Contributed by Len McKenzie, YAAS — Field biologist Christy Sherr will take local residents on a virtual field trip on Thursday, Apr. 14, when she revisits the 2013 Rim Fire in a slide presentation, “Wildlife Nurseries: The Surprising Benefits of Beetles and Wildfires.” This monthly program of the Yosemite Area Audubon Society will begin at 7 p.m. at the Mariposa ...

FISH CAMP – The Mariposa County Fire Safe Council is ready to help residents of Fish Camp become fire safe by providing free chipping of tree limbs, manzanita, deer brush and other large hazardous debris on Thursday, Nov. 12. You must contact the Fish Camp Fire Rescue at donnatyosemite@sti.net or the Fire Safe Council at matkinson_mcfsc@live.com to reserve your free ...

Written by Lisa Clark NORTH FORK – The countdown is on for the Fall Festival honoring our firefighters at the Putney Ranch, now the Siderman’s Family Camp and Conference Center. An amazing day is planned packed full of sunshine, food, beer, wine, apple martinis, dance, bingo, kiddie games crafts, hay rides, paint ball, archery, crafts vendors, cash prize cupcake contest, ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – Firelines are holding on the Rough Fire as interior fuels continue to burn out, crews are demobilized, and rehabilitation and repair becomes the order of the day. The Rough Fire is now estimated at 151,493 acres with 85 percent containment. There are currently 651 personnel assigned to the incident, including 9 crews, 26 engines, 4 helicopters, ...

To the Editor – My name Lesley Linhares and I am a 34-year-old disabled lifetime resident of this area and single mother of 4, but raising 6 kids between the ages of 7 and 11. I have been working as a daycare provider and consultant for Jamberry the past several years. But when the big fires hit California this summer ...

YOSEMITE – Four rescued fisher (Martes pennanti) kits were released yesterday north of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. This historic reintroduction was a cooperative effort between the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW), Fresno-Chaffee Zoo, and the Fresno Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation. The reintroduction aims to increase the long term viability of the declining ...

Submitted by Lynnette Balsamo Jordan As the one year anniversary of the Courtney Fire approaches, let’s take a walk back in history to the beginning of Bass Lake Heights. It all started at the end of WWII when Chief Warrant Officer Louis Balsamo Sr. visited an old Navy buddy at Hidden Valley Meadows. Dan Johnson had built a cabin retreat ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – The Rough Fire, burning near Hume Lake, has now grown to 66,542 acres with 25 percent containment. There are currently 2,121 personnel assigned to the incident, including 38 crews, 159 engines and 12 helicopters. Transport winds are expected to push the smoke northeast of active fire today. Significant impacts will continue in areas near the fire ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – The Rough Fire continues to smother the Central Sierra in thick smoke, causing at least one false alarm for local firefighters this morning as a fire was called in on Road 224 in North Fork. After making contact with the person reporting the fire, crews determined that the smoke from the Rough Fire was the cause ...

YOSEMITE LAKES PARK – Crews responded to a vegetation fire on Meadow Lane off Lilley Mountain Drive in Yosemite Lakes Park this afternoon at about 5 p.m. First engine at scene reported the fire at approximately 1/4 acre with one house immediately threatened. Sheriff’s deputies prepared to evacuate residents if necessary, but it didn’t come to that as firefighters quickly ...