CLOVIS – The Sierra National Forest will be implementing forest-wide fire restrictions. Higher fuel temperature, dry fuel conditions, severe drought, and an increase in fire activity on the forest and nationwide has led to this decision. Restrictions are in place in all areas on the Sierra National Forest, including the wilderness. Campfires and barbecues are only allowed in developed campgrounds ...

WAWONA – Drought conditions across the state are also affecting Yosemite National Park and those who live and work there. Park Superintendent Don Neubacher is asking Wawona residents to start conserving immediately to ensure sufficient water supply throughout the rest of the season. A letter sent to residents by Neubacher outlines steps they will need to take for maximum conservation:

NORTH FORK – Kids are looking forward to Wednesdays this summer as the North Fork Library lets young readers get hands-on during their Summer Reading Program, Paws to Read. Kids from 4 years of age to 12th grade are invited to participate every Wednesday afternoon in fun projects with special guests. And of course, they get to explore the wonderful ...

YOSEMITE – It is always a treat to take a walk or hike in Yosemite National Park (YNP). As the seasons change so does the scenery, with such rapid grace sometimes that nearly every moment on the trail reveals a fresh secret as you move through a landscape filled with treasures of long ago that remain today. Have you ever ...

OAKHURST – The community is invited to attend a free musical extravaganza, as the Oakhurst Community Band presents their “Celebrate America Concert,” with music commemorating Yosemite National Park. The program takes place on Sunday, June 29, at Mountain Christian Center, starting at 6:30 p.m. Featured numbers are set to include Yosemite Autumn, America the Beautiful, Star Spangled Banner, To Heal ...

MADERA COUNTY – Firefighters were kept busy this afternoon, battling two blazes on opposite sides of the county. The River Fire started in Ahwahnee just after 2 p.m. in a garage behind a residence on Road 621. It spread into surrounding vegetation, consuming over two-and-a-half acres before firefighters stopped the forward progress.

YOSEMITE – A fire that is being called the Fireplace Fire was reported at 6:30 a.m. this morning by Signal Peak Lookout. The fire is burning in Yosemite National Park in the area of Fireplace Bluffs, on the north rim of the Valley, and west of El Capitan. It is between two trails – the Old Coulterville Road, and the ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher announced yesterday that Julia Parker, Indian Cultural Demonstrator, and Stephen “Stevie” Lynds, Trails Supervisor, are the recipients of the 2013 Barry Hance Memorial Award. Although the award is typically presented to one Yosemite employee annually, the Awards Committee felt that two nominees were deserving of the award, which was given during an ...

MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson has announced that a man wanted by the Sheriff’s Office in connection with an attempted murder is now behind bars. Adrian Joseph Reyes, 29, was captured shortly after 10 a.m. this morning in Richland, Wash. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office had been searching for the Ahwahnee man following what they describe as a violent ...

The great people at the Fäsi Estate Winery wanted to find a worthy organization that they could give back to and they didn’t have far to look. Since the Fäsi Estate Winery is located in the foothills of the Sierra National Forest and neighbors to the Yosemite National Park, the Yosemite Conservancy was just the organization they were looking for. ...