A little history, The Flood of 1997 Fiasco Page
This was a web page created during the Flood of 1997 when the park was closed for many months. Locals posted comments about their experiences during the "97A Incident". Most of the construction and future development policies all are a result of this incident.
"Oh, Yosemite is Devastated! Ruined! Stay Away! Don't come here! Send Money!"
Yosemite Fiasco Flood Page
This is a forum where Yosemite locals can tell stories of their experiences in dealing with the National Park Service (NPS) or the concession Yosemite Concession Services (YCS). They will be posted anonymously so the person will not have to worry about retaliation. It seems that the outside world does not really know what goes on here and this is a way to let everyone know the inside story. Let's try to focus on the problems OUR park is facing and maybe by educating the outside we can help save Yosemite and give it back to the people.
Every one is encouraged to submit stories for posting. Submit to .......
I have merely been asked to be the webmaster and the views on this page do not necessarily reflect mine.
Click here for the Yosemite National Park Flood Damage Assessment Report more NPS hype!
Click here to go to The Yosemite Guardian
Concerned about the housing plan? Send your e-mail tomike_morelli@nps.gov, bj_griffin@nps.gov or jerry_mitchell@nps.gov before March 31!!
Due to the size that this page was growing to and the load time all submittals from 2/5/97 to 1/15/97 have been moved to- Click here . For 2/20 to 2/23 Click here
Submittals on 4/5/97
How come the road between El portal and the valley is still closed? Seems the contractor is moving about as fast as a snail. I thought job’s for contractors were based on the job, not how long it takes. If any thing they have cash incentive’s to get the job done faster than the contract state’s. I hate to keep yelling conspiracy but, something’s not right in Dodge. Speaking of which. Guess B.J. Griffin got the boot for over estimating the cost of repairing Yosemite after the flood. Please , people correct me if I’m wrong or just spreading rumors. But to purposely lie about what needs to be done in Yosemite sound’s like some kind of perjury to me. Also I’d like to say to those Park service people who can’t speak your mind for fear of loosing your job’s. I think that’s what this site is all about let people know how you feel ,or what you know. I notice this site isn’t being used much anymore. And Mariposa county, this road problem is killing you. Some of your officials might want to take a trip up 140 and see what’s being done. Or should I say what’s not being done. It’s a travesty and a lie.
Hey folks! lets work together on getting Hwy 140 open go to http://home.inreach.com/yo/schedule.htm to find out how.
Submittals on 3/28/97
"this is what I’ve herd will happen to the best bouldering in the U.S(maybe even the world) " It has recently come to my attention that Camp 4, also known as Sunnyside Campground, in Yosemite National Park is being considered as an alternative location for the flood affected Concessionaire’s visitor cabins currently located at the Yosemite lodge area. This plan would rotate sunnyside to extend from the western portion of the existing camp to the river where the Annex Employee housing area is currently located. The visitor cabins would be placed east of this location taking up approximately half of the current camp and parking area. This plan attached to the flood recovery effort and the Valley Implementation Plan is fast-tracked, and possibly will possess a limited public review. I recommend that you request from the National Park Service to be included in this public review process. Jerry Mitchell, Chief of Cultural Resources for Yosemite, is working on this plan and wishes to talk with the Access Fund and will probably help you get involved in the review process. I recommend directing comments to Jerry at Jerry_Mitchell@nps.gov, as well as Yosemite National Park’s Superintendent B.J. Griffin in order to get the point across about how important this area is to Yosemite National Park and the world of rockclimbing and mountaineering. It is possible that Sunnyside Campground / Camp 4 may be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places under criteria that the campground has been a significant contribution to American rockclimbing. It is also possible that individual boulders in the area that may be adversely affected from construction can serve as contributing elements to this nomination. I urge all interested parties to write and express their views towards this park decision which may dramatically change the Yosemite Valley climbing experience."
"These markings on the trees are not paint. They are chalk marks that the surveyors used. These will all disappear with the next rain."
Submittals on 3/21/97
"The only scoop I know about Fresno Reservations is that George Spach is going to move to Yosemite to head up the Lodging division. And we are going to be using a company to truck in our supplies instead of warehousing it in Fresno. I have also heard that Fresno Reservations could move up to the Oakhurst/Mariposa area, to save money, gas etc. This is all hearsay but its what I heard. They can’t move anything into the valley, they are supposed to be moving things out.So how did everyone like their "Welcome Back" letter from Gary Fraker? Did everyone have fun sunning themselves in Mexico, or seeing the sights in Paris, France? I’m glad for the people who got to enjoy this vacation, but I know lots of people who were wondering if they were going to be able to pay their bills. I think our fearless leader forgot that many people lost everything they own, others were kicked out of their homes and forced to hole up in a motel. We all got to experience the unemployment lines, many people weren’t eligible for this reason or that and are still fighting to get what is due to them. I heard of many who weren’t able to get help replacing their belongings from F.E.M.A. and a great deal of us probably didn’t even qualify for food stamps. How many of us are behind on our bills and how many of us charged groceries? And who isn’t affected by the transportation issue? Are your work units working with you so you can commute? Are you spending twice as much or more on gas to get to work? How many of you have to ride the bus up in the morning to work an afternoon shift and then wait to ride the only bus left at midnight? How many of you can’t return to work because you would be paying more in daycare for the long hours than you make in a week? Who has had to rent a place outside of El Portal because you can’t make the convoy or bus times? And how about those who’s jobs were eliminated? How many of you are doing two and three other peoples jobs? Do you see "Rainbows"? All I see is many months of long commutes and many, many jobs cut. I see many 13 hour days and no appreciation for our effort. Mr Fraker forgets about those of us who live outside of the valley, those of us who have families and mortgages, those of us who have decided to make this area a permanent home. I think employee moral is dragging on the ground, and the guests are the ones who will ultimately suffer."
Submittals on 3/21/97
"Does any one know what the newly painted white marks on the trees in the Camp 4, Sunnyside Campground area signify? Does this mean that they are going to cut down all those trees to make room for the new housing? It seems that NPS is going to build on undisturbed areas in the valley when they have all those building sites outside of Yosemite Valley such as Wawona, El Portal and Foresta. I thought NPS was supposed to protect the resources in Yosemite, not destroy them!"
Submittals on 3/19/97
"The grape vine says that the Fresno reservations office is going to move back to the park or at least out of Fresno. Does anyone have the real story???"
"another major player to send housing plan comments to is: mike_morelli@nps.gov"
Submittals on 3/11/97
"This is addressed to "those responsible,"Not all the NPS employees, especially not the fire crew, but whoever is responsible.A few locals who were out of work have been riding their bikes down certain trails in El Portal that used to be foot paths. With the constant use by animals and the occasional hiker these trails have become excellent for the mountain bikes that many of us own.I have heard many reasons why these trails have been recently destroyed. "They go through an archeologicalsite." "There is a rare plant that is being destroyed." "It’s so hot in the Summer who could use them anyway." Why not get with the people that spent so much time enjoying these paths and try to find an amiable solution ? We are not a bunch of heathens bent on mayhem and destruction. We are just a few regular people out having a good time. We do not have crack labs or anything illegal hiding in those hills.The amount of effort and money wasted on this project could have been much better spent elsewhere.If it is true that these paths go through an archeological site ( I can’t help but wonder if the new waste water treatment plant isn’t on some site, or if the proposed new buildings will not kill this same endangered plant) ((maybe those responsible should re-examine their priorities)) couldn’t there have been some way that our trails could have been redirected . If there is an endangered plant up there we should be made aware of what it is and where it is. We would be more than willing to help with the propagation of this plant. Most of us are very nature conscious people or we would not be living here. Again, couldn’t the trails have been redirected around this plant. If it is rare it must not be growing everywhere. To just put the hammer down on a bunch of law abiding adults may seem like the easiest solution, but I don’t think that is the way our society is supposed to function. There has been a lot of talk about Nazis running El Portal. I’m sure this is not what our local law enforcement would like to be compared to but when citizens are fleeing rangers because they were riding their bike in a "restricted" area we have some kind of problem. I wonder if "those responsible" really care about our community. I know this seems like such a trivial matter to many people, but this is just a prime example of some of the senselessness and selfishness that is splitting this community apart at a time when we should be helping each other. This has been a difficult time for all of us and to infuriate us more with petty restrictions (when we already have serious ones) does not make for a good environment. I think it’s time for "those responsible" to expand their horizons. Really . Think about it. To add a slight twist to J.F.K.’s most famous quote, " look not for what you can take from your community but look for what you have to give." "
"This is to "God Damit" on 3/10. Sorry but I do not think that the note you are referring to was directed against you, the firemen of Yosemite. We have the utmost respect for the crews and the hard work that they do and I am sure that the responsible party is sorry that you were offended. Why do you assume it was out of work YCS employees? I know of several NPS folks whom were using the trails and one even helped build them! I think it was directed more towards the narrow minded NPS rangers whom have taken away another fun activity instead of trying to work with all the parties involved to find a solution agreeable to everyone. If you haven’t noticed the NPS solution to a problem is to CLOSE IT DOWN. They never try to find a workaround or to work with the community on problems. The rangers are so wrapped up in their little nazi world of hassling people that they never get to know the people who live around them. While all the police departments of the country are working towards community relationships the rangers of Yosemite have managed to show their true colors in this time of crisis and further separate themselves from the community and our trust."
