Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Weather
Yosemite: TODAY...SUNNY...BREEZY. NOT AS COOL. HIGHS 58 TO 68 IN YOSEMITE
VALLEY...41 TO 51 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 25 TO 35 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...19 TO 29 IN THE
HIGH COUNTRY.
THURSDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 65 TO 75 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...46 TO 56 IN THE HIGH
COUNTRY.
THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 29 TO 39 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY... 20 TO 30
IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
FRIDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGHS 62 TO 72 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY... 43 TO
53 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
El Portal: Today: Sunny, with a high near 72. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph
becoming west.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Calm wind becoming east
northeast between 10 and 13 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 80. East northeast wind at 11 mph
becoming southwest.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Calm wind becoming east
northeast between 7 and 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. East wind 7 to 11 mph becoming
southwest.
Happening Today/This Week (Check the Community News section for other
events)
Sanitary Sewer Capital Improvements (CIP 2) - The relocation of the sewer
service for Ansel Adams Gallery will begin on 4/16 - 4/18. The bike path
between the Visitor Center and the Post Office will be closed for those 3
days and then reopened for Earth Day festivities. (K. Yeager - 4/16/08)
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Wawona Prescribed Fire: Firefighters from the National Park Service and
U.S. Forest Service made good progress over the weekend on the large
prescribed fire adjacent to the community of Wawona. The heaviest smoke
impacts will be for the next two or three nights (Mon-Wed) as crews bring
the fire down to the Wawona Road near the UC Merced Research Station and
then turn the corner, progressing up the Wawona Road toward Mosquito Creek.
Motorists should expect traffic delays, one-way traffic control and are
advised to proceed slowly through smoke with lights on. Smoke
concentrations in the Wawona Campground for the next two to three nights
will be very unhealthful and anyone hoping to camp there should reconsider.
This project protects the community of Wawona from a wildfire moving up the
South Fork of the Merced and is funded under the National Fire Plan.
Wawona is a Federally-listed community at high risk from wildfires. (M.
Beasley - 4/14/08)
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Croaking Toad Returns on Thursday, April 17 - After a three month hiatus,
the Croaking Toad is back. Spring has sprung and the Toad has returned
for the rest of the year. The next Croaking Toad will be on "The numbers
game: integrated transportation and user capacity research in Yosemite
National Park" on Thursday, April 17 from 8 to 9 am in the El Portal Large
Breakroom in the Administrative and Maintenance Complex.
Join Steve Lawson, Assistant Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute,
and Bret Meldrum, RMS Branch Chief for the Visitor Use and Social Sciences,
for an overview of the integrated transportation studies that have taken
place in Yosemite since 1999. Results have yielded social standards of
quality for crowding, pedestrian and vehicular models, and strong
predictive correlations between vehicular arrivals at entrance stations to
conditions at key attraction sites in Yosemite Valley.
Everyone is welcome. (N. Nicholas - 4/14/08)
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Valley Shuttle: Due to the closure of Southside Drive, Shuttle Stop #12 (Le
Conte Memorial/Housekeeping Camp) will be closed and guests and patrons are
directed to Stop 13A (Curry Village). Effective 4/7 - 4/17. (G. Rosenfeld
- 4/8/08)
New Today
BID ANNOUNCEMENT - EMPLOYEE HOUSING
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK - NATIONAL PARK SERVICE - GOVERNMENT HOUSING
EL PORTAL HOUSING AREA
HOUSE #874 - 9742 ELDERBERRY LANE
3 Bedrooms – 2 Bathrooms - 1843 Sq. Ft. – Built in 1996 - $479.64 bi-weekly
– utilities not included.
DEADLINE FOR BID SUBMISSION
APRIL 30, 2008 (Close of Business)
Eligible Employees must be NPS Permanent, Term, or SCEP (Student Career
Experience Program)
Please contact the Housing Management Office for bid forms and/or
additional information. 379-1839 or 379-1879 (Y. Radanovich - 4/16/08)
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BRING US YOUR CANS! Your empty tin cans will help us provide free art
classes for more than 3,000 visitors this summer! The nonprofit Yosemite
Association operates the Yosemite Art and Education Center, offering free
public art classes Monday through Saturday from April through October.
