Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Weather
Yosemite: TODAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 68 TO 78 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...49 TO
59 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 33 TO 43 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...23 TO 33 IN THE
HIGH COUNTRY.
WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
SNOW LEVEL ABOVE 8000 FEET. HIGHS 63 TO 73 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...43 TO 53 IN
THE HIGH COUNTRY.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE
EVENING. SNOW LEVEL 7000 FEET. LOWS 31 TO 41 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...21 TO 31
IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
THURSDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 65 TO 75 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...44 TO 54 IN
THE HIGH COUNTRY.
El Portal: Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. West northwest wind between 7
and 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Northwest wind between 5 and
8 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. West northwest wind between 6
and 11 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. North wind between 5
and 9 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Light wind becoming west
between 11 and 14 mph.
Happening Today/This Week (Check the Community News section for other
events)
Yosemite Vegetation Map Presentation, May 6 - After 10 years and 2 million
dollars the Yosemite Vegetation Map is complete. The project was an
enormous one and was supported by a number of partners including the
national NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program, Fire Pro, the Yosemite Fund,
the City and County of San Francisco, and USGS. We will be having a
presentation of the final product this coming Tuesday, May 6 in the
Resources Management and Science Conference Room in El Portal. There
will be a one hour project overview from 9 to 10 am and a more in-depth
review of the project from 10am to 3 pm. If you or any of your staff
would like to attend, just RSVP to Mitzi Thornley (mitzi_thornley@nps.gov
or 379-1301) before 5 pm on Monday. (N. Nicholas - 5/5/08)
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Training Announcement
Date: May 6th or 7th
Time: 13:00 (1pm) – 16:30
Location: Large Break Room, El Portal complex
Topics and intended audience:
Hanta Virus Awareness* 13:00 – 13:30
All Yose employees should receive hanta virus awareness training, employees
required to assess or open seasonal buildings need this class and
respiratory protection to be properly qualified, see hanta virus policy for
specific details.
http://www.yose.nps.gov/yosenet/safety/Critical_Programs/08_Hanta_Policy...
Respiratory Protection Training* 13:30 – 15:00
All personnel exposed to respiratory hazards above the OSHA permissible
exposure limit (PEL) or employees exposed to unknown levels of respiratory
hazards need respiratory training, a medical clearance, and a fit test.
Prerequisite: Respiratory Questionnaire forms are here:
http://www.yose.nps.gov/yosenet/safety/forms.htm
Hearing Conservation Program Training* 15:15 – 16:30
All employees exposed to noise levels above the OSHA permissible exposure
limit (PEL). Affected Branches include Fire, LE, B&G, R&T, Utilities,
Vegetation, and Archeology. Includes a baseline audiogram and annual
audiograms to assess program effectiveness.
Call Claudine Ronay at 379-1072 to register for training on the 6th or 7th,
only 30 training slots available each day.
*See Guide to Safety Management for policy and applicability. (R. Farmer -
4/28/08)
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Free Presentation - El Portal Community Hall - May 6th @ 7:00 pm:
"A one word solution to all the problems the world is facing today is
compassion" Amma
Amma, sometimes called "the hugging saint", has embraced 27 million people
from every part of the world. Her loving compassion, inspired
wisdom, and charitable works have brought her global recognition as an
extraordinary interfaith leader, and one of the greatest humanitarians
of our time.
On Tuesday, May 6th at 7pm we will be showing the film Embracing the World,
which gives an introduction to Amma, her charitable activities,
and current interactions in the worldwide forum. Afterward we will have a
Q&A with two people who spend time at her ashram in South
India. (S. Goodmorning - 4/30/08)
New Today
Tioga Road opening operations continued Monday 5/05/08
Tioga Road progress for May 5, 2008:
Ending Location: Just West of Mono Meadow Trail head, approximately 43
miles from Crane Flat Gate
Average Snow Depth: 3 Feet (T. Ludington/T. Brochini - 5/6/08)
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Mariposa Grove update:
Upper and Lower Grove Road looks great with no percolation issues or
road damage.
