Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Weather
Yosemite: TODAY...SUNNY...BREEZY. NOT AS COOL. HIGHS 69 TO 79 IN YOSEMITE
VALLEY...46 TO 56 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 34 TO 44 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...26 TO 36 IN THE
HIGH COUNTRY.
WEDNESDAY...SUNNY IN THE MORNING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY. WARMER. HIGHS
77 TO 87 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...53 TO 63 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. WINDY. LOWS 45 TO 55 IN YOSEMITE
VALLEY...32 TO 42 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
THURSDAY...SUNNY...WARMER. HIGHS 83 TO 93 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY... 59 TO 69 IN
THE HIGH COUNTRY.
El Portal: Today: Sunny, with a high near 81. North northwest wind between
5 and 11 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Light wind becoming east
northeast between 10 and 13 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 90. East northeast wind between 10 and
13 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. Northwest wind 8 to 11
mph becoming east northeast between 17 and 20 mph.
Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 96. North wind 7 to 15 mph
becoming west.
Happening Today/This Week (Check the Community News section for other
events)
Purchase Card Training Opportunity
Tuesday, 13 May, 0800-1000, Valley Admin Lobby. Training session to be
held on the use of the GSA Advantage website. If you use your government
card to make purchases, you can benefit from this training. There are
about 4-5 seats still available. Please contact me ASAP at 379-1873 or via
email if you would like to attend. (L. Schafer - 5/7/08)
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Please join us for this month's Yosemite Forum, Tuesday May 13th, 12 - 1
p.m. in the Yosemite Valley Auditorium.
Matt Brooks from the USGS Yosemite Field Station will present Changes at
the USGS Yosemite Field Station: a New Lead Scientist and Expanded
Capabilities.
Matt Brooks will be taking over as the lead Research Scientist for the USGS
Yosemite Field Station, replacing outgoing lead research scientist Jan van
Wagtendonk who will be retiring at the end of this year. Dr Brooks is
coming from the USGS Las Vegas Field Station where, as a research botanist,
he conducted research in the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and western
Colorado Plateau. Matt has been studying the ecology and management of
invasive plants and fire in western North America for approximately 20
years. He will talk about his background and his plans for research at the
Yosemite Field Station. (B. Kuhn - 5/9/08)
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An after action de-brief for the Highway 120 Incident (Bus MCI) of 5/8 will
be held at 1100 am on Thursday 5/15/08 at the Valley SAR training room.
Anyone involved in this incident is encouraged to come and participate.
For those that are unable to attend and have constructive comments they
wish to have addressed, or other comments please email them to
Michael_W_Foster@nps.gov. Thanks for a job well done. (M. Foster - 5/12/08)
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PLEASE JOIN US IN BIDDING FAREWELL TO
Joella Domingues
Joella will be leaving us after 35 years of service. Please join us as we
celebrate and remember her career in Yosemite!
We will be at the East Auditorium in Yosemite Valley on May 15th from
12:00pm to 2:00pm.
There will be cake and coffee provided by the PCO Staff. Please bring your
favorite dessert or beverage to share, as we share our memories with each
other!!! For more information you may contact Alan Hawksley at 379-1278 or
Dan Benitag at 372-0533. (T. Hawksley - 4/4/08)
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Appreciation Feed - Come to Clarks Community Center on Thursday, May 15,
2008 at about 5:00pm and have an Indian Taco served by Joella and Gilbert -
to thank you for your generous help whe Gilbert was hurt and to wish Joella
a happy retirement. This will be the last Indian Taco feed for 2008. (J.
Domingues - 5/13/08)
New Today
National Be Bear Aware and Wildlife Stewardship Month
Did you know?
Bears weigh 10-16 ounces at birth, two pounds at six weeks, five pounds at
eight weeks, 40-60 pounds at six months, are sexually mature at three
years, and are fully grown at five years. If you see a cub this time of
year, it probably only weights 7 – 12 lbs and is the size of a football.
