Yosemite Photos, Video and News

Hazard Tree Removal
NPS Forestry Crews continues to remove encroaching vegetation,  trimming trees and removing hazard trees along the  El Portal Road from Park Line eastward to Pohono Bridge. This week, work will continue from Cascades toward the Valley . Work will continue as long as weather allows.  Traffic control will be in place from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

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PARK AND PARTNER NEWS

Ranger Shelton Johnson named winner of the George B. Hartzog Jr. Award
The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees announced today that its Executive Council has awarded the Coalition’s 2011 George Hartzog award to Yosemite Ranger Shelton Johnson. 

The award is named after one of the National Park Service’s most distinguished Directors, George B. Hartzog, Jr.  The award is given to the individual or individuals who demonstrate outstanding support for the mission of the National Park System and/or the National Park Service.  This award is focused on the first two strategic plan goals of the Coalition: 1.)  protect and defend the National Park System and the mission of the National Park Service; and 2.) instill public understanding and appreciation of the origins, purpose, and ideals of the National Park System and the National Park Service.  Coalition Executive Council Chair Rick Smith said, “Ranger Johnson was cited for his pivotal role in the Ken Burn’s documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea and for his life mission of making our national park areas accessible to all Americans.  His interpretive programs are among Yosemite’s most popular and well-attended.  Millions of viewers of Oprah Winfrey’s day-time talk show watched her camping trip in Yosemite that was the result of an invitation to her by Ranger Johnson.”
 
Past winners include former NPS historian, Richard West Sellars, for his book, Preserving Nature in the National Parks , Randy Roberson, a West Yellowstone tour operator who has led the way to converting public winter use in Yellowstone to the more environmentally-friendly snow coaches, Congressman Raul Grijalva, then chair of the House Sub-Committee on National Park, Forests and Public Lands, and Loren Fraser, who served as the main staff person for the National Park Second Century Commission that produced a series of recommendations to help the National Park Service launch its second century of service to the American people in 2016.

Johnson will be presented the award at an appropriate ceremony in Yosemite National Park where he has worked for the last 17 years. (S. Gediman - 1/20)
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Public invited to discuss Yosemite National Park Invasive Plant Management Plan Update Environmental Assessment
Yosemite National Park announces an opportunity to learn about, discuss and submit comments on the Invasive Plant Management Plan Update Environmental Assessment (IPMP Update).  An open house will be in the East Valley Auditorium in Yosemite Valley from 1 to 4 pm on Jan. 26, 2011. 

The IPMP Update  builds upon key elements of the 2008 Invasive Plant Management Plan  to provide a more adaptive, efficient and effective framework for managing invasive plants while also protecting Yosemite’s natural and cultural resources.  Under the IPMP Update , management would be based upon the tested principles of adaptive management and integrated pest management, elements of which include prevention, inventory, prioritization, treatment, monitoring, research, education, and outreach. These management planning tools would ensure that the most effective techniques (cultural, physical, biological, or herbicide) are used, while posing the least possible impact to people and the environment. The IPMP Update  would also enable the use of herbicides near and in water to more effectively protect the parks wetland, riparian and aquatic resources from invasive plants, and include a methodology for assessing the need for adding new herbicides to the park’s toolbox.  Removal of the minimum patch size and density restrictions for herbicide use would allow for better protection of natural and cultural resources in Wilderness.  

The public comments period ends Jan. 30, 2011. The preferred method for submitting  comments is through the National Park Service Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) System at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yose.   A digital copy of the IPMP Update is available on the PEPC website.  Comments may also be submitted by mail to: Superintendent, Yosemite National Park, Attention:  IPMP Update EA, PO Box 577, Yosemite, CA 95389. (C. Repath - 1/20)
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FY11 Contracting and Agreement Cut-off Dates
Please visit our SharePoint site for the annual Contracting and Agreement Cut-off Date memo. http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/admn/contract/default.aspx (L. Schafer - 1/20)
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Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update
January 19, 2011

Weather: (January 13 through January 19)
High temp: 57° (January 17)
Low temp:  7° (January 13)
New Snow: 0 inches                                      
Total settled snow depth: 53” as of January 19                        

Ski Conditions and Weather: It was another dry and beautiful week in the High Sierra. We had a trace of rain on the afternoon of the 13th, putting a nice breakable crust on top of the snow. Daytime highs were mainly in the 50’s all week turning the snow into a sloppy mess by afternoon. The snow collapses beneath your skis. It was a heat wave, making for uncomfortable skiing in the sun; we were looking for shade to hide under. The meltdown has started and water is flowing everywhere. Coverage is still excellent but the temperatures have ruined the nice soft skiable snow. Trail breaking is moderately easy, about 6 inches deep, after you break through the inch thick crust. It looks like this weather will continue according to the extended weather forecasts. 
   
Avalanche and Snowpack Conditions:  For the latest avalanche advisory for this area go to www.esavalanche.org for the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center and click on advisory. The ESAC site is updated several times a week and more often during weather events.
 
Wildlife: We saw tracks of Pine Marten, weasel, White-tailed Jackrabbit, Chickaree, and Coyote, along with many tiny rodent tracks. Birds seen this week include the Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and Clark’s Nutcracker. 
  