Submittals on 3/10/97
"GOD DAMIT you people(people out of work ,YCS) think that every park employe is a money grubbing, property stealing, YCS hating, waster of tax monies and liers. WAKE UP mabey you havent reilized the people under managenment working there ass’s off! Mabey you have not noticed the trees cut in the Valley could mabey I dont know could it be a FIRE BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mabey more prescibed burns? NO its the NAZI death monger park service. What about the fuel break above El Portal no one noticed that, and if you REMEMBER A-ROCK you might want to go take a look. And then to top that off I walk over to the post office to check mail and there on the door is one of our flyers with something written on it, it says something like thank the fire dept. for wasting money rehabbing the Mt. bike trail DID THEY STOP TO CONSIDER THE FACT THAT WE HIKED AND ROAD ON IT TOO? Or did they lump us all together Fire/law enforcement same branch differnt ethics!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O and then the rumor I heard the other day that residents of Old El Portal belived that th fire department moved all its equipment down to the werehouse complex to protect that. Mabey they did not know that only the county engine went, the better of the two was left right here in Old El Portal, as well as the ambulance and the heavy rescue. And then El Portal orderd a water tender for the protection of the trailer court (when the water was out) and incline. And for everyone who says there care about the valley, if you really trulley jobs aside cared you would want all buildings removed and most roads but if there is money to be made then there is always someone there willing to abuse it!!!!!!!!! I also dont agree with the park services plan for El Portal but come now you all knew when you signed that lease the park could revoke it, and your in a dream world if at least that point you do not understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Accept NPS employes as equalls as I accecpt YCS employes we are all in this together! And its gona be awhile"
Submittals on 3/8/97
"What a bunch of whining, self-serving know-it-alls! Boy O Boy, if the NPS and YCS had just put a few of you self-righteous, self-appointed experts-in-all-things in charge, I'm sure we would have been back in business the first week of January! "
"The union we have, SEIU, for YCS, SUCKS. I have been rehired back to my old job in the Valley but since I have housing out of the valley the company will not house me until Hwy 140 opens. The shuttles are set up for NPS folks who work the 10 hour day. It says in the union book that they have to give me housing but the union won't back me up"
"I would like to know where the Y.C.S. employees are going to be housed this summer. There are rumors that people will be hired back but there will not be enough housing for them here in the valley. "
Submittals on 3/7/97
"Yes I have also noticed the radical tree trimming that NPS has done all through the valley. Why did they take out all those nice cedars at the bottom of Lower Yosemite Falls? It sure is a beautiful view now but this seems so contradictory to their main mission in Yosemite "Protect the resources". I was told that these are considered "weed trees" and must be removed. Does this mean that all the cedars in Yosemite should be removed? Why don’t they remove that beautiful non-native sugar maple across the street from the chapel? Because the tourists love it and there would be a public uproar but no one will notice those poor cedars that lost their place in Yosemite so that the tour trams can stop there, hold up traffic and ogle and ahhh at the Lower Falls. The Central Park trimming of the trees along both loops is another matter. It was all done under the excuse of helping the sun get on the road to melt the ice, what a bunch of bull. Southside drive is in the shade most of the winter because of the south rim, maybe we should lower this down. They cut out all the lower branches and small trees yet did not touch the canopy. This is going to help melt the ice? They did it because the public is not in the valley to call them on these stupid waste money projects."
"Did you hear about all the nice computers that the different NPS branches asked for to be replaced because of the flood? I’ve heard that there was not one damaged from the flood but that this is a good excuse to get for your unit equipment that you never could get. They are all milking the system !"
"Is it true that the flooded campground sites are going to be relocated to other floodplain locations, not really out of the floodplain?"
"Reservations about Reservations - DRAFT The Park Service has floated the idea of a day use reservation scheme for Yosemite. This raises some questions and some very serious concerns set forth in this DISCUSSION DOCUMENT. We welcome clarification from the NPS as well as comments on the issues from anyone with experience or good ideas.
Concerns regarding proposed reservations for Yosemite day use.
•Process: Why is the reservation's plan being developed in secret? It can have very harmful impacts on the local hotels, motels, and B & Bs which provide the overnight accommodations outside the Park that the NPS has always said it preferred to accommodations within the Park. IF a system is necessary, and it is not obvious that it is, then discussion with those who may be harmed by the system would help minimize the harm. Why does the NPS not publish each draft on the Web as well as other venues and ask for and consider comments from those with a lot of experience and a stake in what happens in Yosemite? Why does the NPS not utilize the communication efficiency of e-mail to allow citizens to express their ideas and concerns?What is the need for a day use reservations system, in normal times or in this year of "highwater"?
•In spite of the rheortic about Yosemite "having reach its saturation point" etc, the fact is that even Yosemite Valley is rarely "full" as defined by the NPS car counts and the capacities set by the NPS after a comprehenive planning process. In fact the Valley should never be full unless the NPS goofs, because the Day Use Traffic Management Plan cuts off access in the rare event that the Valley capacity is approached - only a few days at most a year - all the rhetoric and media "stories" notwithstanding. •Perhaps there is a temporary need for reservations this year, due to the flood, but this is not obvious. One would assume that visitation will be down due to the publicity and the closure of some campgrounds and overnight units - eliminating all those cars from the roads, trail heads, and parking lots. •The ability to accommodate these day users wouldn't seem to be a problem. The problems with the broken sewer is fixed, the wells work - at least on manual control. There should be plenty of parking for the reduced number of visitors, AND the campgrounds could be used for parking if there was a need to close some parking due to construction.
What is the problem that requires the reservations system. The justification from the park has been very sketchy and it sounds like another "closure for the convenience of the government". But if there is a reason the NPS should tell people what it is.
The Reservations System - Damage Control
•The hasty imposition of a reservation system is certain to harm the surrounding communities which provide accommodations and other services outside the boundaries as called for by the NPS and its visionary GMP. A system should be imposed only if there truly is a need and the system should be designed to be minimally harmful to visitors and the region.
•Our major questions are: •Is the system for the Valley or the Park? •Is the system mandatory or voluntary. A voluntary system - to assure a visitor of entrance even if capacity is reached might be no big problem. But if a reservation is required in order to enter then the system will be very harmful, and unnecessarily so, to visitors and the community. Popular restaurants admit guests without reservations whenever they are not "full". You are never "required" to have a reservation. •What is the number of Cars and busses allowed, •What will the fee be? Will it be in addition to the entrance fee or part of it? Will the fee be charged to all, or just those who want guaranteed admittance. •What provisions will be made for those who do not have credit cards to purchase a reservation by phone, or who don't speak English?
