• View of Half Dome and Washington Column in Yosemite Valley

    Yosemite

    National Park California

Study the Scientist: A Social Scientist

Social scientist Bret Meldrum started Resource Management and Science Division's newest branch, Visitor Use and Social Sciences, in 2007. Before working at Yosemite National Park, Meldrum worked with NPS data as a research assistant in his graduate work. (3 minutes 1 second)

 
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View Yosemite's other "Study the Scientist" videos to watch resource rangers describe their jobs.

  • See wildlife biologist Sarah Stock, who specializes in ornithology
  • See fire archeologist Jun Kinoshita, who functions as both a firefighter and an archeologist
  • See botanist Martin Hutten, who specializes in lichens and invasive plants
  • See historical architect George Jaramillo, who preserves the park's historical structures
  • See hydrologist Jim Roche, who protects water resources, including Wild & Scenic Rivers

Did You Know?

The Bachelor and Three Graces

Giant sequoias are a fire adapted species. Their bark is fire resistant and fire helps open the sequoia cone and scatter the tiny seeds. Fire also clears forest debris from the mineral soil and provides a nutrient rich seed bed as well as clearing competing species.