Questions: We still have no electricity or phones. We have heard they will not be fixed till spring. (Jeff and Kathi, the Tuolumne winter rangers). (K. Younger - 1/20)
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Badger Pass Daily Snow Report
Thursday, January 20, 2011

Base Depth:   72” – 78”
New Snow: 0”
Snow Conditions: Powder, Packed Powder
Forecast: Sunny
Temperature : High: 46, Low: 34
Runs Groomed: Bruin, Eagle, Badger, Turtle, Beaver, Rabbit, Chipmunk, Red Fox
Lifts Open: Turtle, Bruin, Eagle, Badger
Runs open: All
Many features (14) in our two terrain parks!!! One is on Eagle run with boxes, rails, rollers and a jump while the Beaver run hosts 4 big-air jumps, rollers and boxes!! Come try them out!!
Groomed XC trails: Freshly groomed from Badger Pass to Glacier Point on Friday night (January 14). Groomed to Mono Meadow on Wednesday night (January 19th).
XC trail snow conditions:    Excellent
Tubing Hill: Two sessions/day: 11:30am–1:30pm & 2:00pm–4:00pm (S. Costello - 1/20)
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Ansel Adams Gallery Closure: Jan. 24 - Feb. 9
The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park will close for two weeks at the end of January and beginning of February in order to accomplish a thorough renovation. Cosmetically very little will change, but once we reopen, visitors to the gallery will enjoy a fresh face and upgraded infrastructure. However, Camera Walks and Photography Classes will continue during this construction period. See Photography Education for details on walks and classes. (Kate D. - 1/19) 
      
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EMPLOYEE NEWS

The Yosemite Conservancy Announces General Manager Opportunity
(note: this announcement has been amended from yesterday's version)

The General Manager is a full time position overseeing the El Portal office, programs and general operations of the Yosemite Conservancy including education, wilderness, art, volunteer programs, human resources and general administration. This position serves as the supervisor of management staff based in Yosemite, including the Volunteer Program Manager, Wilderness Program Manager, Resident Naturalist, Art and Education Coordinator and the Office Manager/Human Resources Administrator. This position works collaboratively with the Director of Projects, the Retail Director and the Accounting Director and is the point of contact for all departments in San Francisco to coordinate events and donor cultivation visits in the Park. The General Manager reports to the Vice President in the San Francisco office.  The Yosemite Conservancy is competitive in salary and provides excellent benefits.

Qualifications Required:
- Masters degree or equivalent experience
- Seven (plus) years of related experience leading and managing nonprofit operations
- Experience in supervising program managers
- Experience with retail operations is highly desirable
- Commitment to the mission, values, goals, and success of the Yosemite Conservancy
- Exceptional leadership, communication and managerial skills
- Knowledge of and interest in Yosemite National Park; experience working with National Park Service
- Excellent project management, critical thinking and supervisory skills
- Ability to review and periodically upgrade all operating systems
- Strong skills with a variety of software programs  (required: MS Office; A big plus: Raiser’s Edge (donor database); Retail Pro (point of sale system); and ACCPAC (accounting system)
- Ability to travel between Yosemite and the San Francisco office on a monthly basis

To apply, please submit your resume, a cover letter and your salary history and salary expectations to: YosemiteConservancy@gmail.com (C. King - 1/20)
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New MRP Project Manager
Sabrina Stadler was just recently hired, by the National Park Service Planning Division, to help pull together the Merced River Plan. She comes with over 20 years of experience in the field of natural resources. She has worked for the Plumas National Forest as a Senior NEPA Planner for the past 6-years. In that capacity she led interdisciplinary teams through the NEPA process, developing fuels reduction, watershed restoration and travel management plans. In addition to planning, she has a strong background in the area of ecology and geographic information systems. She has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife; emphasizing Botany from Humboldt State University, as well as a Masters in Natural Resources Planning and Interpretation also from Humboldt State University, where she used remote sensing applications to detect endangered plant habitat. In addition to working for the federal government she has worked for state, private and non-profit organizations.  (K. Morse - 1/19)
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Weekly Safety Topic
Be sure to conduct your weekly safety topic with all of your employees. This week's topic is Safety Training Needs. This information will allow the safety office to provide better training to meet your employee's needs.  (C. Ronay - 1/19)

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ACTING DESIGNATIONS  

Vickie Mates will be Acting Chief of Interpretation and Education January 20-21 and January 25-28. She can be reached at 349-1199 or 372-0643.

David Engelstad  will be Acting Branch Chief for the Design Branch of Project Management beginning Tuesday, January 18, through Friday, January 21 while Randy Fong is out of the park.  David can be reached at 379-1277 or you may leave a message with Theodora Burciaga at 379-1221.

Jay Shields will be Acting Mather District Ranger 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 call 379-1282 or 379-1104.

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COMMUNITY NEWS 

Notice of PG&E Planned Electric Service Interruption - CANCELLED
The planned electrical outage for Saturday, January 22 has been cancelled. It will be rescheduled in Spring. (K. Bablitch - 1/20)
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Year-Round NPS employee in search of housing beginning in February or March.
30 y/o, clean, responsible, male and one small well behaved kitty looking to rent an apartment or share housing in the El Portal area. Contact Steve at 209-379-2184. (S. Delfavero - 1/19)
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Yosemite Sentinel Submissions due Jan. 28th  
Do you have any community events coming up in March or April, or any special announcements or news that you would like to share with the community in the Yosemite Sentinel?  If you do, please submit to sentinel@dncinc.com or call Jennifer at 372-1256. (J. Graves - 1/19)
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Congratulations to Kevin and Jill Killian
At 12:13 AM on January 18, 2011, Jill and Kevin Killian welcomed the arrival of Jackson Cole.  Jackson weighed in at 7 lbs 6 ounces and is 20 inches long.  He is healthy and Jill is doing well.  Jackson arrived quickly while enroute to the hospital creating quite the excitement and a story for all to share.  Thanks to the Mather staff who helped with the transport and Tuolumne County ambulance for taking care of one of our own.  Join BRM and the Protection Division in congratulating them. (C. Cuvelier - 1/19)