Bear Facts May 4 - May 10, 2008
Yosemite Valley Incidents this week
Campgrounds | 2 | $50
------------------------------+------------+--------------
Parking lots | 18 | $4,125
------------------------------+------------+--------------
Other (concession | 0 | $0
facilities and residential | |
areas) | |
------------------------------+------------+--------------
Total | 20 | $4,175
Yosemite Valley Incidents Year to date
Campgrounds | 9 | $346
------------------------------+------------+--------------
Parking lots | 35 | $9,185
------------------------------+------------+--------------
Other (concession | 10 | $870
facilities and residential | |
areas) | |
------------------------------+------------+--------------
Total | 54 | 10,401
* There have been 9 incidents involving bears obtaining food from
overflowing trashcans or unclipped dumpsters in addition to the incidents
listed above.
Comparisons Year to Date May 4 - 10, 2008
| 1998 | 2008 | Percent | 2007 | 2008 | Percent
| | | Change | | | Change
--------------+------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------------+--------------
Incidents | 261 | 54 | -79.31% | 51 | 54 | 5.88%
--------------+------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------------+--------------
Damage | $117,638 | $10,401 | -91.16% | $8,482 | $10,401 | 22.62%
The number of cars that were broken into by bears this week has gone up
substantially from past weeks. Most of the incidents occurred in parking
lots near Curry Village but there were also a few incidents at Camp 4 and
Yosemite Lodge. Bears are still entering Valley campgrounds but campground
incidents are still down in comparison to last year.
In the past few weeks, yearlings appear to be separating from their mothers
and venturing out on their own. These yearlings are particularly
susceptible to becoming food-conditioned due to their young age and need to
establish their own home-range. Please report sightings and incidents so
that wildlife management can prevent bears from becoming habituated. Call
the save-a-bear hotline and leave a message (209) 372-0322. (T. Seher -
5/13/08)
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Tioga Road Update as of 5/13/08
Beginning Wednesday, May 14, 2008, Tioga Road will be opened to
Administrative traffic, but only for those authorized employees with
current avalanche training certification and fully equipped per "Tioga Pass
Road Opening and Closing Plan." Four avalanche zones remain and are signed
accordingly. These employees should be personnel who are essential for the
preparation of infrastructure such as Buildings and Grounds and Utilities.
All avalanche trained personnel entering the Tioga Road, where gated, will
contact the designated Access Coordinator. Ed Appling will be the
coordinator Monday thru Wednesday. Ed's radio call number is #360 or his
designee. Bob Brantley will be the coordinator Thursday thru Saturday. His
radio call number is #261 or his designee. For Sunday, the access
coordinator will be designated by the Mather District Ranger. Park
dispatch will be informed of who is the designated Access Coordinator each
day.
All personnel entering a specified Avalanche Zone will contact another
vehicle in their convoy (partner vehicle) prior to and when exiting
controlled avalanche zones.
All personnel entering the Tioga Road will adhere to the daily schedule for
exiting through the Avalanche Zones as established by the Avalanche Team
and implemented by the designated Access Coordinator. This means personnel
must exit the Tioga Road each day at the time established by the
coordinator. No exceptions. All persons granted administrative access must
be prepared for the possibility of remaining in place overnight and have
sufficient clothing, food and other equipment in the event changing
conditions prohibit return travel through the avalanche zones.
All authorized personnel need to be aware of ongoing snow removal
operations, tree removal operations, sign maintenance operations and other
administrative functions. Please drive with utmost caution. (T. Brochini/T.
Ludington/B. Benitag - 5/13/08)
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Effective May 15, 2008, the Valley Boilers will be shut off for the summer.
Expect cool mornings with warm afternoons. If an unseasonable cold spell
occurs the Valley Boilers will be relit for your comfort. Any questions,
please call Valley Buildings and Grounds at 372-0545. (T. Ford - 5/13/08)
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Mounted Patrol Graduation Ceremony-- You're invited!
The 2008 Mounted Patrol School is finishing their six-week long training
course and you are cordially invited to attend the graduation ceremony.
Join us to learn about current and historic mounted patrol duties, and to
watch this year's class members show off their horsemanship skills.
Everyone is welcome!
