Yosemite gains a lush mountain meadow


Ackerson Meadow is a bright island of open grass in a sea of shady forest. It’s a gentler landscape than the imposing gran- ite cliffs of Yosemite Valley, a dozen miles to the east—but in many ways it’s just as impressive: at 400 acres, it’s part of the largest ecosystem of its kind anywhere in the Sierra Nevada. This year, The Trust for Public Land helped add Ackerson Meadow to Yosemite National Park.


The mid-elevation meadow is the largest addition to Yosem- ite in nearly 60 years—and it’s thriving. “Birds, squirrels, bear sign everywhere, rare plants, and fields full of wildflowers in spring and summer,” says Markley Bavinger, project manager with The Trust for Public Land. “I’ve been all over the Sierra and I’ve never seen a place so rich.”


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Why is Ackerson Meadow home to so much life? It all comes back to water. “Ackerson Meadow holds on to a lot of water,” says


Yosemite wildlife biologist Sarah Stock. “Insects love wet areas, so they do really well here. Those insects feed spiders, birds, bats, and small mammals, which in turn feed hawks, owls, and coyotes.” Stock says it’s rare to see so many species in such a small area in the Sierra. Her crew has even spotted a pair of willow flycatchers—sparking hope that these endangered songbirds might nest in the park for the first time in more than two decades.


During the 2013 Rim Fire, wildlife found refuge in Ackerson Meadow: the fire burned all the way around it, but wet soils here helped hold the flames at bay.


20 · LAND&PEOPLE · FALL/WINTER 2016


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