Newsletters about Environmental Issues in the Central Sierra

Fall 2024 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• From top to bottom, the forest's transition to fall colors has begun
• The planning process for managing vehicles and visitors in Yosemite Park shifts from public comments to the crafting of a final decision
• Latest update about the proposed nation-wide Old Growth policy
• CSERC volunteers truly ROCKED this field season, making a positive and lasting impact in our local forest and in Yosemite
• Livestock overgrazing and trampling in Stanislaus Forest meadows pose threats to water quality and fragile ecosystems
• Forest Service decision for SERAL 2.0 project approves a huge amount of treatments...
• The MAC Project is the biggest local forest treatment ever proposed
• GSNR: A plan that's already generated love, hate, outcries, and indifference
• What is that "skinny chicken" bird?
• It takes two to make a meaningful partnership
• Prolific amounts of cones and acorns are falling this year

Summer 2024 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• This is a fen, and here's why fens need protection
• As the CA spotted owl moves closer to being formally listed as “threatened,” the Forest Service releases new policies for projects
• At the same time, a new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan will authorize the lethal removal of barred owls to save CA spotted owls
• Workdays offer chance to have fun and make a difference
• The national Old-Growth Policy shifts to the analysis of alternatives, but none of the strategies actually prohibit cutting big, old trees
• "Here's why we donate regularly to CSERC."
• Unlike most newsletters, this one emphasizes how much we need you and other members to help us grow our base of contributors
• Here are some of the key efforts that CSERC is doing this summer
• Final wildlife damage plan by state/federal agencies dismisses input from CSERC and others who asked for less controversial methods
• Interested in some special destinations to visit this summer?

Spring 2024 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• For early spring wildflowers, visit one of our local river canyons
• Latest update on the highly important Yosemite Park visitor access plan
• A tragic attack attack by a mountain lion reminds of the risks that exist in the forest ecosystem and elsewhere in the state
• CSERC steps away from one stakeholder group, even as we intensify our efforts with the ACCG collaborative group
• Dogwood flowers are sure to impress again this spring!
• Do CSERC's efforts to protect nature in our region matter to you?
• CSERC camera stations detect the rare and elusive fisher in the Stanislaus National Forest
• CSERC shares detailed input for key state and national wildlife policies
• 2024 "Celebrate Winter" photo contest winners amaze our judges

Fall/Winter 2023 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• Winter provides prime night sky viewing opportunities
• CSERC staff evolving to effectively lead key programs
• The Forest Service unveils SERAL 2.0
• Calaveras Big Trees State Park continues prescribed burn treatments
• The Amador Calaveras Consensus Group (ACCG) is poised to develop the largest forest treatment project in the region
• Wildlife in peril – a report on new federal designations or proposals for local species
• USFS adopts new national policies for applying fire retardant
• Progress report on the restoration project at Ackerson Meadow

Summer 2023 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• Insight worth knowing – how the local region became a key national example for testing “good fire” at a larger scale
• For years conservation groups have pushed prescribed fire as the key strategy for managing forests. It’s not quite that simple.
• The thousands of acres of treatments done in the Stanislaus Forest this year help reduce the risk of extreme wildfires
• Beyond the views from the highway, this year’s prescribed burns reveal a range of mixed results
• Here are lessons learned, plus some trade-offs that come from greatly increasing the number of acres burned
• This exceptional weather year has resulted in an exceptional number of butterflies to delight those taking the time to observe them
• Completely separate from national forest burns, a prescribed fire last fall at Big Trees State Park ignited controversy over the “Orphans”
• As summer crowds cause traffic delays and congestion, Yosemite Park re-opens the public comment period for how to manage visitor use
• CSERC’s wildlife surveys help to inform agency biologists and planners

