by Kellie Flanagan COARSEGOLD — Not long after sunset on a cold December night, a call was made from Deadwood Lookout to wildlife specialist Randy Partch. “The lion is in the trap,” said the homeowner. For Partch, a trapper contracted annually by Madera County, this was good news. He’d just set the lion’s trap that morning, after five goats were ...

YOSEMITE — Share your passion for Yosemite National Park, connect with other nature-lovers, and make a lasting impact by becoming a volunteer with Yosemite Conservancy. Yosemite volunteers provide crucial services welcoming visitors and working hard to preserve Yosemite’s natural beauty. Volunteers experience the beauty of the park, camaraderie with like-minded people, enjoy inside information from the National Park Service (NPS), ...

YOSEMITE — What’s the latest from Yosemite on snow accumulation and backcountry winter skiing conditions? You can follow Laura and Rob Pilewski, Tuolumne Winter Rangers, on their blog on nps.gov for weekly updates. Here’s their latest post, followed by some updated information on the roads inside the park: New snow: 31 inches Total settled snow depth: 56 inches (at 8,600 ...

MADERA — Would you like to try a gardening method that requires less work than the traditional garden? Here’s your opportunity to learn a method that does away with the digging required in the typical vegetable garden and still results in a beautiful, luscious vegetable crop. UC Cooperative Extension Madera Master Gardener Carol Taylor will present a No-Dig, Sheet-Mulch Vegetable ...

SIERRA FOOTHILLS — With more rain on the way, some residents of the foothills are asking where they can get sandbags to help protect their property. The Madera County Office of Emergency Services has a comprehensive list of places where sand is available. For complete information, visit http://madera-county.com/index.php/office-of-emergency-services and click on “Countywide Sandbag Locations.” Please note that some locations have ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Rain and snow are in the picture again this week, depending on your elevation, starting with an 80 percent chance of precipitation in the foothills on Monday, Jan. 18, becoming heavy at times. The high temperature in Oakhurst on Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, is expected to be around 55 degrees, according to the National Weather ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park will offer free admission into the park on Monday, Jan. 18, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The fee free waiver is for all visitors in honor of the holiday. “This is a special day for our country and we invite Americans to honor the legacy of Dr. King by visiting Yosemite National ...

YOSEMITE — In a strongly-worded statement issued yesterday by DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. (DNCY), the company says it is “shocked and disappointed that the National Park Service would consider using the beloved names of places in Yosemite National Park as a bargaining chip in a legal dispute between DNCY and the NPS involving basic contract rights.” (The ...

Submitted by Joelle Leder OAKHURST — The Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce invites the community to honor a handful of especially dedicated community members at the 2016 Installation Dinner and Award Ceremony at the Bass Lake Conference Center at the Pines Resort, on Friday, Jan. 15. Doors open for the reception at 6 p.m. The Chamber announced late last year ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – With the winter lull in working in the garden, now is the time to plan for future improvements. UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Jill Cholewa will present a Landscape Design Workshop on Saturday, Jan. 16, from 10 a.m. to noon at Madera Community College Center, 30277 Avenue 12. The workshop will be in Room R-3A and there ...