Yosemite National Park: Saving Its Natural Beauty

The decision to make the Yosemite Park a national and state park in 1864 had paved the way to preserve its natural and majestic beauty. It also paved the way to creations and preservations of other places which eventually made them to belong to the second largest diverse state park system of California. The preservation of the parks has not only conserved their natural resources but have also preserved the open space adjacent to them and prevented the development that would jeopardize the park systems. Park systems have impacted the flora, fauna, economic development, and tourism as well. These are what I have learned in reading the passage about the Yosemite National Park.

Park systems, like that of Yosemite and other state parks, have prevented the building of subdivisions and development of housing systems. They also hindered the creation of residential roads that would alter and affect the park systems. They even prevented an ambitious plan of creating a high elevation that will impact the entire Sierra Nevada mountains. Park systems continue to protect the natural resources amid the development of adjacent lands for residential and agricultural purposes. Park systems in the beginning, although preserved the resources, have had some challenges that affect the flora and fauna of their surroundings. Fire is prohibited in park systems, but they find out in the later time that fire is needed for the proliferation of some tree species. Hunting is also widely banned at first, that resulted in the increase of predators and might result in the extinction of smaller animals, so park systems agreed to seasonal hunting events.

Park systems have also preserved the historic structures and landscapes within their areas. Historical sites that have been conserved and protected include Native American settlements, Spanish missions, forts of various groups, and even the Hollywood landscapes. Even coastal rocks and islands along the state’s coastline have been preserved because of the park systems. In order to stay within the “rustic” or “naturalistic” ambience of the park systems, planners designed and built establishments, campgrounds, and other park structures that follow park system guidelines. People flocked going to state parks. Tourism contributes good economic impact to adjacent lands near the park systems. Adjacent spaces have been developed into expensive residential and commercial establishments that also spawn additional improvement in surrounding areas. Park systems have also made people aware of the importance of our natural resources. They contribute to the environmental awareness and proliferation of conservation information. This information serves as the guidelines that influence people’s actions and decisions towards the park systems and our natural environment. These are the good effects of creating the park systems in the state of California.

The video about Yosemite National Park made me appreciate its greatness. It described the park’s famous sites and attractions. It explained how forces of nature like fire, water, and air, have shaped the resources found in the park, It also related how the park personnel continue to work on preserving the natural state of the park by studying its components and educating people who visit the park.

One of Yosemite’s famous sites is the “El Capitan”. It is a vertical rock formation that mountain climbers always tried climbing on. It was formed from the eruption that happened a long time ago, and eventually by erosion that happened afterwards. El Capitan is very majestic, and climbers are advised to take precautions. Rock formations are mostly formed by raging waters. Another famous attraction in Yosemite are its waterfalls. People visiting the Yosemite are also in awe of its giant Sequoias. Park rangers have found out that fire helps in the proliferation and growth of these trees so they implemented guidelines to do small brush fires that would help in the development of these trees. Biologists continued studying how these big trees managed to absorb water and distribute it in its entire body. Another famous attraction in the Yosemite park is that of the Half Dome. The video had described how the immediate change of weather had resulted in a human accident a couple of years ago. One cloud, according to the video, led to thunder and lightning that resulted in two deaths of the five men who hiked the Half Dome in July 1985. The video also related the concerns of the park rangers with regards to the changes happening to the resources of the park. Global warming is changing the Lyell Glacier. Snow caps are melting. The mountain yellow frogs' population is decreasing, and it might be because of drifting of pesticides. The video is very informative. It made me respect the forces of nature, admire the greatness of the Yosemite’s resources, and made me aware and educated of how I can help and preserve nature, not only the Yosemite, in the future.