 357 participate in once-a-month weekend activities including camping at Morro Bay and Yosemite ...

CENTRAL SIERRA —  Recent rains have been a welcome sight to drought parched California, but the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) firefighters are not letting their guard down. Cal Fire’s Defensible Space Inspectors (DSI) will be visiting homes within the State Responsibility Area (SRA) to enforce the Defensible Space code, Public Resource Code (PRC) 4291. It requires ...

Submitted by Debbie Sue Wass — MARIPOSA — The Mariposa County 4-H Citizenship project is planning their 6th annual Multiple Sclerosis Bike-a-Thon for Sunday, Apr. 23. This event is open to the public and all ages are invited to participate. New this year, we are including Runners and Walkers. The 10-mile course starts in Catheys Valley at the corner of ...

YOSEMITE – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 5,028,868 visitors to Yosemite National Park in 2016 spent $520,629,100 in communities near the park. That spending supported 7,883 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $686,339,500. “Yosemite National Park welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Mariposa County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) is excited to offer a new tree mortality assistance program to qualified Mariposa County residents. This program will improve the fire safety of senior citizen, disabled, or financially-disadvantaged households who are unable to afford the costs associated with removing hazardous trees that directly threaten their primary home. The program will ...