GearJunkie’s weekly wrap-up of news in adventure and exploration. From the inspiring to the tragic, here’s some of what you missed and a few things to look forward to.
Residents of Yosemite’s El Portal Trailer Court received 90-day eviction notices just in time for the holidays. The residential area has been designated for Yosemite park workers and their families since the 1950s.
Scott Gediman, a spokesman for Yosemite, confirmed to the Fresno Bee that the park plans to convert the space to a staging area for construction equipment, which would benefit several multimillion-dollar park projects. Those projects are slated for the spring of 2022.
It is unlikely that El Portal residents will receive any compensation or logistical assistance from the Yosemite administration, which has cited eminent domain as legal justification for the maneuver.
And as the world bids farewell to beloved TV legend Betty White, we’re reminded of the actress’s first ambition: to become a forest ranger. But, Betty was always ahead of her time — NPS wouldn’t allow female rangers until 1965. By then, White was 42 and well into her illustrious career.
Nevertheless, the girl from the Sierras spent much of her adult life advocating for wilderness conservation and animal rights. Then, in 2010, at the age of 88, White was named an honorary forest ranger by the U.S. Forest Service.
“Wilderness is getting harder and harder to find these days on our beautiful planet,” White said at the ceremony. “I know this is an honorary position, but it’s also one where I can use a voice to try to protect the remaining beautiful parts of this gorgeous world we live on.”
![High,Altitude,Climber,With,Oxygen,Mask,In,The,Himalaya,Mountains Mount everest climbing group fitted with supplemental oxygen; (photo/S. Damulevicius via Shutterstock)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/01/High-altitude-climber-on-Everest-photo-Saulius-Damulevicius.jpg)
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Another 1″ of #snow over the last 24 hours brings our #snowiest December total to 213″! It’s unlikely that we’ll get anymore before the end of the day, but we’ll update everyone tomorrow morning on the final official record.
A very happy New Year to everyone!#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/2P5TvdBISw
— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) December 31, 2021