Students use tin cans to hold water and brushes during their art classes.
You can [no pun intended!] help us fulfill our educational mission by
donating your clean, empty tin cans (soup-can size preferred) with the top
lids removed to the Yosemite Association. Please bring your cans to our
Earth Day booth on the village mall this Saturday, April 19, between 10:30
a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Come on out and enjoy the park’s Earth Day celebration,
and remember to bring your cans! (L. Rematore, Yosemite Association -
4/16/08)
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The Ahwahnee Artisan of the Month - April 2008 - Alison Grove, a Yosemite
Valley resident since 1985, is this month's featured artisan at The
Ahwahnee. Alison spends much of her time backpacking, drawing and painting
the mountains, meadows and waterfalls along the way. Her work focuses
mostly on color and form that she does not consider "traditional"
watercolors. Alison will present her watercolors Friday, April 18, 2008
through Sunday, April 20, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Please visit
the lobby of The Ahwahnee to view and purchase an Alison Grove original.
(P. Burgess - 4/16/08)
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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 programs:
Thursday April 17, 7:30p.m. DELIVER US FROM EVIL. (FREE ADMISSION) (Not
rated, 101 mins.) Brought to you in partnership with Mountain Crisis
Services in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month This Academy
Award-nominated documentary film directed by Amy Berg tells the true story
of a cleric who abused children between the late 1970s and early 1990s. A
riveting film for our time.
Friday - Saturday (April 18 - 19) 7:30 p.m. JUNO. (Rated PG13, 96 mins.)
Juno is a sharp tongued 16 year old who finds herself expecting. This is a
not to be missed film, on virtually every critic's top 10 list: very very
funny, but sad, a real emotional roller coaster: you will love Juno and her
parents. The Oscar winning screenplay is just perfect. Treat yourself and a
friend.
Upcoming films:
April 25-26. LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. (T. Arfsten - 4/16/08)
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Natural History of the Foothills. Sunday April 20th 9am-1pm. $10
Individual/$20 Family
People of all ages are welcome to join this day of learning about the
diverse flora of the foothills with UC Merced Professor Benoit Dayrat. A
resident of Mariposa, Professor Dayrat instructs classes on the flora of
the foothills for UC Merced students. On this special day Benoit will
share his knowledge with us on SFC’s conservation easement in the Triangle
Rd area. Bring water and lunch. Meet at The Bootjack Market on Darrah Rd
off of Hwy 49 for 9am departure.
Become a Member of Sierra Foothill Conservancy and join in the conservation
and enjoyment our natural lands and cultural traditions:
www.sierrafoothill.org.
Sierra Foothill Conservancy is a non-profit land trust serving Mariposa,
Madera, and Fresno Counties. SFC has worked with local land owners to
conserve over 5,500 acres of natural lands in Mariposa County and another
10,500 acres in Madera and Fresno Counties.
All proceeds from SFC's classes and events benefit out land conservation
work. (B. Fithian - 4/16/08)
Park News
Yosemite News Release
April 10, 2008
For Immediate Release
Yosemite National Park to be Featured on New Travel Channel Show
“Yosemite- America’s Treasure” will debut on the Travel Channel this
Sunday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The one- hour program, produced in
the summer and fall of 2007, features the beauty, cultural and natural
history, and landmark features of Yosemite National Park.
The show, produced by Bellvue Entertainment Inc. of Chicago, Illinois, was
shot in high-definition and gives viewers unique perspectives of icons in
the park such as Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and El Capitan. Interviews with
several Yosemite park rangers were also a part of the production.
“They were a great crew to work with and we are all excited to see the
result. We last did a Travel Channel show over 10 years ago so we are
especially excited about this new, state of the art program”, said Scott
Gediman, Chief of Media Relations for Yosemite National Park.
