Shown in this photo is a blond black bear at Yosemite National Park. A grant will fund a study to see if AI can assist in enhancing the study of bears in the park.
Yosemite Conservancy, the primary philanthropic partner of Yosemite National Park, has announced $19 million in support to the park for 2026 with 60 grants.
Among the efforts to be funded are the restoration of Kerrick Meadow in the high-country, development of an AI model to study bear behavior and Tribal-led demonstrations of cultural traditions.
“Public funding alone does not fully address urgent needs in the park. Our investment helps the National Park Service and other partners to do important scientific research, restoration, cultural preservation and visitor-focused work,” said Yosemite Conservancy President and CEO Cassius M. Cash.
Many grants study and protect park landscapes that support more than 400 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, fish and reptiles, and provide a haven for threatened and endangered species.
A restoration effort in the high country will reroute a 900-foot section of trail bisecting Kerrick Meadow that threatens both the meadow’s essential hydrologic functions and local amphibian populations.
Shown is a flooded trail at the Kerrick Meadow in the high country at Yosemite. A 900 foot section of the trail will be restored with grant funding. Photo courtesy National Park Service
Another grant involves creating an AI model to enhance the park’s Human-Bear Management Program to further mitigate bear incidents and determine how much farther it can go in protecting bears and educating people.
Funding will go to seven cultural demonstrators from local California tribes who will interpret their own stories and indigenous practices at the Yosemite Museum and Indian Village, involving dance, basket weaving and history.
Another study will seek ways to improve visitor access getting in and out of the park gates efficiently — a direct visitor improvement.
“Millions of people come to Yosemite for wonder. Our work deepens people’s connection to this place and protects Yosemite’s ecosystems for generations to come,” said Cash.
Research will continue to protect imperiled Pacific fishers, Sierra Nevada red fox and great gray owls. Still other grants will support the park’s Junior Ranger programming and the popular “Ask a Climber” program.
Repairs to the Panorama Trail are also going to be funded this year by the Yosemite Conservancy. Photo courtesy National Park Service
Funding is designated for expansive trail improvements to legendary trails in and leading out of Yosemite Valley, restoring 3,000 feet of trail near the Cathedral Lakes trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows and rehabilitating more than 60 miles of trails in park’s frontcountry, Valley and Merced River areas.
The Conservancy’s investments in more than 950 projects tops out at more than $180 million over the last three decades.
Notable past projects include the restoration and protection of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, renovated overlooks such as Tunnel View, Olmsted Point, Lower Yosemite Fall and Glacier Point, restored meadows in Yosemite Valley and the high country, and protecting peregrine falcons, red-legged frogs and Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep.
The Conservancy provides over $5 million in visitor services and enrichment for more than one million visitors annually. It helps people experience Yosemite through naturalist-led outdoor adventures, art and nature programs, donor events, volunteer opportunities, bookstores, wilderness services and more.
The Conservancy’s five webcams, which show El Capitan, Half Dome, the High Sierra, Wawona Dome and Yosemite Falls, help people connect with the park from afar.
About Yosemite Conservancy
For more than 100 years, Yosemite Conservancy has supported the conservation of Yosemite’s natural and cultural resources and helped people develop a deeper relationship to the park. Thanks to generous donors, in recent years, the Conservancy has provided more than $180 million in grants to Yosemite for more than 950 projects. The Conservancy’s guided adventures and art classes, donor events, volunteer opportunities, wilderness services and bookstores help people from across the country and world connect with Yosemite. Learn more at www.yosemite.org
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