Yosemite National Park

1. Yosemite National Park

2. Location • California, United States of America

3. Weather/Climate • Receives most precipitation from January – March • Summers are warm and dry, while Winter is the season of snow and solitude • Spring and Fall are transitional months with warm sunny days that can turn into storms • Clouds can build during summers to produce incredible thunderstorms

4. Landforms • Rock formations, meadows, wetlands, waterfalls, giant sequoias, mountains, and the wilderness (forests) • Glacier Point, Mariposa Grove, Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, Cook’s Meadow, Sentinel Meadow, Stoneman Meadow, and Leidig Meadow, and many more

5. Waterways • There are a vase amount of waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and creeks in Yosemite. • Horsetail Falls, Yosemite Falls, Tenaya Lake, Mirror Lake, HetchHetchy Reservoir, and more • The rivers flow through Wawona, Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadow and into creeks.

6. Vegetation • Located all over park, but mainly in Foot-Hill Woodland Zone, Alpine Zone, and the forests • Lichens, black oak, wildflower, sequoias, and invasive plants • Over 200 types of non-native plants • Walks and trails were made in the park just to show the variety of plants and how beautiful they are

7. Animals • High diversity in species (over 400) • Amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, mammals, insects and their relatives • There are about 120 species of amphibians, 22 reptiles, and 256 birds. • Fish are both native and non-native • Red fox, black bear, bobcat, spotted owl, bats, golden-mantled ground squirrel, bass, and many more

8. Environmental Issues • The air quality is bad because of pollution and smoke from natural fires in the park • Aquatic resources are decreasing • Invasive species are threatening biodiversity of vegetation • Douglas-fir Tussock Moth is eating away white fir trees • Soundscape in park is getting too loud so at times it is hard to hear the beauty of the nature • Dam removal • Forest pests

9. History/Culture • 7 present day tribes descend from people who first called Yosemite their home • Europeans arrived in mid-1800’s and caused disruption which displaced native population • Early white settlers had writers, artists, and photographers who spread fame of “the Incomparable Valley” • Euro-Americans settled on foot, horseback, and rail • President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill granting Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove to California in 1864 • John Muir helped create idea of Yosemite National Park in 1890 • People used to mine and lived in lodging establishments (Wawona Hotel) • Museums at park have more than 4 million items from early settlers • The library at the park has 10,000 books related to the park, as well as articles and photographs

10. Preservation Efforts • Done through archeological and architectural recognition • Structures, artifacts, and trails symbolize human value • Archeologists documented over 1,500 sites from first settlers and kept everything they left behind to uncover clues of settlement, cultural history, demography, economic systems, and social organizations • Natural settings of Yosemite influence architecture of buildings in the park • Old El Portal Schoolhouse