Yosemite Photos, Video and News

Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Weather

Yosemite Valley
Today: Sunny, with a high near 82. South southwest wind between 11 and 18
mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. South southwest wind between
10 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 73. South wind 10 to 16 mph becoming
west. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. West wind between 10
and 13 mph becoming light.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 78. East southeast wind 5 to 9 mph
becoming west.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43.

El Portal
Today: Sunny, with a high near 88. South southwest wind between 10 and 16
mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. South southwest wind 6 to 14
mph becoming east southeast. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 79. Southeast wind 8 to 13 mph becoming
west.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. North northwest wind
between 5 and 10 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 84. East wind 5 to 8 mph becoming west
southwest.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.

Wawona
Today: Sunny, with a high near 85. South southwest wind between 9 and 15
mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph
becoming southeast. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 75. South southeast wind 8 to 13 mph
becoming west.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. West northwest wind 8
to 11 mph becoming east.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 80. East wind 6 to 8 mph becoming west.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Happening Today (see Community News below for other events happening today)
The Yosemite Museum's summer exhibit "Views & Visitors: the Yosemite
Experience in the 19th Century" will be on view from June 16 through
October 31 in the museum gallery in Yosemite Valley. Please join us for the
opening reception tonight, June 15 from 5 to 6:30 pm. Refreshments will be
served. The exhibit features paintings, prints, photographs and artifacts
from Yosemite's early years. The Grand Register of the Cosmopolitan and a
selection of other historic registers will be included, along with an
interactive kiosk related to the Cosmopolitan and a slide show of images of
early visitors and hotels. This exhibit was made possible by a grant from
the Yosemite Conservancy. (B. Beroza - 6/14/10)
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Wawona Wood Yard Burn Pile: Yosemite’s Fire Management Staff in conjunction
with the Wawona Road crew is planning to burn the Wawona wood yard pile
over the next few days. The community's fire prevention property clearance
efforts have produced a large accumulation of vegetation material that has
been moved to the wood yard for burning. A favorable weather window exits
to facilitate smoke dispersal and minimize smoke impacts to the area. A
burn permit has been obtained from Mariposa County and the pile will be
burned on permissive burn days. The pile will be monitored and patrolled
by fire engine and personnel with assistance from Roads personnel and
equipment as needed. (G. Wuchner - 6/15/10)

Construction Update:
**For all road construction information and updates, visit the park's
website: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/roadwork.htm (M. Ortiz -
6/9/10)

Wawona Road Rehabilitation (June 1 - November 2010)

*Today's locations of work: Today, work will occur in the 5 mile
section that begins about a mile north of the Wawona Campground and
will include pouring of concrete for new curb.

**Tonight's locations of work: Tonight, there will be pulverization
of surfaces in areas around curves to correct superelevations from
about a mile north of the Wawona Campground to the Glacier Point Road
intersection (Chinquapin). There will also be underdrain work at
night to increase drainage of water adjacent to the roadway that runs
for approximately 3 miles north of the South Entrance - as well as in
the 6 mile section south of the Glacier Point intersection
(Chinquapin).

**Tomorrow's locations of work (June 15): Tomorrow, the contractors
will continue to pour concrete for new curb in the same location as
today, June 15.

**Please use caution when driving along the Wawona Road - there are
numerous unpaved surfaces.

For daily traffic control updates, call the park information line at (209)
372-0200 (then press 1, and 1 again). (M. Ortiz - 6/15/10)
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Glacier Point Road Rehabilitation (**continuing through June 18, 2010)
The 30-minute delays on the Glacier Point Road will continue through June
18, 2010, while the contractor completes his remaining punchlist items.