Friday, May 16, 2008
10am
Arena behind the Ahwahnee Hotel (Please consider carpooling or taking the
shuttle) (A. Freeman/KJ. Maples - 5/13/08)
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Training Opportunity: I-Suite Class - The Fire Management Office is
considering putting on a crash I-Suite Class. The normal class is 24
hours, this class will only be 8 hours in length. Therefore, the students
should already be familiar with the Incident Command System (ICS) and
incident support. The intent of the class is to build a pool of park
personnel that may be available to run I-Suite on an incident. I-Suite is
a Incident Management Database that is used to track resources and costs as
well as generate Incident Action Plans. This class can also serve as a
refresher for those that have attended the full class previously. We are
looking at doing this the week of May 27, 28 or 31 (Saturday).
If you are interested in attending please let me know ASAP so I can make a
determination on whether or not to host the class. (D. Mills - 5/13/08)
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6th STREET CINEMA is a non-profit theater located in downtown Mariposa,
atop the historic Masonic Lodge on 6th Street. It is the presentation arm
of the Rural Media Arts and Education Project, a 501(c)(3) corporation,
and is supported by the California Arts Council, SierraTel, the James
Irvine
Foundation, Mariposa County, and the Geoff and Josie Fox Family Foundation,
a Donor Advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. We are
also generously supported by Iron Mountain Systems and Stonecutter.com.
The views expressed by the films, in print materials, or by discussion
facilitators are not necessarily those of these funders. This activity is
funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and the
National Endowment for the Arts, a national agency. Monthly membership is
$12, allowing film entry for $3 each; non-members pay $7, and non-member
students pay only $5. Film/theater information: (209) 966-1333 or
http://www.sixthstreetcinema.org Staff: 209 742-6666. E-mail us:
sixthstreetcinema@sti.net
This week's film:
Friday - Saturday, May 17-18, 7:30 p.m. I'M NOT THERE. (Rated R; 135
minutes) This 2007 biographical film depicts six distinct stages of Bob
Dylan's life and public persona. An ensemble cast of actors: Marcus Carl
Franklin, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, and Cate
Blanchett, play characters based on Dylan but with different names. Filled
with Dylan music, directed by Todd Haynes, this Oscar nominated film is an
essential film to see. Come early...seats will be at a premium.
UPCOMING EVENTS (at 7:30 unless otherwise noted):
"Bamako," May 23-24
TED, May 31, FREE ADMISSION with no-host bar
"Harry and Tonto," a benefit for the Catnip Society, June 7, 6:30 p.m. $15
(T. Arfsten - 5/13/08)
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YOU ARE INVITED....
FUNDRAISING DINNER FOR IRAQI CHILDREN
SATURDAY, MAY 17 - YOSEMITE BUG RESORT, 6 P.M.
Neighbors Across Borders, a group of Mariposa area residents, is hosting a
dinner on May 17th to raise funds for medical assistance to war-injured
Iraqi children. The event, which will be held at the Yosemite Bug Mountain
Resort, Bodie Room, at 6 p.m., will include peace poetry, acoustic music, a
silent auction and a space for kids to express their artistic nature.
Neighbors Across Borders came together after a number of Mariposa area
residents attended a presentation in Mariposa by Cole Miller, founder of a
non-profit organization called No More Victims. No More Victims works to
obtain medical sponsorships for war-injured Iraqi children and to forge
ties between the children, their families and communities in the United
States.
Tickets for the Neighbors Across Borders fundraising dinner cost $35, and
may be obtained by contacting Jon Paul at (209) 617-1945 or by emailing
Amelia at abiagi@hotmail.com. Kids under 5 eat for free.
You can read more on No More Victims and their mission at
www.nomorevictims.org
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Special Park Uses has moved (correction)
In preparation for remodeling the SPU/EPRO Office into the new El Portal
Market, the Special Park Uses employees have been temporarily relocated to
various locations in El Portal and Yosemite Valley. All of their previous
phone numbers should be functioning as usual at this time.
