Friends,
I had a chance to spend 5 really wonderful days in Yosemite – Yosemite Valley, not Hetch Hetchy, at the beginning of June.
In between meetings and events, there was time for hiking, biking and exploring. There’s nothing like Yosemite in early June of a wet year. It took a little doing to avoid most of the large crowds, but it is also great to see so many people marveling at one of earth’s most spectacular landscapes in its full glory.
See below for a few pictures.
Restore Hetch Hetchy board and staff met with several National Park Service folks, including those who manage the Hetch Hetchy area. We are continuing to advocate aggressively for a better visitor experience. We will get more into these details in our next communication but note the NPS has extended hours at the Hetch Hetchy gate this year – hooray! We do not fully agree with the NPS on all aspects of park management, but they are an impressive bunch and it’s important to hear the perspectives of the people who have dedicated their professional lives to our national park.
NPS Director Chuck Sams’ after-dinner speech about his personal experiences and our national parks was special.
The weekend marked the 100th Anniversary of the Yosemite Conservancy – which traces its roots to 1923, when the Yosemite Museum Association was established as the original nonprofit organization in partnership with the National Park Service. The Conservancy hosted a number of activities and events, including tours of the new Bridalveil Fall viewing area and the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation’s Wahhoga village as well as a gala dinner featuring speakers filmmaker Jimmy Chin and National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.
The Bridalveil Fall viewing area is the Conservancy’s latest large project, helping to accommodate park visitors while protecting the park. The list of such projects is impressive indeed – it includes Glacier Point, Tenaya lake, Lower Yosemite Fall, the Mariposa Grove etc. Nothing in Hetch Hetchy yet, but we have some ideas for them.
Our small group toured the rebuilt Wahhoga Village, guided by tribal members – some old enough to remember when the village was destroyed in the late 1960s. The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation is one of seven tribes traditionally associated with Yosemite. The SSMN are still engaged, however, in a struggle with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for federal recognition and they welcome support from the public on their website. (See here for Restore Hetch Hetchy’s letter.)
Jimmy Chin with Frank Dean on stage, Director Chuck Sams and Superintendent Cicely Muldoon listening.
The Yosemite Conservancy hosted a gala dinner in a meadow near the Ahwahnee Hotel. National Park Service Director Chuck Sams delivered an impressive speech about the importance of stewarding our parks for future generations. Yosemite Conservancy President then interviewed Filmmaker Jimmy Chin (“Free Solo”) about his life as a self-described “dirtbag” climber. Jim related a quote from his skeptical immigrant father, who told him “our (Chinese) language is 5000 years old but we have no word for what you do.”
Beyond the magnificence of Yosemite in June, inspiration came from so many different people experiencing the park in their own way – visitors from across the United States and around the world (speaking so many different languages), National Park Service leadership and Rangers, the plethora of Yosemite Conservancy supporters and the dirtbag climbers. Everyone seemed to be smiling.
Naturally, there were substantial opportunities to lobby all for help making improvements to Hetch Hetchy Valley. There is a lot of follow-up to do after an exciting trip.
Best,
Spreck Rosekrans
(Click to expand images below.)
Merced River overflowing the pathway. The meadow was empty of visitors in the early morning.
A rainbow at Bridalveil.
