Volunteer with Yosemite National Park on River and Wildlife Projects
What if your next adventure in Yosemite meant something more than a great photo? This summer, you can roll up your sleeves alongside National Park Service scientists — and help protect the rivers, meadows, and wildlife that make this place extraordinary.
Yosemite Rivers Alliance is partnering with Yosemite National Park to connect dedicated volunteers with real, on-the-ground conservation projects across the park. These aren't your typical trail cleanup days. They're science-driven efforts that put you at the heart of protecting Yosemite's waterways and the incredible species that depend on them.
Here's a look at what's coming this season:
Help map Yosemite's trout populations. Grab a rod and reel for science. Volunteers will use hook-and-line methods to collect DNA samples from rainbow trout at sites across the park — from high-country lakes to streams above waterfalls. Your catch-and-release day on the water directly supports research that guides how the park manages its aquatic ecosystems.
Dive into snorkel surveys in Yosemite Valley. For volunteers ready to commit to multiple days, this is a rare chance to survey rainbow and brown trout populations right in the heart of Yosemite Valley. You'll receive training from park aquatic ecologists before heading into the water. It's up-close science in one of the most stunning landscapes on earth.
Track beavers and river otters in the Tuolumne watershed. Beavers are ecosystem engineers — their dams create wetlands, store water, and boost biodiversity. Volunteers will walk streams in the park, documenting evidence of beaver activity and river otter latrines. It's detective work with big implications for watershed health.
Support groundbreaking trout research in the Illilouette basin. In partnership with UC Santa Cruz, the park is conducting a trout study in the remote Illilouette basin. Volunteers are needed to help transport gear from Mono Meadow trailhead to the study area and assist with fish sampling — including electrofishing, measuring, and fin clipping for eDNA analysis. This one's for folks who love a backcountry challenge with a scientific purpose.
Restore Ackerson Meadow. Ackerson Meadow is one of Yosemite's most important recent additions — a vital piece of habitat that connects the park to surrounding wildlands. Volunteers will help with ongoing restoration efforts, including planting native vegetation to bring this meadow back to life.
Why it matters
Yosemite's rivers and streams support more than 600 wildlife species, supply drinking water to over 3 million people, and nourish hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland downstream. But these ecosystems face mounting pressure from drought, wildfire, and a changing climate. Monitoring wildlife, restoring meadows, and understanding aquatic populations are essential to keeping these watersheds resilient — and volunteers make that work possible.
How to get involved
Interested? We'd love to hear from you. Sign up here to let us know which projects spark your interest, and we'll connect you directly with the Yosemite National Park team to get you started.
Some projects — like the DNA fishing surveys and beaver tracking — are flexible, letting you head out on your own schedule after an initial orientation. Others, like the snorkel surveys and Illilouette basin research, require a multi-day commitment and some training. There's something for every level of experience and availability.
This is what it looks like when conservation and community come together. The park has the science. You bring the passion. And together, we keep Yosemite flowing.
