Yosemite Photos, Video and News

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Farewell Potluck for Brindeiros: The Brindeiros are leaving Yosemite and
going to Pinnacles National Monument! Come and say “Goodbye” or “See you
later”
     WHEN: Tuesday August 10, 2010
     WHERE: Wawona Community Center
     TIME: 6:00 PM
POTLUCK SANDWICHES PROVIDED, BYOB (M. Brindeiro - 8/9/10)

Construction Update
UPDATE - El Portal Complex Photovoltaic (PV) System (July 22, 2010 -
December 2010)
Paragon Industrial Applications (PIA) [contractor] started moving material
and equipment into the El Portal Complex area on July 22, 2010. To minimize
potential traffic and parking problems, PIA has agreed to work Thursday -
Sunday.  The contractor's staging area is located by the Wastewater
Treatment Plant, where they will keep their material, equipment and tools.
        Last week - Update:   Working continued prepping for the module
        structures on Building J (Open storage/Archives) and excavation
        for conduit runs near the Planning Trailer. PIA/Suntrek also
        started work (drilling the wall anchors for module structures) on
        the wall surrounding the warehouse, and the uncovered storage area
        south of the Machine Shop.
        This week - Impacted areas (Thursday - Sunday): Everyone parking
        government vehicles near the Machine Shop side of the wall, please
        park elsewhere or at the very least, park your vehicle 20 feet
        back from the wall during the days of construction. The affected
        areas will be signed "No Parking" for those days. A small area
        near the Planning Trailer will also be signed "No Parking" during
        work days due to construction.
        Coming soon: Trenching for the new PV systems and work on the
        carports will continue through August. Work to begin setting the
        Photovoltaic panels will most likely not start until later in the
        month.

IMPORTANT - Get Creative to Avoid Extra Cars at the EP Complex : During
contracted work days (Thursday - Sunday) El Portal Complex employees are
strongly encouraged to carpool, use the bus, ride your bike or walk to work
during construction days as there will be a noticeable decrease in parking
during construction. Specific locations of work will be posted throughout
the project. NOTE:    Please remember to park Government vehicles in
appropriate locations and avoid taking over the limited parking available
for personal vehicles (perimeter of complex).

INTERESTING PROJECT FACT:   All products including solar panels, inverters,
racking, conduit, wiring, combiner boxes, and metering equipment are
manufactured in the U.S.A.  (M. Ortiz - 8/9/10)
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Wawona Road Rehabilitation (June 1 - November 2010):
**Please use caution when driving along the Wawona Road - there are many
locations of unpaved surfaces.

Paving work has begun on the Wawona Road. Contractors started north of
Wawona Campground, and they will be alternating lanes every night going
north. Just south of Chinquapin, the waterline is being placed so there is
no pavement there.
     UPDATE:
     *Today's locations of work:  Today, there will be placement of curb
     in the area that runs a half mile north of the South Entrance to
     approximately a mile north of the Wawona Campground.  There will also
     be placement of curb in the area that runs north of the Glacier Point
     Road intersection to south of the Wawona Tunnel.
     *Tonight's locations of work: Tonight, there will be paving in the 6
     mile section that runs north of the Glacier Point Road intersection
     (Chinquapin), as well as work on the high-voltage electrical system
     that runs a mile south of the Wawona Tunnel (this work contains
     approximately 3,000 feet and will take about 6 weeks to complete).
     There will also be work on inlets and grading in the area that runs a
     mile north of the Wawona Campground to the Glacier Point Road
     intersection (Chinquapin) and work on the water system improvements
     at the Glacier Point Road intersection (Chinquapin).

-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 - 8/10/10)
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Integrated Utility Master Plan [IUMP] (to be completed by the end of 2010)
Mozingo Construction (contractor) is currently working on the new sewer
lift station at the Ahwahnee Hotel as well as some of the fire hydrants and
valving on Ahwahnee Drive. Further work on the abandonment of old utilities
has been put on hold.

