stewardship programs

Water Quality Monitoring
This is a citizen science program which allows community members to engage in scientific research efforts by collecting data and performing field procedures.   We currently monitor four locations on the Upper Merced River.   

Hite's Cove Trail Work 
UMRWC is committed to maintaining and preserving the Hite's Cove Trail.    The trail extends from Savage’s Trading Post off of Highway 140 to Wawona in Yosemite and is very popular in the spring when the wildflowers bloom.   There will be trail work weekends in the spring and fall of 2015. 

Friends of Bear Creek-Midpines
Friends of Bear Creek-Midpines (FBCM) is a grassroots group which formed in early 2012 to explore the idea of a multi-use recreational trail along the Bear Creak.  The group is involved in a variety of projects, including improving and providing accessibility to Midpines Park.  

Great America River Clean-up
Each September, local volunteers meet at Briceburg Recreation Area to pick up trash and remove graffiti along the Merced River.  In 2014, over thirtyvolunteers participated and  500 pounds of trash was collected.             

Bullfrog Blitz
In partnership with Yosemite National Park, local volunteers assist in bullfrog surveys along the Merced River each year. These surveys help establish baseline population information on the invasive species and will assist in devising a plan for future eradication. Amphibian identification and survey technique training is provided.         

Merced River Conservation Committee
The MRCC is a local volunteer organization of members interested in the Merced River watershed and its future, based in Mariposa County. Their principal interests are fisheries and aquatic habitat, trail and boating recreation, and historic sites. MRCC members enjoy fishing, rafting, and hiking on the Merced River and are interested in the long-term restoration and protection of the Merced River and its watershed.  
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One project is to plan, design, secure permits, and install two fish screens on two priority unscreened diversions in the Merced River.  The fish screening is to enhance anadromous salmon and steelhead migration, by reducing entrainment losses of juvenile populations.