Daily Report - Yosemite National Park Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Note: There will not be a Daily Report published
on Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010, nor on Friday, Nov. 26, 2010.
Weather
Yosemite Valley
Today: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 29.
East northeast wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 14. East northeast wind between 10 and 13
mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 38. East northeast wind between
10 and 13 mph becoming calm.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23. East wind between 5 and
7 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 46. East wind around 6 mph becoming calm.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Saturday: Rain and snow likely. Snow level 5600 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a
high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to
2 inches possible.
Saturday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 28.
Sunday: A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.
El Portal
Today: Mostly cloudy early, then gradual clearing, with a high near 42.
East northeast wind between 6 and 9 mph becoming calm.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 18. East northeast wind between 7 and 13
mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 50. East northeast wind between 8
and 11 mph becoming calm.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. East wind around 6 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58. East northeast wind between 4 and 7 mph
becoming calm.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Saturday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. Chance of
precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 32.
Sunday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 2600 feet.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
Wawona
Today: Mostly cloudy early, then gradual clearing, with a high near 38.
Northeast wind between 6 and 9 mph becoming calm.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 13. East northeast wind between 6 and 8
mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 48. Northeast wind between 4 and
7 mph becoming calm.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 25. East wind between 3 and 6 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 55. East northeast wind around 6 mph
becoming calm.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Saturday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Chance of
precipitation is 70%.
Saturday Night: Rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 32.
Sunday: A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28.
Park and Partner News
Happy Thanksgiving! After a colorful fall and warm busy summer, my
personal thanks to all of you for the outstanding effort to serve the
public and protect this incredible iconic park.
After eight months here, I am astounded by the dedication of park staff and
devotion to the park’s mission to protect this spectacular area for future
generations. Your work led to a 99% visitor satisfaction rate for Yosemite
in 2010, based on park visitor surveys.
As we began this season of giving, I would like to take this opportunity to
wish everyone a happy thanksgiving and safe holiday time. Take some time to
enjoy this special period of the year. For me personally, the views of the
new snow and ice on the Valley cliff walls and the increased flows in the
waterfalls create a visual experience found in only a few spots on earth.
I feel incredibly lucky to be here.
Finally, mark your calendars for the Holiday Party on December 9 in the
East Auditorium. I hope to see you there.
Don Neubacher
Superintendent (D.Neubacher-11/23/10)
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Yosemite News Release
November 23, 2010
For Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Scott Gediman 209-372-0248
Kari Cobb 209-372-0529
Tioga and Glacier Point Roads Closed for the Season in Yosemite National
Park
The Tioga and Glacier Point Roads in Yosemite National Park are closed for
the season. These roads close each fall and remain closed throughout the
winter months until weather conditions permit reopening in the spring next
year.
Yosemite National Park is open year-round with snow removal on all other
roads within the park. All roads within the park are subject to chain
control or temporary closures due to hazardous driving conditions. All
motorists are required to carry tire chains while driving in the park
during the winter months.
For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park,
please call 209-372-0200. (K.Cobb-11/23/10)
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The Four Mile Trail is closed for the winter. The winter closures are in
effect for the Mist and John Muir Trail corridor as well.
(J.Sammer-11/23/10)
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There will be a power outage affecting all of Yosemite Valley, Arch Rock,
BOF Tunnel, Wawona Tunnel, Turtle Back Dome, Sentinel Dome and Glacier
Point on December 9,, 0730 - 1430. This outage is at the request of PG&E to
perform maintenance to the transmission line to improve reliability and
prevent possible unscheduled outages in the future. For additional
information call Paul Laymon at (209) 379-1077. ( P.J.Laymon-11/23/10)
Acting Designations
Tori Seher will be acting Branch Chief of Wildlife Management on Wednesday,
November 24. On Friday, November 26, Ryan Leahy will be filling that
role.(S.Thompson-11/24/10)
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Colin Leslie will be Acting Branch Chief for Visitor Use and Social Science
s on Wednesday, November 24. He can be reached at 379-1456.
(B.Meldrum-11/24/10)
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Mitzi Thornley (379-1060) will be Acting Chief of Resources Management and
Science for November 24-26.(N.S.Nicholas-11/24/10)
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Jay Shields will be Acting Mather District Ranger from 11/22 through 12/1.
