Yosemite Photos, Video and News

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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Foresta Road Closed Until Further Notice Between Barium Mine Road and Old El Portal
Due to safety concerns associated with the recent slide on the Foresta Road, it is now closed to all vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the intersection of the Barium Mine Road and Old El Portal. The road will remain closed until further notice. FHWA engineers will be onsite next week to assess the slide and the road stability. Middle Road will remain open between the intersection of the Foresta Road and CA State Highway 140 (Access to and from Middle Road will be limited to CA St. Hwy. 140). As further information becomes available, it will be updated in the Daily Report. If you have questions or concerns please contact Michael Pieper at (209) 379-1263 or (209) 742-8593. (M. Pieper - 3/30)
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Traffic Delays on the El Portal Road
Traffic delays are scheduled to begin next week on the El Portal Road to stabilize a rock slide area near Dog Rock (Approx. 0.25 miles east of the western park entrance). The contractor is scheduled to begin work next Monday, April 4, 2011 with up to 30-minute delays (Except during the commuter hours of 6:30 and 8:30 AM in the mornings and 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the afternoon, when there will be a maximum of 15 minute delays.). They are planning to work from sun-up to sun-down, Monday thru Friday. The contractor will have one lane traffic control with flaggers. This project includes rock scaling and bolting to help stabilize an area that slid during the December 30, 2010 storm and again during last weeks storm event. There may be less delays the first day as they mobilize onsite. The current schedule is to have the work completed in a few weeks and prior to Easter. (M. Pieper - 3/29)

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PARK AND PARK PARTNER NEWS   
 
Yosemite Forum: Surveying Macrofungi - Tuesday, April 12
From Noon to 1:00 p.m.in the Yosemite Valley Auditorium, join Dr. Thomas Bruns, UC Berkeley Professor, presenting “Surveying the Macrofungi of Yosemite: Challenges, Progress, and the Way Forward.” Mushrooms and other macrofungi are an important, abundant, species rich, but poorly known part of Yosemite's biota. The ephemeral nature of mushrooms, their highly seasonal occurrence, and the limited number of mushroom taxonomists makes surveying the park's large mycoflora difficult. Last year a consortium of professional and amateur taxonomist started to survey the mycofungi of Yosemite National Park. Dr. Bruns will focus on their progress and the strategies they are adapting to the park's unique challenges. For more information about Yosemite Forums, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/yose-forum.htm (K. Dera - 4/4)
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Weekly Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update
High temp: 53° (3/30)
Low temp:  -1° (3/25)
New Snow: 38 inches                                      
Total settled snow depth: 84” as of March 31                        

Ski Conditions and Weather: This winter is one for the record books. In March we received 112 inches of snow, containing 8.01 inches of water. We have received over 35 feet of snow this winter, and winter probably isn’t over yet. We reached our maximum snow depth here at the Ranger Station of 105 inches this week. But don’t let that fool you, higher elevations have much more snow. Our snow survey site at Rafferty Meadows (below Tuolumne Pass) had 145 inches of snow containing 57 inches of water. Only the legendary winter of 1983 dropped more snow (156”) at this site, and only the big winter of 1995 dropped more water (58”), since record-keeping began at this spot in 1948.  With 105 inches of snow, this is the fourth deepest end-of-March snowpack at the Tuolumne Meadows snow survey site since 1930, exceeded only by the winters of 1995 (107”), 1969 (126”), and 1983 (138”). The storms have stopped for now; unsettled weather is expected for the weekend. The snow is settling fast now that the temperatures have warmed up, so expect skiing conditions to change daily.
   
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: Very few tracks were seen through the copious amounts of snowfall but the usual critters are still out and about; mainly Pine Marten, weasel, White-tailed Jackrabbit, Chickaree, and Coyote, along with many tiny rodent tracks. The spring migration has been put on hold up here. Birds seen and heard this week include the Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Common Raven, and Clark’s Nutcracker. 

Reminder: Bear canisters are now required for backcountry travel. Power and phones are out of service indefinitely. Come prepared, there is no electricity or phone service at the ski hut. (K. Younger - 4/1)

