Yosemite National Park has been under the protection of the US National Park Service since 1916. Yosemite National Park has been under the protection of the US National Park Service since 1916.
It might be 1,168 square miles in size and one of the most visited tourist attractions in North America, but that doesn’t mean that Yosemite National Park doesn’t sometimes need a helping hand. And that’s just what it got recently… A BIG helping hand.
Robin Cartwright and his wife Nancy owned a large meadow attached to the park and, at 400 acres of prime real estate, it’s safe to say that the land was worth a pretty penny. But instead of building on Ackerson Meadow or selling it to developers to do so, the Cartwrights decided to practically gift their investment to a land trust. They donated it to Yosemite.
They rejected the chance to sell the meadow for huge sums of money in order to help the park. And by doing so, they’ve expanded it quite significantly. It’s the biggest expansion in 70 years.
“To have that accessible by everyone to me is just a great thing,” Robin Wainwright said. “It was worth losing a little bit of money for that.”
Those in charge of running Yosemite are thrilled because the original plans for the place included the Ackerson Meadow. So purists have felt like there has been something missing for some time. The meadow will be left wild to encourage wildlife and different flora and fauna.
Yosemite attracted more than five million visitors in 2016. Yosemite attracted more than five million visitors in 2016.
Yosemite Conservancy President Frank Dean could barely contain his joy when he spoke to reporters about the news…
“The original Yosemite boundary plans of 1890 included Ackerson Meadow, so it is exciting to finally have this important place protected. The purchase supports the long-term health of the meadow and its wild inhabitants, and creates opportunities for visitors to experience a beautiful Sierra meadow.”
“The generous donation of Ackerson Meadow will preserve critical meadow habitat that is home to a number of state and federally listed protected species,” Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher said.
“It’s a stunning open meadow surrounded by forest habitat, which supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. This meadow is a remarkable gift to the American people, coming at a historic time as we celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service,” he went on.
Not everyone is thrilled at the move, though. Local business leaders have expressed their concern as the meadow was used for logging and cattle rearing and some fear those local industries may suffer after the land was gifted to the Yosemite National Park.
But most people are please that the one hundred-odd species of plants and animals like deer, bears and coyotes will be safe and protected. Not only that, but the three connected meadows that make up Ackerson are home to the world’s largest type of grey owl. So it’s definitely something that needs looking after.
What a great thing for the Cartwright family to do. Respect.
banana_liver on July 3rd, 2017 at 14:44 UTC »
This was decided and announced last year. And not exactly a donation since the foundation paid $2.3m for it, presumably much less than they could've gotten. Not to diminish, this truly is generous and uplifting.
coalitionofilling on July 3rd, 2017 at 14:30 UTC »
Images of the meadow
_Apophis on July 3rd, 2017 at 14:10 UTC »
I would also like to donate my neighbors yard to Yosemite, it's probably a half acre but he's a real jerk and I want him gone. So the land is yours Yosemite if you want it, just have to come out to Wisconsin to get it.