YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY SPRING.SUMMER 2019 :: VOLUME 10.ISSUE 01

Protecting Yosemite Wildlife

INSIDE

Safeguarding Peregrine Falcons Studying Yosemite’s Wild Cats Exploring Yosemite’s Diverse Habitat Q&A with Yosemite Conservancy’s Resident Naturalist PHOTO: (OPPOSITE) © TAYLOR BARRON.

OUR MISSION

Yosemite Conservancy inspires people to support projects and programs that preserve Yosemite and enrich the visitor experience.

PRESIDENT’S NOTE

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY COUNCIL MEMBERS Yosemite Wildlife CHAIR VICE PRESIDENT hen I was working as a ranger in Bob Bennitt* & COO VICE CHAIR Jerry Edelbrock Yosemite, we would sometimes say, Dana Dornsife* CHIEF FINANCIAL after a frustrating day, “At least Half PRESIDENT & CEO OFFICER Dome will be there tomorrow.” Frank Dean* Kevin Gay For us, that granite icon embodied the inspiring, COUNCIL enduring nature of Yosemite National Park. Earlier Hollis & Matt Adams* Jennifer & Jeanne & Michael Adams Gregory Johnson this year, a partial government shutdown brought Gretchen Augustyn Walt Lemmermann an air of anxiety to the park, as employees and Jenny Augustyn & Melody & Bob Lind resources bore the impact of weeks of uncertainty and bare-bones staffing. As I Ali Meghdadi Sam & Cindy Livermore Suzy & Bob Bennitt* Steve Lockhart & write this, however, the rangers are back at work, and, thanks to your support, David Bowman & Karen Bals Yosemite Conservancy is at their side to continue to preserve this amazing place. Gloria Miller Anahita & Jim Lovelace Marilyn & Allan Brown Mark Marion & Half Dome and its fellow icons might dominate views, but Yosemite is also Steve & Diane Ciesinski* Sheila Grether-Marion Kira & Craig Cooper Patsy & Tim Marshall renowned for biodiversity — and with your support, rangers are working to Hal Cranston & Kirsten & Dan Miks protect the park’s animal species. In this issue, you’ll learn how Conservancy Vicki Baker Robyn & Joe Miller Carol & Manny Diaz Kate & Ryan Myers donors have helped Yosemite reach major milestones in wildlife management, Leslie & John Dorman* Janet Napolitano such as bringing bear-related incidents to a record low, reintroducing Dave* & Dana Dornsife* Dick Otter & endangered bighorn sheep, confirming the presence of a rare fox and restoring Jewell* & Bob Engstrom Judy Wilbur Kathy Fairbanks Sharon & Phil Pillsbury* the park’s peregrine falcon population. In the following pages, you’ll also Sandra & Gisele & Lawson Rankin explore some of the protected habitats on which Yosemite’s animals depend Bernard Fischbach Bill Reller Cynthia & Bill Floyd* Pam & Rod Rempt* — including many that have been restored with support from Conservancy Jim Freedman & Frankie & Skip Rhodes* donors. The park is a haven for animals, such as great gray owls, mountain Karine Joret Liz Robbins lions and rare amphibians, whose ranges are shrinking or fragmented. In these Susan & Don Fuhrer* Dave Rossetti & Bonnie Gregory Jan Avent* stories, you’ll see how habitat-focused projects help wildlife, and how you can Rusty Gregory* Lisa & Greg Stanger* learn more about Yosemite’s ecosystems through our Outdoor Adventures and Karen & Steve Hanson Jennifer & Russ Stanton* Laura Hattendorf & Ann* & George Sundby at the Happy Isles Art and Nature Center. Andy Kau Clifford J. Walker* Chuck & Wally Wallner* & As you read this, Yosemite is shifting to summer after an exceptionally snowy Christy Holloway Jill Appenzeller winter. The migratory songbirds are returning, the waterfalls are roaring — Christina Hurn & Jack Walston & Sue Estes Richard Tassone Helen & Scott Witter and, yes, Half Dome is still there.

COVER PHOTO Yosemite provides a YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK protected home for about 90 mammal Superintendent Michael Reynolds species, including the mule deer that graze in meadows throughout the park. *Indicates Board of Trustees Frank Dean, President PHOTO: © JOHANNES ANDERSSON.

Connect with us online! Follow Yosemite Conservancy, and stay connected.

02 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 PHOTO: (OPPOSITE) © TAYLOR BARRON.

SPRING.SUMMER 2019 CONTENTS VOLUME 10.ISSUE 01

ABOVE Yosemite’s diverse habitats support diverse wildlife. Pikas depend on rocky alpine terrain; other animals rely on wetlands, rivers or forests.

IN THIS ISSUE DEPARTMENTS

14 Q&A WITH A 04 SAFEGUARDING YOSEMITE INSIDER PEREGRINE FALCONS Yosemite Conservancy resident naturalist Discover how Yosemite wildlife experts are Pete Devine shares how visitors can partnering with rock-climbers to ensure connect with the natural world. long-term protection of peregrine falcons. 16 GRANT UPDATES Learn how biologists are bolstering bighorn sheep populations, how scientists are STUDYING YOSEMITE’S 08 using cameras and canines to study the WILD CATS Sierra Nevada red fox, and how visitors can Learn why “Conservation Canines” might protect bears in Yosemite. be the key to studying the elusive mountain 20 PROGRAM UPDATES lion in Yosemite. Discover Outdoor Adventures at every elevation in Yosemite Wilderness, and enjoy art along the river at the Happy Isles Art and 10 PROTECING YOSEMITE’S Nature Center. BIG WALL BATS 23 THANKING OUR DONORS Scientists turn to cliff surveys and rock- Your generosity makes a difference in climbers to prevent white-nose syndrome Yosemite. in bat populations. 28 WHY I GIVE Conservancy donors share their stories of 12 AT HOME IN THE WILD inspiration and passion.

Explore Yosemite’s diverse habitats and the 30 READER PHOTOS wildlife that call them home. Yosemite Conservancy supporters share their special Yosemite memories.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 03

LIFE ON THE WALLS Protecting peregrine falcons, with help from climbers

rom the ground, El Capitan looks smooth, its gleaming granite polished by long-ago glaciers. As you get closer, though, cracks and crevices take shape. A dark figure appears at a ledge. You catch a glimpse of white chest, a sharp beak and yellow eyes, and then ... “The goal is a win-win situation, whereby climbers can push physical human boundaries on the same cliffs where the peregrine falcon, a protected bird of prey, can have space to comfortably nest and raise its young.”

— SARAH STOCK Yosemite Wildlife Biologist PHOTOS: ( ABOVE A peregrine falcon launches into the air to defend its territory at Glacier Point, high above the floor of Yosemite Valley. PREVIOUS PAGE) © PEGGY SELLS. (

LIFT-OFF! The peregrine falcon launches, gliding on a dangerously fragile that adult peregrines would accidentally 40-inch wingspan over the Valley, before transforming into crush their eggs. an avian arrow, skydiving in a “stoop” that can surpass 200 miles per hour. After striking its prey, the peregrine returns to Thanks to a nationwide ban on DDT and concerted ABOVE) © JAMES MCGREW. ( the wall, where nestlings wait for their meal. rehabilitation efforts, peregrines have made a comeback. A 2006 survey estimated that populations in the U.S. had Peregrine falcons, whose name fittingly means “wanderer,” rebounded to at least 3,000 pairs. are found on six continents and always nest high above the OPPOSITE) © NPS/LIZ BARTHOLOMEW. © JAMES MCGREW. © COURTESY OF NPS. © JAMES MCGREW. ground. In urban areas, they make homes on tall structures; in While Yosemite’s walls and domes offer ideal habitat for the wild, they look for cliffs, such as the ones lining Yosemite the recovering raptor, they remain vulnerable to human Valley. They dwell at the top of the food chain, though this disturbance. That rocky habitat also makes the park a coveted does not protect them from other threats, including those climbing destination. Seeing peregrines up close can be awe- driven by human activity. inspiring for a climber; for the falcons, that interaction is potentially fatal. Young falcons depend on their parents Before the mid-20th century, there were more than 3,800 for food and protection; if climbers accidentally scare adult adult peregrine pairs in the United States. That number falcons from the walls, the nestlings might starve or be eaten. started to plummet in the 1950s; by 1974, only 324 pairs remained, with zero in Yosemite. The culprit: dichloro- Park managers, however, see rock-climbers not as a threat diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), a pesticide. Insects ingested to Yosemite’s peregrine population, but as part of the long- DDT; small birds ingested insects; and falcons ingested small term solution to protecting them. In the early years of birds, swallowing a concentrated toxin that made eggshells so recovery efforts, Yosemite climbers worked with wildlife

06 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 PHOTOS: ( ABOVE Researchers use information from peregrine surveys to implement climbing-route closures designed to protect young raptors as they hatch, grow and take their first flights. PREVIOUS PAGE) © PEGGY SELLS. (

experts to replace DDT-thinned eggs with healthy chicks educating fellow adventurers, climbers help ensure falcon in cliffside falcon nests. Today, with your support, climbers fledglings have the best chance of survival. are continuing to play a key role in ensuring peregrines

ABOVE) © JAMES MCGREW. ( continue to thrive. In 2019, your support is helping the park continue efforts to protect peregrines. As researchers search for signs of peregrine In the early 1990s, Conservancy donors helped fund efforts activity in late winter, spring and summer, their observations to restore the park’s falcon population. In 2009, biologist Jeff inform decisions about closures, which also shape buffer