•Alternatives that can reduce crowding and automobile use without the cost and disruption
•The real long term need is to reduce the number of cars driving to Yosemite, providing quality and voluntary alternatives that people will use. The free or low fare shuttle proposed by local businesses, on a funding model similar to the successful Valley Shuttles and Badger Shuttle (perhaps with an NPS subsidy as well) could let many visitors leave their cars in Mariposa, Fish Camp, Buck Meadows or other logical points on the 3 highways. By taking the shuttle instead of cars everyone wins. •Try the incentives and disincentives used elsewhere - have higher peak day fees and lower offpeak along with a carpool incentive to waive the fee for carpools of 4 or more occupants. This will create a powerful, but voluntary, incentive for people to carpool for day trips - particularly on peak days. •Provide a free shuttle for commuting employees, saving them money while getting the car off the road. •Improve the existing information system to provide consistently accurate information on park access regarding capacity, closures, etc, so people can plan their visits knowing if the Park is close to full or not. It usually is not.
Submittals on 3/5/97
"I am concerned that the public is not getting the service it deserves from its public servants. It’s obvious that Yosemite’s superindendent, "an old budget officer", is making a grab for money. In the Yosemite Valley Housing Plan, it has been proposed to spend 150 million dollars to remove approximately 345 employee beds from the valley. The environmental impact of spending this money is negligible according to the report. My best guess is that it will restore about 11 acres of cedar. While the park has been closed, hundreds of healthy cedars have been mowed down, including the trees that blocked the view to lower Yosemite Falls. Stumps were pulled . Why? Why is it decreed that some cedars will live and some will die? Is the view to Yosemite Falls more natural now? Our money should be spent more frugally and on something that has a long term effect on the environment. The "money grab " is O.K. by me, because Yosemite is my backyard. But let’s do something with that money that will last. Not tear down and build more buildings. The largest building in Yosemite Valley is the Ahwahnee and no one is going to tear it down. To save the environment, which should be the goal of the park service, there are many projects more worthy. I suggest restoring the flood plain on the Tuolumne river behind Hetch Hetchy dam. Wake up San Francisco. Who needs a football stadium or the Olympics more than a 2nd Yosemite Valley? Think of all the acres of land that could be restored by asking San Francisco to get its water from a less majestic spot! Question: If you had 178 million dollars, what would you do with it?"
"Just to pose another question. Does anyone know why NPS has been cutting apart and literally removing so many trees in the valley? As you drive along HWY 41 they have cut not only limbs from the trees on the uphill side of the road but also to the downhill side. The limb trimming was done to open up the road for morning thawing but this road remains in the shadows until late afternoon anyway. And what is the advantage of cutting below the level of the road. It seems that this will lead to erosion problems in the Spring. Another question is why did they take out so many of the baby trees at the lodge that were planted a couple of years ago? Roots and all are gone with no sign left that they were ever there. What about all the trees they removed at the viewpoint from the bike trail of Yosemite Falls? They must have removed at least 10 full grown trees there. I thought they were going to allow that area to return to nature. Also in the same area along the bike path they have trimmed all the lower branches off the trees. It looks barren. What was the purpose to this. It seems that while the public is not here to view what is going on, the powers that be are quickly persuing their own agenda. If anyone can shred light on this, please do as I would like to understand."
"Send more cops! We need to police all these crazy locals. Especially all those doped up Y.C.S. employees. Come on, give us Y.C.S. workers a break. We’re tired of being stepped on by park service ,our own government, and others who don’t give a shit about the little guy. WE THE PEOPLE.......... Why only one shuttle? It’s SET UP to apese park service emloyees. Y.C.S. workers pay taxes too, you know. We need to work. We want to work. Why does chicken shit Y.C.S. upper manegment let this happen to it’s employees? The whole system is a joke. Please try to work with us and not against us. Same old. Same old."
Submittals on 3/3//97
"-------------------Begin Press Release-------------------- We have very serious Reservations about the Day Use Reservations system the National Park Service is planning for Yosemite. We are also concerned about the unapproved removal of the very popular Rivers Campground. These measures are harmful to visitors and the surrounding communities and are inconsistent with the overall mission of the NPS to protect the resource while providing for its use and enjoyment by present and future generations. In spite of the popular view to the contrary, Yosemite National Park, and even the very popular Yosemite Valley are very rarely "full" as defined by the numbers set by the National Park Service. Popular and busy on some Spring and Summer weekends and holidays, Yes! But not "full". The NPS has a traffic management plan that restricts access to Yosemite Valley when capacity is reached. In response to our question last week, the NPS Public Information Office in Yosemite stated: "Garrett - As per your request, the total number of days in which traffic restrictions were applied during (sic) 1988 and 1995 was 24" and to clarify this message the PIO responded with: "Yes, 24 days during 1988 - 1995 inclusive." Last year, 1996, the Valley filled to the point that restrictions were applied on May 25 from 11:30 to 3:15 and on May 26 from 11 to 4. Two days full! There is no reason to assume that more people will come this year with the bad publicity, the closure of the Rivers Campgrounds (which we oppose), the partial closure of Yosemite Lodge, and fewer employees. We see no reason why the ability to accommodate day visitors should be down. If there is a reason, other than lack of will, what is it? It is likely that visitation will be way down based on the level of cancellations being experienced by area motels. Even if reservations become necessary at some point they should be optional,allowing someone to reserve a space to be sure of getting in, but not a "requirement" for admittance. That is the way reservations work in the rest of the world. But it seems the NPS envisions a mandatory reservation. You must have a reservation to be allowed in, whether the Valley (or Park) is full or not. There is no reason for this and it is an abuse of power by the government and should be resisted. We have made numerous recommendations for simple, voluntary, and inexpensive ways to deal with Yosemite's real and imaginary transportation problems. Ourweb site at http://members.aol.com/YosemiteOL/ suggests many ideas: a tiered fee structure to encourage off peak visitation, free entrance for car pools to encourage day visitors to share a ride with neighbors, free shuttles from the nearby communities for employees and visitors (as recently suggested by the motels in the area), eliminating the entrance fee for bus passengers, and using simple traffic management tools such as directing traffic at the 7 bottlenecks the few days that this would be necessary. In the long term voluntary and low cost public transit can meet the real need of reducing the overall use of automobiles in California.. Garrett De Bell, Executive Director Yosemite Guardian, an Earth Island"
Submittals on 3/1//97
"Yeah, I have noticed all kinds of people driving up and down 140 who have nothing to do with the work on the road. I know of a person in his private car who just wanted to go to El Portal, showed up at the dam at 6:00am and the ranger said "sure just drive down". There are a bunch of NPS folks who work in the valley that drive up and down when they want to. What will happen to us YCS employees when we have to go back to work on March 15 and we work a night shift?? The company has already told me that they will not give me housing in the valley since I live in El Portal, what can I do? The shuttle is set up for NPS folks who work the 8 to 5 with no consideration for the rest of us. The same is true with the regular shuttle system that runs in the summer, always set up for NPS not for the poor YCS folks who work late at night. And what about them letting tour buses up and down the road with the shuttles!!! How about us that work. If they can let up tour buses why not employee cars? More Nps stupidity."
"It happened again. As I was driving to catch a shuttle out at Cedar Lodge I saw, 3 rangers(2 at night), 2 sheriffs and 1 CHP. Why are they wasting our money? We never have any sheriffs or CHP’s here in the summer when the canyon is packed with tourists and usually only 1 to 2 rangers. It’s just us locals and workers so why do we have so much police presence. I’ve heard that they all collect OT against the incident. Think we’ll see any sheriffs or CHP’S once the road opens. Stop wasting our money!"
Submittals on 2/28/97
"The shuttle schedule from El Portal to the Valley and back is inconvenient and stressful for me. I have no desire to work 5 12+ hour days; yet NPS seems to be more caught up in their own power trips than trying to work with its employees. I am curious to know if "big wigs" are also being held to the shuttle schedule or if can they travel on the road as they please. Has anyone observed what kind of non-construction traffic has been going on during the day? Why is it possible for the contractors working on 140 between the Octagon and El Portal to allow hourly convoys to pass, but not for the contractors inside the park? Why is it that commercial interests in Mariposa and El Portal have more pull in deciding the shuttle schedule than the employees who have to ride it each day? [thanks for running this site- it makes for interesting reading and cathartic venting"
Submittals on 2/24/97
"It's refreshing to see some sane voices for a change (2/23/97), instead of therecent self-centered conspiracy theorists that have occupied this page recently. No, the NPS or YCS are not responsible for everything bad that has happened to you recently. Nor are they monitoring your brainwaves or tapping your phone. Really"
"Why do we still have Mariposa County sheriffs still patrolling in El Portal? I feel so protected. I never see one sheriff all summer yet now I see 2 a day!! You know why? They are collecting overtime against this ongoing made up incident just like a lot of other folks.Our road into here is closed from 7:30pm to 5:00am and only locals are let in. Why do we still pay these people overtime? I would love to see them here in the summer when the place is packed with tourists and the fire danger is high but why are we paying them to be here now?"