(K.Killian-11/23/10)
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Mike Yochim will be the Acting Division Chief for the Planning Division
November 29, 30, and December 1 and 2. If unavailable you may leave a
message with Doyle Harrison at 379-1110. (D.Harrison-11/23/10)
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Bret Meldrum (379-1216) will be Acting Chief of Resources Management and
Science November 22-23.(N.S.Nicholas-11/22/10)
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Dale St. Vincent will be Acting Chief of Administration this week. He can
be reached at (209) 379-1106. (P. Lendvay Humphrey 11/22)
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Greg Torres will be Acting Trails Supervisor from Nov. 19 - Dec. 3. Greg's
cell phone number is 742-8811.(S.Baudoux-11/19/10)
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Madelyn Ruffner will be Acting Branch Chief for Environmental Planning &
Compliance from November 22 to November 26. Madelyn can be reached at
379-1226. You can also contact Jessica Zeek, Administrative Support for
EP&C, at 379-1002. (J.Zeek- 11/19/10)
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Mark FIncher will be Acting Branch Chief for Wilderness from 11/17-11/29
while Mark Marschall is out of the park. Mark Fincher can be phoned at
372-0219.(M.Marschall-11/24/10)
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Mary Kline will be the Acting Chief of Interpretation & Education Nov. 15 -
Dec. 6. Mary can be reached at 372-0645.(T.Medema-11/15/10)
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Tom Tobin will be the Acting Branch Chief for Contracting from Nov 19-26.
Tom can be reached via email at 379-1040. (L. Schafer - 11/08/10)
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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
call 379-1282 or 379-1104. (J. Bayless - 06/03/10)
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Ed Dunlavey will be the Acting Operations Branch Chief and Deputy Chief
Ranger until further notice. (C. Cuvelier - 09/07/10)
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Ansley Rothell or Heather Cave should be contacted from Nov 19-Dec 6 for
any Emergency Communications Center needs. (N.Bissmeyer-11/18/10)
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Sonny Montague is Acting Branch Chief for Anthropology from November 22
through 26. (L.Kirn-11/18/10)
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Deron Mills will be the Acting Chief of Fire and Aviation Management from
11/19 - 12/06. Contact him at 379-1902.(K.Martin-11/19/10)
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Mike Pieper will be the Acting Construction Branch Chief from November
22-26. Pieper can be reached at 379-1263[office] or 209-742-8593[cell]
(M.Wichmann-11/19/2010)
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Kristina Rylands will be the Acting Division Chief for the Planning
Division November 22- 24. Kristina may be reached by phone at 379-1175.
Employee News
Construction Update
Wawona Road Rehabilitation (May 3 through November 2010):
NOTE: There will be no traffic delays in effect this week (November 22 -28)
. If possible, work related to sign placement will be underway to drive
carefully. Work will resume next week, weather permitting.
-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 - 11/22/10)
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Update - El Portal Complex Photovoltaic (PV) System (July 22, 2010 -
January 2011)
Paragon Industrial Applications (PIA) [contractor] began work at the El
Portal Complex area on July 22, 2010. To minimize potential traffic and
parking problems, PIA is still working Thursday - Sunday.
Last Week's Progress:
The contractor PIA/Suntrek successfully completed the
installation of the inverter on Roof 1 (inside the covered
storage building).
Over 500 additional panels arrived, with the last 30 panels of
the project expected to be delivered next week. These final
panels will cover the upper parking deck steel structure
(carports 6 and 7).
The last delivery of structural steel for this project is also
expected next week.
With the panels in and the last of the steel coming in next
week the upper parking deck should be finished in short order.
With recent rain and snow today the painters were off part of
the weekend.
The lighting crew is almost finished with installing light
fixtures under carports 1 , 9, 10 and 11.
Schedule Change:
The contractor has requested to work Monday through Thursday
beginning December 6. At that time, most of the remaining work
will have much less impact on traffic and parking then previous
work.