OPPOSITE) © NPS/LIZ BARTHOLOMEW. © JAMES MCGREW. © COURTESY OF NPS. © JAMES MCGREW. Maurer launched a program to protect peregrines through zones above the cliffs to prevent helicopters from flying targeted closures of climbing areas; after his death that same unnecessarily close to falcon nests. year, his family made a gift in his memory to ensure his work could go on. Between 2009 and 2018, Yosemite researchers This year, with your help, wildlife experts are creating a documented 30 new nests; in 2018, they observed 26 young management plan to share with other parks where climbers peregrines — the most ever documented in the park. and falcons overlap, so they can apply Yosemite’s proven tactics for protecting both peregrines and climbing areas. Yosemite’s successful approach stands out for its focus on balancing falcon management and visitor recreation. Rather For decades, climbers and wildlife managers have worked than issuing indiscriminate climbing closures, Yosemite together in Yosemite to help peregrines thrive on the walls. researchers and rangers implement data-driven, responsive Thanks to their ongoing efforts — and your support — regulations. Wildlife managers monitor nests throughout the visitors have the chance to see a success story in action: a season, and they impose, adjust or lift closures based on each falcon saved from extinction, floating and diving above peregrine family’s activity. By avoiding off-limit areas and the Valley.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 07 PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © TOBE ROBERTS. (RIGHT) © KALEB GOFF. Looking for Lions

NON-INVASIVE TECHNIQUES HELP SCIENTISTS STUDY YOSEMITE’S WILD CATS

s dawn breaks over the Yosemite high That mark belongs to a shy, solitary creature that country, you pack up your tent, lace up your generally eludes human observation. Its owner roams the park at night, hunting for deer and small mammals, boots and hit the trail. You notice raindrops and retreats to secluded shelter during the day. clinging to pine boughs, remnants of an overnight shower. Then, something catches your eye The rarely seen Puma concolor goes by many names, underfoot: a four-toed paw print pressed into the including cougar, panther and puma, and in Yosemite, mountain lion. Whatever you call them, damp earth, about 4 inches wide, with three lobes these large, tan felines are a lynchpin in the ecological at the back and two at the front. web. Mountain lions influence the movements of

08 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © TOBE ROBERTS. (RIGHT) © KALEB GOFF.

fellow predators, keeping prey populations in check and on the move. In Yosemite, that can mean preventing deer from overgrazing native plants, such as black oaks and willows. Their hunting skills help other animals, too, by providing carrion that feeds mammals, insects and birds.

Mountain lions typically avoid people, but they haven’t been able to avoid the hazards of living in proximity to humans. In California, more than 12,000 lions were killed by hunters in the first half of the 20th century. The state made mountain lions a “specially protected species” in 1990, making them illegal to hunt, but the cats still face a serious challenge, as urban development, wildfires and bark beetle infestations fragment their habitats.

As mountain lion habitat is lost across the state, Yosemite’s more than 700,000 acres of protected Wilderness could serve as a refuge for the species. California wildlife managers are looking to the park not just as a potential haven, but also as an ideal place to study lions’ habitat requirements and SHARING SPACE gather information to shape statewide conservation efforts. WITH MOUNTAIN LIONS Scientists know little about Yosemite’s mountain lion population. In the late 1990s, the Conservancy funded a study that used radio-telemetry to monitor a handful of collared lions; from that data, researchers calculated Mountain lions typically avoid crossing that approximately 45 lions were using the park. Today, however, paths with people. Since 1890, there scientists think that total is an underestimate, skewed by the challenge of have been only 16 verified lion attacks on having to collar and track a notoriously evasive mammal. humans in California. Still, brushing up on best practices for sharing space with Now, with your support, researchers are taking advantage of a more wildlife in Yosemite can help keep you efficient, less invasive technique to explore Yosemite mountain lions’ — and the park’s big cats — safe. numbers, genetics and habitat needs. The key ingredient to their approach isn’t a new high-tech tracking tool — it’s a group of four-legged detectives: As with all wildlife, you can help scent dogs. These highly trained detection dogs and their University of protect mountain lions by driving Washington–based handlers are working with Oregon State University slowly on park roads, reporting lion researchers and Yosemite scientists to search for mountain lion scat in the sightings to rangers and storing food park. The dogs locate the designated droppings, and researchers use the securely. Feeding deer and other scat to learn more about lions — including their DNA makeup, territory animals can attract predators to and population size — all without disrupting the wild felines. developed areas, so be sure to keep your snacks to yourself! By providing key insights into the diversity, habitat preferences and conservation needs of the state’s vulnerable, vital big cats, this study will Mountain lions usually don’t want to help expand scientists’ understanding of mountain lions within Yosemite, run into you; help them steer clear by while also contributing to the California Department of Fish and making your presence known. Avoid Wildlife’s statewide mountain lion conservation strategy. hiking solo at dawn, dusk or after dark, and keep kids and pets close by. The next time you notice a paw print on a Yosemite trail, study its size and If you do encounter a lion, don’t run, shape — you might be treading through the habitat of a keystone species, approach or crouch down. Instead, whose story and challenges are coming to light, thanks to your support. stand your ground, maintain eye contact, and make yourself as big and loud as possible. OPPOSITE As top predators, mountain lions play a key role in the Yosemite ecosystem, but scientists know little about the park’s Puma concolor population. TOP Know your tracks! Mountain lion prints feature four tear-drop-shaped toes and three lobes on the heel. Unlike coyotes and other canines, these wild felines don’t usually leave visible claw prints. YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 09 PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © JONATHAN MAYS. (BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT) © NPS/ERIC BISSELL. © NPS/JOSEPH SZEWCZAK.

PROTECTING Big Wall Bats Scientists turn to cliff surveys and climbers to prevent white-nose syndrome

s the sun sets and the dark sky blankets the world’s more than 1,000 species, 17 live in Yosemite. They Sierra, another world awakens. Songbirds share space with humans on six continents, and like most and squirrels cease their daytime chatter, wild animals, they typically try to avoid us. They play a and nocturnal animals stir under the glow critical role in their home habitats and in our human food of the Milky Way. Among those creatures system. They help control insect populations, pollinate of the night is an essential, but often plants, and serve as a food source for owls, raptors and misunderstood, group: bats. other predators.

Bats are Earth’s second largest group of mammals. Of the Bats have a bit of a branding problem. In popular culture,

10 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © JONATHAN MAYS. (BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT) © NPS/ERIC BISSELL. © NPS/JOSEPH SZEWCZAK.

they’re often tied to fear and mystery. Their spooky, sinister to mitigate the potential for climbers to inadvertently reputation belies their reality. Shattering bat-related myths introduce the fungus to the park’s rock-roosting bats. can help people see that the world’s only true flying mammals are more benevolent than baleful, but that only This year, with your support, scientists are embarking on a goes so far in protecting bats from threats to their homes project to study areas where bats and climbers cross paths and health. in Yosemite. Pd can only survive in a narrow range of temperatures and humidity levels; by identifying caves and As deforestation, urbanization and light pollution disrupt crevices where those environmental conditions exist, scientists the habitats and dark skies on which they depend, bats can document and manage potential fungal hot spots. also face a serious challenge from a deadly disease: white- nose syndrome (WNS), an infection caused by the Professional researchers aren’t the only ones pitching in Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) fungus, which thrives on this work. As part of this project, the park’s wildlife in the cool caves many bat species use as winter roosts. experts are encouraging climbers to report bat-related The fungus forces hibernating bats to wake from their observations from their ascents, and they are enlisting winter dormancy, burn through their energy reserves and, climbing staff and volunteers to record bat evidence, as eventually, starve. they patrol popular routes.

WNS has devastated bat populations in the eastern U.S. Results from this research will help wildlife managers and Canada. The Pd fungus has not yet reached Yosemite, develop a plan for preventing WNS from taking hold in but it has been detected in Washington state and could Yosemite — and for engaging climbers in ongoing efforts spread — potentially via rock-climbers. to protect the park’s bats. By mobilizing climbers as citizen scientists and conservation advocates, scientists hope Scientists don’t yet know the extent to which people might to shield Yosemite’s bats from this disastrous disease and serve as vectors for Pd, as they move among cliffs and caves, ensure these critically important creatures can continue to but Yosemite researchers are taking a proactive approach find safe winter shelter on the big walls.

OPPOSITE White-nose syndrome affects many bat species, including little brown bats. With your help, scientists are working to protect Yosemite’s flying mammals from this deadly fungal affliction.LEFT Yosemite climbers and climbing rangers play a role in preventing the spread of WNS by reporting their observations of bats on the cliffs. RIGHT A scientist holds a Yuma bat, one of the Yosemite species vulnerable to WNS.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 11 At Home in the Wild

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF YOSEMITE’S DIVERSE HABITATS

n a single day in Yosemite, you can experience dense forests, open meadows, rugged slopes and alpine lakes. The park’s varied terrain supports an array of wildlife, including nearly 90 mammals, 165 birds, 13 amphibians, MOUNTAINS 22 reptiles and innumerable insects. Some animals stick primarily to one type of habitat; others might move from woodlands to wetlands to riverbanks, as they seek food, shelter and mates.

Each habitat featured here is one you might encounter in the park — and has been the focus of Conservancy donor–supported efforts to study and protect park ecosystems and the wildlife that depend on them.

PHOTOS: (MEADOWS) © DAVE WYMAN. (MOUNTAINS) © DAMON CORSO. (FORESTS) © COURTESY OF U.S. FOREST SERVICE PACIFIC SOUTHWEST RESEARCH STATION. (WATER) © USGS/DEVIN EDMONDS. (CLIFFS) © MATT BENTO.

12 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 MEADOWS Sponge-like Sierra meadows soak up snow and rain, and support a variety of plants and animals. Look for deer grazing, coyotes hunting small mammals, butterflies pollinating wildflowers and birds searching for insects.

MOUNTAINS Biodiversity dwindles at upper elevations, but some hardy creatures thrive on high peaks. Pikas dwell in talus fields, marmots bask on boulders, and bighorn sheep balance on steep slopes.

FORESTS Yosemite’s woodlands offer abundant food, including nuts, seeds, sap and bark-dwelling bugs. Broken “snags” hold owl nests; tree cavities house Pacific fishers, squirrels and woodpeckers; and hollow trunks harbor hibernating bears.

WATER Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs are returning to high-elevation lakes, thanks to your support. In the Valley’s aquatic ecosystems, look for restored MEADOWS populations of California red-legged frogs and western pond turtles. WATER

CLIFFS Yosemite’s walls look barren from afar, but they’re remarkably alive. Lichen stripes rock faces; peregrine falcons, black swifts and bats roost on the cliffs; and Mount Lyell salamanders scale granite.