Spring 2023 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• You can currently choose winter or spring for outdoor adventures!
• COME VOLUNTEER to help with restoration projects in the region
• Acorn woodpeckers – also known as “oak tree clowns”
• Calaveras Big Trees State Park officials discuss forest health projects
• A new Forest Service plan would create miles of fuel breaks near Yosemite Park
• It’s that time of year again - spring wildflowers dazzle with their vibrant colors
• The 2023 CSERC Photo Contest is Officially Open!
• A plan to convert vacant shopping center buildings to housing

Winter 2023 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• Your input may help shape the new “Visitor Access Plan” that is intended to resolve the debate over traffic and congestion in Yosemite
• Surging recreational demands since the COVID shutdown along with social media and online marketing draw visitors to the Park
• Lessons learned - striving to get a Tuolumne County Climate Action Plan
• Winter hiking destinations – below the snowline
• Dispersed recreation destinations – above the snowline
• “Frogsicles” is one way to think of winter survival by frogs
• DIRECTORS REPORT: Thanks to so many who continue to partner with CSERC to make a difference for the Northern Yosemite region
• Agencies consider how to best conserve and manage federal forests to reduce threats to “mature and old growth” trees
• Fieldwork, post-fire monitoring, and viewing the effects of drought lead CSERC to support treatments in managed areas to protect old tree
• Initial treatments in new SERAL Project created miles of fuel breaks as anchor points for prescribed burns and to help crews manage wildfire
• The loss of a special person can remind us to savor our times together

Fall 2022 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• There are consequences from stocking trout for recreational sport
• Forest Service restarts its “paused” prescribed burn program after completing a nationwide review of the risks
• Unlike the Forest Service, Yosemite Park allowed lightning fires to burn “naturally” - with guidance - over many weeks of hot, dry conditions
• Volunteer workday efforts in the national forest helped protect degraded areas and streams from off-road-vehicle impacts
• Stanislaus Forest finally begins to implement forest treatments across the vast SERAL project area
• Looking for ecologically sustainable ways to meet local housing needs
• Planting hatchery fish may boost fishing success, but high numbers of planters can diminish the survival of native fish and other specie
• Results from CSERC’s 2022 meadow monitoring
• Scenic beauty is often a reflection of a healthy ecosystem

Summer 2022 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• So many amazing species share our mountain region
• Highly publicized escaped fires prompt Forest Service to temporarily halt all prescribed burns nationally to review protocols
• After the SERAL project was split into three separate “decisions” – fuel break work has begun, while other project actions inch through appeals
• Tuolumne County is on track to have at least three new biomass facilities built in the next few years - Should we be concerned?
• Field tour at Ackerson Meadow highlights upcoming restoration project
• New members of CSERC staff take on a wide range of fieldwork tasks
• A place in Yosemite Park where you can often avoid crowds
• The Harlequin Duck -- A most audacious waterfowl
• Camp Jack Hazard provides environmental education and backpacking opportunities for children from the Central Valley and Tuolumne County

Spring 2022 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• • Most of us prefer environmental issues to be black vs white, good vs bad guys, and not too complex or technical
  • Spring has sprung! It’s your chance to view wildflowers…
  • A bully has arrived in town – and that means trouble for the local native species that was already facing habitat loss and other threats
  • Forest Service gives approval to the first of three separate decisions for portions of the SERAL large landscape project
  • You may have never seen a ringtail – yet they can be found in widely scattered locations across the local region
  • CSERC’s new Conservation Director brings many skills and talents
  • Here's your playbook for all the changes at Yosemite Park this year

Summer 2021 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• Field surveys help to identify where at-risk species need protection
• Legal negotiations continue for two
• Highway 120 development projects
• Lots of fieldwork and monitoring to squeeze in during the summer
• Is the charismatic porcupine on the brink of disappearing from the Sierra Nevada region?
• CSERC prepares to restart volunteer workdsays - Please sign up!
• Local Regional Forester Randy Moore named Chief of the Forest Service
• Agencies assess options for Ackerson Meadow restoration project
• Participation in local stakeholder groups demands lots of time, but it builds key connections that increase chances for success
• Please "PASS THIS NEWSLETTER ON"
• The status or fate of our region's gray wolf visitor is a mystery