Crews will be working at multiple locations along the Glacier Point Road as
well as on the Wawona Road at the Chinquapin Intersection with up to
30-minute delays Monday morning 6:00 am through Friday night at 4:30 pm.
(M. Ortiz - 6/15/10)
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Tioga Road Pavement Borings(June 7 - July 1, 2010) [Weather and conditions
permitting]
Beginning Monday, June 7 crews began pavement borings on the Tioga Road
between Crane Flat and Tuolumne Campground with up to 15-minute traffic
delays, Monday through Friday with no weekend delays. This work is being
conducted in preparation for a future rehabilitation project.
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Barite Mine Work in El Portal (May 25 - July 4, 2010)
Contractors are beginning to work on mitigating hazards at the Barite Mine
in El Portal. The prime contractor is Sygnos, and Arizona Mine Reclamation
is a sub-contractor. Rancheria Flat residents may see contractor vehicles
parked at the top of the housing area, near the water tank; contractors
have been asked to drive carefully in the housing areas. This Recovery
Act-funded project is expected to be complete by July 4. If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact Joe Meyer at 379-1185.
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Integrated Utility Master Plan [IUMP] (ongoing)
Mozingo is continuing work at the new Ahwahnee Hotel sewer lift station.
Mozingo is also removing old abandoned utilities in the Lower River area.
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Wawona Tunnel (ongoing)
Candelaria Construction is continuing work on the fire alarm systems and
fans in the Wawona Tunnel.
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Tecoya Housing (ongoing)
Allison Sierra is working on the installation of new water, power and sewer
systems in the Lower Tecoya area. (M. Ortiz - 6/14/10)

Park and Partner News
Ever wanted to know how much energy Yosemite uses? Thanks to Energy
Engineer Tech, Pookie Mansker, now you can know. The link below has
information about our energy consumption for 2009.
http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/sustain/Lists/Energy%20Management%20Data%20%202009/AllItems.aspx
(D. Miyako - 6/15/10)
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Yosemite Volunteer Program June 2010 Newsletter is now posted!
Check out the bimonthly Volunteer Program Newsletter to learn the latest in
the world of volunteering, including important policy and form updates.
The latest issue includes information on:
New Temporary VIP office staff
Welcoming Your Volunteers
Yosemite Fund Grants due July 6
New! Volunteer Award Program being considered
Group Project Progress
Recognition Event in July
2010 Recognition Items
Last Minute Recruitment
The Form Forum
New forms and policies now under “field review”
Training Opportunities
The newsletters (and archived issues) can be found at: SharePoint:
http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/brm/vip/default.aspx or on the network:
U:\Valley Commons\Volunteer Program or
via email by request to yose_volunteers@nps.gov (H. Boothe - 6/15/10)
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Please see the June 9, 2010, PWR memo re 2010 Contracting/Agreement Cut-off
Dates for Recreation Fee Projects at our SharePoint site
http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/admn/contract/default.aspx. (L. Schafer -
6/14/10)
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The Grand Tour and Mariposa Grove Tours have begun!
The Grand Tour: Guests view the highlights of Yosemite Valley, Glacier
Point, The Wawona Hotel and The Mariposa Grove. Daily departures from
Yosemite Lodge at 8:45.
The Big Trees Trams at the Mariposa Grove: Come see our new ADA accessible
trams in service! Guests travel around the Grove and hear an audio tour
provided in 5 languages as well as a descriptive tour. (G. Rosenfeld
372-8331) (G. Rosenfeld - 6/14/10)
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Volunteers Rock -a new weekly update on volunteer accomplishments around
the park. The Valley Campgrounds volunteer program, headed by Eric
Bissmeyer, is off to a great start for the 2010 summer season. During the
month of May, 13 volunteers donated a total of 1,253 hours to the park
while working at Upper, North and Lower Pine Campgrounds. Organized groups
of volunteers did a lot of work last week as well. The Sierra Club was here
helping out on valley restoration projects with RMS. Facilities Management
also worked with volunteers from Fremont who installed ADA fire rings at
Cascade while another Sierra Club group removed ash from fire rings at
Hodgdon. On Saturday, volunteers built a new sandbox for the Valley Daycare
Center. Their service to Yosemite is very much appreciated! (L. Prell -
6/14/10)
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Welcome to Yosemite: Please join me in welcoming Travis Espinoza as the new
Term GS-07/09 Wildlife Biologist in the Branch of Wildlife Management in
the Division of Resources Management and Science. Travis received his B.S.
in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. His position
responsibilities will include being the project manager of the Aquatic
Restoration program. Previously Travis has worked in Yosemite for the
Bear Management program, the Fire Ecology program, the Bullfrog Eradication
program, and the Sierra Nevada Network Inventory and Monitoring program.
He also has wildlife experience working for the US Fish and Wildlife
Service and the US Forest Service in California and Montana. (N. Nicholas -
6/14/10)
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Barry Hance Memorial Award Ceremony
Please join us in celebrating the legacy of Barry Hance and the
presentation of the award to our 2009 recipient.
When: June 16, 2010
Where: Valley Auditorium
Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
A hamburger luncheon will be served to celebrate our newest awardee. (C.
Mattiuzzi - 6/15/10)