Protect Wild Places — And Wildlife FORESTS

CLIFFS Easy ways to minimize your impact on Yosemite ecosystems:

• Stay on designated trails. • Pitch tents on durable surfaces. • Camp and clean up at least 100 feet from water. • Leave natural objects in place. • Pack out all waste, including food scraps.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 13 “My favorite plants are giant PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/NANCY ROBBINS. (RIGHT) © ROY WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY. © SAMANTHA WELSH. sequoias; they’re like botanical dinosaurs!”

— PETE DEVINE Yosemite Conservancy’s Resident Naturalist

WITH A YOSEMITE Q&A INSIDER ABOVE Pete Devine, the Conservancy’s resident naturalist, draws on his extensive Yosemite knowledge to help visitors connect with their surroundings.

osemite Conservancy’s resident range (2,000'–13,000') protects wonderful biotic diversity. naturalist, Pete Devine, is a former Most of the park is a designated Wilderness area, a status that acknowledges its natural beauty and biodiversity, and park ranger, Yosemite’s first Leave No ensures an extraordinary level of stewardship. Trace master educator and a longtime student of his Sierra Nevada surroundings. In his Q :: What are your favorite Outdoor words, naturalists are “simply people who pay Adventures to lead, and what do you hope attention to the natural world” — but his work people take away from these programs? is far from simple. As a frequent leader of our A :: I especially appreciate leading overnight wilderness treks, Outdoor Adventures, he has helped thousands including to Lyell Glacier and Half Dome; on those journeys, of visitors gain a fresh perspective on their people have more time to relate to the beauties of our protected surroundings, minimize their environmental lands. After any Outdoor Adventure program, I hope visitors impact and appreciate the “unexpected come away with a sense of why people pushed to protect Yosemite’s granite canyons, sequoia forests, foothills and lessons” nature offers on any Yosemite journey. peaks in the 1800s. I hope they grasp that everyone, not just naturalists or National Park Service staff, has an opportunity Q :: What inspired you to pursue a career as to share this priceless treasure — and a responsibility to look a naturalist? after it. A :: I was lucky to grow up with access to woods, meadows Q :: What are your favorite Yosemite animals and brooks, and to have parents who were interested in what and plants? lived out there. I’ve always taken great pleasure in being outdoors and learning about our surroundings. A :: So easy! My favorite animal is the Steller’s jay. Almost Q :: What makes Yosemite special, from a every visitor will see and hear these gorgeous, intelligent birds, naturalist’s perspective? and they’re a great gateway to learning about fellow creatures. My favorite plants are giant sequoias; they’re like botanical A :: Yosemite Valley’s scenery is exceptional on a planetary dinosaurs. We can only imagine T. rex and triceratops, but scale. Within and beyond the Valley, Yosemite’s elevational we could gaze up at a sequoia this weekend.

14 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 YOSEMITE INSIDER PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/NANCY ROBBINS. (RIGHT) © ROY WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY. © SAMANTHA WELSH.

Q :: How can people develop a deeper connection with the natural world?

A :: Observe the sky outside your home; take a few breaths of plant-generated oxygen; listen to wind, rain or birds. Spend time with rangers, docents, trip leaders or neighbors who enjoy exploring flowers, birds or geology.

And, of course, join us for an Outdoor Adventure! Bring your curiosity, and we guarantee you’ll learn something new — not just from your naturalist guide, but also from fellow participants.

Experience the park with Devine and other expert naturalists: Find your next Yosemite adventure at yosemiteconservancy.org/outdoor-adventures, ABOVE Devine has led or email [email protected]. numerous Conservancy backpacking trips to Yosemite’s eastern edge, where he has also “Yosemite Valley’s scenery spent years studying the park’s vanishing glacial ice. RIGHT Devine, Yosemite’s first Leave is exceptional on a planetary No Trace master educator, is an expert in minimal-impact hiking scale.” skills — including navigation!

Bring Yosemite Home

From books to apparel, the Yosemite Conservancy Bookstore has great finds for the Yosemite-lover in your life.

Each purchase benefits the park — just one more way for you to show your support for Yosemite.

Shop now at yosemiteconservancy.org

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 15 GRANT UPDATES

New Grants for 2019

TRAIL REHABILITATION & ACCESS

CCC Crews Restore Trails: Merced River Watershed $200,000 CCC Crews Restore Trails: Tuolumne River Watershed $200,000 Restore Legendary Valley Trails $200,000

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT Protect Endangered Bighorn Sheep $91,345 Protect Peregrine Falcons $35,000 Save the Sierra Nevada Red Fox $84,440 Save Yosemite’s Native Amphibians $130,000

HABITAT RESTORATION Ackerson Meadow: Science and Stewardship $175,000 Keep It Wild: Restore Yosemite’s Wilderness $125,000 Plant Flowers to Save Pollinators $91,675 Restore Pothole Dome Wetlands $49,525 Restore Yosemite Valley Wetlands $100,000 Restore Yosemite Valley Vistas $75,000

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH Protect Big Wall Bats $50,000 Research the PCT: Trail Use Studies $62,300 Study Songbirds: 30th Anniversary $60,000 Survey Mountain Lion Populations $150,000

CULTURAL & HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Build the Wahhoga Roundhouse $35,000 Celebrate Climbing History: Initial Study $200,000 Engage Tribal Youth in Anthropology $14,912 Expand Education at the Pioneer History Center $100,000 Honor American-Indian Traditions $57,078 Keep Horses at the Heart of Yosemite $40,000 Preserve Historic Orchards $37,590 Protect Snow Creek Cabin $21,000 Share Park History: Photos from Yosemite’s Past $70,440

VISITOR SERVICES & EDUCATION

Adventure Risk Challenge: Empower Future Stewards $80,000 Ask a Climber $51,300 Build Stewardship Through Bilingual Outreach $45,000 Junior Ranger Programs $139,790 Keep Visitors Safe: Preventive Search and Rescue $25,000 Keep Yosemite Moving: Explore Travel Patterns $400,000 Parks in Focus: Inspire Youth Through Photography $20,000 Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series $15,000 Sport Shop Conversion to Welcome Center $1,800,000 Upgrade Visitor Resources at Big Oak Flat $150,000 Upgrade Wawona Winter Search and Rescue $10,000 WildLink: Teens Connect to the Natural World $35,000 Yosemite Climbing Stewardship Program $120,100 Yosemite Leadership Program: Education and Internships $179,400 Yosemite Valley Bike-Share Program $30,000

TOTAL $5,555,895

Color represents Youth in Yosemite Programs.

16 SPRING.SUMMER 20182019 GRANT UPDATES

BEARS IN BALANCE

HOW GRANT-FUNDED WORK HAS HELPED “KEEP BEARS WILD”

cratched trees. Berry-speckled droppings. Five-toed prints. If you come across those clues in Yosemite, take a moment to appreciate the wild creature that left them behind: an American black bear.

Up to 500 bears live in Yosemite, but seeing one is a relatively rare occurrence. Within recent decades, however, bears were a common sight, as feeding pits and food-packed cars drew them to campgrounds, roads and parking areas.

During the past 20 years, donors have funded ambitious efforts to counter major threats to bears’ survival in the park: human food and speeding cars. These projects have included installing thousands of wildlife-proof food lockers, using GPS collars to study bears and adding roadside signs that prompt drivers to slow down. The public can learn about protecting bears through a Conservancy-supported website, www.keepbearswild.org, and merchandise line, and through our bear-proof food-canister rental program.

The impact of these diverse tactics is enormous: The park reported fewer than two dozen bear-related incidents in 2018, down from more than 1,500 in 1998. Now, it’s up to all visitors to continue that positive trend, by storing food securely, observing wildlife from a safe distance and driving slowly on park roads.

LEFT Numbered ear tags and GPS collars help wildlife managers identify, monitor and protect individual bears in Yosemite. GPS-monitoring and other Conservancy donor-funded projects have spurred a dramatic drop in

bear–related incidents in the park. PHOTO: © COURTESY OF NPS.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 17 GRANT UPDATES PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE TOP TO BOTTOM) © STEVE YEAGER. © COURTESY OF NPS. (RIGHT TOP TO BOTTOM) © COURTESY OF NPS. © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/RYAN KELLY.

SAVING WILD SHEEP

AFTER A HARSH WINTER, BIOLOGISTS

BOLSTER YOSEMITE’S BIGHORN POPULATION

ABOVE Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep once ranged throughout the Sierra Nevada, but their numbers nosedived in the early 20th century. With your help, these endangered mammals are making a comeback in Yosemite.

igh in Yosemite’s mountains, a small but growing group of alpinists deftly navigates the world above 10,000 feet: Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, an endangered subspecies found only in their namesake mountains.

The species’ return to its historical habitat is a recent milestone, after disease and hunting annihilated Yosemite’s wild sheep in the early 1900s. In 2015, with donors’ support, biologists released a herd in the Cathedral Range. These sheep held on during the record-setting 2016–2017

ABOVE Park researchers use on-the- winter, which caused bighorn deaths throughout the Sierra. As of late 2018, the ground surveys and GPS data to monitor Cathedral herd had 11 sheep, including four lambs. Yosemite’s wild sheep, an essential element of their efforts to establish a self-sustaining bighorn population in With your support, scientists are working to ensure the bighorns can thrive the Cathedral Range. on their own through increasing herd numbers and genetic diversity, and by monitoring the bighorns through surveys and GPS data. Each sheep that gains a foothold on Yosemite’s steep slopes brings the park’s effort closer to long-term success — and the species closer to recovery.

18 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 GRANT UPDATES PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE TOP TO BOTTOM) © STEVE YEAGER. © COURTESY OF NPS. (RIGHT TOP TO BOTTOM) © COURTESY OF NPS. © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/RYAN KELLY.

