Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park
Upper Yosemite Valley with Half Dome
Coordinates: 37 ° 44 ′ 55.1 ″  N , 119 ° 35 ′ 14 ″  W.
Location:	California , United States
Next city:	Mariposa
Surface:	3,082.68 km²
Founding:	October 1, 1890
Visitors:	4,009,436 (2018)
Address:	Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Valley

The Yosemite National Park [ joʊsɛməti ] is a National Park in the United States . It is located in California , about 300 kilometers east of San Francisco . In terms of area, it extends over 3,081 square kilometers along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada . Yosemite National Park attracts four million visitors annually, the majority of whom only visit the central part of the park, the Yosemite Valley .

The area of ​​today's park was the first to be officially designated as a park by the federal government of the United States. The park was created on the basis of California law in 1864 and was taken over by the federal government in 1890 . It is the third oldest national park in the USA and worldwide. In 1984 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because its impressive granite rocks , waterfalls and clear streams , groves of giant sequoias and biodiversity are known worldwide.

The park represents one of the largest and least fragmented habitats in the Sierra Nevada, home to an abundance of flora and fauna. It lies at an altitude of 600 to almost 4000 meters above sea level. NN, in it there are five different ecosystems due to the altitude . Of the 7,000 plant species native to California, about 50 percent can be found in the Sierra Nevada, with more than 20 percent located within the park area. The park offers the right habitat for more than 160 rare plant species, with little local geological formation and unique soils , which are indicative of the limited spatial conditions to which these plants have to adapt.

etymology

Of the Miwoks , who lived near the Yosemite Valley, the tribe living there was called Yohe'meti or in another dialect as Yosemi'te ("those who kill"). The Indians living in the valley are mainly descended from the Paiute of the Sierra Nevada . They called themselves Ah-wah-ne-chee , residents of the village of Ahwahnee, an Indian settlement near what is now Yosemite Village.

geography

Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. It takes about four hours to drive from San Francisco and about six hours from Los Angeles. The park is surrounded by Wilderness Areas , the Ansel Adams Wilderness in the southwest, the Hoover Wilderness in the northeast and the Emigrant Wilderness in the north. 94 percent of the park area (the backcountry excluding the Yosemite Valley and the immediate vicinity of the roads) has been designated as Yosemite Wilderness since 1984 .

The 3081 square kilometer park has many lakes and ponds , 2,600 kilometers of rivers, 1,300 kilometers of hiking trails and 560 kilometers of roads. Two scenic rivers, the Merced and Tuolumne , arise on the park boundaries and flow westward into the California Central Valley .

geology

Panoramic view from Glacier Point over the Yosemite Valley (2013)

The geology of Yosemite National Park is characterized by granite and remnants of older rock. More than ten million years ago, was Sierra Nevada in the fold down into the air. It eventually sloped and formed the less steep western slopes and the steep eastern slopes. The uplift created deep, narrow canyons from the streams and river beds . During the Ice Ages , glaciers were formed in the higher elevations that stretched into the river valleys. The ice sheet in Yosemite Valley during the Ice Ages is estimated to be up to 1200 meters thick. The movement of the ice masses hollowed out the valley into a U-shaped trough valley .

Tectonic and volcanic activity

Yosemite National Park Geological Map

During the Cambrian and Early Paleozoic Era , the park stretched along the passive continental margin . Sediments were of continental origin and were carried away into the shallow water. In the course of a metamorphosis, these removed rocks underwent major changes.

The heat created by the Farallon Plate's submergence under the North American Plate led to the formation of island-arc volcanoes on the western coast of North America during the late Devonian and Younger Permian . These rocks were likely covered with magma by volcanism in the Jurassic , with igneous activity related to the early stages of the formation of the Sierra Nevada batholith. About 95 percent of these rocks were eventually eroded away.

The first phase of Plutonism began 210 million years ago in the late Triassic and lasted until 150 million years ago. At about the same time, the Nevada mountain range was formed with an altitude of 4500 meters. This also contributed to the formation of the Sierra Nevada batholith; the resulting rocks resembled granite rocks and lay about ten kilometers below the surface of the earth. The second largest phase of the pluton storage took place during the Cretaceous period around 120 to 80 million years ago. 20 million years ago, in the Cenozoic , volcanoes erupted in what is now an inactive extension of the cascade chain . This process lasted until about five million years ago. This produced large amounts of igneous materials. These igneous debris covered the area north of the Yosemite region. To the east of today's park boundaries, in the areas of Mono Lake and Long Valley, volcanic activity continues ( Mono-Inyo Craters and Long Valley Caldera ).

Uplift and erosion

About ten million years ago vertical movements along the Sierra Fault raised the Sierra Nevada . The later removal of the Sierra Block and the elevation of the Sierra Nevada increased the degree of inclination of the currents running to the west. Then these flowed faster and thus shortened the valleys (the most noticeable is the Yosemite Valley ). Further uplifts came as large faults spread eastward, particularly with the formation of the Owens Valley. Starting from the Basin and Range, these forces were expanded. During the Pleistocene , about two million years ago, the sierra was raised again.

These elevations and erosion released granite rock to the surface of the earth in the area, as a result of which flaking (responsible for the round shape of many domes) and signs of decay along the numerous open planes (fractures, especially vertical ones) merged into today's solidified plutons . Glaciers formed in the Pleistocene accelerated this process and the larger glaciers transported the resulting rock debris from the Yosemite Valley.

