Trail Mix for Sept. 17: Rescued animals get new home in Yosemite

Two sets of orphan sibling fisher kits got a new home this week as wildlife officials released the furry animals in Yosemite National Park.

It marked the latest step in a four-month rescue by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, Fresno Chaffee Zoo and the Fresno Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation, the Park Service announced Wednesday.

The kits – estimated at that time to be 8 weeks old – were rescued by Pacific Southwest researchers Craig Thompson and Laura Van Vranken south of the park, on U.S. Forest Service land, after two radio-collared female fishers were killed by predators.

The animals were cared for at the zoo until they could eat solid food, then transferred to an outdoor facility near Oakhurst where they learned to hunt live prey..

The release of the orphan kits is part of a broader four-year effort to reintroduce the animal north of the Merced River in Yosemite.

River cleanup effort seeks volunteers

The annual Great Sierra River Cleanup is Saturday, with volunteers needed to help remove trash and restore waterways throughout the Sierra Nevada.

Last year, more than 5,560 volunteers pulled out more than 90 tons of trash from Sierra waterways, including a gas barbecue, a samurai sword, Christmas tree lights and more than 5,000 pounds of cigarette butts.

Locally, volunteers with the Fresno RiverSport Center will clean up Wildwood Park and Friant Cove along the San Joaquin River. Those interested must register at riversportcenter.org or sierranevada.ca.gov.

Volunteers also can sign up for on-the-water cleanup in kayaks from Cobb Ranch to the PBC Pond, about a 1.5-mile ride. Kayakers should email sstarcher@riversportcenter.org.

Clean up is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers should wear long pants and closed-toe shoes.

The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust is hosting a cleanup site at 9 a.m. Contact Jake Salimbene at jsalimbene@riverparkway.org or 559-248-8480, ext. 152.

RiverTree Volunteers will be cleaning at River Bottom Park, to 1 mile below the bridge at Highway 99. For details, contact Richard Sloan at riverrich1509@aol.com or 559-696-2971. Cleaning will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Among the must-have items are leather gloves and water, along with snacks and or a lunch. A trash grabber also is helpful but not required.

Cleanups also will occur on the Merced River near Mariposa and the Kaweah and Tule rivers near Tulare. View the interactive map at sierranevada.ca.gov for more cleanup sites around the state.

Notes

The general hunting season for deer for the majority of the state opens Saturday, including zone D-7 (eastern half of Madera and Fresno Counties, south to Kings River).

A total of 9,000 deer tags have been approved in zone D-7 and another 8,000 in zone D-8, which includes Fresno County south of the Kings River, the eastern half of Tulare County and parts of Kern. Zone D-8 opens to deer hunting Sept. 26. Deer hunting season closes in D-7 on Nov. 1 and in D-8 a week earlier.

▪ REI’s members-only garage sale is Saturday, where adventurers can find cheap and discounted gear. The store will hand out numbered wristbands at 4 p.m., with the lottery draw entry starting at 5 p.m. Memberships can be purchased on site for $20. All sales are final.

▪ Next Saturday, Sept. 26, is National Public Lands Day. All national parks and some at state and local levels will be waiving entrance fees.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Trail Mix for Sept. 17: Rescued animals get new home in Yosemite."