January 30, 2015

A Sierra Nevada red fox captured by a remote motion-sensitive camera in Yosemite National Park. Credit: NPS Photo

A rare Sierra Nevada red fox has been sighted in Yosemite National Park, the U.S. National Park Service announced this week. It is the first confirmed sighting of one of the rarest mammals in North America in Yosemite in nearly 100 years.

The Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) is a subspecies of red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The subspecies was always relatively rare in its range, which once spanned Oregon and California, but experts now believe there are fewer than 50 such foxes living in the wild. The reason the fox has become so rare is unknown. Competition from larger coyotes for prey or habitat loss may have played some part.

Park biologists set up motion-sensitive cameras in areas in Yosemite. When they checked the images captured, a Sierra Nevada red fox had been photographed on two occasions—December 13 and January 4. Biologists also placed hair-snare stations near the cameras. They will be able to genetically analyze the captured hair to determine how many individuals have been photographed and what their relationships are (if it is in fact more than one fox that has been captured on film).

Other World Book articles:

• Conservation
• History of Attempts to Save Species (a Special report)

August 26, 2013

A rampaging wildfire in northern California that has already become one of the largest in that state’s history is expected to grow even bigger as difficult terrain, strong winds, and extremely dry conditions continue to thwart firefighters. As of this morning, the Rim Fire, which began on August 17, had scorched nearly 150,000 acres (60,700 hectares)–an area about the size of Chicago–and was only 15 percent contained. At least 3,000 firefighters were battling the fire on a number of fronts, aided by water and fire retardants dropped by helicopters and airborne tankers. The fire “has continued to pose every challenge that there can be on a fire,” a spokesperson with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told the Washington Post. The fire is so large and ferocious that it is creating its own weather, the spokesperson said. “As the smoke column builds up it breaks down and collapses inside of itself, sending downdrafts and gusts that can go in any direction. There’s a lot of potential for this one to continue to grow.”

The Rim Fire is burning largely out of control in northern California, including parts of Yosemite National Park. (NASA)

The fire is also threatening power and water supplies to San Francisco, which is about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the western edge of the blaze. Damage to electric power lines from two of the three hydroelectric power stations serving the city led California Governor Jerry Brown on August 23 to declare a state of emergency for the San Francisco Bay area. The city kept its electric power grid operational by purchasing power from other suppliers. On Sunday, the fire moved within several miles of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which supplies about 85 percent of San Francisco’s fresh water. Officials were continually monitoring the reservoir’s water quality, which so far has been unaffected by falling ash.

The intense heat of the fire is threatening Yosemite's giant sequoias. (InciWeb/US Forest Service)

The fire has also overrun at least 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) of the northwestern corner of Yosemite National Park. Campers and park staff have been evacuated from the affected area. Of particular concern to park officials are two of Yosemite’s famed stands of giant sequoias. Sequoias have a thick bark that protects them from fire, and they need fire to release their seeds and burn surrounding vegetation so new trees can spout. However, the Rim Fire is so hot that the trees’ canopies could be damaged. “All of the plants and trees in Yosemite are important, but the giant sequoias are incredibly important for what they are and as symbols of the National Park System,” a park spokesperson told the Associated Press.

Additional World Book articles:

• Forest fire
• Muir, John
• Sequoia National Park
• Sequoyah
• Why Forests Need to Burn (a special report)