Numerous vertical levels were responsible for whether and at what speed erosion occurred. Most of these long, straight and very deep fractures aligned northeast or northwest, forming parallel sets at equal intervals. They were created by the pressure of the elevations and by the falling of the overburden due to erosion.

Glacier formation

Play media file

Animation: The receding glaciers feed Lake Yosemite and release today's valley

The trough valley

Glaciers changed and shaped the region about two to three million years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago. At least four major glaciations occurred in the Sierra Nevada, known locally as Sherwin (also known as pre-Tahoe), Tahoe, Tenaya, and Tioga. The Sherwin Glaciers were among the largest glaciers to be found in Yosemite Valley at the time, while later stages produced much smaller glaciers. Sherwing glaciers were responsible for the excavation and shaping of the Yosemite Valley and the other canyons.

The glacier formations reached a depth of up to 1200 meters and left their mark in Yosemite National Park. The longest glacier in the park stretched 59 miles to the canyon of the Tuolumne River and past Hetch Hetchy Valley . The Merced Glacier emerged from the Yosemite Valley and flowed into the Merced River Gorge. The Lee Vining Glacier carved out the Lee Vining Canyon and ended in Lake Russel (now Mono Lake ). Only the highest mountain peaks, such as those of Mount Dana and Mount Conness , were not covered by glaciers. Retreating glaciers often left debris deposits that dammed lakes like 5.5 miles (8.9 kilometers) Lake Yosemite. Lake Yosemite is a shallow lake that periodically covered large portions of the Yosemite Valley floor.

Rock types and erosion

Granite rocks

Almost all of the landforms in the park area come from the granite of the Sierra Nevada batholith . The term batholith denotes a pluton that is unusually large in size and usually consists of several intrusion igneous rocks of similar composition and age. About five percent of the park, located mainly on its eastern edge near Mount Dana , consists of volcanic and sedimentary rock that has been modified by metamorphosis. Erosion , which affects the uplifting faults in different ways, is considered to be the trigger for the formation of valleys, canyons, domes and other forms that shape today's landscape.

Pillar-like and pillar-like mountains such as the Washington Column and the Lost Arrow are created through transverse joints. Erosion, which affects large faults, creates valleys and later canyons. The greatest erosion in the last million years was caused by large alpine glaciers , which transformed the initially V-shaped valleys dug by water into U-shaped canyons dug by glaciers. Examples of this development can be found in the Yosemite Valley and Hetch Valley . Due to the weathering of the granite rock due to the tendency of crystals to expand in plutonic rock on the surface, domes such as the Half Dome and North Dome were created . In addition, arched stone arches could be created, such as the Royal Arches .

Water and ice

Yosemite Valley

The Tuolumne River and Merced River have their source on the Sierra Nevada ridge and flow towards the Yosemite Valley , in which they have cut valleys 900 to 1200 meters deep. The Tuolumne River flows through the entire northern part of the park with a catchment area of ​​1760 square kilometers. The Merced River has its origin in the south of the park in the Cathedral Ranges and Clark Ranges and has a catchment area of ​​1,320 square kilometers.

Hydrological and glacial processes such as the Ice Age , floods and processes caused by rivers have made a decisive contribution to the formation of the park's landscape. The park has 3200 natural lakes, two reservoirs and larger flowing water with a total length of over 2700 kilometers. There are wetlands within the park again and again in peripheral areas in the valley. They are often river-connected to nearby lakes and rivers through seasonal floods. The meadow landscapes, which are located at heights of 900 to 3500 meters, are generally wetlands, as is the alluvial forest , which extends along the banks of the numerous rivers.

All the glaciers in the park are relatively small and are mostly completely in shady areas, such as the Karen facing north and northeast . The Lyell Glacier is the largest glacier in both the park and the entire Sierra Nevada and covers an area of 65 hectares. None of the glaciers in Yosemite National Park are remnants of the significantly larger glaciers from the Ice Age that gave the entire landscape its present-day form. Today's glaciers formed during one of the neoglacial episodes that have occurred since the end of the Ice Age (one of these episodes is called the Little Ice Age ). The global warming has meant that glaciers around the world are smaller and less. Many glaciers in the park have disappeared and others have shrunk by up to 75 percent of their surface. This also affects the Merced Glacier , which John Muir discovered in 1871 and which supported his theory of glacier formation in the Yosemite Valley.

climate

Yosemite National Park is in the area of ​​the subtropical winter rainy climate with main rainfall during the mild winter weather, with little rain falling in the other seasons. Less than three percent of the annual precipitation falls during the long and hot summer months. Due to the orographic uplift of the air as it flows up to the mountains, the precipitation increases with increasing altitude up to 2400 meters. Then the amount of precipitation slowly decreases again up to the summit. The average annual rainfall is between 915 millimeters at 1200 meters and 1200 millimeters at 2600 meters. The snow in the highlands does not usually stop until November and then accumulates until March or April.

