P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389
www.nps.gov/yose/news

209 372-0529 phone
209 372-0371 fax

September 18, 2003
For Immediate Release

$4.2 Million Donation Made to Yosemite National Park
Nonprofit Yosemite Fund Contributes to Thirty-Three
Projects to Preserve and Protect Yosemite

Yosemite National Park, September 18, 2003 – High atop famous Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park, supporters of the nonprofit Yosemite Fund will gather this Saturday to present the National Park Service with a check for $4 million to fund park preservation and protection projects.

“The Yosemite Fund has proven year after year that by getting involved you can make a positive contribution to preserving this great national treasure,” said Michael J. Tollefson, Superintendent of Yosemite National Park. “The visitor experience is improved, wildlife programs better protect a variety of species in the park and wilderness is being restored because of donations to The Yosemite Fund.”

Returning the approach to Yosemite Falls to a more natural setting, rehabilitation of the historic Wawona covered bridge and restoration of wetlands at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley are among more than 30 projects funded this year by The Yosemite Fund.

“The contribution by The Yosemite Fund’s supporters highlights the spirit, generosity and love of Yosemite exhibited by thousands of donors,” said Sam Livermore, Chairman of The Yosemite Fund.

The Fund’s 2003 donation also helps pay for improvements to the Tuolumne Grove Trailhead, Valley Visitor Center, Happy Isles Wildlife exhibits and rehabilitation of the historic Yosemite Cemetery. It also funds trail repair projects, meadow restoration, scientific research and many other projects.

The Yosemite Fund continues to seek contributions for the Yosemite Falls project, with a goal of raising $1.8 million by next spring. The 56-acre $12.5 million project at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls involves creating new picnic, educational and shuttle bus areas, protecting stream banks, improving views, building new footbridges and trails, adding exhibits and directional signage and, providing unobtrusive visitor amenities and access for the disabled. As part of this project, $1.5 million in federal funding came from the National Park Service.

The Yosemite Fund is an independent, private, nonprofit foundation devoted to protecting, preserving, and restoring Yosemite National Park. It has granted more than $20 million since it was incorporated in 1989, providing funding for more than 150 projects for habitat restoration, trail repair and access, scientific research, wildlife management, cultural and historic resource preservation, and visitor services and education.

To donate to The Yosemite Fund, call (415) 434-1782 or visit www.yosemitefund.org.

Updated 9/24/03.

-NPS-