Allison Sierra (ASI) was awarded the contract for the new North Pines sewer
lift station project that is to start shortly before the campground closes
for the season. Stay tuned for more information as the project time nears.
(M. Ortiz - 8/9/10)
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Wawona Tunnel (ongoing)
Candelaria Construction (contractor) is continuing the installation of the
new venitlation and fire alarm systems throughout the tunnel. (M. Ortiz -
8/3/10)
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Tecoya Housing (to be completed by October 1, 2010)
Allison Sierra (ASI) [contractor] will be working in the Lower Tecoya area
to replace old and failing water, sewer, and power lines and remove them
from sensitive ecological areas. This contractor (ASI) was also awarded the
contract for the new North Pines sewer lift station project that is to
start shortly.  (M. Ortiz - 7/26/10)

Park and Partner News
Annual Big Time Gathering: The local community and general public are
invited to attend the 37th annual Yosemite Big Time Gathering being held
this year August 14th & 15th, 2010. This event takes place in the Village
of Ahwahnee located behind the Yosemite Museum and Visitor Center. The
songs and dances of Native Californian dance groups will be presented both
days. Local vendors and others will display/sell their arts and crafts in
the employee parking area across from the Village. This is a good
opportunity to enjoy, learn, and support the heritage of Native Californian
Peoples. For this event, gov't and personal vehicles are asked to be moved
from the gov't employee parking area by 6:00pm Friday evening. Questions?
Contact Phillip Johnson - 209/372-0303. (P. Johnson - 8/10/10)
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Yosemite National Park to Waive Entrance Fees on August 14 and 15
Yosemite National Park, along with all other national parks across the
country, will offer free entrance on Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August
15, 2010.  This fee free weekend is a great opportunity for people to visit
and enjoy America’s public lands.

Fees being waived for the August 14 and 15 weekend include only the fees
associated with entrance into Yosemite National Park. All other fees
associated with camping, lodging or activities within the park are not
waived. The fee waiver is good for August 14 and 15 only. (K. Cobb -
8/10/10)
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Archives Closure Next Week: The Yosemite Archives will be closed the week
of August 16-20.  For emergency access, please contact Jonathan Bayless
(379-0282) or Barbara Beroza (372-0297). (B. Lissoway - 8/10/10)
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FIRE EXTINGUISHER TRAINING:  The Fire Prevention Office will be conducting
Fire Extinguisher/Fire Prevention Training at the Tuolomne Ranger District
Office on Wednesday August 25th @ 1300 hours. Training is open to all NPS
employees.   For Additional Information contact: Jack Alviso, Fire
Prevention Officer: 209-375-9541. (J. Alviso - 8/10/10)
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Yosemite Fires – Update #9 – August 10, 2010
The lightning caused fires of July continue to burn in Yosemite wilderness
and are being managed for multiple objectives.  This means fire managers
and firefighters may use less aggressive or minimal actions where the fire
is accomplishing benefits on the land.  For example, the fire may burn the
understory of trees, ridding the area of accumulations of dead and down
vegetation and accumulations of needle and leaf litter.

All fires listed are being monitored and data is being collected (fuel
moistures and weather) to determine what actions will be taken.  In
wilderness areas, Minimum Impact Management Tactics (MIMT) are utilized by
using natural barriers of rock and lakes, or utilizing trails and past
fires thereby lessening the use of aggressive hand tools, i.e. chain saws.
Utilizing the minimal tool and natural features further reduces the work
needed to rehabilitate the fire area.  Firefighters do this without
diverting their attention from the safety of themselves or the public.
These adjustments firefighters make to effect minimum resource impacts are
essential if the spirit of wilderness and National Parks is to be
maintained.

Slope fire: (37 54.572 x 119 40.924; 6900’ el., Tuolumne Co).  The slope
fire grew to approximately 600 acres over the weekend. The growth of the
fire has slowed, as a fast moving thunderstorm over the fire area dropped
.10 of an inch of rain.  Smoke production has diminished for the same
reason.  The blacklining operation conducted last week, and efforts by the
helicopter with water buckets to hold the fire on the west perimeter, have
also contributed to less smoke production. Winds from the southwest are
moving the light smoke to the northeast. Smoke may continue to be visible
along Tioga Rd, White Wolf area, O’Shaughnessy Dam of the Hetch Hetchy
Reservoir, Rancheria trail area, and in the Tuolumne Meadows area. The fire
remains a creeping surface fire. The most active part of the fire is to the
east, and northeast. The mixed conifer forest is on a north aspect, with
cedar and white fir trees, down tree limbs and compacted short needles as
the predominate vegetation

All trails in the Harden Lake area are now open, as is Harden Lake. Hikers
are reminded to stay on trails through the fire area.