The temperature decreases with increasing altitude. The lows are moderate, however, as the park is only about 160 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean . A high pressure area off the coast of California pushes cool air masses towards the Sierra Nevada in summer, which translates into clear and dry air for Yosemite National Park. The average daytime temperatures in the Tuolumne Meadows area (2,600 meters above sea level) are −3.9 to 11.5 ° C over the year. At the southern entrance near Wawona at an altitude of 1887 meters, the mean values ​​are 2.2 ° C and 19.4 ° C. Temperatures are higher on average at the lower altitudes below around 1500 meters. In Yosemite Valley, daily maximum temperatures of 7.8 to 32.2 ° C are reached over the course of a year. At altitudes above around 2500 meters, the temperatures on hot and dry summer days are moderate due to frequent summer thunderstorms and snow, which can exist up to July. A dangerous mix of withered vegetation , low humidity and thunderstorms often leads to fires caused by lightning strikes .

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Yosemite Valley at 1,220 m Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 9 13 15th 18th 23 28 32 32 30th 23 14th 9 O 20.5 Min. Temperature (° C) -3 -2 0 2 5 9 12 11 8th 4th 0 -3 O 3.6 Precipitation ( mm ) 157 155 132 76 33 18th 10 8th 23 53 140 142 Σ 947 Source: Source: Temperatures & Precipitation, Yosemite National Park official website

history

The Ahwahneechee and Mariposa Wars

The first human settlement can be proven around 4000 years ago. Miwok and Paiute lived in the area before the first white settlers began exploring the area. The Ahwahneechee Indians lived in the Yosemite Valley when the first Europeans arrived there. The Californian gold rush in the middle of the 19th century brought more and more whites to the area. Major James Savage led a battalion against 200 Ahwahneechees under Chief Tenaya for the United States Army in 1851 . The result of the so-called Mariposa War was that the first whites came to Yosemite Valley. Dr. Lafayette Bunnell was a doctor on the unit under Savage and later reported his poignant impressions in the book The Discovery of Yosemite . Bunnell named the area Yosemite because he believed it was the name of the Indian tribe that was being fought against. Articles written by members of the battalion and their correspondence contributed to the growing popularity of Yosemite Valley and its surrounding areas among white circles. Tenaya and the rest of the Ahwahneechee were ultimately captured and their village burned. They were then deported to an Indian reservation near the California city of Fresno . Some of them were later allowed to return to their valley, but they ran into trouble there when they attacked a group of eight miners in 1852 . The Indians fled and sought refuge with the Mono tribe who had settled nearby . But after the Ahwahneechee stole some of their hosts' horses, they were killed by the Mono . A replica of an Ahwahne village is now located near the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center.

First tourists

Entrepreneur James Mason Hutchings , artist Thomas Ayres, and two others ventured into the area in 1855 and became the very first tourists to visit Yosemite Valley . Hutchings published articles and books about these and subsequent excursions. The drawings made by Ayres were the first true-to-life sketches of many well-known landmarks. The photographer Charles Leander Weed took the first pictures of the valley's sights in 1859. The famous American photographer Ansel Adams was also one of the later photographers . Wawona was an Indian camp in the southwestern part of what is now the park. There, the settler Galen Clark discovered the Mariposa Grove with giant sequoias in 1857 . Simple shelters and roads were then built in the area. In 1879, the Wawona Hotel opened to tourists who had come for the Mariposa Grove . Due to the growing tourism, more hotels and hiking trails were built.

The Yosemite Grant

Projects to promote conservation in and around Yosemite Valley have received support from a number of celebrities who feared commercial interest in the area could have a negative impact. In keeping with the understanding of nature conservation at the time, the visual appeal and thus the tourist value of the iconic landscape should initially be preserved. The preservation of biodiversity was only a side effect. The law to establish a park was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives and sealed with the signature of Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864. This gave rise to the Yosemite Grant . The Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were ceded to California as a state park and two years later for a responsible committee has been set. The Yosemite Grant is considered a milestone in the history of American national parks as it precedes the establishment of Yellowstone National Park , officially the first national park . The giant sequoia trees are part of the National Park Service emblem and represent the special importance of the Mariposa Grove in the development of the first national parks.

The governor of California, FF Low, in his proclamation of September 28, 1864, appointed the first eight commissioners: Frederick Law Olmsted , JD Whitney, William Ashburner, IW Raymond, ES Holden, Alexander Deering, George W. Coulter, and Galen Clark. Galen Clark was appointed first parking attendant by the relevant commission, but neither Clark nor his commissioners had the right to expel the residents, including the entrepreneur Hutchings. The problem was not resolved until 1875 when the residents of the region were expropriated. In 1880, Clark and the senior commissioners were fired and replaced by Hutchings as the new park ranger.

Back of a California Quarter (Pictured: John Muir and the Yosemite Valley)

In the early years of its creation, the access to the park was made easier for tourists and better conditions were created for the guests. After the construction of the first railway lines, which were completed in 1869, tourism experienced a significant boom. However, the long ride that had to be taken to get to the park put many off. From 1870 three stagecoach roads were built to cope with the growing number of visitors. Born in Scotland and influenced by the works of Alexander von Humboldt , the geologist, botanist and travel writer John Muir was the first to publicize the region and arouse scientific interest through his writings. Muir worked as a shepherd from 1868, and later in a sawmill in the area. He was one of the first geologists to find out that the park's landscape was created by large alpine glaciers . In doing so, he challenged the theories of recognized geologists such as Josiah D. Whitney , who thought Muir was an amateur. Muir also wrote scientific papers on the biology of the area.

