Yosemite Wilderness Restoration Program
2019 Accomplishments
Special thanks to the foresight & longtime support of:
Yosemite Conservancy (YC)
And to everyone else who makes our work possible:
Traditionally Associated Tribes and Groups of Yosemite National Park
Division of Visitor and Resource Protection
Branch of Anthropology
Branch of Roads and Trails
Branch of Wildlife Management
Yosemite Hospitality
“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.” Robin Wall Kimmerer
2019 Crews
National Park Service
Student Conservation Association
Wilderness Volunteers
Cultural Collaboration
The seven traditionally associated tribes of Yosemite National Park consult with cultural and natural resource managers to integrate traditional ecological knowledge with science-based adaptive management throughout the park, protecting cultural and natural resources.
"Our Traditional Ecological Knowledge and stewardship methods include sustainable plant gathering and using fire to revitalize the land. These techniques ensure our survival while enhancing and diversifying the ecosystem." Traditionally Associated Tribes of Yosemite
Following historic preservation law, NPS archeologists survey ecological restoration project areas, document archeological sites, and provide information to work crews so that disturbance to sites is avoided during restoration activities. At the beginning of the field season, archeologists teach crews about Yosemite's rich cultural heritage, how to identify artifacts, and what to do when you encounter archeological sites.
NPS archeologists teach SCA participants how to spot cultural materials.
2019 Wilderness Archeology Accomplishments
- Recorded 11 previously undocumented archeological sites
- Revisited 4 sites for re-documentation purposes
- Surveyed 553 acres of Yosemite wilderness
Some historic cultural materials found in 2019 (left to right: rusted aluminum can, NPS staff examines a piece of historic glass, SCA participant points to a historic aluminum can for future relocation)
Some prehistoric cultural materials recorded in 2019 (left to right: obsidian point, rock pestle found in a fire ring, obsidian tool)
"As you walk through this park, remember who walked here before you and imagine who will walk here after you. We ask that you respect this place so that our people can continue to enjoy these lands like our ancestors have." Traditionally Associated Tribes of Yosemite