Forestry Crews will be working in this area until close of business on
Thursday May 8, 2008.
Access to lower Tram road by D.N.C on Friday May 9th recommended by
Dennis Dozier pending any unforeseen issues.
Recommendation to remove weight restriction on the road from South
Entrance to the Grove parking lot may be today.
Recommendation to allow the Wawona-Mariposa Grove shuttle to use
roadway.
Watch for Forestry Crews between South Entrance and Grove Parking lot
until Thursday May 8, 2008 (Close of Business). (T. Brochini - 5/6/08)
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National Be Bear Aware and Wildlife Stewardship Month
Did you know?
A male bear is called a boar, a female bear is called a sow. A group of
bears is referred to as a sloth.
Mark the Date!
May 8th – El Portal, Large Break Room. Noon. During the lunch hour we’ll
be showing the movie, “Bears of Sequoia.” Come eat your lunch and enjoy
this fantastic 22-minute film on the biology and management of black bears
in the Sierra. We’ll show the film at 12:00 p.m. and again at 12:30 p.m.
(T. Seher - 5/6/08)
Reminder: Utility meter replacement will be occuring this week in Wawona;
Wednesday 5/7, Thrusday 5/8 and Friday 5/9. For any questions, please
contact Katie Bablitch at 379-1055 or Paul Laymon at 379-1077. (K. Bablitch
- 5/5/08)
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The Fire Management Office will be hosting a S-260 Incident Business
Management Class, May 29-30 from 0800-1700 at Cedar Lodge. Space is
limited. This class will enhance your knowledge and skills to better
provide incident support in the Finance, Planning, Operations and Logistics
Sections. If you provide support to fires or all-hazard incidents, you
should consider attending this class.
If you want to attend, please call or email me, no later than May 22. (D.
Mills - 5//6/08)
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Selection of GS 9/11 Historical Architect: G. Jaramillo - I am very pleased
to announce that George Jaramillo has accepted a term position as a GS 9/11
Historical Architect working in the History Architecture & Landscapes
Branch in the Division of Resources Management and Science. George has a
Bachelor's Degree in Architecture with a minor in the History of
Architecture from Cornell University and a Master's Degree in Historic
Preservation from Columbia University. For the past three years, George
has been employed as an architect in private practice in New York City
where he has focused on all aspects of architectural design, including
adaptive reuse of historic rural and urban structures. George will be
starting work in Yosemite near the end of June.
Please join me in welcoming George to Yosemite and the National Park
Service. (N. Nicholas - 5/6/08)
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Clarifying who is authorized YARTS vouchers - Just a reminder that ONLY NPS
employees are authorized YARTS vouchers. The rider has to be a hired
employee. Interns and volunteers can not get vouchers. Also a reminder
that vouchers and bus passes are NOT transferable. When you sign for your
voucher you are certifying that you are 1) a federal employee; and 2) will
be using the pass for your daily commute to and/or from work and will not
transfer it to anyone else. Violations can make you liable for up to
$5,000 per violation, and/or agency disciplinary actions up to and
including dismissal. (S. Grin - 5/6/08)
Park News
POSTPONED: Merced River Plan - May, 10, 2008 - Public Planning Workshop
To all parties interested in the Merced River Comprehensive Management Plan
The new Merced River Plan public planning workshop scheduled for Saturday,
May 10, 2008, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm in Yosemite Valley has been
POSTPONED. Park management continues to consult with the National Park
Service Pacific West Regional Director, Interior Department attorneys, and
the Department of Justice on the implications of the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals ruling on the 2005 Revised Merced River Plan. In order to honor the
time, energy and costs borne by participants, park management wants to have
clear direction on the scope, process, and substance of the next version of
the plan before convening another workshop. The park is working hard to
stay on schedule and will have more information to the public soon.