SEARCHING FOR THE RED FOX

SCIENTISTS USE CAMERAS AND DETECTION

DOGS TO STUDY A RARE MAMMAL

igh above Yosemite’s most popular trails, where snow lingers well into spring, hushed forests provide food and shelter for one of North America’s rarest mammals: the Sierra Nevada red fox.

In 2015, researchers conducting surveys through a Conservancy- funded grant reported the first sighting of this elusive subspecies in Yosemite in nearly a century. The remote camera image, of rust- colored fur and a long, white-tipped tail against sparkling snow, catapulted the fox into the scientific spotlight.

Since then, researchers have worked to learn more about the Yosemite-area fox population. They’ve hiked and skied to remote areas to set up camera stations, sorted through thousands of motion-triggered images, and analyzed scat and hair samples. Their work has contributed to a sobering calculation: Only 29 known adult red foxes remain in the Sierra Nevada. Without a comprehensive TOP In late 2014, a Sierra Nevada red conservation plan, this high-altitude hunter could face extinction. fox trotted in front of a remote camera in northern Yosemite. The resulting image was the first confirmed sighting This year, thanks to a 2019 donor-funded grant, scientists are using remote of the fox within park borders in 99 cameras and scat surveys in known and potential fox habitat to gather additional years. ABOVE Research doesn’t stop when snow falls! Field crews ski into data on the animal’s distribution, range and population size within Yosemite. the Yosemite Wilderness to check and This research will help shape a strategy to save one of the Sierra’s scarcest species, maintain cameras used to study the the red fox, before it vanishes. Sierra Nevada red fox.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 19 PROGRAM UPDATES

GET IN THE [VEGETATION] ZONE

EXPLORE ANY ELEVATION ON A CONSERVANCY ADVENTURE

hen you look at a map of Yosemite, it’s easy to trace the park’s trails, pick out lakes, spot sequoia groves and identify mountain ranges. Within the topographic lines, however, is another way to look at the landscape: vegetation zones. Through our Outdoor and Custom Adventures, you can experience each of Yosemite’s five zones, from low-elevation foothills to high peaks, Upper Montane Forest with an expert naturalist. 6,000'–8,000' 216,000 acres As you gain elevation, summers shorten and temperatures fall. Red fir, western juniper, and lodgepole and Jeffrey pines thrive here, a place Lower Montane Forest where meadows bloom from June 3,000'–6,000' through August. Connect with this 166,000 acres zone on full-moon hikes and casual overnight trips near the rim of A Mediterranean climate — hot, dry Yosemite Valley, or on a trek to summers and cool, moist winters — the top of Half Dome. reigns in this zone, where you’ll find black oaks, incense-cedars and giant sequoias. Immerse in biodiversity, as you hike in Mariposa Grove, bird- Foothill-Woodland Zone watch at White Wolf, and learn about 1,800'–3,000' diverse wildlife in Yosemite Valley. 15,074 acres Low elevations on the park’s western edges host manzanita, blue oak, wild lilac and other plants adapted to hot, dry summers and minimal snow. Catch this zone’s early wildflowers and waterfalls during day hikes at Hetch Hetchy and in the Merced River Canyon.

UPPER MONTANE FOREST (6,000'–8,000', 216,000 acres)

LOWER MONTANE FOREST (3,000'–6,000', 166,000 acres)

FOOTHILL-WOODLAND (1,800'–3,000', 15,074 acres) PROGRAM UPDATES

2019 OUTDOOR ADVENTURES BY ZONE

ALPINE ZONE

August 2–4 Yosemite Day Hikes: Life Above the Tree Line August 8–10 Women’s Advanced Backpack: Rafferty Creek and Amelia Earhart Peak August 29–September 1 Wilderness Skills Backpack September 6–8 Casual Backpack: May Lake and Mount Hoffmann Alpine Zone 9,500'+ 54,362 acres SUBALPINE FOREST

The landscape above the tree June 28–30 line, marked by exposed rock Outdoor Adventure Alumni Reunion: and limited vegetation, supports Tuolumne Meadows resilient animals, such as pikas, July 11–14 bighorn sheep and white-tailed Backpack to Glen Aulin and Waterwheel Falls Subalpine Forest ptarmigans. Explore these August 10–11 8,000'–9,500' elevations — the park’s highest Fly Fishing and Aquatic Life 297,000 acres — during backpacking trips to August 23–25 Cool temperatures and wet winters remote peaks or day hikes to Tuolumne Meadows Geology mark this zone, home to short- hidden lakes. lived summer flowers and conifers, such as western white pine and UPPER MONTANE FOREST mountain hemlock. During guided July 4, July 27, August 3 backpacking trips from Tuolumne Overnight Under the Milky Way Meadows, fly-fishing weekends and July 18–21 geology programs, you’ll experience Women’s Backpack: glacial features and snow-fed rivers Yosemite Creek and Eagle Peak throughout the subalpine forest. August 16–19 Casual Backpack: North Dome & Indian Rock

LOWER MONTANE FOREST

June 8–9 Yosemite Without a Car ALPINE ZONE June 13–16 (9,500'+, 54,362 acres) Watercolor Weekend: Capture Valley Scenery October 13 Yosemite With Your Dog December 14 Sequoia Stroll in Mariposa Grove SUBALPINE FOREST (8,000'–9,500', 297,000 acres) FOOTHILLS-WOODLAND ZONE

November 16 Visit us online at Day of the Woodpecker yosemiteconservancy.org/ outdoor-adventures to browse and sign up for PHOTOS: (LEFT TO RIGHT) © DAVID GREENWOOD. © MIKE REEVES. © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/KEITH WALKLET. © ROBERT LIND. © JON SULLIVAN. 2019 Outdoor Adventures. © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/JENNIFER MILLER.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 21 PROGRAM UPDATES PHOTO: (OPPOSITE) © MICHAEL WHITE.

CONNECTING ART & NATURE

NEW HAPPY ISLES–BASED ARTIST NATURALIST WALKS

COMBINE CURIOSITY AND CREATIVITY

appy Isles Art and Nature Center is housed in a historic stone structure in a quiet corner of eastern Yosemite Valley, easily accessible by shuttle, bicycle or foot. Outside the center, you can experience wetland, riparian and forest habitats; gaze up at granite walls; and watch the Merced River rush by. Inside, a colorful studio and educational exhibits invite visitors of all ages to explore natural history and express themselves through creative projects, and a Conservancy bookstore offers art supplies, field guides, sketchbooks and other items.

This spring, we expanded our art offerings, which include daily workshops, drop-in sessions and children’s classes, by adding a new activity: guided Art in Nature Walks. On these family-friendly, naturalist- led walks, you’ll start to see Yosemite ecosystems through a new lens, while studying your surroundings and exploring relationships among shapes, colors and textures in the natural environment.

With help from your guide, you’ll use artistic techniques to capture details of the Happy Isles ecosystem, bringing your observations of plants, animals and landscape features to life on the page. You’ll end the walk with a creative record of your experience in this special place, and with a new suite of artistic skills to draw on wherever you go in the park.

To view and register for art programs, visit ABOVE Yosemite’s youngest visitors can explore their surroundings through art yosemiteconservancy.org/happy-isles-art- during children’s classes and new “Art in Nature” walks based at Happy Isles. and-nature-center.

PHOTO: © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY.

22 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 PHOTO: (OPPOSITE) © MICHAEL WHITE.

THANK YOU

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY SUPPORTERS Yosemite Conservancy is extremely grateful to acknowledge the John Muir Heritage Society and Legacy Society individual donors, foundations, businesses and volunteers, who supported our work at a leadership level from Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018, below. Donors of $25 and more are listed in the Honor Register or on the Honor Wall at the Valley Visitor Center in Yosemite National Park. Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to fulfill our mission to preserve and protect Yosemite National Park and enrich the visitor experience — today and for future generations.

