YOSEMITE – Hey, everybody! You are invited to an apple picking party in Yosemite on Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 9 a.m. til 4 p.m. This is an annual event that was started as part of efforts to help reduce bear-human contact in the park, and to “Help Keep Yosemite’s Bears Wild.” According to volunteers who help coordinate this event, the ...

Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: About 15 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevational Range: 7,868′ – 10,000′ Date: July 26, 2015 Highlights: Riding horses in Yosemite’s beautiful high country is always a special treat. Taking them up to the 10,000′ elevation where we had the towering, jagged high points of Vogelsang, Fletcher and Rafferty Peaks along our side as we mosied up the trail to Boothe Lake was extra ...

SACRAMENTO – With wildfires burning across the state being continually exacerbated by severe drought conditions and extreme weather, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today declared a state of emergency in California to help mobilize additional firefighting and disaster response resources. “California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” said Governor Brown. “Our courageous ...

EARTH – You know that phrase, “once in a blue moon,” that people say when something comes around infrequently? Well, do whatever it is you’ve been putting off, because that blue moon — the second full moon in a single month — is happening on Friday, July  31 at 3:44 a.m. PST. That’s basically tonight, or tomorrow morning, depending on ...

YOSEMITE – A historic rededication ceremony on the Tioga Road, conducted exactly 100 years after the original dedication ceremony, was held in Yosemite National Park yesterday. Former First Lady Laura Bush, Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher, and Yosemite Conservancy Vice President Jerry Edelbrock participated in the reenactment ceremony. Highlights of the event included a rechristening of the road, a ...

YOSEMITE – Thunderstorms came through the park on July 19 through 22. There are now 12 confirmed lightning-caused fires. Lightning caused fires can take days or weeks to detect because vegetation has to dry out enough to create smoke or visible flames after the storm passes over. Additional fires may be discovered, as temperatures rise and fuels dry out. Most ...

YOSEMITE – Highway 140 in Yosemite National Park near the El Portal entrance reopened at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, to all traffic in both directions. Intermittent traffic delays may be possible for continued road clearing work in the coming days. Yosemite National Park road crews and law enforcement rangers worked extended shifts to get the road open as ...

YOSEMITE – A small school house tucked away in the big outdoors offers nearly unlimited possibilities, with an emphasis on environmental science, art, project-based and multiage learning, and flexibility. Yosemite Wawona Charter School serves grades K-8 and is now open for enrollment to students in Madera and Mariposa Counties. School starts August 17. “There are many reasons families looking for ...

YOSEMITE – State Route 140 at El Portal is closed at the Yosemite National Park boundary in Mariposa County due to a mudslide. The El Portal entrance to the Park  is shut down today and meanwhile, alternate routes are necessary to gain entry to the Park. The road closed overnight on Tuesday, July 21, due to heavy debris flows following ...

By Kellie Flanagan – MOUNTAIN AREA – More than half of California is mountain lion habitat. Sometimes, more than others, we’re reminded of that. It happened this month, and wasn’t reported right away. Dan Fidler got a call stating that a mountain lion had killed livestock on Jose Basin Road in Fresno County in a nocturnal attack that left residents ...