YOSEMITE'S BEARS AT RISK
New leadership is downplaying the impact of massive crowds on Yosemite's fragile wildlife.
A MOTHER'S GRIEF
A ranger witnessed a mother bear mourning her cub for hours after it was killed by a car.
DEATH ON THE ROAD
In 2025 alone, 28 bears were hit by cars and six were killed. Vehicle strikes are a leading cause of death.
RESERVATIONS REMOVED
Superintendent Ray McPadden removed the reservation system, claiming 'zero evidence' of crowd impacts.
DISREGARDING SCIENCE
Experts say this ignores decades of research showing that overcrowding harms the ecosystem.
LOST WILD INSTINCTS
High visitation habituates animals to humans and trash, causing them to lose natural avoidance behaviors.
CITY TRAFFIC IN THE WILD
Leadership compared the park experience to urban traffic, suggesting crowds are not a crisis.
THE SPIRIT OF MUIR
John Muir saw parks as a refuge for healing, not as a place for maximum capacity and commerce.
A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT
Two-thirds of California’s bird and mammal species call the Sierra Nevada home.
STAFFING CRISIS
Opening gates to unlimited crowds happens as budgets are slashed and staff is lost.
PROTECT OUR HERITAGE
The National Park Service must prioritize protection over commerce to save Yosemite’s wild future.