Increased conservation measures

The overgrazing of the grassland mainly by sheep , the deforestation of the giant sequoias and other damage to nature prompted Muir to advocate further nature conservation measures. He convinced prominent personalities of the importance of his idea to put the area under state protection. One of these celebrities was Robert Underwood Johnson , the editor of Century Magazine . Through Johnson, Muir was able to get Congress through that Yosemite National Park was officially founded on October 1, 1890. However, the State of California retained control of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove . Muir managed to convince those responsible on site to almost prevent overgrazing from the highlands of the park. The United States Army was responsible for the newly established national park on May 9, 1891 . By the late 1890s, sheep overgrazing was no longer a problem. The military also had many other successes, but the cavalry was unable to stop the deteriorating condition of the Valley and Groves.

The interests of Muir and his environmental protection organization, the Sierra Club , continued to be represented by the government and individual influential figures. Muir called for a unified Yosemite National Park. In May 1903, then President Theodore Roosevelt demonstratively set up camp for three days with Muir near the cliff Glacier Point . On this occasion, Muir was able to convince Roosevelt to withdraw the administration of the park from the state of California and transfer it to the federal government. In 1906 this was regulated by law. Through the initiatives to protect the park, Muir is considered the USA's National Parks Champion .

Younger story

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

In 1905 and 1906, the United States Congress removed nearly 30% of the park's area from the protected area to allow forestry and mining. Between 1914 and 1937, and again in 2016, the protected area was expanded several times to include smaller areas.

The National Park Service (NPS) was established in 1916 to manage this and the other parks. Hotels, campsites, and roads like Tioga Pass Road were built in the same year. The park was increasingly frequented by visitors with automobiles, which meant that expressways were required that had to be passable in all weather conditions. In the early 1920s, thanks to the efforts of Ansel Frank Hall, the Yosemite Museum was founded. In 1903 the proposal was made that a dam should be built in the Hetch Hetchy Valley in the north of the Yosemite Valley , which was to be used as a water reservoir during floods and at the same time to generate hydropower for distant San Francisco . This issue gave rise to nationwide debates, as a result of which the Muir, who are interested in environmental conservation, and the Sierra Club clashed with conservatives like Gifford Pinchot . The US Congress finally approved the construction of the O'Shaughnessy Dam in 1913 , based on a special law, the Raker Act .

To date, could environmentalists convince Congress of which, 2,742 square kilometers, about 89 percent of the total area of the park, particularly largely protected Wilderness Area expel (wildlife reserve). The NPS also wants to prevent the park from being damaged by tourists in the future, as was the case with the Firefall , when traditionally glowing ashes were thrown from the cliff of Glacier Point at night . Increasing congestion on the streets of the park is another problem. Proposals to ban all vehicles that do not belong to visitors to one of the hotels or campsites are currently being examined. However, this would mean that all the guests who spontaneously go on a day trip to the park in the summer would be forced to cover the eleven kilometers by shuttle bus , bike or on foot.

The US government shutdown, which was in effect from December 22nd to January 25th, 2019 , after President Donald Trump and Congress were unable to agree on a US budget because of the funding required by Trump for a concrete border wall on the border with Mexico, led to massive effects on the national park, as on the other US national parks. Due to the budget freeze, the staff was no longer paid and no management was carried out. The toilet facilities were closed and garbage was not removed. Because of feces and urine along the streets, camping and rest areas were closed. Since no entry had to be paid to visit the park, there was still an increase in the number of visitors.

Giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum )

Mule deer

ecology

The Yosemite National Park extends in the Sierra Nevada over altitudes of 550 to over 3900 meters and correspondingly many habitats and altitudes . Over 250 species of vertebrates live permanently in them , including fish , amphibians , reptiles , birds and mammals . Others (especially birds) appear as guests. The flora is much richer in species. To date, over 1400 plant species have been identified in the national park, including around 130 neophytes that were only introduced into the area through human influence.

All soils in the park are young. 10,000 years ago almost the entire park area was covered by glaciers, which for the most part abraded the area down to the bedrock. The topsoil is down to a few Talzonen thin, but by the Disintegrating rock minerals - and nutritious .

The high biodiversity of the flora in the North American West in general and the Sierra Nevada in particular is shaped by the geography in connection with the climatic conditions of the high mountains and the consequences of the Ice Age. Unlike in Europe, where the Alps stretch from east to west and acted as a barrier during the Ice Ages and when many areas were repopulated after recovery, the mountains of the American continent run in a north-south direction. In this way , plant species dependent on a moderate climate were able to evade as the ice moved south and then return again. Arctic plants, which were widely distributed over North America during the Ice Age, withdrew to the high mountain areas, while other species that had been displaced south by the ice were able to expand their range again.

Vegetation zones in the national park

Habitats

The valleys of the two large rivers Tuolumne River , up to the Hetch Hetchy Valley , and Merced River on the western edge of the national park form the deepest vegetation zones of the park. They are still to be assigned to the lowlands of the California long valley . Here foothills of the Mediterranean climatic zone move into the protected area and with it shrub vegetation called chaparral - similar to the maquis in the Mediterranean area . It consists mainly of oaks , especially of the Quercus wislizeni species , an evergreen relative of the holm oak , mixed with the white pine ( Pinus sabiniana ) and various shrubs such as sacred flowers ( Ceanothus ) and bearberries .