"This is a reply to "Come on people" 2/23/97. This is no flaming, I would just like to point out a few facts. The closure of HWY140 for March 95 from the large rock is jus another example of how NPS deals with simple issues that the outside world would go "gee what is the problem" and fix it in a week. NPS had trail crew and horse packers fixing a major road that we all depend on. Why? Sure they did a great job and its beautiful work but it should have been done by the pros in a week. And yes HWY 140 was damaged badly. But look at HWY 50 it took a heavy hit twice and was still repaired way ahead of schedule. The contract to fix HWY 140 in the canyon did start until 2/1/97, a month after the flood!!! The small slump on HWY 41 at Rail Creek that kept the road closed for 23 days, not to count all the overtime required for the road guards, was fixed in 7 hours by the contractor. And what about all this so called damage to buildings in the valley. Sure some tents got moved around but that’s it. Lets dry out the buildings, fix the drywall and get back to work. Why do they want to raze those and then destroy another section of the valley to build them just to have them moved out for the next master plan? If need be lets go by the GMP and not by the wild weird whims of the wannabes running the park. They do their little thing to foster their career and then leave to ruin some other park while we are left with the consequences. Lets face it the whole valley is a flood plain."
"the type is kind of small. I suggest leaving it the default size and not reducing it to size 2 with the font tag. AND THANKS for doing this page. It is good to see that some people are fed up with the arrogance and wastefulness of the NPS, in spite of the good folks in the ranks. Promote them and chop off the top and you might have a good system again"
"There has been too much bitching about how much it will cost to open the park. This should not be the issue.. To restore Yosemite to handle 4+million visitors, we need to spend this cash. We will all suffer if there is less trafic in the park. 2.178million is chump change in goverment terms. less than one tenth of a B-2 bomber to fix YOSEMITE. Hell, SF has no problem putting up 100mill for the 49er’s stadium, and they are a city! We rely on Yosemite far more than SF does on the 49er’s so who cares ???All this bitching has perked the media’s ears. If NPS doesn’t get the 178 million do you think the park will be open? Will you have a job if the park is closed? THINK ABOUT IT"
"Just so the word gets out the Ahwahnee and Curry will open on March 15 --- the Lodge will open too but only about half the rooms will be in use. If you are a YCS employee you should be called back in senority order.Good Luck to all----- hope we dont have any more problems for a long time"
"First, Thanks for this avenue of expression. It not only allows us to feel like we are being heard but lets anyone "vent" which seem to be more than a few. I have read much about opinions and how individuals view this whole event shaking out. Most of it negative. Greeting from the other side. Regardless of the positions taken by politically driven agendas and pro and non-pro GMP advocates. If we peel back the veneer of the Yosemite Valley and El Portal communities that is exactly what we find, community. A small piece of our cullture hidden in our daily struggles and petroleum based living styles. My family has only lived here since October. In that short time, we have been extended a warm invitation to join these communities irreverent of which side of the political fence we come from. Friendships have been fostered and will continue to grow, no matter what the outcome of the park’s future. I had the pleasure of shoulder to shoulder work with a number of people in the Valley the first days of the new year. Those were long, labor filled days, where no one was concerned with your orientation, but got to know who you were as a person. Cooperation and assistance was the commonplace. The rain kept coming and we kept working together. We didn’t care which side of the "fence" we were on when we were putting down sandbags and foolishly attempting to hold back the forces of Mother Nature. During those few bone soaking nights there was no corporation or government just people working as community members, toward a common cause. That sense of community I have not felt for quite some time. It is the very essence our society that is so easily forgotten when we add our "modern baggage". Yosemite is a very special place. So special, no amount of posturing will change the natural plant or the community spirit that exists here. Hold on to that Spirit in these times of change Yosemite. It is a constant that sometimes gets overlooked but quickly comes to light as we see our children play together"
Submittals on 2/23/97
"Come on people, what makes you think they can repair all of the damage on Hwys 140 and 120 and the damage in the park in two months. Do you remember when that rock the size of a house hit Hwy 140 in March of 1995? The road was closed for 4 weeks. That was only one 70 foot section of road. Hwy 140 is damaged in 19 locations, the shoulder of the road is completely gone along most of the road. The road itself is gone in two sections that I saw (if you count the road in front of the warehouse in El Portal), not to mention the "Cookie" area where there was a hole 300 ft. long and 20 ft. deep. They have had to replace a 300 ft. section of sewer pipe and replace a high voltage electrical tower. I’m sure there are hazardous trees all over the place that need to be trimmed and taken down. We don’t want a repeat of the "Valley Floor decapitaion" incident do we? How can you possibly expect the park to be in good safe shape for guests to come back to Yosemite? Have you people read the Flood Damage Assesment report? The Annex dorms, the Ozone and Camp Six tent camps were damaged, not to mention the 360 some rooms at Yosemite Lodge that were damaged. The Chapel was damaged. Does the $84,000,000 figure include repairs, or relocation of employee housing and guest accomodations out of the flood plain? Does it include furnishings and carpet replacement? You may be right it might not take the whole $84 million to repair and replace buildings but I do think that the damage done was extensive and will take a lot of money and time to fix. Do you know that when YCS took over the Concession that they turned over all of the buildings to the NPS. So the $64,000,000 did not include the buildings. NPS owns them now, YCS just has to maintain them. I’m pretty sure this is true. If you know otherwise please speak up. And my opinion on why YCS doesn’t open up the Wawona Hotel and Badger Pass and certain other services is because it isn’t cost effective. They would have to hire back the staff, the night audit staff, the accounting staff and house these people who need housing. As far as Badger Pass is concerned they don’t make their money there. They make their money in the hotel rooms and restaurants etc. That is why they let people ski for free and ski for reduced rates. I know I shouldn’t be defending YCS, I dislike Jeremy Jacob and his crappy New York attitude just as much as the next guy. The way he is cutting guest service and employee jobs and benefits just to line his own pockets pisses me off too. But SOME of the rest of the people in this company are decent folks who are just doing their job. And YCS is a business and they are out to make money. I want my job back too, this layoff has set me back financially not to mention the fact that I won’t get to take vacation time for a long time. Please don’t flame me I’m just voicing my opinions too"
"I have been reading these letters for weeks and I see a lot of anger and frustration. I just have a few points to make. (1) The damage to Yosemite was caused by nature not NPS or YCS. Have things been handled correctly on both sides? Probably not, but they are only human and were forced into a situation they have never handled before. Also remember, when you make decisions that affect a lot of people, not everyone is going to be happy with the decision. (2) The roads sustained a lot of damage over many miles. A lot of the roads have been undermined. Are they passable now.....yes but they are 1 lane and that is not a safe situation to be in with a lot of people visiting the park. The snow level is over 200% of normal with very high water content. Most of you know what happened last spring. Just ask yourselves....if repairs are a band-aid situation so as to hurry up and open the park.....what can happen in May? I don’t like being unemployed any more than the rest of you but, I don’t want to go back tomorrow and be out of work again come May. Do you?"
"Beginning March 15 NPS will allow tour buses to travel with the current employee shuttles (morning and evening) as I understand it, but will absolutely not allow any employee travel in personal vehicles. I have seen contractor workers drive up and down Hwy 140 in their personal vehicles more than once. Employees should be allowed to drive personal vehicles in the employee shuttles, in my opinion. You know who we have figuring all this out? Incident people who have no knowledge of the area, the local people, and their concerns. Still wondering why it’s taking so long to fix everything?"