Parking:
There should be many more places to park now, as the vast
majority of the heavy construction has been completed. Parking
will still be restricted to "No Parking - Thursday, Friday,
Saturday and Sunday" in specifically signed areas. (M. Ortiz -
11/22/10)
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Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station Improvements (August 16 - November 2010)
Abide International (contractor) began work Monday, August 16 to upgrade
the Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station. During the past week, crews installed
insulation, the vapor barrier, and the dry wall in the kiosk. They also
installed new exterior lights and drains for the new HVAC unit. In
addition, crews poured the new concrete for the walkway and walk-up window.
(M. Ortiz - 11/16/10)
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Integrated Utility Master Plan [IUMP] (2010 - 2011)
Removal of Old, Abandoned Utilities Embedded in the River, within Meadows,
and within Campgrounds
Phase 3B - Mozingo Construction (contractor) is finishing up with the
river-crossing related portions of the project. The removal of the lift
station near Lower River has also been completed. You will notice work
being done primarily around The Ahwahnee. (Phase 3B to be completed by the
end of 2010)
Update - Phase 2B - Allison Sierra (contractor) began work in the North
Pines Campground area on November 1. This is continuing work to replacing
old and outdated utilities and removing abandoned utilities from
environmentally sensitive areas.This phase includes work within the
following areas, and highlights include:
North Pines Campground
- New lift station and related accessories to be located
near Campground Entrance Kiosk.
- Removal and replacement of existing sanitary sewer
system.
Southside Drive and Upper Pines Corridor (including Clark
Bridge)
- Installation of water, sewer, communication, and
electrical utilities through and across Clark Bridge (between North
and Upper Pines Campgrounds)
Backpacker’s Camp Utilities
- Installation of new vault toilets (removal of current
flush toilets). Because the gravity sewer line serving the
Backpacker's Camp bathroom crosses Tenaya Creek and is impacting the
creek flowage, this sewer line will be removed from the creek
bed. This will require that existing bathroom with flush toilets to
be removed and replaced with vault toilets. (M. Ortiz -
11/9/10)
Community News
40th Annual
Holiday Party
Village Store
Friday, December 3
DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite Interpretive Department will host the
natural history of Christmas from 5:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. in front of the
holiday tree while everyone anxiously awaits the arrival of Santa Claus!
Please join us in this festive event!
25% Off All Store Items during normal business hours (excluding alcohol and
tobacco) Refreshments at 5:30pm.--Door Prizes at 6:30pm. One raffle ticket
per person. Winner must be present.
Santa Claus will visit from 5:45-6:30 pm (P.Burgess-11/23/10)
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Clean, Quiet, Single Female looking for housing in El
Portal/Mariposa/Midpines! My name is Emily Darko, I work in Anthropology,
and I am looking for a place starting in January. I love to bake and
promise cookies to anyone who can help me find a place. Contact:
emdarko@gmail.com or (858) 692-0963.(E.Darko-11/23/10)
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Yosemite Conservancy Thanksgiving Weekend Sale
The Valley Visitor Center Bookstore and the Yosemite Museum will be hosting
our annual storewide Thanksgiving Sale this Thursday, November 25 through
Sunday, November 28. Customers will receive 15% off the list price for all
taxable merchandise; Yosemite Conservancy currently enrolled donors will
receive a generous 30% off all taxable merchandise. (Discounts may not be
combined.)
The YC stores are open from 9 to 5 throughout the weekend. This is a great
opportunity to purchase a signed copy of “Gloryland”, by our own Shelton
Johnson, or our 2011 Yosemite calendars. It is also a great time to
purchase a collectable basket, or some unique hand made jewelry at the
Museum store, all with substantial savings.
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to all our devoted supporters and volunteers
who help us help Yosemite! (T.Arfsten-11/23/10).
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Soon-to-be Yosemite archaeologist (stable female adult) and one small,
well-behaved dog looking for a one/two bedroom house with a kitchen and a
yard, preferably fenced, for rent starting first of January in El
Portal/MidPines/Mariposa area. Contact barbbane@yahoo.com and /or
928-607-6316. (11/23/10)
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For Rent: Adjoining duplex to main house. One bedroom/one bathroom;
shared laundry room. 1100 square feet; very clean. $650 month. Bootjack
area. Call Chet at 742-5933 or email:
chet@sti.net.yvonne_radanovich@nps.gov.(Y.Radanovich-11/22/10)
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