Things likely to happen to Yosemite in the Future...

Ongoing scientific research abounds at Yosemite from vista management to soundscape preservation to human carrying capacity issues (National Park Services). As mentioned from the section about human impacts, it does not seem like those human impacts will end anytime soon. Since Yosemite is a public national park, people have a right to enjoy the area. Problems that will persist include scaring animals, harming native park vegetation, building of recreational facilities, and more; these things actually harm the Yosemite wildlife. Since people do not follow the marked trails provided for the tourists/visitors, this creates a problem. Due to the constant presence of humans on the park grounds, animals go into hiding. Animals are afraid to freely wander their own home and even when they do come out, humans have a habit of feeding the animals. If this keeps happening, then the animals will likely become dependent on human food, rather than the food they originally consume. This obstructs the natural lifestyles of the wildlife animals and will probably be continued in the future. Not everyone follows the trails that they should be walking on, so they wander off and will step on rare preserved plants, killing them. If this endures, then vegetation in Yosemite will become endangered. Many cars also scare and kill animals, either with lights or sound; vehicles will probably contribute to a number of wildlife animal deaths in the future. Cars or other vehicles are not something that wildlife animals are adapted to. Building hotels or recreational centers/facilities also threaten the wildlife; space needs to be created in order to build those buildings, but that may mean getting rid of parts of nature to create space. Overall, although Yosemite is protected, it will become less “natural” because of human impact and civilization.

       There is also the problem of human emission; warming the Earth will most definitely change the formation of rocks and more in Yosemite. Animals in these areas will also be affected; they will start moving away from their homes in the park.

Source:  http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/threatened-mammals.htm

Things that can be done to maintain balance between people and Yosemite National Park...

Things that can be done to maintain the balance of human and Yosemite include following the instructions as provided by Yosemite National Park. Instead of wandering off, people can actually follow signs and directions on what they should or should not do. Federal efforts to maintain its status as a National Park should also be done. The government should ensure adequate funding and protection even during dire economic times like the last recession. Local and state governments can also give more funding in support of federal efforts to lend a hand in the conservation of Yosemite. The assignment of more park rangers or forces that patrol the area, as well as the organization of specific groups and offices that can offer short and efficient mandatory educational resources for park visitors may also help alliveate the ecological footprints that people leave because of the lack of information or the lack of presence of people that enforce the rules. Also, enforcing stringent regulations as to what type of vehicle can enter the national park and, at the maximum, how many people can visit at any one time may also help to maintain the balance between humans and the ecological footprint theys leave behind. Vehicles that may emit more pollution or use up more gas, or vehicle types that are unnecessarily big which may destroy or disrupt the natural ecosystems and homes of the animals and plantlife living in Yosemite should be at the least restricted from coming in after a certain number of similar vehicles have come in.

In a more bigger scale, Yosemite is also affected by global warming. The changing climate patterns understandably does not only affect the glaciers of the Artic or Antartica, or the lowlying coastal areas of the world. Any change in California’s climate, specifically that of the area around Yosemite, may cause the melting of snow or the overall change of weather patterns before the normal seasonal changes that the animals and plants have been accustomed too. What may result from this is the gradual destruction of Yosemite as an ecological niche and community that our country knows and cherishes. It is pertinent then that our government, as well as our local community cooperate with international efforts to curb global warming and climate change, and exert the political will to push the thinking that these global phenomenon of climate change affects locally and nationally loved parks and ecosystems like that of Yosemite. Losing Yosemite and its ecosystem is enough of a reason to push Californians and Americans to answer the call against global warming. Only then can the long-term balance and safety of Yosemite and the unique and abundant living organisms it houses be ensured.

source: http://www.yosemitepark.com/the-ahwahnee.aspx

source: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php

---Statistics of Yosemite---

This table describes how many people visit Yosemite each month, so you can get a sense for which months are busier than others. (Data are from 1985-2007.)

Month	% of visitors	# of visitors
January	3%	104,257
February	3%	110,257
March	4%	145,275
April	6%	215,700
May	9%	348,839
June	13%	447,740
July	16%	559,904
August	17%	590,475
September	13%	445,971
October	9%	325,419
November	4%	160,466
December	3%	114,660

Source: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/visitation.htm



Besides the table, here is a graph that showing the number of visitors from 1979 to 2010

Source: http://yosemite.visionbib.com/history.html



This Graph is showing the average temperature of Yosemite National Park

Source: http://www.city-data.com/city/Yosemite-Valley-California.html

source: http://slavetothewave.com/photographers/ben-hicks/day-3-yosemite-the-road-to-half-dome/