YOSEMITE FIASCO FLOOD PAGE 2 FROM 2/5/97 TO 1/15/97
Submittals on 2/5/97
"Does anybody care that the park is still closed for no reason and that all of us who depend on it for our livelyhood are loosing big?"
"Regarding Badger Pass closure: The concessionaire is given a monopoly in return for providing commercial sevices to the public. The company is more like a public utility than a normal business as it has no competition. Therefore, it has to take the bitter with the sweet. Just because its cash cow in Yosemite Valley is not capable of being milked, should not mean that other services should be stopped. I understand housing for employees was offered by local hotels at reasonable rates. Or why not Wawona, which now will be housing the Institute? Were the Redwoods or Yosemite West Condos asked for employee housing rates? Unfortunately, the Park Service has allowed YCS to make this decision. Will NPS allow similar pleas in the future, every time YCS feels it is losing money on an operation? Since, by the new contract, the Park Service gets a percentage of YCS profits for its "slush fund", it seems reasonable that it will be inclined to approve other closures as well, since money lost at YCS is money not gained at NPS. And who watches out for the public interest? Congressman Radanovich? Right!"
"Delaware North has taken every opportunity to strike any operation that doesn’t always make money. They love to cry we’re in the RED, but as a whole they are doing better than fine. How can a huge corporation like Delaware North take a very lucrative operation like the concessions in Yosemite and be in the RED when the previous operators were doing great?
Will you give me the new contract and whine over the new fees they must pay the NPS? Are you trying to say they under-estimated their take? No, I believe Jeremy Jacobs cares more for his green and less for the people who work their butts off for him in Yosemite.
If Delaware North can’t live with the Park, then let them leave. In for a penny, in for a pound.
And to your comment on "the grand scheme of things". The only thing your "Mother Nature" missed is removing people like you who speak from two sides of your mouth, not having your own opinion, BUT rather saying what is best heard in the ears of your superiors. "
Submittals on 2/4/97
"Hi! excellent site. It's about time that we had a place where we can voice our opinions and not live in fear of big brother. The sewer and water are fixed, you can drive in and out of the valley on three roads, why is OUR Yosemite closed? "
"Thanks for the e-mail. Probably the best way of letting the park know about your frustration is to contact Ann Sparks at the Mariposa Chamber or Steve Hayes at the Visitors Bureau. Ann was part of a group that met with BJ Griffin last week for a briefing and tour of the park and was given a video, maps, and a report on the flood damage that she can share with you. The park has sustained considerable damage to infrastructure (water, sewer, and roads), however it is their goal to open those parts of the park which can still support visitors as soon as possible (Wawona, Chinquapin, and Badger Pass in the Hwy 41 Corridor and Crane Flat in the Hwy 120 Corridor)."
"It is my understanding that the entry that starts out "My story is a little different....." is in fact fiction and was submitted by an NPS resident to make Park Service feel and look better. To my knowledge there was not a baby born in the Park or El Portal during the flood. Can anyone confirm or deny? If this is true, it is self-serving and not an appropriate use of this page."
"why is there always a line of park service vehicles at Parkline Hotel on Hwy 140 at 5:30am waiting for the gate to be unlocked? I see all these NPS vehicles going up and down through the gate and I know they are going into the valley. That propaganda (referring to the info flyer that PIO sends out) about only being able to use those little service vehicles is crap"
Submittals on 2/3/97
"While it is 99.9% certain that Badger Pass DOWNHILL operations will NOT resume this season, as of Monday morning, 2/3, NO official (Corporate/Buffalo) decision had been rendered.
There are 2 important "real" Badger Pass downhill has (and probably will) remained closed.
1) Around 100+ employees are needed to run the area on a daily basis.
Even a "skeleton" crew would number 75-80. Currently there is nowhere to house that many employees...(dig snow caves for ‘em maybe??). The Cross-country operation (which reopened Saturday 2/1) requires NO lifts to operate and a much smaller work force, many of which have their own non-company housing outside Yosemite Valley (Yosemite West & North Wawona).
2) To depend entirely on DAY SKIERS would only lead to further & larger economic losses. The BULK of Badger’s skiers (especially midweek) come from guests staying in Yosemite Valley where accommodations are currently unavailable, and thus, no Midweek Packages available to make it economically inviting to the overnight visitor to ski Badger. Prior to Christams (When no "Ski Free" or "Midweek Package" are available) many times the employees at Badger outnumber skiers!! In a previous season (prior to Christmas) the company was permitted to operate on a Weekend only basis due to the economic hardship the lack of midweek skiers imposed. There ARE clauses in the contract that permit YCS (with NPS approval) to curtail or close certain operations if continued, large economic losses can be shown.
Everytime a natural occurance such as this has taken place there has always been a lot of loud rhetoric, arm waving and finger pointing (on both sides of the fence!), usually fueled by rumor and supposition. Once again, the rumor mills are working overtime. Yes, I work for YCS, but this is NOT a "Company line"...simply a carefully reasoned rebuttal from someone on the "inside" who has been in the park over 15 years.
Remember, in Mother Nature’s GRAND scheme for Yosemite, as large as this "Event/Incident" seems to us, to her it is but a small kidney stone and "This too shall pass.""
Submittals on 2/1/97
"We hear a lot about the physical losses in Yosemite but we don’t hear much about the personal losses. The Yosemite community has most likely been hit harder than any other in the State. YCS has laid off more than 1000 employees and approx. 500 have been forced to leave their place of residence. Also, we don’t want to forget about the 240 YCS employees who lost almost everything when the Yosemite Lodge housing area was flooded. Other communities in California were hit hard, but they have been able to return to home and work."
This refers to Hwy 140 between El Portal and Yosemite Valley that is supposedly closed to all traffic. "I know of several trail crew workers who get to go up and down Hwy 140 to get to work and then back again, how come I can't. It should be the same for everyone. Why don't they allow us to commute up early and then back late so that we are not in the way of the road repair folks?"
"Hi, I know there is a meeting Monday, so I wanted to convey some ideas and concerns regarding accurate and accessible information on road access.
I wanted to repeat the concerns I expressed earlier with the inaccuracy of travel info during the flood incident, and continuing to the present.
Re accuracy: Note that as of 9 am on Saturday 1 February the following info was on the YATI web site at http://www.yosemite.com/ and clicking on the Advisory button. This info is innaccurate.
YOSEMITE VALLEY IS CLOSED DUE TO FLOOD DAMAGE. (true)
HIGHWAY 41 OPEN TO WAWONA. (innaccurate) the rest is accurate.
The NPS Road and Weather number at 209 372-0200 reports that:
Highway 41 is open from the South Entrance to Badger Pass.
It would be very helpful to have accurate info, as it is the YATI site convey’s the information that Badger and Yosemite West are closed. This is harmful to the businesses in the area and visitors who want to visit, ski, etc.
If it is impossible to keep the web site current, I think it would be better to just give the phone number on the web site and let people call. Except during the flood incident 372-0200 is usually reliable.
Also I wanted to comment on the web site. It is great, except for the lack of a way for those with older web browsers to get the info. A simple html 2 alternative linking from the noframes page would be all that is needed. As it is now with no alternate path a person who has AOL ver 2.5 for instance (very common) will see only a message that they need to get Netscape to see more and NO Yosemite info. I consult on Internet strategy and create simple web sites and would be happy to assist.
I hope you will have a chance to discuss these topics Monday.
Thanks for your continued help.
We welcome advice and comments from anyone concerned with the future of Yosemite."
"Anyone heard the rumor that Secretary Babbitt is taking over officially as Yosemite Superintendent. Confirm, Deny DOI?"
"This just in it will cost $180 million to fix Yosemite. Does this includes the over 5 million wasted already doing nothing?"
"Rumor has it that the NPS concession management office spent the first few days of the flood working on a new policy to protect Yosemite against the antropomorhizing of animals - no more human names or characteristics. Thank God the NPS is protecting us so our kids and grandkids won’t be exposed to Bambi, Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Poo, or Dr. Suess. Any response NPS. Want to share your policy with the public or does that violate a rule too."