Name Title Current Office/Mailing
Phone Number
Chris Jefferson Special Permits Program Mgr Safety
Office/SPU 379-1877
Sue Clark Film and Wedding Permit Mgr Maintenance Office/SPU
379-1854
Ruth Middlecamp CUA Program Mgr (Buses) Facility Mgmt
Office/SPU 379-1851
Chris Thorp Administrative Asst (SPU) Procurement
Ofice/SPU 379-1858
Julie Crossland Administrative Asst (Fees) Property
Office/Whse 379-1940
Liz Roberts Budget Analyst (BRM) Valley Admin/BRM
372-0333 (New)
Ken Stowell Volunteers in Parks Coord. Valley B&G/VIP
Office 379-1850 (Forwarded)
Assistant VIP Mgr Valley Constr.
Trailers 379-1855 (Forwarded) (W. Malone - 5/13/08)
Park News
Fire Season Opens - 2008 Fire Season - May 19. The coming fire season
predictions are not favorable conditions with predicted warmer than normal
summer and dryness. The opening of fire season requires residents of the
Park to use diligence in prepping of their property of all ground litter
within their property boundaries to be fire wise and safe. This includes
trimming of limbs that encroach against structures, removal of all
vegetative material from roofs and rain gutters or any other accumulations
of dead and down material. The opening of fire season curtails any further
burning of any vegetation piles by property owners. (G. Wuchner - 5/12/08)
Announcements
2009 Albright-Wirth Grant Program - New Deadline extension date - !!! May
16, 2008 !!!
The Albright-Wirth Grant program has recently experienced computer
technical problems that may have prevented or delayed applicants from
receiving supervisory approvals. As a result the deadline date for
accepting applications is extended to May 16, 2008. Those employees who
previously submitted applications need not reapply and supervisors of grant
applicants will be able to access the application for endorsement after the
May 16th deadline date.
Albright-Wirth Grant applications now accepted thru May 16, 2008
!!!! Don’t delay, Apply today!!!!
Go to the web link to read the announcement and start your application
today!
http://mylearning.nps.gov/awgrant
Grants are available up to $5,000 for individuals and $15,000 for groups of
3 or more qualifying employees.
Do you need technical assistance? Email nps_helpms@nps.gov or contact
Grant Administrator at lonnie_lowe@nps.gov or call Lonnie Lowe at
202-354-1487.
The Albright-Wirth Grant Program is managed by the Supervision, Management
& Leadership Programs, Capital Training Center, 1201 Eye St. NW,
Washington, DC 20005. Sandy Taylor, Program Manager, 202-354-1413 and
Lonnie Lowe, Employee Development Officer-202-354-1487
*************************************************
Leave Share Participants
Currently, YOSE leave share participants are:
Shari Baudoux
Kevin Bowman
Kimberly Cunningham-Summerfield
You can find leave share participants Servicewide on InsideNPS at:
http://insidenps.gov/index.cfm?handler=leaveshare
If you are interested in contributing annual leave, please do so by
completing a Request to Donate Annual Leave to Leave Recipient (Within
Agency) Under the Leave Transfer Program, OPM Form 630-A. A fillable PDF
version of the OPM 630-A may be found at:
http://opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/opm630a.pdf (T. Hawkins - 1/31/07)
Community News
Today’s Date: May 8, 2008
District: 10 - Stockton
Contact: Chantel Miller
Phone: (209) 948-7176
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Traffic Advisory
State Route 140/Ferguson Rockslide Bypass in Mariposa County
Mariposa County - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
will close State Route 140/Ferguson Rockslide Bypass (Incline Road) in
Mariposa County to through traffic in one hour intervals. Accumulated
traffic will be allowed to go through the closure at the top of the hour;
i.e.: 12:00 a.m. (midnight), 1:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., and 4:00 a.m.
Work will begin Sunday, May 11, 2008, through Saturday, May 17, 2008, from
11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Emergency service vehicles will be provided access.
These closures are necessary to allow crews to construct the new interim
bridges in this location.
Motorists can expect one hour delays. Alternate routes should be taken
whenever possible. This work is scheduled to begin as listed, but is
subject to change based on weather conditions.