JOHN MUIR Matthew & Hollis Adams Donald & Susan Fuhrer SENTINELS Vernon & MaryJane Johnson HERITAGE SOCIETY William Anderson Burton & Maud Carol Goldfield Gifts of $5,000 to $9,999 Thorro & Joan Jones Ronald W. & Ann C. Berg Ted Goldstein & Jessica Bernhardt Derry & Charlene Kabcenell The John Muir Heritage Society Ralph Britton Karen & Raymond Gordon Anonymous (5) Andrew Kau & Laura Hattendorf is composed of individuals with a Steve & Gayle Brugler Bonnie Gregory Susanah Aguilera & Robert Kiesling The Kennedy Family strong commitment to preserving and Timothy Cook Rusty Gregory Toni & Rick Anderson John & Kathy Kissick protecting Yosemite for the future by James & Barbara Dall Nancy & David Griffin Phillip & Kathryn Arnold Anne & Gregg Korbin giving $1,000 and more each year. Leslie & John Dorman Richard A. Gross Melissa A. Austin Sarah Korda Lynn & Jim Gibbons Benjamin & Ruth Hammett Robin Baney William & Paula LeBlanc RANGERS John & Jean Grove Gregory & Roberta Isaeff Susan & Timothy Bottoms Walt Lemmermann Gifts of $100,000 & more Gary Holland Richard Kingsland Diane & Lee Brandenburg Joanne Lester Bruce & Teresa Caldwell Anonymous John W. Houghton Jr. Thomas & Janet Lacey Gerry & Esther Levandoski Michelle Campbell Ruth Laine Bauer Bob Johnson Erin & Jeff Lager John & Kathleen Libby Michael & Kathleen Casey Margaret Blankley Robert & Jane Lundin The Landreth Family Robert & Melody Lind Kevin Caudill John Carson Malcolm Swift Gene & Genevieve Lew Sam & Cindy Livermore Leonard & Brenda Cipriano Bette Jean Clute Gene Underwood & Tim Cleere Don & Dorothy Lewis Jim & Pam Lloyd Anne & Tracey Coats Peter & Margaret Doleman Peter & Virginia Van Kuran Gordon & Frances Lockett Park Loughlin Craig & Kira Cooper Dana & David Dornsife Clifford James Walker Ellen Love Jay & Susan Mandell Marilyn C. Crane Cynthia & Bill Floyd Ryan & Susan Wiley Lillian Lovelace Mark Marion & Gregg & Margaret Cutler James A. Frank Scott & Helen Witter Carol C. Luckhardt Sheila Grether-Marion Lynette & Michael Davis Jim & Mary Anne Fullerton Jacqueline Mars Timothy & Patsy Marshall Roxann Davis Alpert A. Garren BENEFACTORS Tom & Barbara Mazzetti Victor & Billie Martino Dave & Teri Dayton Mina & James Jenner Gifts of $10,000 to $24,999 Muriel & William McGee James McGee Lois & David DeMille Franklin P. & Catherine H. Johnson Gary Miller Thomas Page Mericle Anonymous (2) David & Laura Denton Gregory D. & Gloria Miller & David Bowman Kirsten & Dan Miks Natsuko Akiyama Sterling & Chester Dorman Jennifer Walston Johnson John & Nadine Mills Joseph & Robyn Miller Susan & Matt Andros Nancy Dyar Bill & Jean Lane Stephen Mock & Ann Hurd Ryan & Kate Myers Jennifer Augustyn & Ali Meghdadi Fredrick & Freda Ekstein Deborah J. Neff Janet Mohle-Boetani & Janet Napolitano Eloise C. Goodhew Barnett Dale N. Elliott & Chris Mengarelli Stacey Nicholas Mark Manasse Sharon & Dan Niedringhaus Philip & Jane Bellomy Dan & Rae Emmett Jack & Sheri Overall Philip & Nancy Naecker Catherine O’Brien Bob & Suzy Bennitt Bob & Jewell Engstrom Michael Pacicca Paul & Antje Newhagen Mr. & Mrs. Henry Ordeman Melanie & Mark Biersack Kathy Fairbanks Allen & Marilyn Puckett Richard C. Otter & Judith Wilbur Rozell Overmire Marilyn & Allan Brown Andy & Maria Pecota James Feit Stephen Paboojian PIONEERS Stephen & Frances Butler Lawson A. & Gisele L. Rankin Doris Flint Wayne Pfeiffer Gifts of $50,000 to $99,999 Don & Duane Callahan Skip & Frankie Rhodes John & Carole Garand Sharon & Philip L. Pillsbury Kathleen & Jonathan Campbell Elizabeth Ross Mary Gardner David & Nicole Pincek Anonymous Polly & Randy Cherner Dave Rossetti & Jan Avent Lucille Glassman Phillip B. & Diana L. Plant Gretchen Augustyn Stephen & Diane Ciesinski Josephine Shuman Jeannette & Jerry Goldstone Mr. & Mrs. Frank R. Randall Steve & Beth Bangert Terry & Anne Clark Janice Simis James H. Greene Jr. Family Peter & Kate Rathmann Joan Egrie Bob & Sandy Comstock and Family Greg & Lisa Stanger Mr. & Mrs. Ed Grubb Rodney & Pamela Rempt Alice Gonnerman Barbara Coulter Jennifer & Russ Stanton Carl Grunsky & Joan Parker David J. Richman Kirk & Sandi Gorman Harold Cranston & Vicki Baker James & Kay Stiles Ginnie & Peter Haas Jr. Steven & Kim Rizzuto Peter Hilf Theresa Daly The George Sundby Family Steve, Karen, Melanie & Mary J. Rogers-Jones Timothy Keenan Dominic & Margaret DeCristofaro Walter R. Wallner Jr. & Dylan Hanson Robert & Catherine Saxton William E. Reller The Diaz Family Jill Appenzeller Gregg Harrison Steve & Terri Saxton Stephanie & Mark Robinson Bill & Nancy Doolittle Jack H. Walston & Barbara Holloway Pearl Anne Seipp Ramona L. White Tom & Sally Edsall Susan M. Estes Christy & Chuck Holloway Thomas Shannon Lynne Elkin Mary Warner Kristine Hope Donald A. Shepherd PATRONS Jim, Kenna & Celeste Fenton Marilyn & Howard Whelan Joseph C. Howard Jr. & Stephen Steinhauser & Kathy White Gifts of $25,000 to $49,999 Sandra & Bernard Fischbach Kirby & Amy Wilcox Wesley Halbruner Thomas & Virginia Steuber Anonymous James B. Freedman & Karine Joret Bill & Janne Wissel Christina Hurn & Richard Tassone Scott Stingel & Carole Lynn Wong

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 23 THANKING OUR DONORS PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/CAITLIN ALLARD. (BOTTOM) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/NANCY ROBBINS. Douglas & Debra Highsmith Jeff Vadasz Ronald W. & Ann C. Berg David & Crystal Hoffman Mary Vanatta & Adam Meyer Jacques Bernier Debra Holcomb & Dale Ashlock Robert D. & Denise Wang-Kline Laurel Best-Linton E. Alan Holroyde Gerald Ward Steven Biddle Jeffrey & Brenda Howard Dr. & Mrs. William F. Weeden Terri Binder Mark & Bonnie Hudak Herb & Jan West Bingham Kearns Charitable Fund Robert & Margaret Hulter Thelma Wever Judith Bingman John & Dana Hunter Clare R. Wheeler Roberta Bleiweiss Kenneth & Barbara Hunter Donna Wills Kari Blinn Mark & Linda Hurst Iris & Daniel Winey Elizabeth L. Boineau Mark & Samantha Johnsen Robert & Ariel Witbeck John Boles Stanley & Karen Johnsen Ward & Polly Wolff Thomas & Diane Bopp Charles & JoAnn Kaplan Deann Wright & Luke Evnin Jerome & Ellen Bornstein Sy Kaufman & Kerstin Edgerton Mary R. Wright Marilyn Borowicz Steve & Mary Kavanaugh Denise Yamamoto & Josh Hannah Marianne Borselle Stephen Kempainen Jo Anne Yanagisawa Beate Boultinghouse & Bruce, Candis & Matthew Kerns Kiyomi & Gregory Yim Michael Fury Marvin & Mary Kilgo Richard Bryan Younce Charles E. Bradbury III Margie & Ralph Koldinger Gary & Christine Younger Peter P. Bradley Claire & Eugene Kopp Gretchen Zane & Fred Wassem Robert & Victoria Brant “On our first family backpacking trip Keith Kowalczykowski Doug Bray in 1955 to Glen Aulin and Vogelsang in William A. Kumpf LEGACY SOCIETY Edward & Mindy Breslin Sherill Ladwig Roger & Korki Brett Yosemite Conservancy thanks Yosemite’s magnificent high country, Sharon Lane Richard & Demi Briscoe members of the Legacy Society, who Samuel Lasky & Stephanie Brito we were hooked. The Conservancy’s have provided for Yosemite’s future Christina O’Sullivan Ralph Britton Jr. in their estate plans. trail improvement and backcountry J. N. & Diane Lazear Robert & Prudence Broadwell John & Elizabeth Leonard Charles Brousse Anonymous (49) restoration programs let us contribute Rebecca Lombino Marilyn & Allan Brown to preserving Yosemite’s scenic Richard & Linda Lum Gay Abarbanell Robert & Susan Brown Steven Matros & Baily Chemides Yvette M. Acosta Steve & Gayle Brugler treasures for future wilderness-lovers.” Kathleen McCarthy Denis J. Adair Faith M. Burgard David & Susan McCormick Patricia Adams Ellen Burmester — KAREN MERRITT Dave & Lindsay McMenamin Susanah Aguilera & Robert Kiesling Audrey Steele Burnand Alan Ahlstrand & Mary Donahue John Muir Heritage Society member Anne Giannini McWilliams Candace & Donald Butwill Karen & Russell Merritt Carl & Su Anne Alessandro Wallace Cackowski Carol & Vail Miller Carol Allen Chip Caldwell Robert Miller & Douglas J. & Carole T. Allen Linda Caldwell Candice Sommer-Miller John Alt & Rachel Makool Melanie & Daniel Callaway Samuel & Helga Strong Stephen & Catherine Combs Tashia & John Morgridge Andy & Carole Amstutz J. Claire Calvo Anne Swift and Family Celso Morrison & Irene & Eilif Andersen James & Aimee Campbell Diane Talbert Robin & Jim Conerly Julie Chrzanowski Laurel Anderson John W. Campbell Edward Thomas Steve & Carolyn Conner Tim Muller Mona Anderson Patricia J. Campbell Diana & Jimmy Tran Jeffrey & Connie Cope The Nikolai Family Roy A. & Betty B. Anderson Susan Campbell Sumter Travers Joann & Ivan Cornelius Stephen & Elizabeth O’Brien Richard & Kevyn Andrews R. David Cantu & Valerie Vanaman William & Linda Cornell Shanna O’Hare & John Davis Anthony Angellotti Helen Laurie Button-Cantu Wayne & Janet Waters Robert & Kim Corrao Charles & Anne Olsen Edith Ankersmit & Jerrold Kemp Mimi M. Carroll Norman Weeks Kim & Tom Coull Vance O’Neill Robert L. Ankrum & Debra Jones Harry & Sandra Carter John & Connie Wesley Heather Crane Erwin Ordeman Michael Anthenien Michael Casey David Wollenberg Shirley Crawford Elizabeth & Walter Parks Jill Appenzeller Michael & Kathleen Casey Dr. & Mrs. Chong M. Won Kenneth & Sylvia Curry Curtis & Carrie Peterson Dale Arends Donald & Susan Caskey Herb & Barbara Yuki Garrett & Lynn Dailey Connie Petlack Alex Arevalo Sandro & Joan Centofanti Peter J. Davis Stephen & Jan Pickering Joan Armstrong Susan B. Chen GUARDIANS Frank & Diane Dean James & Elizabeth Ralston D. Sheldon Arnot Sherry Chenell Gifts of $2,500 to $4,999 Catherine Dolton April Ramos Elizabeth & R. Kirklin Ashley Eunice M. Childs Paul & Patti Eisenberg Albert & Roxanne Richards Michael & Heidi Ausman Lan Chin Anonymous (5) Jeff Elfont Beverly Wagner Riddle David Axelrod & Linda Feferman Donald & Lucye Christiansen Doug & Judy Adams Robert Fairbanks Bill Ring Joan C. Bacci Donald & Kyoko Christy Drew & Susan Adams Nick Fedrick George & Edyth Roberts Jo Bacon Mary E.F. Rachel Church William & Valerie Anders Dorothy Fern James Robinson & Lorin Bacon Stephen & Diane Ciesinski Jill Wien Badger Frederick J. Fisher & Joe Lattuada Kathy Kohrman R. Russell & Peggy Bair Delbert B. & Andrea Cinnamond Lawrence & Ida Baker Art & Jacqueline Fletcher Kathleen Rose & Robert Chung Patrick & Elaine Baird Leonard & Brenda Cipriano Peter & Edna Ballantyne James Forster & Joan LeMahieu Jennifer Rousseve Glenn Baker Tobin Clarke & Linda Turkatte Taylor & Jennifer Barron Robert & Michelle Friend Daniel Ruiz Thomas Banahan Vahl P. Clemensen Diane Battilana Marilyn Gaddis Mark Sachleben & Lynda Sullivan Steve & Beth Bangert David Clore Nancy & Joachim Bechtle Staar Gallagher Jean K. Schuyler Carole Barnes Mary Cody-Limacher Bill & Betsie Berrien John Garretson Beth-Ann Schwabacher-Wenger & Marie Schoppe Bartee Susan Coffman Paul & Sandra Bessieres Kevin Gay & Mona Hanes Marvin Wenger Cathy Bartels Larry & Eleanor Cohen Tom Bissell Stephen & Pam Gifford Andrey Sebrant James Barter Sam & Carol Cohen Clark & Dawn Black David & Alena Goeddel Diana Shortsleeve Laura Bartlett-Armstrong James A. Collier Daniel & Jane Bosch Susan Golden Mr. & Mrs. Walter F. Siebecker Burnett & Florence Barto Jessie Collier Marilyn Bransford Christopher & Kathryn Grasso Cris Smith & Gail Gorlitz Adrienne Bass Anne Collins Eliana & Larry Bushwalter Janet W. & D. Wylie Greig Larry & Kathy Stevens Earl Bates Richard & Ruth Conley Matthew & Dawn Byrnes Lynell Grieser Srinivas Sundaram Linda & Peter Baumhefner Richard & Rosita Conness Charles B. Caldwell Timothy & Amy Guth Jeffrey & Ronni Sweet Daryl & Jill Bauza Matthew & Elneda Connors Gladys Callan Cornelia Haag-Molkenteller James Szewczak Barbara Bayless Carole Conrad William & Mary Lea Carroll Dave & Sally Hackel Stan Tabler & Teresa Eggemeyer Robert & Margaret Beck Kim & Tom Coull Tim & Sylvia Carter Ellen Halter Richard & Danessa Techmanski George & Randy Beckwith Barbara Coulter Randy Cepuch Edward Hamm Martin & Nancy Thomas Samuel Bell Robert Covarrubia Jennifer Chaiken & Sam Hamilton Bob & Betsy Hansen Stephen & Joan Tinetti Charlene & Daniel Beltran Carolyn & Anthony Cox Jessica & Darwin Chen Carol Hansen Frank J. Tsai & Jack R. Benjamin John & Pam Craig Donald & Lucye Christiansen Shepard & Melissa Harris Frances Reynolds-Tsai Edward & Mildred Bennett Robert & Marguerite Cranford Linda & Mike Cichanowski J. Ronald & Mary Hays Jerry & Ilona Ulrich Bob & Suzy Bennitt Harold Cranston & Vicki Baker

