Mariposa Facelift set April 11

In a little more than a week, Mariposa will get its annual “Facelift.”

Mariposa Facelift, the annual event focused on cleaning up the tourist-heavy town, will be held on April 11.

“I’m pretty optimistic,” said Hannah Fleetwood, who is in her fourth year of heading up the event. Fleetwood is the manager of the Yosemite Climbing Museum.

Mariposa Facelift is an offshoot of the long-running Yosemite Facelift, an effort held each year to help clean up trash and debris from the national park.

The group has now expanded to include Mariposa, Groveland and Oakhurst in its cleanup efforts.

This year’s event will kickoff early, with donation based yoga at 7:15 a.m. presented by Balanced Rock.

Registration for Facelift begins at 8 a.m. at the climbing museum where donuts from Pioneer Market will be served, along with coffee. The cleanup begins at 9 a.m. and will run through noon.

People who volunteer will be given a safety talk before heading out to assigned areas around Mariposa to pick up trash and debris. They will be provided with gloves, bags and grabber sticks, said Fleetwood.

Once everyone comes back to the climbing museum, there will be a raffle at 12:30 p.m. All volunteers will be given raffle tickets and they can purchase more, said Fleetwood, “to increase their chances.”

Added support

New this year, said Fleetwood, is a volunteer group which will focus on removing invasive species from the Mariposa Creek Parkway area.

Hannah Harrison of the Mariposa County Planning Department is volunteering her time to head up that portion of Facelift.

Volunteers will be sent to that area and Harrison will help identify and show people how to properly remove invasive species.

“She will teach them to identify the right plants,” said Fleetwood.

Fleetwood said they will also be providing the supplies necessary to handle invasive species. It will also give Facelift organizers a chance to weigh those species to see how much was removed during the event. They will also weigh all of the trash and debris which is collected.

Auction time

There is also an online auction now underway that will run through 10 p.m. the day of Facelift.

Fleetwood said there are a wide variety of items up for bidding. Those include collectibles, various artwork from photographs to paintings, accommodation stays, clothing, gear and “experiences.”

Those experiences include rafting trips, rock climbing classes and much more, she said.

To view the items and make bids, visit event.auctria.com/08d45363-0cd1-4588-94fc-8bade833fcf8/09480e501ee611eaa945bb9e2ddcf87f

Fleetwood stressed that “100 percent” of the proceeds of the auction as well as Mariposa Facelift is to help sustain the climbing museum and its ongoing efforts to not only promote climbing and its importance to this area but also for the Facelift events that help keep it looking good.

Continuing success

Fleetwood said this is the fourth year for Mariposa Facelift and the interest continues to build.

“We are having a lot of organizations reach out who want to help,” she said.

Last year, several local groups and businesses sent volunteers and she is hoping for the same this year.

Everyone who attends, as well as anyone from the community, is also invited to an after-party that will be held at The Grove House.

The event will be held from 7-10 p.m. and 20 percent of the drink sales at the event will be donated back to Facelift.

The band Water Tower will be performing. It is billed as a “punk rock bluegrass band” from Los Angeles.

Fleetwood said the entire community is invited to the party.

‘Tis the season

One of the goals of this event, said Fleetwood, is to spruce up Mariposa heading into the busy tourist season.

“We want to represent the town well,” she said.

With the shakeup in tourism over the past year, Fleetwood said she believes now is a crucial time to welcome visitors with open arms — and a clean town.

The climbing museum, she said, has had a drop in attendance. Some of it, she believes, is the general downward trend of foreign visitors to Yosemite.

Fleetwood said she is “hopeful” the “locals will help spread the word” about the climbing museum and encourage visitors to come and learn the history of climbing in Yosemite and Mariposa County in general.

Another important aspect of Facelift, she said, is education.

“We hope people understand why public lands are so important,” said Fleetwood.

She added that it also teaches the younger people the importance of not littering, something that can last for a lifetime.

Facelift began at Yosemite National Park, when museum founder Ken Yager launched the effort to help keep the park clean. That event has grown steadily over the years and includes hundreds of volunteers.

“We saw the impact it made in Yosemite,” said Fleetwood.

Since then, Facelift has expanded and now includes Mariposa, Groveland and Oakhurst, all gateway communities to the park.

It’s held in April each year, she said, to celebrate the opening of the Yosemite Climbing Museum in 2022.

Asked what lessons she has learned being involved in Yosemite Facelift and now the regional events, Fleetwood was quick to respond.

“How important it is to have really great volunteers,” she said. “We get overwhelming support year after year. Appreciate your volunteers.”

For information about Facelift and the museum, visit yosemiteclimbing.org or call the museum at (209) 742-1000.

She also noted the climbing museum will be open that day with free admission. People can visit the museum and learn about the history of climbing in Yosemite as well as purchase merchandise from the well-stocked gift shop.