"My story is a little different than the others you told. On the night that the water started getting really high, I was almost two weeks overdue, and I had ignored my OB’s orders to move to my mother’s house until the delivery. That night my husband got stuck in Oakhurst with two flat tires. Anyway, it got pretty clear as the water started to come up through the door that I would have to evacuate all my stuff by myself. As I was moving the 27" Sony into the truck, It started to get really fast and hard labor pains. I got really worried. About then the ranger showed up with the water almost going into the doors of his patrol car. He really calmed me down and got me focused. He had me lie down in the back of his car and he went back and got out most of my stuff, including Slinky and her new kittens-(she’s my cat!), my diary, and Bosco my teddy bear. After he saved my stuff he came back and when we realized the rising water had cut us off, he calmed me down again and we delivered the baby about 45 minutes later! He was soaking wet but kept me warm and dry and even breathed a little for the baby when he finally came. I’ve heard a lot of bad stuff about the rangers in the year that I’ve been here, but if they are all like ranger Lober they can be proud! I named my baby Keith and I hope someday he will be able to be a hero some night like ranger Keith. "
"I love your "flood fiasco page"- it makes me nostalgic and want to be there so I can lay into the NPS as well (remember when I got snowed in at Badger for a week & a half). I hope you get a lot of feed-back because the issues with the NPS are true: Self-serving, money spending, lazy, no-direction government workers. See ya,"
"Regarding the closure of Badger Pass "I was just told that a decision was made back in Buffalo, headquarters of Delaware North, not to open Badger Pass for downhill skiing this year. I believe this decision violates the spirit and probably the terms of their contract which guarantees this company a monopoly on services in the Park. Is the Park Service doing anything about this decision? If this company is unwilling to serve the public it should be found in default of its contract and removed. Is it possible the company will do better financially because of loss of business insurance if it keeps its facilities totally closed?"
"Hi : Here are 2 or 3 to start:
1. The severe road damage on highway 41 which was used as an excuse to keep people out of this area was repaired last Friday. It was a slight slump of 10-20 feet long on the edge of the road. Cal trans had a much worse problem on 41 above Oakhurst. They put cones out. The Park Service placed a guard at each end of the slump for about 3 weeks until they could get around to fixing the only access to the Park. The repairs took less than a day. There was also a guard at Chinquapin and Wawona.
2. The Park Service closed Hwy 41 entirely due to high winds and trees on the road on Jan. 6,7. While there were high winds on Sunday night, they were gone by Monday morning. Nor were there any trees down on the road from Yosemite West to South entrance. Despite being told repeatedly by rangers and road crew that there were no winds, the Park Service kept the road closed. After opening the road a curfew was imposed for 4 more days. Residents were not informed at first and therefore found themselves either locked out or locked in at Yosemite West. The supposed justification for the curfew was the dangerous condition of the road (see above). When a government body uses armed personnel to keep citizens in or out of their homes for no reason except convenience, it is not only illegal, it sounds like a different country.
3. A YCS employee was hired for a specific job, which took about 2 hours to accomplish. It was decided by "Incident Command" that this job should be done by the command unit so three people are now doing the job of one in more time.
4. Speaking of jobs, since most YCS people are gone and special Incident Command teams have been running things, what are the protection and interpretive rangers doing with no one to protect or interpret to. We hear far to many stories of people just sitting around doing nothing. Can anyone confirm?"
"yes, I heard that they had three rangers on night shift now, 2 more than in the summer, and that one drove 50 times around the loop because he was bored. He now goes home and sleeps at 2:00am because he is so bored. Why do we have so many rangers doing law enforcement n the valley now? There are only maybe 400 people there and the place is like a police state."
"We had three rangers on night shift in El portal for awhile but I think it is now down to 2. Our road is closed at 5:30pm so why all the ranger presence?. They don't even have a ranger on night shift here in the summer when there are thousands of people!!
Referring to NPS "all they have are meetings, meetings and then some more meetings, they never get anything done"
Referring to Hwy 140 from El Portal to Yosemite Valley " I've been driving up and down 140 from El Portal to the Valley to work and then back again"
An anonymous page makes a great deal of sense as there are a lot of good people in the concession and the NPS (not at the top unfortunately though).
It also is worth getting a strategy to get discussion in the environmental newsgroups and various available online forums as misguided "environmentalism" has created a lot of the Yosemite disaster (not the wet one, the political one).
From a resident trapped in Foresta "they are letting the people from Yosemite West into the valley with no restrictions why can't I go from Foresta to the valley, all the NPS folks are allowed to"
About the waste of money by NPS on this ongoing non-incident "I suggest a letter to the editor of the Fresno and Modesto "Bee", the "Gazette" and the SF "Chronicle". Also, call the Fresno offices of Senator Boxer and speak to Tom Bohigian, her aide and George Radanovich (ask for John McCamman) who will call you back from Washington. I have kept them informed about this fiasco, but I think they are prone to believe the "official" version they are being fed unless they hear what is really going on from enough people. Good Luck. "
"Regarding the opening of Badger Pass for downhill skiing: I was told that YCS (Yosemite Concession Services) was soliciting the Oakhurst Community to purchase a certain dollar amount of lift tickets which could then be given or resold to guests. Without a guarantee from the community, Badger Pass would not reopen. Since the company has a contract giving it a monopoly on the business in the Park, it has an obligation to provide visitor services. It should not be blackmailing a nearby community into providing a profit for the company. Can anyone confirm?" To late Badger Downhill closed for the season, see above
Submittals on 2/20/97
"What ever happened to freedom of speech? The "Tool" really out did themselves this time. Why did a local loose their job(or at least their ability to provide for their family) because they provided a forum for us to speak freely? It seems pretty lame to make one-person a scape goat for us(the masses).How does the PARK CIRCUS justify this(PLEASE RESPOND I KNOW YOUR(BIG BROTHER THAT IS) MONITORING THIS)??Why is highway 50 opening so soon when hwy 140 had much less damage? The money there asking for ($178,000,000)seems ridiculous because most of this is going to be used to implement the 1980 GMP(which this FIASCO shows is very out dated in planning and thought)How can they say that this is needed to get WE THE PEOPLE back into OUR PARK, all roads are passable NOW? We need to put an end to this free spending by the government, this is worse then the $500.00 toilet seats of the '80s.Power to the people, and if necessary FIGHT THE POWERS THAT BE"
"Has anyone else noticed the stony silence of the NPS AKA "the Park".They say they want public input, but only on their very rigid terms. Sad. Some leadership and compassion in the NPS hierarchy would be a welcome change"
"Thanks for the forum, just found the web site and it's a great place to say what's on ones mind. As it's late, I'll write more soon"
Submittals on 2/17/97
"And to top it off……………….$178,000,000????????????? Some of these figures look like the Boondoggle to top all Boondoggles!! The detailed list in March should be great reading to see how all this adds up. Now the Boondoggle is not in the government spending this much money, its more in the way it being justified. We know that $84,000,000 worth of buildings were not destroyed in the flood. The news cameras have even had a hard time showing damage. Ever since the river went down (day 5 of the Incident?) they’ve just been able to show ponds of water on meadows. They’re getting tired of showing some cheap tent cabins that were flooded. And the justification or the philosophy behind the repairs is "Park facilities, resources and operations DAMAGED BY THE FLOOD will be fully restored in scope, scale and function, etc." The big dollar figure is handed about like all this money is for repairs. We close the park and act like we got really beat up so everybody feels sorry for us and really we could have a lot more services back on line right now if we wanted to. Just for comparison, the inventory for all of YCS holdings when they had to buy everything under the new contract was only $64,000,000. Do some comparisons with that. Its like saying that everything YCS owns and maintains was destroyed in the flood swept down the river in addition to another $20,000,000 worth. Some of the other areas look pretty inflated also and look like good ways to fund this park for a rebuild. Which is also admitted in the articles in the newspapers and now we finally get to see the 1980 GMP (which has never been completely approved?) put into place. Check out these numbers and play with them, its fun"
"YNPS should consider limitation of, or require day-use permits, for those in vehicles. If bus service ran to entrances (where would parking be?) or at least all the way around the loop in the Valley, very much constantly moving (or gridlocked) traffic could be reduced. NO LIMITATION ON FOOT TRAVELLERS! How about a system, vaguely similar to Mexico’s, to reduce smog, whereby you are given "x" number of hours to get into the Valley & park your car, and an "x" time slot when you can drive out; the rest of the time your car stays parked, & you are a walker / bus rider. Those who want to drive in, about, & then out, or drive at any time of day or night (unless license handicapped or very aged) would be limited in numbers. "
"The hotel is only being used for Yosemite Inst. school groups during the week. It still is not open to the general public. Does anyone know why????? it has not opened for weekends at least????? By the way the hotel does not have e mail"
"84 million dollars seems like a lot of money to replace the buildings that were damaged in the flood. Could someone itemize this expenditure so that we could view it on this forum? I’m wondering if the Park Service is planning on using tents for YCS employee housing or if all employee housing will become permanent structures?"