Please check our web site for updates:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/newmrp.htm
Information will be distributed once a new date for the next public
planning workshop has been determined. Thank you for your understanding. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact Elexis Mayer, Project
Manager by phone at 209-379-1377, or by email at elexis_mayer@nps.gov, or
Linda Dahl, Yosemite National Park Chief of Planning via email at
linda_dahl@nps.gov.
The aforementioned ruling can be found at:
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/BCABDF4F5FB5568488257
80082FA48/$file/0715124.pdf?openelement
and on the Yosemite National Park website at:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/litigation.htm (E. Mayer - 5/5/08)
Announcements
For those attending the 2008 Central Sierra Interagency Resource Advisor
course, it is being held at the Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort in the
Bodi Room.
We are pleased to be offering a Resource Advisor Course here at Yosemite
May 6th and 7th, 2008!
DESCRIPTION: This course is intended to provide employees with the
background to serve as Resource Advisors (READ) during fire management
actions. Resource Advisors generally work with fire managers to convey
concerns about natural, cultural and wilderness resources. The course will
focus on issues and challenges of the Central Sierra region, but will
provide participants with strategies and tools that can be applied
anywhere. Information will be presented in sufficient detail to serve as a
refresher for present resource advisors and general enough to be useful for
those who have never served in this capacity.
PARTICIPANTS: Employees that frequently serve as resource advisors include
fire managers, botanists, ecologists, biologists, hydrologists, geologists,
foresters, GIS specialists and cultural resource specialists. The local
Fire Management Officer (FMO) will determine qualifications for the
resource advisor position. A fireline-qualified Resource Advisor however,
will hold a valid Red Card and pass the physical test at the arduous level.
The local FMO will authorize the inclusion of "READ" as a qualification on
the Red Card. Completion of these tasks is not required prior to
participating in this course. The course is also valuable for those
managing resources on public lands, but with no interest in serving as
resource advisors, to become familiar with fire management organization and
the types and formats of resources data that benefit the resource advisor
during the course of his or her duties.
While the course has no tuition fee, the participant's home unit(s) must
cover travel expenses.
COURSE DATES AND LOCATION: The course will be held from May 6th and 7th,
2008, in El Portal, California, near Yosemite National Park.
APPLICATION: All interested persons should e-mail Jun Kinoshita,
(jun_r_kinoshita@nps.gov), or 209.379.1317 or Kent van Wagtendonk
(kent_van_wagtendonk@nps.gov) at 209.379.1046. (J. Kinoshita - 12/12/07)
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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)
HR Corner
DETAIL / TEMPORARY PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY
The Project Management Division, Environmental Planning and Compliance
Branch is offering an opportunity for a 120 day detail / temporary
promotion (if qualified) to Environmental Compliance Specialist, GS-09/11.
This opportunity will provide the opportunity to learn about the practices
and procedures used nationally by the NPS to conduct and facilitate
planning and compliance activities. The position would allow an employee to
gain experience in elements of both the National Environmental Policy Act
and the National Historic Preservation Act.
This opportunity is open to permanent career/career-conditional employees
of Yosemite National Park. This is an interdisciplinary position that can
be filled by: Geographer, GS-150, Ecologist, GS-0408 or Resource Management
Specialist, GS-0401.
If interested, please obtain your supervisor's approval, and submit a
resume to Irma Keheley, Human Resource Office, El Portal, no later than May
12, 2008. (I. Keheley - 4/30/08)
Community News
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
Katy Warner will be acting RMS Division Liaison/Mgt Asst. May 5-9, she can
be reached at 379-1421 (C. Knipper - 5/5/08)
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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 5th - 9th Dayna Jackson 379-1874
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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Ansley Rothell will be the Acting Emergency Communications Center Manager
May 1-9. (N. Bissmeyer - 4/30/08)
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Dave Miller is acting Supervisor for El Portal Roads & Solid Waste until
July 5th. Dave can be reached at 379-1120 or leave a message with Beth
Benitag @ 379-1057. (B.Benitag - 4//14/08)
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