The submontane forests begin at about 900 meters above sea level . It encompasses the valley areas of the Yosemite Valley and large areas in the west of the park and is already characterized by coniferous forest landscapes. Here, for example, the yellow pine , the sugar pine , but also incense cedar , Colorado fir and Douglas fir grow together with staining areas and the evergreen oak species Quercus chrysolepis . The three occurrences of the giant sequoia in Yosemite National Park are also at this altitude: Mariposa Grove near Wawona in the south, and Tuolumne Grove and Merced Grove in the west of the park at the beginning of Tioga Road. These habitats are particularly favorable for a large variety of wild animals, as they offer a relatively mild climate and a small-scale mosaic of different habitats and plant communities. Here, the live American black , the bobcat , the gray fox , the mule deer , Lampropeltis zonata multicincta a snake of the genus kingsnakes that Skinke , the White-headed ( Picoides albolarvatus ), the brown creeper , spotted owl and several species of bats . The woodpeckers and the bats are particularly dependent on the high proportion of dead wood in this forest community.

Diademed jay in Yosemite National Park

Gold coat ground squirrel

From around 1800 meters there are hardly any deciduous trees. Visitors can experience the montane high altitude on hikes out of the Yosemite Valleys , on the road to Glacier Point or in the high altitudes of the Hetch Hetchy Valley . The mountain forest of higher elevations consists mainly of the magnificent fir , the western Weymouth pine , the Jeffrey pine , the coastal pine and occasionally the foxtail pine . Less wild animals live in these habitats due to the altitude and the lower diversity of plant communities. Species occurring here are, for example, the gold-coated ground squirrel , the Douglas squirrel , the marten , the diademed jay , the hermit thrush and the hawk . Reptiles are no longer common, but the rubber boa are the only species of snake, the western sand lizard and the northern crocodile creep .

The subalpine altitude level is reached on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada at about 2450 meters. In Yosemite National Park, this zone can be reached by mountain hikes at the end of Yosemite Valley and in the Tuolumne Meadows on Tioga Road. The higher the landscape, the smaller the trees and the forests loosen up. In some places the humus layer is completely absent and the bare granite emerges. The coastal pine , the white-stemmed pine and the mountain hemlock can still cope with these conditions. The wildlife of this zone, pika , yellow-bellied marmots , prairie hares , pine jays , and rose-bellied snowmen are used to these conditions.

The alpine zone begins at around 2900 meters and is characterized by the tree line. Above that there are only alpine mats and lawns . This includes the peaks around the ridge of the Sierra Nevada in the east of the park. The bighorn sheep prefers these treeless habitats. The species is found only in the Tioga Pass area in Yosemite Park, where there is a small, resettled population.

natural reserve

Despite the many habitats in Yosemite National Park, three animal species were completely extinct in the park during historical times, and another 37 species are under special protection under California's laws for threatened species. The main threats to the park's wildlife include neobiota , air pollution , habitat fragmentation, and climate change . Factors such as animal deaths from accidents and problems related to tourist feeding have also attacked the wildlife population.

The American black bears were once known for breaking into parked cars to get food. For years they were an often-sighted attraction at the park's garbage dump. They gathered there to eat the remains of the visitors' rubbish and the tourists took this opportunity to photograph the bears. Increasing encounters between the bears and humans as well as increasing property damage led to a measure that was supposed to prevent the bears from being fed by the tourists. Encounters with people and damage to their property should be prevented in this way. The uncovered rubbish dumps have been closed, and all waste bins have been replaced by bins that are not accessible to bears. All campsites have also been equipped with lockers specifically for storing food so that tourists do not have to leave their food in the car, as bears like to help themselves in the tourists' cars.

As bears that act aggressively towards humans would normally have to be euthanized, the park staff came up with innovative ways to get the bears to associate visitors and their property with unpleasant experiences, such as being shot with rubber bullets. Nowadays, around 30 bears are caught each year and given an ear clip. A sample of their DNA is also taken from them, so that bears that cause property damage can be identified.

The solstice knapweed

Real St. John's wort

The increasing ozone pollution is destroying the fabric of the park's massive giant sequoia trees. The ozone makes the trees more susceptible to insect infestation and disease. Since the cones of these trees rely on soil that has come into contact with fire in order to germinate, fire-fighting measures prevented this germination process. The method of deliberately and controlled starting fire is said to benefit germination.

Yosemite National Park has more than 130 documented non-native plant species. These plants first came to the national park through the migration of the European-American settlers around 1850. Natural and human-induced disturbances, such as fire and construction, contributed to the rapid spread of these plant species. Many of these species attacked and displaced the native plant communities, which also had an impact on the park's resources. Non-native plants can create significant changes in the natural balance of the park by changing the native plants and the processes on which the plants depend. Some of these non-native plants increase the risk of fire in certain areas. Furthermore, certain plants could increase the nitrogen content in the soil, which would allow other plants of the same species to grow. Among these non-native plants, there are many, such as the solstice knapweed , that have tap roots that enable them to outperform native plants in the battle for water.

The common thistle , the small-flowered mullein and St. John's wort have been poisonous plant pests in the park since the 1940s. Other species that have recently been classified as dangerous and need to be controlled are the solstice knapweed , sweet clover , slit-leaved blackberry and periwinkle . To combat this problem, these plants are removed either by hand or by slash and burn .

