MOUNTAIN AREA – The first full day of winter was a wet one, and while a flash flood watch expired at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, area residents can look forward to just a little break in the rain on Wednesday, Dec. 23, before another system, colder but drier, moves in on Thursday, ending on Friday. According to the ...

OAKHURST – More than twenty years after local activists fought hard to support the passing of legislation that would guarantee the expansion of higher education in Oakhurst, a new struggle for the town’s share of a facilities bond proposed by the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) is now heating up. At stake is Oakhurst’s piece of a potential $485 ...

SIERRA FOOTHILLS — The National Weather Service in Hanford has issued a flash flood watch for Central California, including Madera, Mariposa and Fresno County foothills through Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 22. This advisory is mainly for the Rim Fire and El Portal fire burn areas, but extends from Yosemite to Kings Canyon. Heavy rain may cause areas of flooding and debris ...

That new snow squeaked under our snowshoes as we headed out from Badger Pass to that amazing view at Dewey Point. I just love that way you can look at Tenaya Canyon, leading up to the high country. Fresh snow coated all of the mountains and was a sight to behold. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 7.39 Miles Difficulty: Moderate ...

YOSEMITE — Park Ranger Shelton Johnson has been honored with the Department of Interior’s Award for Superior Service. Shelton receives this award in recognition of his passion for connecting minorities to parks, his meticulous research that forms the basis of his innovative interpretive programs, and his superlative ability to articulate powerful messages for the National Park Service. Park Ranger Shelton ...

YOSEMITE — A new episode of Yosemite Nature Notes entitled “Bighorn Sheep” is now available for viewing. The video features stunning footage of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, interviews with wildlife biologists, and a special focus on the re-introduction of these magnificent animals to the Cathedral Range in Yosemite National Park in March 2015. The video is posted on the park’s ...

By Scott Lange — As winter was rolling in just before Thanksgiving, a few of us got the urge to get into the High Sierra one last time this year. It would prove to be a tough task to even find an accessible trailhead as most of the roads had already been closed to snowfall, but we found an entry ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park has distributed approximately 1,000 free park passes to Fourth Graders through the “Every Kid in a Park” program. Fourth graders from across the country brought their vouchers to Yosemite to receive the free park pass. The passes are intended for fourth grade students and their families to visit more than 2,000 federal recreation areas through ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – Bird lovers, photographers and others are invited to join the National Audubon Society’s 116th Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The CBC is an annual international bird census that began on Christmas Day in 1900, and now takes place in more than 1,500 locations throughout the Americas. This season the Christmas Bird Count will be held in the foothill ...

YOSEMITE — Public scoping for Yosemite National Park’s planning and environmental impact analysis for the Yosemite Wilderness Stewardship Plan is open, and comments will be accepted through Jan. 29, 2016. Yosemite’s Wilderness is currently managed under the 1989 Wilderness Management Plan. The park needs to update this plan to incorporate current information about visitor use patterns, methods of managing visitor ...