Yosemite Photos, Video and News

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

- For all Yosemite road construction information and updates, visit the park's website: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/roadwork.htm          
- For daily traffic control updates, call the park information line at (209) 372-0200 (then press 1, and 1 again). (M. Ortiz - 7/19/10)
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Integrated Utility Master Plan [IUMP] (to be completed by the end of 2010)
Mozingo Construction (contractor) is working this week to remove abandoned utilities in the meadow between the Yosemite Valley Elementary School (between Yosemite Village and Lower Yosemite Fall) and Northside Drive.  (M. Ortiz - 7/12/10)
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Wawona Tunnel (ongoing)
Candelaria Construction (contractor) is continuing work on the fire alarm and ventilation systems in the Wawona Tunnel. (M. Ortiz - 7/12/10)
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Tecoya Housing (to be completed by October 1, 2010)
Allison Sierra (contractor) will be working in the Lower Tecoya area to replace old and failing water, sewer, and power lines. Currently they are working near the laundry room, E Dorm, F Dorm, and the area between Residence 108 - 113. (M. Ortiz - 7/12/10)      

Park and Partner News
YARTS will be holding workshops to get your ideas for future service.  On July 22nd there will be an Employee Workshop (brown bag lunch) from noon to 1 pm in the El Portal Warehouse large breakroom .  There will also be a Public Workshop on July 22nd in Yosemite Valley from 9:30 am to 10:30 am in the East Auditorium.  For those of you who would find it more convenient, there will also be workshops on July 21st from 4 to 6 pm in the Merced County building and July 23rd from 9 am to 11 am in the Mariposa Library.  Questions that YARTS will seek answers to are:

• How can YARTS better meet the needs of employees who work at Yosemite National Park?
• How can YARTS better meet the needs of visitors to the Yosemite Regions?
• How can YARTS better meet the needs of work and school commuters within the region?
• Should the YARTS schedule be revised and in what way?
• Should YARTS be expanded to serve more communities?
• How can YARTS do a better job of marketing its services to local residents and tourists?
• What would make YARTS work better for you?

If you would like to provide input, but are unable to attend a workshop, visit www.yarts.com and click on the contact us link. (W. Malone - 7/19/10)
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Yosemite News Release
Yosemite National Park to be Featured in New iPhone Application

Yosemite National Park announces the first mobile application is available for visitors to use on their iPhone.  The application will feature the hike to Lower Yosemite Fall, offering multiple locations in which visitors can stop and learn about the surrounding environment.  The iPhone / iTouch application features a Global Positioning System (GPS) map which highlights the visitors' location as they walk to Lower Yosemite Fall.  The application highlights 22 points of interest with stories of wildlife, the environment, John Muir, floods, fires, and forests.  In addition, the application will allow visitors to easily locate the nearest restroom, visitor center, museum, and shuttle bus stops.  

The application is available for purchase from the Apple Store.  A portion of the proceeds from the application will go to the Yosemite Conservancy to further protect and preserve Yosemite National Park and enhance the visitor experience. To learn more about the Yosemite Conservancy, visit www.yosemiteconservancy.org .  

Yosemite National Park worked in conjunction with Big Escapes to create the Yosemite Falls iPhone application.  To learn more about Big Escapes, please visit www.BigEscapes.com . (K. Cobb - 7/19/10)
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Yosemite News Release
All Campgrounds Open for the Season in Yosemite National Park
Additional Campsites Open to Public After Beings Closed for Thirteen Years
All campgrounds in Yosemite National Park are now open for the summer season.  Several campgrounds along the Tioga Road and the Bridalveil Creek Campground on the Glacier Point Road have been closed since the winter of 2009 due to seasonal road closures, a heavy snowpack, and water saturation.  

Multiple campgrounds along the Tioga Road, such as Tamarack and Porcupine Flat, are available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.  Yosemite Creek, a first-come, first-served campground open for the season, will now offer 35 more campsites for visitors to choose from.  In January 1997, Yosemite experienced a major flood, which severely impacted the entire park.  One of these impacts was the destruction of a bridge connecting two camping sections of the Yosemite Creek Campground, resulting in the back section being closed for 13 years.  Yosemite National Park has now rebuilt the bridge connecting these two sections and the entire campground is now available to park visitors.
 
All campsites on the reservation system are full through the rest of the summer season.  Visitors wishing to camp in Yosemite National Park are urged to arrive early in the day to secure a campsite at one of the many first-come, first-served campgrounds.  Additionally, there is more space available during the weekdays as campsites generally fill on the weekends. (K. Cobb - 7/19/10)
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Energy Audits  for Tuolumne corridor, Crane Flat lookout,  helibase office, Badger pass Res 5001 and Glacier Point areas will be in process on July 19 and 20.  
Please be advise that a team of Park Service employees and an energy contractor with the audit group will be in those areas asking questions about these energy usage of said buildings.
Diane Pookie Mansker 379-1056. (K. Bablitch - 7/16/10)