Park management

The large numbers of visitors to Yosemite National Park create significant problems, especially in the limited Yosemite Valley. The park administration was repeatedly accused by nature conservation associations that the tourist use was at the expense of nature. At the beginning of 2014, after many years of legal proceedings, the park administration presented a management plan for the Yosemite Valley, which for the first time provides for an upper limit for the daily number of visitors. The number of campsites in the valley is to be increased compared to the current situation, but is well below the value before the floods of 1997. In addition, around 80 hectares of bank area are to be renatured and armor stones removed from around 2000 meters of bank line.

A draft management plan has also been available for the upper reaches of the Tuolumne River since 2013. A decision has not yet been made about the possible alternatives in terms of tourist infrastructure and possible uses (status: February 2014).

Further plans relevant to nature conservation in the national park are available for the Mariposa Grove with its giant sequoia trees. Further plans are in various stages of preparation.

The national park administration has concluded several partnership agreements with foreign national parks. The administrations exchange scientists and employees and jointly develop best practices in species protection and tourism management. The partners are (as of November 2014): Huang Shan National Park (China), Jiuzhaigou National Park (China), Torres del Paine National Park (Chile), Berchtesgaden National Park (Germany)

The commercial tourist offers in the park such as hotels, restaurants, shops, simple huts and the upscale tent sites are provided by a contractual partner of the National Park Service. From the beginnings in 1899 to 1993 it was Yosemite Park & ​​Curry Co. , which started renting out tents and built the first permanent huts and finally the Ahwahnee Lodge and the Curry Village. In 1993, a tender for a 15-year contract was first held, won by DNC Parks & Resorts Co. after Curry Co. was excluded because it was no longer an American company since it was owned by a Japanese holding company. After a one-time extension, there was another tender on March 1, 2016, which Amarak Co. won. Since then, a lawsuit has developed between DNC and the National Park Service, with Amarak involved, over whether DNC holds trademarks in established names for park facilities, whether Amarak should buy them from DNC, and how those rights should be assessed. The National Park Service temporarily changed the traditional names in 2016 to circumvent trademark rights. After a settlement between the NPS and Delaware North, the renaming was reversed in 2019.

tourism

Map of the Yosemite Valley

Every year around 3.7 million visitors visit the park. Most of them are in the 18 km² Yosemite Valley .

The Valley is open year-round, but many areas of the rest of the park are closed from late autumn due to snowfall and don't reopen until spring. A network of over 1300 km of trails is available for hiking tours through the park and along the giant sequoia trees. The park is crossed by the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, respectively .

Stream of tourists on Half Dome

Day visitors mostly only explore the Yosemite Valley , which is easily accessible. Traffic congestion during the peak summer season is a serious problem. In Yosemite Valley , a free shuttle bus carries visitors all year round. Most of the park, however, consists of protected wilderness with no roads that do not allow motorized vehicles.

In addition to nature, the park visitor can also find out about background information on the history of the park and its flora and fauna in various facilities. These include the visitor center, the attached Yosemite Museum and the nature center at Happy Isles . There are also two National Historic Landmarks : the LeConte Memorial Lodge (Yosemite's first public visitor center) and the famous Ahwahnee Hotel.

Between spring and autumn, the park offers backpack day trips. All overnight tours within the park require a permit and a permit to bring food. The park can be explored by two-wheeler on the paved stretches. Cycling away from the established paths is not permitted. In the Yosemite Valley, bike lanes stretch over 15 miles. It is also possible to go on horseback riding tours under the guidance of a park employee (usually on a mule).

Most of the park closes in winter due to heavy snowfall. The oldest ski area in California, the Badger Pass Ski Area, opens in winter. There are several slopes and also a ski school. Large parts of the park are suitable for cross-country skiing and many ski huts in the hinterland offer opportunities for a stopover. However, permits are required for excursions into the hinterland including overnight stays. Certain parts of Yosemite National Park can be explored with snowshoes.

water falls

The park is known for its large number of waterfalls . There are many waterfalls on the many steep cliffs, ledges and hillside valleys in the park, especially in April, May and June when the snowmelts. In some places waterfalls occur again and again when it rains, which only arise and disappear again due to the weather. The Yosemite Falls are among the highest in the world with a total height of 739 m. These are divided into Upper Falls (435 m), Middle Cascades (206 m) and Lower Falls (98 m). However, they are often completely dried out by the end of summer. The Yosemite Valley is also home to the Ribbon Falls , which falls 492 meters down. The most famous waterfall is the Bridalveil Fall . Other waterfalls worth mentioning are the Wapama Falls in the Hetch Hetchy Valley .

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  Yosemite Falls

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  Bridalveil case

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  Vernal case

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  Nevada case

Attractions

Half dome

El Capitan

The centerpiece of Yosemite Valley makes up just one percent of the park's total area, but that's where most visitors are drawn. El Capitan is a tall granite rock that towers over the valley. The mountain is one of the most popular destinations for mountaineers, as its various levels of difficulty on numerous climbing trails make it attractive for beginners and advanced climbers. In addition, the mountain can be climbed at any time of the year. Impressive granite domes such as the Sentinel Dome and Half Dome rise 900 and 1450 meters above the valley.

