YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park kicked off its celebration of the park’s 125th Anniversary with a ceremony at Yosemite Falls today. The theme of the event was Youth of Today: Park Stewards of Tomorrow. Approximately 500 people attended the event, 300 of whom were students from the Yosemite region and Sacramento.

Brilliant orange poppies in the Merced River Canyon area are always beautiful to see in the spring but the drought has not been kind to them this year. They are tenacious, still trying their best to put on a showy display in the Hite Cove area, even though it will for a short time frame this spring. In past years, ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – There have been many tales of travelers becoming hopelessly lost after following the instructions on their GPS. This story had a happy ending, after several agencies responded to locate a family who definitely took a wrong turn. The Safir family, who were enroute to Yosemite National Park from the Stockton area, contacted the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Emergency ...

YOSEMITE – With the backdrop of spectacular Yosemite Falls, a special ceremony in Yosemite National Park will kick off its 125th anniversary celebration. Ranger Gabriel Lavan-Ying, who became an Honorary Park Ranger last summer through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, will make his first visit back to the park and will be appointed the Honorary Chairman for the park’s 125th anniversary.

YOSEMITE – The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is undergoing some major changes, and most of the area will be closed for about 24 months, beginning on July 6. The project is designed to “restore dynamic ecological processes and increase the resiliency of this treasured grove to withstand emerging stressors today and in the future,” say park officials.

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park is initiating one transportation project and concluding two others that are intended to improve parking, road conditions, and traffic flow in the park. The projects will provide additional parking in Yosemite Valley, improve restrooms and reorganize the Tuolumne Grove parking area, and repair and maintain portions of the Tioga Road, say Park officials, and are ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite Conservancy has unveiled a compelling line-up of Outdoor Adventures for 2015 with more than 60 programs for visitors to explore the park on guided adventures with local experts involving backpacking, photography, bird watching and more. Summer Camp for grown-ups, beginning backpacking and hikes to rarely seen alpine areas are among the guided outdoor adventures offered for visitors ...

MARIPOSA – Plan a daytime outing with the young ones in your life and attend the upcoming Children’s Story Concert during Mariposa County Arts Council’s 28th Storytelling Festival, Friday through Sunday, Mar. 13-15. Storyteller Antonio Rocha will entertain at this fun-packed event on Saturday, March 14, 2015, from 2 – 3 p.m. at Mariposa County High School Auditorium.

Written by Rima Runtzel OAKHURST – The committee of the Elegant Auction to benefit the Oakhurst Community Park is seeking volunteers to assist in the planning of its 30th annual gala event, which takes place on Saturday, May 2, at the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp. The Elegant Auction provides 100% of the funding for the equipment, maintenance, and upgrades ...

With estimates of a 40 percent die-off of Ponderosa Pine this year, and dead and dying trees dotting the landscape in the mountain area, Cal Fire is offering some important assistance for homeowners. The oncoming fire season, which is forecast to be even more volatile than 2014, makes it critical that diseased, dead and dying trees be removed as soon ...