2008 Yosemite Facelift September 24-28th

Contact Ken for camping and more information at YCA@inreach.com or (209) 379-2650.

2007 Yosemite Facelift a Huge Success

The Facelift 2007 was very successful. The final count was 2,945 volunteers contributing 18,335 man hours. The cleaning was contagious and people jumped in and helped participants fill their bags. The Park Service valued the work at $344,148.00. 132 miles of roadway were cleaned including cigarette butts, micro-trash and the toilet paper in the woods at all the turnouts. 80 + miles of trails were cleaned. The Merced River corridor was cleaned from Happy Isles to the NPS Warehouse in El Portal. All lodging, campgrounds, and housing areas in the Valley and Tuolumne were cleaned. Certain abandoned infrastructures were removed which was the majority of the weight.

In all over 42,330 pounds were collected and everything that could was recycled. About 32,000 pounds of the weight was from special projects we took on helping rid the Park of old infra-structure that NPS does not have the funding for removal.

Media links:

Story: ABC World Newser Blog, David Muir

Video: ABC World News with Charles Gibson

ABC News photos

Video: DarynKagan.com

Check out our Newsletter for the latest progress.

Yosemite in the Sixties: Climbing life through the lens of Glen Denny

Join us on November 9th for the grand opening of the Glen Denny exhibit at the NPS Gallery by the Indian Museum. The exhibit will feature 80 Glen Denny photographs taken from 1961 through 1971 with text by Steve Roper. Reception will start at 2.30pm and end at 4:00pm. Refreshments will be served. Glen will be available for a book signing from 12:00pm to 2:00pm at the Ansel Adams Gallery on November 10th.

Images from the invitation. Click image for the full invitation.

For more information contact Ken Yager at YCA@inreach.com or (209) 379-2650.

Ansel Adams Art Auction

The third annual art auction hosted by the Ansel Adams Gallery to benefit the Yosemite Climbing Association will be held on November 9th. Artwork will be up for two days November 8th and 9th. A reception will start at 5:00pm on the 9th with the final bid-off starting at 5:30 pm and ending promptly at 6:30 pm. Refreshments will be served.

You are invited to the Yosemite Climbing Association's
3rd annual Art Auction Gala Fundraiser!

About the event:
The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley hosts the event each year. The work will be hanging from the morning of November 8th until the evening of Friday the 9th. The gala reception and silent auction's final bids occur from 5:00-6:30pm on Friday. It is a festive night with food, wine, and a great mix of people.
This year we have work from Galen Rowell, Michael Frye, Glen Denny, Ansel Adams (a rare signed poster), Jerry Dodrill, and many other well-known artists. On top of bidding, We will also have several works available for a prize drawing. We hope you decide to join us for this fun and worthwhile event, it is a great opportunity to buy amazing artwork at a reasonable price for a good cause.

To see a selection of the work available, visit:
www.smugmug.com/gallery/1936467
This site will be updated frequently.

A little about us:
YCA's goal is to preserve the park's climbing history and interpret it for the public. We are non-profit and are a designated NPS park partner. We are currently working towards a climbing museum and library within the Yosemite Valley visitor's center. The money raised goes towards housing and cataloging our burgeoning collection of historic items, acquiring new items, and interpretive programs. It also helps us organize the biggest annual park wide cleanup in Yosemite's history. This year we cleaned up a record 20 TONS of garbage! To find out more check out our website: www.yosemiteclimbing.org. We have had a lot of press this year, including ABC news and National Geographic. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Best Wishes,
Katie Sheehan
YCA Office Manager
510-390-5355

Ken Yager
YCA President
yager@inreach.net

For more information contact Ken Yager at YCA@inreach.com or (209) 379-2650.

YCA Joins California Coastal Commission This year YCA has joined forces with the California Coastal Commission in the mission of cleaning up our lands and helping to create and maintain healthy environments for our wildlife, plant life and human life.

The Yosemite Award was presented to YCA President Ken Yager. It is a historically prestigious award meant to "recognize truly outstanding accomplishments and extraordinarily significant contributions to Yosemite". Thanks for your tireless work, Ken.

San Francisco Chronicle Yosemite Climbing Museum Article