Understanding porcupine distribution isn’t easy. Porcupines are generalists, inhabiting a wide variety of forest types, so it’s challenging for researchers to know where to look. As herbivores, porcupines aren’t that easy to bait, either. Scientists have experimented with using brine-soaked wood blocks, peanut butter and even porcupine urine to coax the cautious critters toward cameras, […]
“Yosemite is prone to rockfalls, a natural and dynamic geologic process that involves the rapid downward movement of rock fragments, detaching from a steep slope, like the glacier-carved cliffs in Yosemite Valley. According to Yosemite National Park, over a thousand rockfalls have occurred in the park, and the quick-moving crack in a cliff on the […]
The federal government shut down overnight on Wednesday, leading some conservationists to worry about the disarray that could result from a lack of staffing for federal land. “You’ll have the element there of little to no staff managing the land.” To read the full article from ABC News, click here.
“Research shows that environmental reviews are rarely the main barrier to forest projects aimed at reducing fire risk. The bigger obstacles are the shrinking of the federal forest workforce over the past two decades, the low commercial value of the small trees and brush that need to be removed, and the lack of contractors, processing […]
“It just feels like we’re being taken advantage of,” said one permanent employee who has worked in Yosemite for several years. To read the full Politico article, click here.
The agency proposes to overturn the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which underpins limits on greenhouse gas emissions for vehicles and power plants. To read the full Washington Post article, click here.
Peak travel season to the United States’ national parks is upon us, with locations such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon set to welcome masses of visitors. But it’s also a testing time for the National Park Service (NPS) amid President Donald Trump’s second term, with rising concerns over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) changes, entry […]
The Trump administration is seeking to undo a 25-year-old rule that shields nearly a third of U.S. Forest Service lands from roads and logging, including large swaths of California, notably areas near Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Giant Sequoia National Monument. “It would be short-sighted and arrogant for the American people to support the unleashing of […]
Some fire experts worry this year’s letter from the chief signals a repeat of past mistakes, as it emphasizes putting fires out, instead of learning to better use and live with fire. To read the full KQED article, click here.
The Trump administration has openly acknowledged proposing a total of roughly $1.2 billon in National Park Service budget cuts that would include slashing funding for full-time Park Service employees by 1/3 (cutting 5,500 full-time Park Service positions) and slashing funding for seasonal employees by half. The administration also aims ro cut 95% of the funding […]