The National Weather Service is predicting unseasonably favorable air smoke
dispersion for the Slope fire, with no long term air stagnation in the
forecast through the week. A trough will be overhead with transport winds
from the southwest. Temperatures will remain below normal with high
humidities through the rest of the week. Early morning smoke may be present
down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, with clearing by late morning.

Cooperators include the San Francisco Water Quality and Public Utilities
Commission at Hetch Hetchy, and the Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control
District.

New Fire:
Vernon:  (37 59.813 x 119 43.618; approximately 7000’ el., Tuolumne Co.)
This fire is the result of the thunderstorm activity on Sunday, August 8,
2010.  It was found by the park helicopter on Monday, August 9, and
reported to be a 20x30’ area, with a single tree being hit by the
lightning. This fire is in designated wilderness, and is approximately
three miles north of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.  Firefighters will hike into
the fire area to determine monitoring needs.

Other fires:
The Tuolumne and the Wildcat fires are both inactive.

“The National Park Service manages wildland fire to protect the public,
communities and infrastructure, conserve natural and cultural resources and
restore and maintain ecological health.”

For Additional Information:
  Fire Information and Education Office:  (209) 372-0480
  Yosemite Online: www.nps.gov/yose/fire
  Firenews:  http://www.nps.gov/fire/public/pub_firenews.cfm
  Inciweb California:  http://www.inciweb.org/state/5/
  NASA satellite images of smoke:
     http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/index.php?subset=AERONET_Fresno.2010208.aqu
  USGS regional webcam images of smoke movement:
     http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/swifers/pages/WebCam.htm (G. Wuchner -
     8/10/10)
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Slope Fire Spreading Slowly in Yosemite National Park
The Slope Fire, a lightning caused fire in Yosemite National Park,
continues to burn in the area of Harden Lake.  The fire was spotted on July
25th and is currently at 597 acres.  The fire has spread minimally in the
past few days due to fuel type and recent rain in the area.  Yosemite Fire
Crews are continuing to manage the Slope Fire for the purpose of ecological
benefits.

Very little smoke is visible in the surrounding area due to the Slope Fire.
The Harden Lake area and the trail to Pate Valley from Harden Lake are
closed due to fire activity.  Fire crews will assess the trail near Harden
Lake later today to determine when it will open to the public.  The White
Wolf trailhead to Pate Valley and Lukens Lake remain open.

Cooperating agencies in the managed fire include the San Francisco Water
Quality and Public Utilities Commission at Hetch Hetchy and the Tuolumne
County Air Pollution Control District.

For more information on fire please visit www.nps.gov/yose/fire. (K. Cobb -
8/10/10)
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GALEN CLARK TRIBUTE: Friday, August 13th, 8 p.m. at Le Conte Memorial
(Valley Shuttle Bus Stop 12). Free admission.
Come hear Yosemite Conservancy's Tom Arfsten portray Galen Clark, in this 1
hour program offered by the Sierra Club. Galen Clark, known as "Mr.
Yosemite" in his time, is famous for "discovering" the Mariposa Grove, for
persuading people of influence to create the Yosemite Grant, for opening
the first tourist "hotel" on the site of the Wawona Golf Course, and for
being Yosemite's First Guardian, administering the Yosemite Grant well
before the National Park Service was even conceived. A friend an
inspiration to John Muir, hear Galen Clark reminisce about his life in this
informative, poignant, and humorous performance, this Friday evening. Come
early, seating is limited. (T. Arfsten - 8/10/10)

