Sierra Nevada Region (US)

August 27, 2026 Ishani Desai

Climber Stranded for Hours on 6-Inch Rock Ledge Before Rescue

Racing against the darkness, rescuers in California on Saturday saved a man who had become stranded on a ledge perched atop a soaring peak on the Sierra Nevada.

Forests and Forestry Global Warming Sierra Nevada Region (US)Trees and Shrubs Wildfires

August 23, 2026 Eric Niiler and Nic Coury

Wildfires Are Turning Forests in the American West Into Shrubland

Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.

Accidents and Safety California Deaths (Fatalities)Deaths (Obituaries)El Capitan (Mountain)National Parks, Monuments and Seashores Records and Achievements Rock Climbing Sierra Nevada Region (US)Yosemite National Park (Calif)

August 11, 2026 Francesca Regalado

Jake Whisenant, Who Raced Up Yosemite’s El Capitan at Record Speed, Dies in a Fall

Authorities in California said he died in a climbing accident. He set a record in 2024 for climbing El Capitan’s Lurking Fear route in under three hours.