The contractor for this $8 million project is Teichert Construction, of
Stockton, CA. This project will install two interim bridges to allow 45
foot vehicles to utilize the temporary bypass while the Permanent
Restoration Project is developed for State Route 140. Caltrans decided to
install the new interim bridges to bypass after it was determined that the
Permanent Project would not go into construction as anticipated this
summer.
For the safety of workers and other motorist, please Slow For the Cone
Zone. www.dot.ca.gov (S. Gediman - 5/12/08)
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Attention High School Seniors
The Yosemite Scholarship Commission would like to announce the availability
of three schlarships for seniors graduating in June 2008. The Yosemite
Community Scholarships are sponsored by the Yosemite Employees Association,
the Yosemite Rotary Club, the Yosemite Lions Club, and the Yosemite Winter
Club. Two of the scholarships are for $2,000 over two years for attending a
four-year college or university. The third scholarship is $1,000 over two
years at a community college. In existence since 1934, the Yosemite
Scholarship Commission is supported by the Yosemite and El Portal
communities. Only one application is necessary to apply for all three
scholarships.
Students eligible for the scholarships are any high school graduating
senior whose parent or guardian is employed on a year round basis in
Yosemite National Park or the El Portal Administrative Site. Employment
must be for no less than six months per calendar year and for at least one
year prior to the time application is made. More than just an academic
scholarship, the following items are taken into account in making the
selection: scholastic ability, financial need, leadership ability,
community participation, and general apptitude. There is no particular
significance in the order nor does one qualification have any special
weight.
Further information and applications may be obtained from Mariposa County
High School, Yosemite High School, Tioga High School, or from Jan van
Wagtendonk, or Linda Eade. Applicants must attach a copy of their current
high school transcripts to their application and send the application and
the transcripts to the Yosemite Scholarship Commission at PO Box 313, El
Portal, CA 95318. Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2008.
Jan van Wagtendonk (209) 379-2668
Linda Eade (209) 372-0280 (L. Eade - 4/23/08)
Acting Designation
Glen Rothell will be Acting Chief of Project Management May 16th. You may
phone Glen at his El Portal office at 379-1139 or at his Valley office at
372-0429. If he is unavailable you may leave a message with Doyle Harrison
at 379-1202. Randy Fong will be Acting Chief of Project Management May
19-23rd. You may phone Randy at his El Portal office at 379-1022. If he
is unavailable you may leave a message with Doyle Harrison at 379-1202.
(D. Harrison - 5/13/08)
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Sue Beatty (379-3290) will be acting branch chief for Vegetation and
Restoration on May 13, 2008. (J. Weaser - 5/13/08)
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Gretchen Stromberg will be Acting Chief of Planning for Linda Dahl for the
week of May 12-16. Gretchen can be reached at 379-1006. (C. Geis - 5/12/08)
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Sueann Brown (379-1222) will be acting Branch Chief for History,
Architecture & Landscapes from May 12th through May 16th; Bret Meldrum will
be acting May 19th and 20th. (D. Humphrey - 5/12/08)
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Starting Monday, May 12th, Marshall "Glen" Taylor will be acting Sign Shop
Supervisor until further notice. He can be reached @ 379-1286 or email:
marshall_taylor@nps.gov.
Thanks to Erin Anders for holding down the Sign Shop fort for the last four
months. (B.Benitag 5/8/08)
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HR Specialist Charlotte Randolph will be out of the park from May 2 through
May 19, 2008. If you have any employee relations, classification, or
employee development issues or questions, please contact Heather Whitman
in her absence. (H. Whitman - 5/2/08)
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For the month of May, Mike and Kevin have asked me to backfill for Kevin
while he is on leave. I will continue my duties as AO from the Valley and
you can contact me there as needed. However, there will be times when I
may not be available to address some issues in Admin. During those times
please feel free to contact the following administration branch chiefs for
assistance. They have authority to make decisions and adjust
administration resources to meet your needs when I'm not available.
May 12th - 15th Dan Sohn 379-1173
May 18th - 22nd Lorene Schafer 379-1873
May 26th - 30th Skip Sheets 379-1195 (L. Harris - 5/1/08)
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