Yosemite announces biggest expansion in decades

Yosemite National Park acquired 400 acres of meadow and forest Monday, a donation from the Trust for Public Land. Yosemite National Park acquired 400 acres of meadow and forest Monday, a donation from the Trust for Public Land. Photo: Courtesy Of The National Park Service Photo: Courtesy Of The National Park Service Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Yosemite announces biggest expansion in decades 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Yosemite National Park added 400 acres of lush, mountain meadow to its western edge Wednesday, the park’s largest expansion in 70 years.

The new terrain, which is near San Francisco’s Camp Mather east of Groveland (Tuolumne County), was a donation from the Trust for Public Land, a conservation group that bought the private property earlier this year to ensure that it would remain undeveloped.

The land is dotted with pine trees and hosts the sprawling Ackerson Meadow, which feeds into the Tuolumne River and San Francisco’s water system. At least two endangered species, the great gray owl and willow flycatcher, are found at the site.

“It’s a really important acquisition,” said Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman. “You’ve got the critical habitat for the birds and reptiles, and you’ve got the wetlands.”

Park officials say they’ve been eyeing the land for three decades. The owners, Robin and Nancy Wainwright, sold the property to the Trust for Public Land for $2.3 million after the group came up with funding with help from the Yosemite Conservancy, National Park Trust and American Rivers.

The property, which houses a small wooden barn that can be seen from Evergreen Road between Highway 120 and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, is now used for cattle grazing. Under the terms of the purchase, ranching will cease on the property in two years and the land will be managed as wilderness. There are no plans to add trails through the site.

“This meadow is a remarkable gift to the American people, coming at a historic time as we celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service,” Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher said in a statement.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander