Yosemite National Park is partially closed as firefighters try to contain the 60-hectare fire.
The Washington fire is burning near the southern part of the park, near Mariposa Grove, home to more than 500 mature squirrels, officials said.
“Mariposa Grove is closed until next time,” read a statement from the park’s Facebook page. “All other areas of Yosemite National Park are open.”
All five entrances were closed following flash floods and landslides in June. The disaster shattered bridges and left thousands of visitors stranded early in the winter tourist season.
The park in California has not been closed since the summer of 1988. The shock of the rock washed away many parts of the road or covered it with mud, knocking on electric power.
Scientists agree that climate change is one of the biggest threats to national parks. A.D. A 2018 study found that national parks are warming up from other parts of the country and are being affected by climate change.
“Every one of our national parks is suffering from climate change, from record fires and droughts to sea level and cultural destruction,” writes Stephanie Codish, director of the National Climate Change Program. Parks Conservation Association, in a blog post in June.
Recent developments in Yosemite also come after the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency could not cut off planetary emissions. The June ruling reaffirmed that the US government could not use its power to stop coal production without congressional approval.
By the end of the decade, the Biden administration will be on its knees in an effort to deliver on its promise to halve US planetary-greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, Biden said the goal would be to reduce zero emissions by 2050 and that other countries should increase their demand.
“The Supreme Court’s decision has hurt years of efforts to clean up the air in our national parks and protect their visitors, wildlife and water,” Codex said.