The highlands of the park have many scenic areas, such as the meadows of Tuolumne Meadows , Dana Meadows , the Clark Range and Cathedral Range and the Kuna Crest hilltop . Other mountain ranges also stretch across Yosemite National Park, with mountain peaks made of metamorphic rock , such as Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs , as well as granite rocks such as that of Mount Conness . The Mount Lyell is the highest mountain in the park with a height of 3994 meters. In the park there are a total of three groves with giant sequoias ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ). The largest grove is the Mariposa Grove with 200 trees, ahead of the Toulumne Grove with 25 trees and the Merced Grove with 20 trees. Giant sequoias are considered the most massive tree species in the world and also one of the largest with a long lifespan. The coastal redwoods that can be found on the coast of Northern California are the tallest and the long-lived pine in Eastern California is the oldest species in the world. Before the beginning of the last Ice Age, giant sequoias were far more common.

Historical objects

In Yosemite National Park on California State Route 41 in Wawona is the historic Wawona Hotel and Pavilion (also known as the Kawona Hotel or Thomas Hill Studio ). The hotel was listed on October 1, 1975 on the National Register of Historic Places with number 75000223. It was also entered on the National Historic Landmark .

Climb

Billy Westbay, Jim Bridwell and John Long (from left) after the first day-long ascent of the nose in 1975

The Climbing has big in Yosemite National Park importance. In the snow-free months, climbers can be seen bouldering as well as in the large, up to a thousand meter high walls of El Capitan or Half Dome .

As early as 1869, John Muir had made his first mountaineering achievements while exploring the valley, for example by climbing Cathedral Peak . In 1875, George Anderson climbed Half Dome for the first time and then took tourists on various mountain tours. Until around 1930, mountaineering activities were limited to comparatively easy summit ascent, usually without safety ropes. It was not until the beginning of the 1930s that climbing gradually made its way into Yosemite using ropes and securing devices such as rock hooks.

The actual beginning of difficult climbing falls in 1945 and is inextricably linked with John Salathé . From October 13-14, 1946 he and Ax (Anton) Nelson managed the first ascent of the Half Dome Southwest Face with the first bivouac in a Yosemite face. The climb required 150 rock hooks .

On September 5, 1947, Salathé and Nelson reached the summit of the granite top of the Lost Arrow through the Chimney Route after five days of hard climbing with four bivouacs, also using the then new bolts . The route set new standards due to the difficulty and the long duration of the first ascent, it was only repeated 17 years later. From June 30 to July 4, 1950, Salathé and Allen Steck climbed the north face of Sentinel Rock , which is now a classic climbing route . On September 5 and 6, 1951, he and Cliff Hopson conquered the south face of the Sugarloaf Dome .

Royal Robbins , Yvon Chouinard and Warren Harding began in the late 1950s with the development of numerous big wall routes up to difficulty level 5.10 in the Yosemite Decimal System (corresponds approximately to UIAA grade VI +) with the American overall rating VI (corresponds to an alpine multi-day tour).

Widely known climbing in Yosemite with the first ascent of the route was Nose on El Capitan by Warren J. Harding in the 1960s. A decade later, free climbing , brought by Fritz Wiessner from Saxony to America, developed here to a level of difficulty that was previously unattainable. Over the years, the hardest routes of their time have been found in the Yosemite Valley. This development culminated in the ascents of the Separate Reality routes (5.11c) by Ron Kauk and Phoenix (5.13a) by Ray Jardine in 1977. These spectacular first ascents made the area internationally famous among alpinists and popular climbing. Climbers like the German Reinhard Karl also made a name for themselves with their tours in Yosemite and spread the free climbing idea in Europe. In 1979 the first route in the west face of El Capitan was freely climbed. 1986 climbed Wolfgang Güllich the Separate Reality free solo .

After that, the difficulty development stagnated. It wasn't until 1990 that Ron Kauk achieved a further increase with Crossroads (5.13d) and 1997 with Magic Line (5.14b). In 1993, Lynn Hill first climbed the nose freely.

Even today, the valley is always the scene of outstanding climbing achievements: New and more difficult lines are still being developed or old, previously only technically climbing routes are freely climbed. The main actors from Europe were Alexander and Thomas Huber . Recently, Alex Honnold made a name for himself, climbing the Half Dome northwest face free solo in 2 hours and 9 minutes in 2010 .

In the Yosemite Valley, the climbers came together mainly at the “Sunnyside Campground” ( Camp 4 ). The predominantly young extreme athletes formed an alternative scene in which one tried to use tricks to circumvent the limited length of stay in the national park, because more days than allowed were necessary for the Big Walls. Other activities were also developed or expanded there, such as bouldering, invented in the Fontainebleau forest 50 km south of Paris : climbing on boulders without safety, not higher than you can jump off without risk of injury. In 1978, Ron Kauk solved the bouldering problem Midnight Lightning (V8) on a block on the site of the climbing camp, which had been practiced for years. Another offshoot of climbing is the slackline version Highline , in which straps are stretched across an abyss. The national park administration tried to regulate base jumping , but then banned it altogether after a few fatal accidents. Dan Osman excelled in a special type of bungee jumping , who instead of elastic rope used climbing ropes to catch the jump into the depths. In 1998 he died from a rope break while jumping more than three hundred meters from the Leaning Tower . One of the extreme sports practiced in Yosemite Park is jumping with a wingsuit . One of the most daring wingsuit flyers was Dean Potter , who crashed in 2015 with his flight partner Graham Hunt while trying to fly through a gap in the rock.

