Ackerson Meadow Gifted to Yosemite National Park

This month, Yosemite added Ackerson Meadow, a 400-acre property that is comprised of wetland and meadow habitats located along the former western boundary of the park. The property was purchased by The Trust for Public Land, an organization that strives to create parks and protect the land. The Trust bought Ackerson Meadow for $2.3 million from a private owner earlier this year, but gave it to the park on September 7. The money for the purchase came largely from a bequest totaling $1.53 million. An additional $520,000 was provided by the Yosemite Conservancy, a nonprofit agency that provides grants and support to Yosemite National Park in order to protect and preserve it for future generations. Additional funding was provided by the National Park Trust, as well as American Rivers.

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Ackerson Meadow is the largest addition to Yosemite since 1949. The original plans for Yosemite National Park, drafted in 1890, actually included Ackerson Meadow. The addition this year happened to coincide with the Centennial of the National Park Service and came just one year after Yosemite itself celebrated its 125th anniversary.

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The meadows and wetlands located within Ackerson Meadow represent vital and critically threatened habitats unique to the region. While meadow habitats make up just three percent of the land that comprises Yosemite, they are home to one-third of Yosemite’s plant species. The meadow habitats are also vital to the purification of the water that runs through Yosemite. Much of the water supply of San Francisco is actually filtered through the park’s meadows. The Yosemite Conservancy has funded a number of restoration and protection projects in ten other meadows within the park in recent years, including Tuolumne Meadows, and Cook’s and Sentinel meadows located in Yosemite Valley.

With cooler weather on its way, fewer crowds in the park, and the leaves on many of Yosemite’s trees beginning to change, now is a great time to visit Yosemite and the newly-added Ackerson Meadow. Located just 17 miles from Yosemite, The Pines Resort at Bass Lake is a great place to stay for your next adventure in the park. With plenty of festivals and other events happening in the coming weeks, be sure to book your stay right away!