Yosemite Nature Notes is a video podcast series that tells unique stories about the natural and human history of Yosemite National Park. Produced by the National Park Service, this series features park rangers, scientists, historians and park visitors as they discuss the diverse plants and animals that make Yosemite their home, as well as the towering cliffs, giant waterfalls and mountain peaks that are known throughout the world.

These videos require Apple QuickTime.

Best Intentions
Who would have thought that giant sequoia groves need to be burned in order to be saved? Learn how early park managers discovered the importance of fire the hard way, and see how today's managers carefully manage fire in Yosemite. (26 minutes/48 MB)

Restoring a Meadow
Local American Indians, park fire managers, and blackberry weeders team up to save a meadow in danger of losing its unique native plants. (7 minutes/24 MB)

Floods of 1996 and 1997
Floods in Yosemite Valley aren't uncommon during spring runoff, when the Merced River swells with melted snow and overflows into meadows. The largest, least common floods occur during winter--most recently in January 1997. See what Yosemite Valley looked like during the floods of May 1996 and January 1997. (6 minutes/24 MB)

Ferguson Rockslide Footage
In the spring of 2006, a rockslide buried a section of Highway 140 just outside of Yosemite National Park. The slide remained highly active for many days, allowing rare views of a rockslide in motion. The rockslide has been bypassed with temporary bridges, allowing Highway 140 to remain open. This footage was shot after the main rockslide, but while movement was still occuring. (3.5 minutes/13 MB)

Olmsted Point Plowing
Every spring, both visitors and locals look forward to the opening of the Tioga Road, a high-elevation pass that crosses Yosemite National Park. Get a glimpse of what it takes to clear snow and ice from a section of the highway known for dangerous avalanches. (3.5 minutes/12 MB)

Su Parque Nacional
¡Bienvenidos a Yosemite! A special welcome video for the Hispanic community living within a day's drive of Yosemite. (7.5 minutes/24 MB)