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Yosemite National Park Announces End of Fire Season

Yosemite National Park experienced widespread precipitation and snow accumulation recently. This has now ended the fire season. The closure of the fire season occurs when a season ending precipitation event totals two inches or more. Helicopter 551, Yosemite’s helicopter contracted for the fire season, has now left the park. Seasonal fire personnel are completing their assignments and will soon be leaving the park, too.

Consistent lower fire danger along with the recent precipitation has made residential pile burning permissible. Residential pile burning helps to reduce fire hazards and can only be conducted on permissible burn days. Property owners and residents must follow all burning guidelines. 

Yosemite National Park is an American national park in California surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest. On the on the northwest side, Stanislaus National Forest surrounds the park. The park is managed by the National Park Service and it covers an area of 759,620 acres and sits in four counties. The park sits centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera County.

Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs. The park also contains majestic waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity.

Almost 95 percent of the park is designated wilderness. Yosemite remains one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada. The park remains home to a wide variety of plants and animals.

The park set a visitation record in 2016, surpassing five million visitors for the first time in its history. Yosemite then began requiring reservations to access the park during peak periods. This started in 2020 as a response to the increase in visitors.

Yosemite National Park: Video of Coyote Attacking a Squirrel Goes Viral

In this video taken at Yosemite National Park, a coyote viciously attacks and makes off with a squirrel. The clip starts with the coyote slowly stalking the squirrel from a road in the park. Then, it springs into action.

The canine pounces quickly and runs up on the squirrel. Unfortunately, its actual attack on the animal is blocked because of a building. However, we do see the predator corral the squirrel before violently shaking it once he’d nabbed it.

The coyote then triumphantly struts off, knowing that he’ll have a great meal. Once the squirrel is dead, he places it down in the road and checks his back to ensure no other predators will sneak up on him.

Plenty of people took to the comment section to voice their thoughts on the encounter.

“I fling around a ham sandwich exactly like this before eating it,” one user joked.

“Yikes that last turn over into death,” another wrote, talking about the squirrel’s last moments.

“Grab and go,” another wrote.