24 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 THANKING OUR DONORS PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/CAITLIN ALLARD. (BOTTOM) © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/NANCY ROBBINS. Erica Crawford Ted Goldstein & Jessica Bernhardt Keith H. Kerr James R. Moon David & Linda Perry Sunie Creegan Elaine Goldstone Mary Ann Kiely H. Thomas Moore Laura Peterhans Curtis & Patricia Crider Barbara Gomoll Steven & Jane Kikuchi Richard Moore Bonnie Peterson Mary Beth Crittendon James Goss David & Barbara King Terry L. Moore Blair & Jan Phillips Alan Croft & Colleen Kent Robert Grady Linda Kingsley & Susanne Mulcahy & Jan Raissle Sharon & Philip L. Pillsbury Kenneth & Carolyn Croker E. Howard Green Sharon Liberatore Virginia & Omer Murray Phil D. Pitchford Russell & Lynne Crosby Janet & Wylie Greig Stephanie Kleinjan William Murray Marie Pitruzzello Cynthia F. Cross Nancy Grover Roland Knapp & Sally Miller Masanori M. Nagami Nicola Place Linda G. Crowthers Charles & Ginger Guthrie Elizabeth P. Knowles Paul & Candace Nauman Roger & Deborah Potash Glen & Virginia Cureton Martha & Robert Guthrie Terrence & Janice Kong Lynn Nebus David & Katherine Poteet Kenneth & Sylvia Curry George Gutierrez & Claire & Eugene Kopp Dennis & Darlene Neeley Paul Povey Sidnee Curtis Laura S. Thompson Laurence & Martha Kopp Deborah Neff Bernadette Powell Pierre & Judy d’Albert Peter & Harriet Hanauer Thomas Kowalski Jennifer Nelson Michael & Rosemarie Pozzi Theresa Daly John Hand Randy Kromas & Tina Clarke Theresa Nelson & Bernard Smits Franklin & Barbara Propst Peter J. Davis Terilyn & David Hanko Donna & Joseph Krueger Claudia Kellam Newbold Robert & Lynette Puccinelli Scott Randolph Davis David C. Hanna Dianne & Ron Kurtz Juliette & John Nichols Kathleen Ramazzotti John De Natale Bob & Betsy Hansen Sherill Ladwig Nikki Nichols Dwain & Barbara Raney Frank & Diane Dean Karen & Steve Hanson Claire E. LaFleur John & Leslie Niemand Lawson A. & Gisele L. Rankin Joe & Sally DeAngelo Nancy Hargiss Maureen Lahiff David & Debra Niemira Nancy Rapoport & Jeff Van Niel Beth & Richard DeAtley Wilda & Lawrence Harrington Deborah Lallas Gemma Niermann Liza Rasmussen Erin & Doug Decker Lynn Harrington-Golde & F. William Lampton William Nist Roy Rausch Dominic & Margaret DeCristofaro Chip Golde John & Carolyn Landgrebe Ann Nixon Carol Ray Catharine B. Deely Kathryn Harris Jim R. Laser Larry Noble Ramona M. Raybin Don DeFever Gregg Harrison Kenneth & Carolyn Lavine Ana E. Noles Shelby D. Rector Ellen M. deLalla Esther & Harold Hayman Deborah Law Marsha Novak & Jeff Beranek Marion Reid Jonnie V. Denise Anne Haynes Ella Margaret Lawrence Patricia Nugent Skip Rhodes John & Kathleen Dewes David & Anne Hedge Janice Irene Levet Le Pouvoir Priscilla Nutt Jan J. Richardson Charles T. Dewoody Susan Lynne Heeley & Jill Walt Lemmermann Catherine O’Brien Jed Richardson Christine Dickey Sherry Heider Craig & Jean Leventon Kathleen J. O’Hara Beverly Wagner Riddle Julianne Dicus Bernard F. Heimos Don & Dorothy Lewis Shanna O’Hare & John Davis Steven & Kim Rizzuto Robert & Diana Dietz Lynne L. Heinrich & Joan Liljegren Heather & Andrew Olsen Jennifer A. Roberts Charles Dillingham & Susan Clines Dwight M. Jaffee Mary L. Lingo David J. Olsen Judith K. Robinson Richard H. & Margaret H. Divine E. Kenneth & Marjorie Heist Christopher Lirely Donna Olsen Susan L. Robinson Peter & Margaret Doleman Susan Henderson Herlinda Lopez Sherrill Olsen Timothy Roche Leslie & John Dorman Skip & Carol Herbert Christine & Pierre Lorillard M. Christine Orians & Cheryl Rollings Jacqueline & Raymond Doumanian David E. Hernandez Francine & Scott Loudon James V. Emery Karen Rosen & Curtis Cameron Susan Drake & Charles Futch Ron E. Higgins John D. & Carol C. Luckhardt Larry & Marcia Osterink Jack Rosenstein Margaret Drugay Douglas & Debra Highsmith Susan Ludington Richard C. Otter James Ross Diane Duncan Noriko & Aiden Hill Ann & G. Karl Ludwig Thomas Page & Dave Rossetti & Jan Avent Jerry Edelbrock & Jeri Howland Wayne Hill Karl & Sue Luft Louise Watson Mericle Maynard & Olga Rotermund Bruce & Carol Edmundson Stephen & Linda Hinkle Larry Lundberg Michael & Laura Parker Brent Rowett Frances Edson Paul E. Hoag Michael Lussier Phillip Parker Peter Ruenitz Rita Edwards John D. Hoddy Catherine Ma & Richard Hathorn Lorraine Y. Parmer Thomas & Kim Rugh Michael Ellerby Robert & Karen Hoexter Caroline & Thomas Maddock Donna Pattillo Richard Rusk Dale N. Elliott & Chris Mengarelli Debra Holcomb & Dale Ashlock Denny Magic & Nancy Alford Gail D. Paulin Susan & Colin Russel Lisa & Craig Elliott Gary Holland James Maller Pam Pederson Richard Russell Gregory Erwin Chuck & Christy Holloway Stuart & Wendy Malmid Allan W. Perry Douglas & Patricia Ryan Judith S. Esteban Randal B. Hopwood Bill & Angeli Maney Tony Everts Joseph & Michelle Horejsi William & Leslie Marcus Karin Fangman & Peter T. Hoss Victor & Billie Martino Constance McCabe John W. Houghton Jr. Patricia Mason Nick Fedrick Carolee Grace Houser Marie Mathews “I have been coming to Yosemite Lola Felix David & Linda Hughes Steven Matros Dorothy Fern Mark & Mary Ann Hutcherson Timothy & Lynn May since the 1950s. Now, I want to help Sharon Ferris Carol Hutchison Diane W. Mayfield the Yosemite Conservancy save this Barbara Fine Charlotte Irons Edgar McCanless Lawrence Finegan James & Elizabeth Isenman Richard McCausland treasure for the next generation.” Nancy Balch Fischer Joan E. Jacobson Judy McConnell Gary Flashner Ellen & Paul Jagger Hugh & Deborah McDevitt — CELSO MORRISON & JULIE CHRZANOWSKI Zemula P. & John E. Fleming Kristen & Remigio Javellana James McGee John Muir Heritage Society members John & Joann Flynn Jim & Mina Jenner Lynne McHugh John Patrick Ford Jagdish & Rosalyn Jirge Mary Tinley McKinnon Jay Framson & Joseph Lane Gregory D. & Michael McLane Linda Franz Jennifer Walston Johnson Kate McMichael & Jonathan Frisch Janet & Glenn Johnson Theresa Hausser Elizabeth Frost Jean Johnson & Jim Bennight Stephen Meier Donald & Susan Fuhrer Allen & Nancy Johnston Marsha & John Mekisich Gerald A. & Carol M. Fulk Jack Jonas Carla Mertins Gene & Roxanne Galster Susan & David Jonas Elizabeth & Kim Middleton Sally Galvan Bernadine Jones Joseph Migliore Michael J. Gannon Cynthia Jones Sharon Miles Mary & Wesley Gardner Gloria Jones Anthony Miller Linda Gass Thorro & Joan Jones Carol & Vail Miller Mary Gaston Virginia & William Junk Gloria Miller & David Bowman Kevin Gay & Mona Hanes Stanley R. Kamin Julie Miller & Sylvan Eidelman Douglas C. Giancoli Sandra E. Kane Linda M. Miller Robert Gilewski & Susan Kanfer John & Nadine Mills Nancy Kuppersmith Richard Karn Rebecca Mincarelli James Gill & Louise Stirpe-Gill Margo & Boris Kaufman Rob Mitchel Marston & Judith Girard Timothy M. Keenan Elizabeth Moffitt Joan & George Gissendaner Bill & Lisa Kelly Lillian Musso Molzan & Henry & Jane Goichman Ann R. Kempees George Robert Musso Seth Goldsmith John & Lynne Kennedy Caroline Monaco