Skiing

At Badger Pass, south of the main valley on the road to Glacier Point, there is a small but traditional winter sports area. It is the oldest ski area in California and also west of the Mississippi River . The ski school opened in 1928, the Ski Lodge in 1935, the first lift the following year. Today (as of winter 2015) the area has five lifts and ten slopes for downhill skiing, as well as 35 km of groomed trails for cross-country skiing .

literature

• Sky Worell: Fascinating America. All national parks in the USA. Gondrom, Bindlach 1993, ISBN 3-8112-0975-2 .
• Alexander Huber , Heinz Zak : Yosemite. Rother, Munich 2007, ISBN 3-7633-7511-2 .

Web links

Commons : Yosemite National Park  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Wikivoyage: Yosemite National Park  Travel Guide

• National Park Service: Yosemite National Park (official site; English)
• American Park Network: Yosemite National Park (English)
• West Coast USA: Yosemite Description of the tourist attractions of the Yosemite Valley (German)
• Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
• Zoomable overview image with 17 gigapixels: www.yosemite-17-gigapixels.com

Individual evidence

1. ^ Official website of Yosemite National Park
2. ↑ CHAPTER III: James D. Savage, Indian Fighter, and Explorer of Yosemite Valley in: Pathways: A Story of Trails and Men, by John W. Bingaman (1968)
3. ^ Lafayette Houghton Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, and the Indian war of 1851, which led to that event . (originally published 1880) Third edition, revised and corrected. Publisher: Fleming H. Revell company New York, Chicago, 1892
4. ↑ John W. Bingaman: The Ahwahneechees: A Story of the Yosemite Indians . published (1966)
5. ↑ JM Hutchings: In the heart of the Sierras: the Yo Semite Valley, both historical and descriptive: and scenes by the way: big tree groves ... and other objects of interest: with tables of distances and altitudes, maps, etc. Publisher: Pub. at the Old Cabin; Yo Semite Valley and Pacific Press Pub. House Oakland, Cal. 1888
6. ↑ Frank Uekötter: A little history of the protection of species . In: Journal of the Federal Agency for Political Education . 70th year edition. No. 11/2020 . bpb, March 9, 2020, p. 15 .
7. ^ Report of the Commissioners to manage the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa big tree grove, for the years 1866-7 . A reprint of the 1st 11 pages of the official report, 1866-67. by JD Whitney, Commissioners to Manage the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove; California. Publisher: Towne and Bacon San Francisco Published 1868
8. ↑ Chapter XXII, PART II — HISTORY OF “THE FIRST RANGERS” in: Guardians of the Yosemite by John W. Bingaman (1961)
9. ↑ Rachel E. Golden Kroner, Roopa Krithivasan, Michael B. Mascia: Effects of protected area downsizing on habitat fragmentation in Yosemite National Park (USA), 1864 - 2014 . In: Ecology and Society Volume 21, Issue 3 (Summer 2016), Art. 22, doi: 10.5751 / ES-08679-210322
10. ^ MM O'Shaughnessy: Hetch Hetchy; its origin and history. Published San Francisco, Calif. 1934
11. ↑ US national parks litter due to budget lock Spiegel Online from January 2, 2019
12. ↑ National Park Service: Yosemite National Park, Wildlife Overview ( Memento from April 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
13. ↑ Flora of Yosemite National Park , based on: Stephen J. Botti, An Illustrated Flora of Yosemite National Park , Yosemite Association, El Portal, CA, 2001
14. ^ National Park Service: Yosemite National Park, Exotic Plants
15. ↑ National Park Service: Yosemite National Park - Merced River Plan
16. ↑ National Park Service: Yosemite National Park - Tuolumne River Plan
17. ↑ National Park Service: Yosemite National Park - Mariposa Grove
18. ^ National Park Service: Yosemite National Park - Park Planning
19. ↑ National Park Service: Yosemite National Park and Berchtesgaden National Park Sign Formal Sister Park Arrangement , November 19, 2014
20. ↑ Los Angeles Times: Curry Co. Turns Over Yosemite Concessions , October 2, 1993
21. ↑ National Parks Traveler: Yosemite National Park To Change Historic Lodge Names To Avoid Trademark Fight , Jan. 14, 2016
22. ↑ Los Angeles Times: Yosemite to restore names to historic attractions under $ 12-million settlement , July 15, 2019
23. ↑ NRIS
24. ↑ National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL) ( Memento of the original from June 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
25. ↑ A short history of climbing in Yosemite on the pages of the Yosemite Climbing Association ( Memento of the original from July 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed November 24, 2011)  
26. ↑ Yosemite. In: bergleben.de. October 31, 2007, accessed November 24, 2011 . 
27. ↑ Hard rock climbs - First routes of each grade (accessed November 24, 2011)
28. ↑ Lynn Hill at perlentaucher.de (accessed November 24, 2011)
29. ↑ Alex Honnold Solos Half Dome and El Capitan in 11 Hours. Retrieved November 24, 2011 . 
30. ↑ Badger Pass Ski Area ( Memento of the original from February 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.