The Travel Channel is seen in over 90 million homes across the United
States. In addition to Sunday’s debut, the show will be broadcast on
Thursday, April 17 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) and on Friday, April 18 at 4:00
p.m. (ET/PT). (-NPS-)
Announcements
It has come to our notice that announcements are being posted at the
Midpines Post Office on behalf of "the management" of Yosemite National
Park. These did not come from Yosemite's management team and should be
disregarded. (M. Tollefson - 4/10/08)
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GSA Auction: The General Services Administration will be conducting an
internet auction of Yosemite personal property, consisting of a Chevrolet
Caprice sedan, Homelite chainsaws, a Polaris snow mobile, and a Hawkeye
double snow mobile trailer. The auction opens on Thursday, 04/10/08, and
closes on Thursday 04/17/08. The sale is number 91QSCI08086, items
#326-329. These items are located in the yard adjacent to the warehouse in
El Portal for inspection, and are marked with yellow item number cards.
Park employees are allowed to participate in the sale, with the exception
of any employee with unfair (nonpublic) detailed knowledge or prior use of
an item offered for sale. Such employees are prohibited from bidding on
that item, and the prohibition includes their immediate family as well.
Employees must view the items and bid on their own time. For further
information regarding the sale items or to register to bid, visit the
website gsaauctions.gov. (K. Kolbeck - 4/11/08)
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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)
Community News
Summer Housing Needed - Two summer law clerks [paid positions] are looking
for rooms to rent in the local community. Tom and Scott will be working
for Protection in the Legal Office and are second year law students at
Hastings and San Joaquin. If you would be willing to rent a room or know
of a rental call Beth at the Legal Office. 372-0243. (B. Waldow - 4/11/08)
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Wanted - a room to rent, or house to share. A new employee (non-smoking
female) coming to the park on a term appointment is seeking a place to
stay. Would prefer to be within commuting distance from El Portal.
Contact at 216-731-1056, laura_elze@yahoo.com (T. Croissant - 4/15/08)
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Two new FREE Dance Classes will be offered beginning this week, through the
Mariposa Adult School!
The Wednesday night class in El Portal will continue on the same schedule
for another 6 weeks. 6 pm Level I, & 7 pm Level II. Location: El Portal
School. First class - 4/16.
The same series, with the same schedule will be offered at Mariposa High
School - in the Gym - for 6 weeks on Thursday nights. First class - 4/17.
This Introduction To Swing series, focuses on East Coast Swing, also known
as the Jitterbug. Lori Landrin lives in Oakhurst, and has been teaching in
Oakhurst, North Fork, & Mariposa, for over two years. This will be her
second series in El Portal.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!! Though the school system is offering the class
for free, they would like to see a class of at lest 14 students.
Wear comfortable clothes - and smooth soled shoes (if you have them.) -no
flip flops or backless shoes, please. (socks are great too!) For more
information: mountaindancer@sti.net or call Lori at (559) 658-8541. (L.
Landrin - 4/15/08)
Acting Designation
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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Jonathan Bayless will be acting Chief of I&E April 14-17. (T. Medema -
4/14/08)
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Jeanette Simons will be Acting Branch Chief of Environmental Planning and
Compliance April 16th. You may phone Jeannette at 379-1372 in her El
Portal Office. You may also leave a message with Doyle Harrison at
379-1202. (D.Harrison - 4/11/08)
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During my absence the week of April 14, the following people are acting
Branch Chief for Anthropology and Archeology:
4/16 - 4/18 Epi Suafoa (L. Kirn - 4/11/08)
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Katy Warner acting RMS Management Assistant April 10-18th . She can be
reasched at 379-1421 (C. Knipper - 4/10/08)
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While David Thorpe is out of the office, Nancy Bissmeyer will be the acting
Communications Branch Chief and Tolleman Gorham will be the Telecom
Supervisor. (N. Bissmeyer - 4/8/08)
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Lee Tarnay will be the Acting Branch Chief for Physical Science and GIS
from April 14-17. Lee can be reached at 379-1420. (J. Meyer - 4/8/08)
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