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 25 THANKING OUR DONORS

Judy L. Walker Lynne O. Elkin The Opus Foundation Sharron L. Walker Mary Anne & Jim Fullerton Pitzer Family Foundation Gary & Deborah Wallace Alpert A. Garren Raintree Foundation Carolyn R. Walsh Alice Gonnerman Subaru Lorraine L. Walsh Richard A. Gross Wayne & Gladys Valley Jack H. Walston Jim & Mina Jenner Foundation Jeanne A. Walt Claire & Eugene Kopp Yosemite Hospitality, a subsidiary Gerald Ward Bill & Jean Lane of Aramark Vicki Warner-Huggins Gordon & Frances Lockett Michael R. Warwick Ana E. Noles & Warren S. Levin PIONEERS James L. Washburn II Michael Pacicca Gifts of $50,000 to $99,999 Lynne Wasserman Mary J. Rogers-Jones Anonymous Chelly & George Wathen Velda (Pat) & Sam Schuh Bell-Carter Foods, Inc. Richard Wayne & Barbara K. Grant Janice O. Simis Capital Group Robin & Kathryn Weber Nancy P. Weston Evergreen Lodge & Marilyn J. Webster Ramona L. White Rush Creek Lodge Toni K. Weingarten Flora L. Thornton Foundation Patricia F. Welch GIFTS IN MEMORY MacDonald Family Foundation Daphne & Stuart Wells Memorial gifts of $2,500 and Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite “Yosemite Conservancy is the Herb & Jan West more are listed below; memorial Julie & Dave West gifts of $25 and more are included PATRONS epitome of what a nonprofit partner Janet Gerhart Westbrook on the Honor Wall or in the Gifts of $25,000 to $49,999 should be: strategic, mindful and Dick & Michelle Westrum Honor Register in Yosemite Valley. Marilyn & Howard Whelan Anonymous trustworthy. Together, we can and Nancy White Yoshio Akiyama City National Bank will make a difference for one of Billie Jean & Richard Wiebe Phyllis & Norman Austin The Diskant Family Foundation Lynn & John Wiese Thomas & Margie Bowman Ira A. Roschelle MD Family our favorite parks in all the land: Jack & Jan Willey Gregory Scott Campbell Foundation Robert Willey Kathy Moore Campbell, Don & Mesa Rim Climbing Center Yosemite National Park.” Caroline Williams Dick Moore Sterling Foundation Jeanne Williams Michael A. Crane The North Face — BRIAN STOWERS, PRESIDENT, WILD TRIBUTE Paul Williams Anne Damon Yosemite Conservancy Corporate Donor Stefan Williams Robert C. Davis Jr. BENEFACTORS William Williams Theodore A. Dolton Gifts of $10,000 to $24,999 Barry & Jennifer Wilson Leo Drey Elizabeth H. Wilson Anonymous Thomas Higgins BMJ Gregory Charitable Mr. & Mrs. Milton Wilson Jr. Myrna R. Frankel Jake & Erin Winet Foundation Robert Ryon Sam & Helga Strong Beatrice Goldstein Kathleen Edna Winkelman Cameron & Jane Baird Foundation Ruben Saldaña Jr. Nicholas Suciu Edward & Loralee Hiramoto Jaime Winkler The Capital Group Companies John Salvarezza Karen & Don Sudnikoff Shirley Knobloch John M. Winslow Charitable Foundation Kevin & Carol Sawchuk George & Ann Sundby Ann Amelia Krcik Patricia F. Winter Chevron Geoffrey W. Scammell Dale Swanberg Ruth & Wally Kwic Bill & Janne Wissel Cooley, LLP Diane B. Scarritt Christopher & Cathy Swanson Bill & Jean Lane Robert & Ariel Witbeck El Cap: Earth Treks | Planet Granite Wendy & James Scheid Skye Swanson W. James Lloyd Barry Wolf Johnson & Johnson Family Laverne Schnare Hubert & Edda Sydow Robert E. Lundin David & Holly Wolff of Companies Marilyn Schnelz Sharon Syfers Donald Moore Fern J. Wollrich The Morningstar Foundation Stephen & Sharon Schroeder Stan Tabler Richard Moore Kenton Wong Parks Project Terrence & Deborah Schuhrke Todd & Karen Tanberg Masahiro Nakajima Weyman & Yvonne Wong Pease Family Fund Penny Schultz Laura Tenner John P. Neff Yvonne Wood Peet’s Coffee & Tea Paul & Ann Schuyler Brenner Helene Terris Kevin Patrick Ulstad Nelson Jay Woollacott The Wollenberg Foundation David Sears Robert & Anne Thull Peter Overmire Larry & Diane Wren Karen & Frederick See Sandra P. Tichenor Barbara, Edward & Thomas Pacicca Mary R. Wright SENTINELS Sharon Seegelken & Robert Olsen Henry O. Timnick Ann E. Pitzer & Fred Bromley Kenneth & Suzanne Wurtemberg Gifts of $5,000 to $9,999 Pearl Anne Seipp Michael Tollefson & Mary Degen Rogers Laurence P. Wydro Thomas Shannon Patricia Megason Edwin A. Seipp Jr. Anonymous Susan & Don Yap Robert & Judy Sheets Jeff Torquemada & Wendy Sparks John Robert Shuman Ansel Adams Gallery Mohammad Yasin & Vernita Khosti Irene & Thomas Shephard Sr. Elena V. Torre Lewis Shuster Barretta Family Foundation Kiyomi & Gregory Yim Linda Sheppard Karen Tracy Adelaide & Homer Struble CSAA Insurance Group, F. Chandler & Ann Young Cheryl & Nathan Sherman Harriette Treloar Elizabeth Ann Stuve a AAA Insurer Gary & Christine Younger Susan Silvestri Charles & Cindy Trueworthy Gil & Silvia Sweet Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Debra Zaleschuk Don Simmons Frank J. Tsai & David Weller Foundation Linda P. Zazzara Madison Sites Frances Reynolds-Tsai The Dorsey & Whitney Kristine Zeigler Jean & Brian Slavin Gerald Tucker CORPORATIONS, Foundation Carolyn Smith Wendy Turkatte Joan Zimmerman FOUNDATIONS Fidelity Investments Charitable Daniel, Marjorie & Pat Smith Debbie Turner Laura & Aaron Zoerner & OTHER Gift Fund Ellen Smith & Don Lindemann Joyce & Craig Turner Linda Zukowski ORGANIZATIONS Google IBM Corporation Mollie Smith Mari Tustin Yosemite Conservancy is grateful ESTATE GIFTS Jean K. Lafromboise Foundation Carol Snell & Mindy Rauch Willis & Susan Urick III to have the support of corporations Yosemite Conservancy gratefully John & Marcia Goldman Margo Sonderleiter Peter & Virginia Van Kuran and foundations through grants remembers those thoughtful donors Foundation Thomas & Lillian Souers Laurie Van Ruiten and matching gifts. Additional gifts whose legacy gifts ensure Yosemite Kenneth Glenn Family Foundation Don A. Spalding Darrell & Deborah Vandover are listed in the Honor Register in will be preserved and protected for Mammoth Mountain Carl & Kandy Spier Jacqueline Vaughn & Bob Easton Yosemite Valley. Peter & Joan Stafford Larry & Karen Veysada future generations. Munk Pack Greg & Lisa Stanger Judith Villablanca RANGERS Olander Family Foundation Terrell & Carol Stanley Diane Vincent Ruth Laine Bauer Gifts of $100,000 & more Pace Marketing Communications Harrison & Sandra Starr Jim L. Vironda Sylvia Berke-Forster PayPal Giving Fund Susan R. Stehn Vickie & Bruce Vogt Margaret Blankley Anonymous Royal Robbins, Inc. Cynthia Stephenson Sylvia Volkman John W. Carson The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation The SahanDaywi Foundation Barbara Stephens-Rich Sue Volpe Bette Jean Clute Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund Solberg Manufacturing, Inc. Glenn Stocki David Hart Wagner James & Barbara Dall Mel & Geri Hoven Foundation United Way Doris Stoessel John & Bella Wagner Lois & David DeMille Mericos Foundation Wild Tribute Linda Stokely Ronald & Karen Wagner Peter & Margaret Doleman National Park Foundation

26 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 DONOR EVENTS

Spring Colors Donor Events & Activities

THE JOHN MUIR HERITAGE SOCIETY is a community of generous Yosemite Conservancy donors, who have demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting and preserving Yosemite with annual gifts of $1,000 and more. Society members receive invitations throughout the year to join National Park Service and Yosemite Conservancy leadership on expert-led project tours and Hetch Hetchy with naturalist Dan Webster

naturalist hikes, at private receptions and dinners, and at Bracebridge Bracebridge other special events both inside and outside the park. These gatherings provide an opportunity for members to connect with other like-minded individuals passionate about making a difference in Yosemite National Park.

