State of the River Speaker Series, Rob Grasso— When Rivers Remember: Could Salmon & Steelhead Return to Yosemite? – The Local Grape

By david

Events, Science on Tap

State of the River Speaker Series, Rob Grasso— When Rivers Remember: Could Salmon & Steelhead Return to Yosemite?

23 Feb

The Local Grape presents, Science on Tap. In partnership with the UC Cooperative Extension, University of California, Agriculture & Natural Resources. Co-sponsored by the Upper Merced River Watershed Council Featuring, Rob Grasso Park Aquatic Ecologist Yosemite National Park State of the River Speaker Series When Rivers Remember: Could Salmon & Steelhead Return to Yosemite? For thousands of years, Yosemite's rivers and streams supported a dynamic native fish community shaped by elevation, geology, and natural barriers. While high-country lakes were historically fishless, the lower Merced and Tuolumne Rivers once connected to the Central Valley and the Pacific, allowing salmon and steelhead to migrate upstream long before dams and diversions severed those pathways. Over the past century, stocking programs, habitat alteration, and the fish have reshaped aquatic ecosystems throughout the park. This talk explores the ecological history of fish in Yosemite National Park-from pre-contact Indigenous stewardship to the era of widespread fish stocking, and the modern shift toward native species conservation. It also examines the emerging science and feasibility of restoring salmon and steelhead to their historical watersheds, including the cultural, ecological, and logistical considerations that shape this conversation today. By looking backward and forward, we can better understand what it would mean to reconnect Yosemite's revive one of the Sierra Nevada's lost migrations. February 23rd, 2026 5:30 pm Free Admission The Local Grape 5021 CA-140 Mariposa, CA 95338 Concessions: Cheese boards and paninis will be available for purchase during the event from The Local Grape! Mission: Science on Tap brings regional scientists together with Mariposa community members to share the joy and urgency of recent discoveries— from the outermost reaches of space and time to the everyday laboratory in our backyards.