National Park News

Yosemite National Park has scheduled a public site visit for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Project on Friday, October 14, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The site visit will include a guided walk through the lower portion of the Mariposa Grove where park staff will discuss the project, the history of the Mariposa Grove, and ecology of giant sequoias. The public is encouraged to share ideas about how to improve the overall visitor experience and protect resources in and around the grove. People wishing to attend this site visit should meet in front of the Mariposa Grove Gift Shop and come prepared for hiking in fall weather conditions. Park entrance fees will be waived at the entrance stations for those attending the site walk.

Yosemite National Park Fire Managers are planning a prescribed fire in the southern portion of the park near Bishop Creek along the Wawona Road, on Friday, September 30, 2011. Ignition of the prescribed fire is dependent on weather conditions. The total prescribed burn area will include 5,224 acres. The burn area will be broken up into segments, with Segment A being ignited on Friday, and will include 1,400 acres. Fire engines, water tenders, and fire crews from Yosemite National Park will be present during all fire activity.

Denali National Park and Preserve is seeking public input on a proposal to simplify the entrance fee structure. Currently the park charges entrance fees of $10 per person, $20 per vehicle, and $15 per motorcycle. The National Park Service is proposing to collect only the $10 per person entrance fee, effective January 1, 2012.