For more information about the John Muir Heritage Society or events, please contact Kelda McKinney at [email protected] or 415-434-8446 x329. Tonia Pierce, Mary Gardner & Superintendent Mike Reynolds Ron & Ann Berg

Tuolumne Meadows Tuolumne Meadows

Pothole Dome hike with photographer Nancy Robbins Marilyn Whelan & Barbara Coulter

Fall Colors Fall Colors

Bridalveil Fall groundbreaking with NPS Project Manager Brad Lewis, Eliza & Katrina Hart with Esther & Gerry Levandoski NPS Chief of Interpretation Sabrina Diaz and Deputy Superintendent Teri Austin

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 27 WHY I GIVE PHOTO: (TOP TO BOTTOM) COURTESY OF THE VAN KURAN FAMILY. © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/AL GOLUB. (OPPOSITE) COURTESY OF THE CHEN FAMILY. A Shared Passion Long after falling for Yosemite — and each other — these park fans keep giving back

n a fateful day in Yosemite Valley, Pete Van Kuran presented his girlfriend, Virginia, with a special gift: his fraternity pin, the 1960s preamble to a marriage proposal. Their first shared visit to Yosemite was a college field trip as students at Stanford. Not long after, Pete proposed — well, pre-proposed — at the top of Yosemite Falls.

Since then, the Van Kurans have backpacked and skied throughout the park, completed the High Sierra Loop with their adult daughters, and shared their passion for Yosemite as dedicated Conservancy supporters who have joined the Conservancy’s John Muir Heritage and Legacy societies. Pete has also spent nine seasons as a Conservancy volunteer.

Today, more than 60 years after their first Yosemite experiences, Pete and Virginia still love spending time in the park — and now, they get to share their special place with a new generation of stewards: their grandchildren.

“We hope to be good

ABOVE Virginia role models for visitors, Van Kuran and her granddaughters enjoy a as they learn how to sunny day in the Valley near the same spot where her husband, take care of the park Pete, had presented his fraternity pin to her and preserve it for decades earlier. RIGHT The Van Kurans celebrate and support Yosemite the future.” by donating time and resources — and by — PETE & VIRGINIA VAN KURAN sharing the park they Yosemite Conservancy Donors love with their family.

28 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 WHY I GIVE PHOTO: (TOP TO BOTTOM) COURTESY OF THE VAN KURAN FAMILY. © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/AL GOLUB. (OPPOSITE) COURTESY OF THE CHEN FAMILY.

Making Yosemite Memories A family tradition of visiting — and supporting — Yosemite

essica Chen has made many Yosemite memories over the years, from her first visit to the Valley at around age 6, to annual trips with her husband, Darwin, and their two daughters.

The Chens made their first donation to the Conservancy in 2010, inspired in part by the people who first introduced Jessica to the park: her grandparents. Growing up, Jessica saw how her grandparents’ philanthropy TOP The Chens (Darwin, Adrienne, Bethany — including as Yosemite supporters — made a difference. Today, the and Jessica) try to visit the park as a family at Chens support the Conservancy’s overall mission as members of the John least once a year. On their early 2019 trip, they enjoyed spectacular winter scenery after a Muir Heritage Society, Sequoia Society and Legacy Society. series of storms spread a snowy quilt over the Valley. ABOVE In 2018, Jessica Chen and her daughters took advantage of the Conservancy’s Giving back is at the heart of the Chens’ belief system. Like Jessica’s Custom Adventures program to learn from grandparents, she and her family are tapping into that generous spirit to a knowledgeable naturalist guide during a ensure Yosemite memories for future generations to come. personalized high country experience.

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 29 READER PHOTOS

YOSEMITE THROUGH YOUR LENS

YOSEMITE’S MAJESTY AS CAPTURED BY OUR SUPPORTERS

02

01 03

04 01 Yosemite Falls Moonbow PHOTO © ANNA ROUSE 02 Exploring Yosemite Backcountry PHOTO © MARK CAPILITAN 03 Glacier Point PHOTO © KENNY CHEN 04 Deer Grazing in Tuolumne PHOTO © VAN LAM

Show us your Yosemite photos! These images were captured by Yosemite fans like you. We’re always looking for photos to feature in our social media, enewsletter and magazine — and we’d love to see your shots! Share your favorites with us on Flickr, Facebook and Instagram, or email them to [email protected].

30 SPRING.SUMMER 2019 DONOR GUIDE

YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY Magazine of Yosemite Conservancy, published twice a year. Ways to Give EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jennifer Miller THERE ARE MANY WAYS you and your organization

MANAGING EDITOR can support the meaningful work of Yosemite Alexa Schneier Conservancy. We look forward to exploring these CONTRIBUTING WRITERS philanthropic opportunities with you. Frank Dean Alexa Schneier Gretchen Roecker

DESIGN CONTACT US Eric Ball Design

STAFF :: San Francisco Visit Mail Frank Dean, President & CEO yosemiteconservancy.org Yosemite Conservancy Jerry Edelbrock, Vice President & COO Email 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 1700 Caitlin Allard, Major Gifts Officer – Northern California San Francisco, CA 94104 Alison Dombroski, Campaign & Development [email protected] Projects Manager Phone Fax Edin Draper-Beard, Executive Affairs Manager 415-434-0745 Laura Garland, Director of Accounting 415-434-1782 Kevin Gay, Chief Financial Officer Debra Holcomb, Planned Giving & Data Services Director INDIVIDUAL GIVING HONOR & MEMORIAL GIFTS Marion Ingersoll, Development Director Pongphat Kimpol, Data Services Assistant Development Director Isabelle Luebbers Holly Kuehn, Development & Donor Services Assistant Marion Ingersoll [email protected] Eryn Ligon, Data Services Analyst Isabelle Luebbers, Annual Giving Director [email protected] 415-434-8446 x313 Kelda McKinney, Events Manager 415-434-8446 x324 Jennifer Miller, Marketing & Communications Director Annual Giving GIFTS OF STOCK Laurie Peterson, Institutional Giving Officer Gretchen Roecker, Senior Communications Manager Isabelle Luebbers Eryn Ligon Alexa Schneier, Marketing Manager [email protected] [email protected]

STAFF :: Yosemite 415-434-8446 x313 415-434-8446 x330 Adonia Ripple, Director of Yosemite Operations Major Gifts – Northern California SEQUOIA SOCIETY Kristen Anderson, Art Programs Manager Caitlin Allard Greg Archer, Retail Accounting Coordinator MONTHLY GIVING Nicole Brocchini, Museum Store Supervisor [email protected] 03 Emily Brosk, Warehouse Coordinator 415-434-8446 x318 Isabelle Luebbers Kylie Chappell, Adventures Programs Manager Major Gifts – Southern California [email protected] Katie Coit, Retail Operations Manager 415-434-8446 x313 Pete Devine, Resident Naturalist Patti Johns Eisenberg Teresa Ellis, Sales Information Assistant [email protected] MATCHING GIFTS Schuyler Greenleaf, Projects Director 626-390-1503 Ryan Kelly, Projects Manager Isabelle Luebbers Olotumi Laizer, Valley Sales Supervisor FOUNDATIONS & [email protected] Mark Marschall, Volunteer Programs Manager Cassie May, Program Coordinator, Adventures CORPORATIONS 415-434-8446 x313 Simon McIntosh, Volunteer Programs Coordinator Laurie Peterson Madison Smith, Program Coordinator, Wholesale [email protected] Laura Spielman, Art Programs Coordinator VOLUNTEER 415-434-8446 x328 Shelly Stephens, Inventory Manager OPPORTUNITIES Laurie Stowe, Wilderness Programs Manager

STAFF :: Pasadena PLANNED GIVING & Mark Marschall Patti Johns Eisenberg, Senior Major Gifts Officer BEQUESTS [email protected] – Southern California & National Debra Holcomb 209-379-2317 [email protected] yosemiteconservancy.org/volunteer Spring.Summer 2019 :: Volume 10. Issue 01 ©2019 415-434-8446 x319 Federal Tax Identification No. 94-3058041

YOSEMITECONSERVANCY.ORG 31 Yosemite Conservancy 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104

Follow the Conservancy on social media to stay in touch on the go.

PHOTO: © YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY/KEITH WALKLET.

Your Yosemite Legacy

Honor the park that is close to your heart with a legacy gift to Yosemite Conservancy, and help protect this special place for generations to come.

Naming Yosemite Conservancy as a beneficiary in your will, trust or bank account ensures the park remains well-preserved and accessible for future visitors. Your gift will become part of the legacy fund, which improves the park and makes meaningful work possible.

To find out how you can leave a legacy to Yosemite, contact Debra Holcomb at [email protected] or 415-434-8446 x319.

yosemiteconservancy.org/plannedgiving