Skip to main content

Yosemite Meadow Undergoing Major Restoration

Rangeland recently acquired from private owners is being restored to a more natural state thanks to a purchase by the Trust for Public Land.

1 minute read

June 17, 2024, 12:00 PM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


South Ackerson Meadow in Yosemite National Park, California. | National Park Service / Ackerson Meadow Restoration Environmental Assessment

The largest mid-elevation meadow in Yosemite National Park is undergoing an $18 million restoration project, reports Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ackerson Meadow was recently acquired from private owners by the National Park Service. “The nonprofit Trust for Public Land bought the property for $2.3 million, with funding assistance from the Yosemite Conservancy, National Park Trust and American Rivers, and donated it to the park service.” After decades as rangeland, the meadow will now be transformed into “a vibrant hub of wildflowers, songbirds and water-loving grasses — an effort billed as the biggest restoration project in Yosemite history.”

Crews are rebuilding the meadow’s wetlands to help the site hold more water for native plants and wildlife. A 3-mile-long gully that was rapidly eroding, a major problem in the meadow, was filled in with soil and native plants. “At 14 feet deep and 100 feet wide, the gully was siphoning water from the area, denying the meadow of its natural ability to absorb and store runoff from rain and snow. The result was a lower water table, dehydrated and dying vegetation and loss of critical wildlife habitat.”

According to Alexander, “The work being celebrated this week is the first of two phases of the project, with other parts of the meadow scheduled for rehabilitation later this year and early next.”

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 in San Francisco Chronicle

Public Lands in the United States, Part Two: The Conservation Turn and ‘America’s Best Idea’

As Western expansion reached its geographic terminus, the U.S. government began tightening rules around land use and designating protected areas such as national parks and wilderness areas, often displacing local Native Americans in favor of a Wester

July 17, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Public Lands in the United States, Part One: “Redeemed From Wilderness”

This is part one in a blog series examining the history of public lands in the United States and their shifting role in the American psyche.

May 31, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Opinion: We're Loving Our National Parks to Death

A reservation system could help the struggling national parks system manage crowds and protect our public lands from overuse, according to this article.

June 8, 2021 - MinnPost

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power

The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

June 16, 2024 - The Guardian

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing

Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

June 10, 2024 - Nooga Today

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths

Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

June 13, 2024 - Todd Litman

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Innovative Housing Showcase Educational Sessions

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.