Acting Designations
Jay Shields will be the acting Mather District Ranger from 6/15 through
6/26. He can be reached at the Crane Flat Subdistrict Office, 379-1926.
(K. Killian - 6/15/10)
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Charles Cuvelier will be Acting Deputy Superintendent June 14-18, 2010. He
can be reached at 372-0286. (R. Soden - 6/11/10)
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Historical Architect Sueann Brown (379-1222) will be acting Branch Chief
for History, Architecture & Landscapes June 7 - June 18, 2010. (D. Humphrey
- 6/3/10)
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Until further notice, Brenna Lissoway (379-1283) will be the Acting Park
Archivist . If you have need to access the Archives, or have archive
related questions, you can also try calling at 379-1281 or 379-1104. (J.
Bayless - 6/3/10)
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Until further notice, Lorene Schafer (379-1873) will be the Acting Chief
for Contracting and Procurement . If you have contracting related
questions and don't already have a point of contact, please call Helli
Tucker at 379-1368. Please continue to route purchase request (PR)
packages to Lorene for Acquisition Approval in IDEAS.
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Until further notice, Ed Dunlavey will be the acting Operations Branch
Chief and Deputy Chief Ranger.
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Until further notice, Cindy Whitten will be the acting Human Resources
Officer - 209/379-1878.

Employee News
Submitting a Yosemite Fund/Conservancy proposal? Attend one of these
workshops to learn how to write an effective proposal!
(The Yosemite Fund and Yosemite Association have merged to form Yosemite
Conservancy.)
What: Proposal-Writing Tutorial

When: Thursday June 17th at 9 am, or
Tuesday, June 29th at 3:30 pm

Where: El Portal Large Breakroom

Why: Learn about what projects typically appeal to the organization, how to
write an effective proposal, how to avoid common pitfalls, what the Project
Review Committee is looking for, and more!

Every branch that is planning on submitting proposals should plan on having
at least one employee attend. Contact me with any questions. (J.
Treutelaar - 6/15/10)
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Training opportunity: On Wednesday, June 16 the Divisions of Resources
Management & Science and Interpretation & Education will host a training
for interpreters taught by several resource experts. Sessions will be held
from 8:30 - 11 am and 1 - 4:30 pm at the Garden Terrace. The break mid-day
will allow for NPS staff to attend the Barry Hance ceremony. Anyone in
the park community is welcome to attend. (N. Nicholas - 6/14/10)

Community News
FOR RENT: Beautifully remodeled 2 bedroom 2 bath manufactured home on 25
acres with views of the Clark Range, located off Colorado Road near
Chappel Vineyard. $900/month plus utilities. Please contact Tom Ronay
(209) 769-5065. (C. Ronay - 6/15/10)
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FOR RENT: Studio apartment in town (Mariposa). Freshly painted; quiet
neighborhood; private. No pets; nonsmoking; one individual. $500/month.
Call 966-6726; ask for Mark or Frank. (Y. Radanovich - 6/15/10)
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FOR RENT: Rent a three bedroom home on Highway 140 in Midpines right across
the street from the Yosemite Bug and YARTS stop. Historic home comes with a
two-car garage and spacious yard. Pets okay. Rent is $1,300 per month plus
utilities. Available June 15. Please call (209) 769-8648 for more
information. (M. Hansen - 6/15/10)