"Nice page & info. I just get upset reading almost anything about "public service" these days. It’s oh so much control. Somewhere along the line we’ve got to get the government back to "service" and off the track of "public domination". Yosemite really could be open to those willing to make the trek in; usually these types are comfortable with back country and hazardous conditions, & could certainly negotiate the few remaining hazards within the Valley."
Submittals on 2/16/97
"just to let everyone up there know, the tour buses are rolling again, my 13 year old son just got on a bus this morning with his middle school about 30 kids. they will be staying at the wawona hotel, they were suppose to be up there the week of jan. 9th, but of course that was cancelled...anyway if anyone knows an email address for the wawona hotel i would sure appreciate it..i would like to send him an email while he is up there. please email me at jettaglx@pacbell.net hope all gets better up there soon!! thanks his mom :)"
"Has the "incident" really necessitated the need for day us reservations or is it used as an excuse to implement a perceived need to limit "day use", i.e. visitors, to Yosemite. Evidently there was no input on whether this idea was necessary, reasonable or possible. Necessary? What problems in Yosemite Valley will affect day use visitors? ( NPS respondents try to be real here. Most damage effects employee housing (overnight visitor) or campgrounds). Reasonable? The media cites 7 days last year where traffic was gridlocked. Do we need a summer or year long plan for a 7 day problem? Possible? Could be wrong here, but I recall a figure of 25,000 per day as a figure cited in past years. Reducing to 15,000 per day, as a figure to work with, is about 5,000 cars. It’s going to take a major system to deal with the logistics: 3-8,000 calls per day. At three minutes per call that’s 20 per hour or maybe 150 per day per clerk. And then there’s all those phones, computers and the software for the program. Possibly we can find the same folks who designed the IRS or the DMV software to help us out. But this system is going to be ready by Memorial Day. Right!"
"Can any one tell me why we are still in the Incident Command Mode?? With no more danger from floods, landslides, falling trees, or whatever Park Service is concerned about why are they so worked up? I for one am tired of seeing my tax dollars flushed down the toilet as certain people get rich off the incident. I mean do really need 4 to 5 rangers working overtime in the valley in the day and then a couple at night. This is more protection than I have during the summer when the place is packed. All I see them do is drive, drive and drive some more. The valley is closed so what are these people doing with no cars to pull over or employees to hassle? I’ve heard its just as bad in El Portal, with 4 to 5 rangers on during the day and 2 at night. Why? Their road is closed to the outside world at 6:00 PM. I realize that their are many people working hard to get the infrastructure working again but this total blatant waste of money is inexcusable. Why won’t are representatives in Washington do something?"
Submittals on 2/14/97
"Cost overrun-the contract to repair HWY 140 forgot an important item, get the debris off the road and banks. That the modification to do this added $400,000 to the job!! Figure that one. How long do you think it would take a few hungry jobless people to do that one. Could you find 100 volunteers who would have worked for free if you told them it would be back to normal a month sooner? Do you think there would have been any volunteers to do that for a lot less $$$$?"
"Lets talk about DNC. The company that’s proving it really Does Not Care. Anyone heard from our employer? Gotten a letter expressing concern? A word of encouragement, some compassion or hope? Nope. Any surprised that the good folks from buffalo have plotted a way to use this event/incident to their own advantage? Heard about job offers that some people have received? The SEIU contract is clear about road closures. Employees required to work get comp meals and lodging as during the 95 road closures. Gas money was also part of the package. The key word here is required. The offered work is optional and thus the contract provisions don’t apply. SEIU doesn’t have a problem with this as it is in keeping with the contract? This optional work just happens to pay substantially less then the pre-flood rates.
YCS employees were subject to permanent layoff on the 1/3/97 in order to be rehired. Rehires must have their SS card and fill out the W2’s. When questioned about the ethics of the permanent versus the temporary layoff "that’s the way they wanted to do it". I’m sure they did! What kind of people take advantage of a natural disaster to cut the payroll? The same folks who dumped their indigent employees on the red cross and the mariposa county. Shouldn’t Jeremy with his personnel fortune 1 billion be making a donation to the red cross? After all its a tax deductible. But this is the guy who stole our pension and ended health care for people that have lost everything.
Yes he took a loss. But that should be used to cut wages? By that logic, we should get a fat raise every August. Jeremy ( The Don) Jacobs has shown his community spirit. But doing the right morally and ethically correct thing is not the DNC way. They are not a public company and they answer to no one. It seems even the NPS, which always rolls over for anything the concession wants, is beginning to wonder about the boys from Buffalo"
Submittals on 2/13/97
"I am very concerned at the implication that some people here have received threats for posting their views and/or hosting the web site. What is going on? Also, while I am not a YCS employee, I am distressed by the lack of media attention to the plight of concessions employees who have lost jobs, personal possessions, vehicles & their community. There has been tremendous coverage of the human issues in other flood areas during this time, but not the Yosemite concessions employees. I have been bringing up this issue in every forum available to me (meetings, newsgroups, etc.) and will continue to do so -- but I also hope others will bring up this issue as well. "
Submittals on 2/12/97
"On hwy 140 how come the same contractor (or even Cal Trans) cant fix and fill the shoulders now, or even three weeks ago sot that regular traffic that is going in and out on the shuttles doesn’t have to worry about driving off a 2 foot high embankment. Were not talking the majors here, that need rock and cement replacement. Were talking about the areas where its just rutted or has boulders the size of a transmission laying there so if you had to pull over you couldn’t do it. Look all up and down the canyon and notice how many area you think could have been easily repairs by now. While you do, think of how a crew of Cal Trans workers used to do the entire canyon in a week."
"I was taking a quiet walk through peaceful El Portal last night when I saw a ranger drive by, hmmm that’s strange, the roads closed, there are no tourists yet here is this NPS ranger getting paid for what? Then I saw a sheriff!! Whats going on here, was there a robbery, some heinous crime, nope just people wasting our tax dollars milking the system. In the summer when the place is packed you never see a ranger at night and how often do you see a sheriff, think about it"
"what about HWY 140 into the park??? Do we need to start a lottery on the day it’ll reopen? Its been ok to drive on for 3 weeks, give or take a little. Why can’t it be available for early morning and quitting time shuttles? Then maybe people could get back to a semblance of a normality!"
"As a business owner in the area I’m PISSED. Why is Yosemite still closed? You can drive on all three roads. What are they trying to hide?"
Submittals on 2/11/97
"Speaking of milking. The temptations to milk the incident are running high. How many people are still working 12 hour days that need to be? Are some of them big wage earners? How many of them are actually moving debris, lifting rocks or actually having a shovel in their hand? How many government shops are buying tons of supplies, equipment and things that haven't anything to do with the flood but are things they just wanted? Things that don't even qualify even in the wildest stretch of the imagination? We need a cartoon drawing of a big cow with everyone trying to grab on and milk the situation. We need a master list with the areas showing shops and what rumors of this kind of behavior have been noticed about the different areas."
"Why does El Portal need 6 law enforcement rangers during the "crisis" when on any give winter day we have only 1 and only 2 during the summer months? Its not like there’s more going on here WITHOUT the visitors here. this seems like a plot or ploy to spend more money. Does this make the incident look bigger or is it just a PARK CIRCUS POWER TRIP? How can they say they don’t have funding to better enhance the Yosemite experience? Why is the Tool the only one getting work? without normal traffic this seems to me to be fraud and abuse(Fleecing or Amerika)wheres NEWT?"