Spring 2021 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• • Iconic Mariposa Grove closed due to wind/snow damage
  • What is "30x30," and why is California making it a priority
  • Look for the Common Merganser at lakes, streams, and rivers
  • Updates on Phoenix Lake restoration and FERC hydroelectric planning
  • Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians reveal plans for a major new casino and hotel project west of Jamestown
  • Decades of CSERC photo surveys help locate at-risk wildlife
  • Last year's epic high-severity wildfires showed that decades of accumulated fuels haven't been effectively treated
  • Heavily stocked forests that appear "natural" are actually far different from historic forests that evolved with frequent fires
  • CSERC calls for "pyrosilviculture" as a key strategy - using prescribed burns and managed low-intensity wildfires to restore resiliency
  • On April 20th, the 2021 CSERC photo contest will open

Fall 2020 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• Sara Husby takes on the role of CSERC's Program Director
• Agencies consider options for restoring Ackerson Meadow
• PG&E files formal Phoenix hydroelctric plan
• At last, work actually begins on the Phoenix Lake Restoration Project
• CSERC and citizen activists continue to oppose leap-frog development projects along the highway to Yosemite
• In contrast, a new lodging proposal for the Highway 120 "Scar" site might be appropriate for that location
• CSERC and YSS aim for middle-ground solutions to make local forests less vulnerable to damaging wildfires and drought
• The SERAL Project:  Why does SCERC support the giant project plan?
• Three updates about issues that affect the local region
• Conservation needs to mimic the "Clothespin tree" in the Mariposa Grove

Spring 2020 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• Water Board proposes to lower the summer lake level at Pinecrest
• TUD seeks "local control" of South Fork Stanislaus River
• Long-delayed restoration project at Phoenix Lake finally ready to begin
  
• State decides foothill yellow-legged frog deserves "endangered" status
• The USFWS proposes to list the extremely rare Sierra Nevada red fox
  
• Root rot fungus and mistletoe are affecting the health of red fir and white fir forests
• The State changes tree stocking standards for private timberlands
  
• Tree mortality from drought years creates fuel build-up and fire risk in Yosemite
• Local forest stakeholder groups help convince Forest Service to reduce potential controversy of Large Landscape Project
• CSERC attempts to raise awareness about the positive role of prescribed burning

Fall 2019 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• What are fens, and how do volunteer efforts protect them?
• Park officials and gateway partners search for a solution to traffic congestion in Yosemite Valley
• Yosemite Park superintendent Mike Reynolds will be leaving due to a re-assignment
• Merced River Studies provide Park with options for deciding whether not to remove the Sugar Pine Bridge to allow free-flow conditions
• Calaveras Big Trees State Park plans to construct cabins to meet public demands for recreational lodging options
• Fuel reduction and biomass treatments in portions of the Rim Fire
  State Wildlife agency describes Snake Fungal Disease in California
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife finally proposes to list the West Coast Distinct Population of the Fisher as "Threatened"
• Quiet season fall destinations: Pinecrest and Hetch Hetchy
• Have you donated this year to help CSERC respond to the many challenges facing the Northern Yosemite region?

Summer 2019 (click here to read or download newsletter)

• • Major changes coming in Yosemite National Park with restoration projects planned
  • CSERC and the public share concerns about proposed leapfrog development projects
  • Salvage logging goes forward in portions of the Donnell Fire area
  • CSERC photo contest winners selected with a new category for  landscape photos
    
  • CSERC files an Objection to Forest Service decision to allow motorized use in two wild roadless areas
  • SPI releases weak habitat plan for the spotted owl on private timber lands
  • Volunteer with CSERC this summer or fall to help protect and restore the Stanislaus National Forest