MADERA COUNTY – Cal Fire has learned the cause of the nearly 500 acre fire along Highways 41 and 145 on Sunday, June 16, that consumed a barn and two haystacks before being brought under control. According to Cal Fire spokesperson Karen Guillemin, the fire was started by the metal end of a racheting tie-down strap that had come loose ...

MADERA – The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) was identified this week in a several block area on the west side of the city of Madera. This aggressive day-biting mosquito is not native to California; however it is a common mosquito in urban areas of the southeastern United States.

PRATHER – There will a town hall meeting tonight in Prather to discuss the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to designate some 2 million acres of the Sierra Nevada as critical habitat for the yellow-legged frog and Yosemite toad. Opponents of the move cite the possible closure of vast areas in 14 counties and 9 National Forests to such ...

NORTH FORK – When wildfire threatens, those who own large animals are faced with decisions that go beyond what they will do to protect their family and their home. Evacuating horses presents a completely unique set of problems. Equine Emergency Evacuation (Triple E) is an all volunteer organization of mountain area residents who have come together to provide emergency evacuation ...

O’NEALS – A grass fire burning on both sides of Highway 41 closed the road in both directions for about three hours on Monday, June 17. Crews were dispatched at around 1:30 p.m to a vegetation fire on the west side of the Highway 41 just south of Road 200. The fire, though small in size, jumped the road and ...

COARSEGOLD – Firefighters started a very busy day on Father’s Day with a call at about 1:30 p.m. to yet another vegetation fire on Road 400 just north of Yosemite Springs Parkway. The fire was burning on the east side of the road in dry grass and brush, and consumed about half an acre before crews had it contained. As ...

Have you ever attended a Grizzlies baseball game? The Fresno Grizzlies are a San Francisco Giants Triple A farm team which means they are just one level below major league status. Numerous Grizzlies players earn a promotion to the Giants during the season. The most common reason is to replace an injured Giant but sometimes a Giant gets “demoted” for ...

MADERA COUNTY – With all the recent fires in the Coarsegold and Yosemite Lakes Park area, residents are understandably on edge and have been demanding answers about what is going on. Is there a firebug on the loose, what is the cause of all these fires, and what is Cal Fire doing about it? It has sparked some heated comments ...

CALIFORNIA – The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers to help reunite families. Think “private eye meets helper of humankind.” Here is your opportunity to make a difference. The chaos and confusion that accompanies war and disaster can separate families when they need each other most. When this happens, the Red Cross joins the search across international borders, offering ...

Submitted by Brittany Dyer A meadow restoration project has been launched this month at Chiquito Creek, undertaken by the Yosemite/Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development Council (Y/S RC&DC) in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS) Bass Lake Ranger District (BLRD).