Acting Designations
Cindy Whitten, Acting HRO will be out of the Park the week of July 19.  Trudy Hawkins (209) 379-1802 will be Acting HRO. (C. Whitten - 7/19/10)
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Shane Sims will be Acting Safety Officer while Roger Farmer on assignment in the Gulf July 12-July 24.  Shane can be reached at 379-1209. (C. Ronay - 7/16/10)
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Kieth Stowell will be the acting Buildings and Grounds Facilities Manager July 15- 23. He can be reached at 379-1280, or have a message left with Tara Hawksley at 379-1054. (A. Sharp - 7/15/10)
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Mike Pieper (379-1263) will be Acting Construction Branch Chief from July 9 - 18 (M. Wichmann - 7/9/10)
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Sheri Ogden will be Acting Chief of Business and Revenue Management from July 8  through July 19, 2010 while Marty is out of the park. (W. Malone - 7/8/10)
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Until further notice, Brenna Lissoway (379-1283) will be the Acting Park Archivist while Paul Rogers is on a detail as the Acting Regional Archivist (PWR). If you have need to access the Archives, or have archive related questions, you can also try calling at 379-1282 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
Volunteers Rock!    The Yosemite Bear Management Team has a sloth of amazing volunteers serving with them this summer. They have a total of  15 volunteers who donate their time in Yosemite 40 hours/week from May through September. Bear Team volunteers  work day and night to protect the wildlife in the park and also spend much of their time educating visitors on wildlife issues and proper food storage. This year, they also have a volunteer serving up at Little Yosemite Valley. Volunteer groups have been busy this week too! AAA volunteers and Boy scout Troop 998 shoveled ash in Lower Pines and Hodgdon Meadow Campgrounds so that visitors may continue to have their nightly campfires. Thank you to all of these talented volunteers for donating their time to Yosemite!
(L. Prell - 7/19/10)
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JOBS
PERMANENT -- STATUS NOT REQUIRED – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Electrician (High Voltage)  
Vacancy Ann #: YP348126 RZ10
Who May Apply: Public
Pay Plan: WG-2810/10
Appointment Type: Permanent
Job Status: Full-Time
Opening Date: 07/14/2010
Closing Date: 07/27/10

Materials Handler
Vacancy Ann #: YP-363924 ab10
Who May Apply: Public
Pay Plan: WG-6907/05
Appointment Type: Permanent
Job Status: Full-Time
Opening Date: 07/14/2010
Closing Date: 07/21/10

TERM -- STATUS NOT REQUIRED -- OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Biological Science Technician (HRF 10-293)
Vacancy Ann #: HRF 10-293 (SR364912)
Who May Apply: Public
Pay Plan: GS-0404/06-07
Appointment Type: Term
Job Status: Full-Time
Opening Date: 07/13/2010
Closing Date: 07/26/10           (I. Keheley - 7/16/10)

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Public Service Announcement to be filmed in Yosemite... starring you? Have you volunteered or are you a current volunteer... with the NPS, a nonprofit or community organization etc? We're looking for people who are willing to share their stories about how volunteering has impacted themselves or their community. A National Public Service Announcement for President Obama's call to service will be filmed in various spots around the country, including in Yosemite. If you would be interested in sharing your story about what motivated you to volunteer, please send me a few sentences about you, the volunteer work you've done and what it's meant to you or the impact your service has had on your community. If you can send a photo of yourself that would be great too (and contact information)! We're hoping for a diverse group from the  Yosemite community... all ages and backgrounds so please share this request with your friends/family. This information will be shared with the PSA committee and chosen participants will be contacted prior to filming in late July. They're also interested in knowing if you speak Spanish (the PSA will also be filmed in Spanish). For more information or to submit your story, please contact Lindsey Prell in the volunteer office. lindsey_prell@nps.gov OR 379-1850 by Sunday, July 18th. *Please be sure that those who don't have access to email also receive a copy of this request.  (L. Prell - 7/15/10)
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YOSE Contracting on SharePoint:  If you have a contracting-related question you can now ask that question on SharePoint where the information can be shared by all.

Please go to http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/admn/contract/Lists/Team%20Discussion/AllItems.aspx   then click on New, then click Discussion.

You can either type your question in the Subject or Body or use the Subject line to identify the topic and use the Body box to describe a scenario.

Responses will be posted every Tuesday.

We look forward to hearing from you. (L. Schafer - 7/15/10)
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Job Opportunity: Facilities Asst: F/T position for Field Science school in Yos Natl Park.  Expert in carpentry, plum, elect, etc.  Exc benefits/work environment.  Valid Drv Lic reqd.  Ph: 209-379-9514x20 or Email:  facilitiessearchyos@naturebridge.org  E.O.E (P. Schmidt - 7/16/10

Community News
Discovering Yosemite Through the Artistry and Humor of Jo Mora  - 1904 and Beyond. Presentation by Peter Hiller, Jo Mora Trust Collection Curator, at the Yosemite Art and Education Center (located south of the Village Store). Tuesday, July 20, at 5 p.m. View original art work by Jo Mora, who drew a humorous map of the valley that continues to engage park visitors to this day. Learn about the history of Yosemite Valley as seen through the eyes of a very talented artist. (J. Friedrich - 7/16/10)