Historic Restoration Underway At Yosemite’s Ackerson Meadow

Yosemite National Park photo

Yosemite, CA – Yosemite National Park is undertaking a historic restoration project to reduce erosion.

Already underway at the 230-acre Ackerson Meadow is the largest wetland restoration project in the park’s history. Park officials detailed that 90 acres of rare wetland habitat have been lost and 100 acres are at risk from a century-old erosion gully. It has eroded more than 150,000 cubic yards of rich meadow soil. That is the equivalent of more than 15,000 10-yard dump trucks.

“The erosion gully rapidly drains water from the meadow, dries soils, causes the loss of water-loving plants and animals, and impacts endangered species,” advised park officials.

Several agencies are working together to restore and protect the wetlands by filling the erosion gully by the fall of 2024 and planting more than 425,000 native wetland plants and 700 pounds of native seeds by the spring of 2025. Those partnering with the park to restore Ackerson Meadow include American Rivers, U.S. Forest Service-Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite Conservancy, and Yosemite National Park.