Acting Designations
Mike Wichmann will be Acting Division Chief of Project Management from
Monday, August 9, 2010, through Wednesday, August 11, 2010.  Mike can be
reached in his El Portal office at 379-1139, in his Yosemite Valley office
at 372-0424, or you may leave a message with Sarah Henderson at 379-1202.
(S. Henderson - 8/10/10)
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Randy Fong will be Acting Division Chief of Project Management from
Thursday, August 12, 2010, through Friday, August 13, 2010.  Randy can be
reached at 379-1022, or you may leave a message with Sarah Henderson at
379-1202. (S. Henderson - 8/10/10)
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Niki Nicholas, Chief of Resource Management, will be acting Superintendent
from August 6-August 15. (D. Neubacher - 8/2/10)
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Jessica Middleton is Acting Branch Chief for Anthropology & Archeology 8/9
through 8/13. (L. Kirn - 8/9/10)
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Gretchen Stromberg will be Acting Branch Chief for the Design Branch of
Project Management Division from Monday, August 9 through and including
Wednesday, August 11, 2010.  She can be reached at 379-1006.  If on Monday
August 9, 2010 Gretchen in not available you may also leave a message with
Sarah Henderson at 379-1202.  On Tuesday or Wednesday, August 10 & 11 you
may then leave a message with Tricia Radmacher at 379-1221. (T. Radmacher -
8/5/10)
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Russ Kish will be acting Trails Supervisor Aug. 4 - 18.  Russ can be
reached at 209-742-3540.(S. Baudaux - 8/4/10)
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The following staff will be Acting A.O. while Katariina is out of the park
from July 29 -  August 17, 2010. Lorene Schafer, August 9 - 13, (379-1873),
Dayna Jackson, August 16-17 (379-1872).  (P. Lendvay Humphrey - 7/29/10)
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Historical Architect Sueann Brown (379-1222) will be acting Branch Chief
for History, Architecture & Landscapes from Tuesday, Aug. 3 thru Monday,
Aug. 9, 2010.
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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
Resume Workshop - Thursday, August 19, 2010 from 9 am to 11 am - in the EP
Administrative Building; Large Breakroom.  This is your opportunity to hear
about the latest tips in creating excellent applications for employment
with the federal government.  Hardcopy documents and information CDs will
be provided.  Paul Sheehan, Human Resources Specialist for SEKI will be
presenting the workshop which is open to all NPS staff and park partners.
Please contact your supervisor for prior approval to attend this workshop.
Any questions, please call the Human Resources Office at 379-1805. (C.
Whitten - 8/9/10)
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Availability of Contracting Officer Walt Schmidt
While the Contracting Office is closed from 7-9 am and 3:30-4:30 daily
through 1 Oct, Walt will be available throughout the workday. If you need
assistance during the hours noted above please call, email or visit Walt.
His number is 379-1195 and email address is walter_schmidt@nps.gov. (L.
Schafer - 8/6/10)

Community News
El Portal Music Festival
When: August 14
Where: El Portal Community Hall
Time: Doors open at 5:30. Music starts at 6:30.
Mark your calendars for the “(not quite) 10th Annual El Portal Music
Festival” with special guests The Heavy Guilt, a San Diego-based roots band
featuring El Portal favorite Al Howard. After the band, DJ 5Min_Crush
(Dylan Macintosh) will be filling the dance floor with his unique blend of
electro dance rock. Look for updated announcements with more artists and
ticket price in the coming weeks.
Tickets will be available at the door. A delicious Mexican meal will be
available for purchase from Angel and Norma at the event from 5:30 – 8:30.
Cash bar provided by YEA. No outside alcohol permitted.  Sponsored by
ElPortalLive and the El Portal Community Association. (M. Carr - 8/10/10)
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NOURISHING THE SOUL
When: Sunday August 15, 2010
Where: Downtown Yoga, Mainstreet Mariposa
Time: 10am-1pm
What: Yoga, Reflective Journal Writing, Locally Produced and Catered Meal -
Instructor:  Heather Sullivan
Theme:  Abundance
Cost:  $40 or trade
Please contact Heather for meal count or questions:  heathasulli@yahoo.com
Join us for a wonderful morning of community, creativity, conversation and
connection.  Great thing to do morning after El Portal Music Festival! (H.
Sullivan - 8/10/10)
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Looking for an inexpensive, yet reliable, vehicle that will fit a large
toobox in it. If you have any leads, please email brenna.eagle@yahoo.com.
Thanks! (B. Eagle - 8/10/10)