Submittals on 2/10/97
"Have you noticed all the sheriffs and extra rangers driving around El Portal. I seems that certain county agencies are getting salaries paid for by the "incident" so they rearrange their schedules so that the employees who are working for the incident are working on their days off. This makes for all overtime bieng paid against the incident when it could be regular time"
"did any one see the Mariposa Gazette for 2/6/97?? It has a photo of BJ showing the press a photo of the Cookie slide, yet that is a month old photo. Why did they not have a current photo of how the Cookie area looks today? More propaganda. Also in the article did you notice how 98% buildings to be removed are YCS, used for visitors, while NPS is going to remove only two buildings. It's the ever growing government as the winner and the poor visitor who comes all the way out from Nebraska to go camping with his family is the looser."
Submittals on 2/9/97
"Dear Yosemite Guardian,
It is a great idea to have this space/address for Yosemite folks to write into and share. You know, I do not appreciate the attitudes that some hold on the "keeping folks out of Yosemite". I have been fortunate enough to be spending considerable time in Yosemite Valley now as I have been working there. When I am out and about, checking out the scene, I am astounded by the power of nature. Not to say that this is a new "theme" in human thought/nature writing, yet by observing first handedly, it is clear to me that humans do not really even belong in Yosemite Valley. It feels very unwelcoming there now, as if the frailty of human existence is a joke to nature. I don’t know, but the feelings that some hold about the NPS excluding people from their park does not fully understand what has happend in this incredible place. It is not even fun there right now. It is full of sewer pumpers, drying mud and raw sewage smells, chain saws cutting fallen trees, clearing roads, fixing even the simplest of pathways and trails that lead to quiet places of joy such as the base of Yosemite Falls...Even the little chapel had water covering its pews.
From a human standpoint, then, just relax. Again, it is as if nature does not even want us in there at all right now. It is funny that I would perceive things this way, as I have spent a lot of time in the back country and have great respect and comfort in natural things. Yet, this somehow, is different... Much more powerful and drastic than I have ever experienced. So, please, folks, just be patient. Yosemite will be here. It is these forces that even created it. Let’s respect nature’s suggestion right now, listen to what is being told to us with such ferocity. It is not really the NPS sending this type of message to us - it is nature herself. (I do not even work for the NPS so do not feel that I have any particular attatchment to defending the NPS, that is my intention at all). Just realize that this is staggering. Very big. It is as though we as humans do not even have the right to exist at all in Yosemite Valley right now. Little more can be said when one realizes how very miniscule humans are when compared to nature’s power, the strength of the earth. Let us just learn what there is to be learned. No doubt, it will take some time. Unlike nature with her limitles power, we think more slowly as humans. We think too much. Why not just think about the intensity of what just happened, then, rather than negative thoughts about being excluded from a loved land? Nature doesn’t want us there right now. She has showed us that."
"What has SEIU done for anyone so far? Y.C.S laid us all off, N.P.S kicked us all out and S.e.i.u sits by with the money we all put into ther pockets using it to pay there sallaries. they should do the decent thing and take a layoff so as not to use any money and distribute the money equally. N.P.S, Y.C.S and Seiu are all against the Y.C.s employees"
"Thank you for providing this forum. This gives me the opportunity to mention something I’ve observed for many years. When I ride the shuttle buses later in the evenings, particularly not in summer, there are usually employees on the bus. Over the years I have heard no end of "confidential" information, using first and last names, about managers, other employees, etc.,. I’m amazed at the lack of discretion of **some** of these employees. Please remember that discretion can save peoples’ feelings, reputations and jobs. Talking publicly about these topics is very unprofessional and very potentially damaging. Thanks for listening. I hope everyone gets to get back to work soon!"
Submittals on 2/8/97
"I am a long time YCS employee whose husband just got to go back to work in the valley but my job will not start for some time. My husband was told that I could not move back into our housing with him. What is going on here. I know there are lots of unnecessary NPS employees living in the valley whose spouses get to live with them, how come I can't? This is that old double standard that we have continually been forced to live with. They (NPS) have certain rules that apply to us yet they are free to do whatever they want. They should live by their own rules!"
"Did you know that the residents of El Portal pay over $40,000 a year for water while the City of San Francisco pays only $30,000 for water taken from Hetch Hetchy"
"When a story such as the "Baby Keith" story pops up, why do some folks always have to assume that it’s some sort of "planted" NPS story or some sort of government plot. For pete’s sake, stop tryin’ to kick over every rock in sight to see what or who’s gonna be next to try to getcha! Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe the story was simply made up by some aspiring writer to see if they could pull it off...mebbe it’s some kinda YCS plot(although for what reason I couldn’t fathom)...it could be some pathological liar out there or perhaps some employee lonely & far from home (YNP) who needs a little attention, or mebbe it’s just somebody with a really twisted sense of humor who knew they could really stir things up with a story like that!
The point is, there are a lot more important issues out there facing us all right now than whether a baby was born or not. It also just goes to show that anonymous or not, or perhaps especially because the postings ARE anonymous, you really shouldn’t take EVERYTHING you read here at face value...there’s an awful lot of folks out there besides NPS, YCS, BLM, FBI, CIA, NWO, Newt or even Hillary with their own (hidden?) agendas.
Thanks for the forum , take care everyone, be GOOD to one another & remember..."This too shall pass." ;-"
"That story about Keith Lober being calm and focused(baby bull story)is full on HYPE probably put there by the Park Circus!! Anyone who knows Keith knows he is a snapper. Check out his record of complaints. Keith is our next KIM Auffhowser except he’ll probably shoot someone(hopefully not to death) then shoot himself. Get these PSYCO city cop rejects away from such a relaxing place."
"It has been confirmed with the Yosemite Medical Clinic that there were no births in Yosemite on the night of 1/2/97, there fore we can assume that it sent in by some NPS ranger"
Submittals on 2/6/97
"After some research it has been determined that the story about the baby being born on the night of the flood is a phony and was planted by some NPS folks."
"The last thing I expected when I submitted MY piece on Badger Pass, based on the information I had at hand was "flames"...GEEZ! I was not DEFENDING the company position, rather simply DEFINING it. Remember, it takes TWO to make a contract, so save SOME of your ammo for the other guy...NPS! "I thought this was a place where all were allowed to speak without "fear" of retaliation! (No fear of retaliation from NPS or YCS mebbe...but boy, watch out for your fellow employees! Ok, on to cases...When I spoke of "Mother Nature’s Grand Scheme for Yosemite", I was speaking GEOLOGICALLY. Natural events (read "Disasters) have been going on since time immemorial in the Sierra Nevada, and will continue to take place in the future. But...(and this is a big "but") they are disasters only to us, not nature or the Sierra Nevada. To Yosemite, they are simply part of the natural "flow" of events. AND...What I meant by "this too shall pass" was that Yosemite folks are tough...we’ve been puttin’ up guests in the Valley since 1855 and we ain’t goin’ anywhere! We’ve weathered tough times before, we’ll weather them this time & be ready again in the future! (By the way, by "we" I mean ALL the folks who work here for the GUEST’S benefit, NOT the myriad of companies (large & small) that have passed through the park.)I’m truly sorry if ANYONE was offended by my attempt to pass on information...I thought that’s what this forum was all about. P.S. My "superiors" were not and are not aware of my postings here. I guess because I’m one of the few who openly admitted here that I work for YCS that makes me "one of the bad guys"."
This refers to the story about the baby being born on the night of the flood, see below- "RE: "My story is a little different..." Has anyone found baby Keith? If this story is a scam, I am pissed off for two reasons: the obvious one and because the writer presumes everything written about the Park Service is a direct hit on every ranger. Let's try to keep this straight: there is a bureaucracy up there that controls all and acts as most bureaucracies tend to do: neither swift nor bright. There is also a good group of rangers who have not lost the capacity to act swiftly and intelligently. Cheers to them and "Ranger "Keith"."
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