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EMPLOYEE NEWS 
 
New Faces in the Superintendent's Office
You will be seeing a couple of changes in the Office of the Superintendent.  You may already be aware that Alan Kunz has detailed into our office as our administrative support assistant. He's doing a fine job, and we are very happy he's here. The next change will come on Monday, April 4, when we welcome Kristen Kosick on a detail into the Executive Assistant position while Cyndi is on a 120-day detail in Human Resources. Kristen comes to us from the office of Don Hellman, AD for Legislative Affairs in WASO. We're very excited that she will be joining our team. If you have the opportunity, please stop by, introduce yourself and help us welcome Kristen to Yosemite. (C. Mattiuzzi - 4/4)
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Weekly Safety Topic
This week you have an opportunity to choose a topic that is appropriate to your employees' specific needs. Please conduct a walk through of you office space or shop, and be sure to put away  tools and equipment, as well as check all electrical outlets and surge protectors that may have been used during last week's storm event. Happy Spring! (C. Ronay - 4/4)
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Barry Hance Memorial Award Nominations Now Accepted
Barry Hance was an NPS maintenance employee who lost his life in a 1995 avalanche while clearing the Tioga Road.  An award was established in his honor to recognize an NPS employee who exemplifies Barry’s concern for others and dedication to the goals and ideals of Yosemite National Park. Any current NPS employee or NPS group may make a nomination with the approval of the nominee's supervisor.

How do I nominate someone?
- Complete a DI-451 Award Nomination Form;
- Complete and attach a Barry Hance Award nomination form;
- Supervisor must sign the nomination;
- Place the completed nominations in a blue confidential envelope addressed with “Barry Hance Nomination” and send it to the Superintendent’s Office;
- Nominations must be submitted no later than May 27, 2011

To be nominated, the employee…
...is a current employee at Yosemite and they worked in Yosemite National Park in 2010.
...exemplifies the highest ideals of the NPS mission – protecting and preserving America’s natural and cultural resources, while providing for visitor enjoyment for the benefit of future generations.
...is cheerful and projects a positive attitude.
...communicates well with his or her supervisor
...works as a team member and extends a helping hand. (C. Mattiuzzi - 4/1)

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ACTING DESIGNATIONS 

Heather McKenny will be acting Chief of Wildlife Management on Monday, April 4. She can be reached at 379-1438.

Gus Smith will be acting Chief of Fire and Aviation Apr 4th and 5th.

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 

6th Street Cinema
Located upstairs in the historic Old Masonic Lodge on 6th Street in downtown Mariposa (www.sixthstreetcinema.org). Entrance is $7 per film for non-members; non-member students pay $5. Monthly membership is $12 allowing film entry for $3 each. Recorded Information: (209) 966-1333. Staff: (209) 742-6666. This week, be part of the official rebirth of the passion for science in Mariposa: April 8-9, (Friday, Saturday) 7:30 p.m.: "Roving Mars," with discussion by JPL/NASA Mar's Rover Deputy Team Chief Nagin Cox. Not rated, 40 min. plus discussion; All ages...kids as young as 6 are enthralled. (T. Arfsten - 4/4)
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Easter Egg Hunt
Save the Date! Yosemite Rotary invites you to hop on over to the Yosemite Valley School for a fun-tastic Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, April 24th at 11am. (T. Marshall - 4/4)
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Yosemite Institute’s Yosemite is Our Backyard
For ages 7-11 and 12-15. Day hikes will begin each day at 8:45 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. plus a cookout and campfire at Crane Flat for the 7-11 year olds and an overnight at the historic Crane Flat campus for the 12-15 year olds! Cost: $180.00, Dates: June 13-17, 2011. *To keep the cost of the program as low as we can, one volunteer parent chaperone is needed for each hiking group each day, plus one to spend the night at Crane Flat with the older student group. There is no cost for chaperones. Adults who chaperone 2-5 days can bring one child at 1/2 price for more information & registration forms, call Yosemite Institute at 209-379-9511. (A. Hutchings - 4/4)
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The Art of Writing for Children Class
Once more, local children’s book author Michael Elsohn Ross is presenting a writing class in El Portal. During the four evening sessions of this course you’ll discover the wide variety of styles and formats of current books, develop writing skills, get an inside look at publishing and have a chance to play with your writing. This entertaining and informative class for anyone with a love of children's literature and an interest in writing or illustrating books is offered through the Mariposa Arts Council. Michael Elsohn Ross is the award-winning author of over 40 books for young people including his young adult biography, Salvador Dali and the Surrealists. Snug as a Bug is a Bank Street College, Best Book of the Year, while Cricketology, a Scientific American Young Reader's award winner is one of his eight books in the popular Backyard Buddies series. His work as a naturalist and environmental educator in Yosemite National Park has inspired him to write books that invite kids to wonder and explore. He has taught writing workshops at several California State University Campuses and the University of Hawaii.
When: 6:30-8:00 PM Monday April 25, May 2, 9, and 16th. Space is limited.
Where: El Portal Library
Fee: $47, Call the Mariposa County Arts Council at 966-3155 to register and with a credit card or check. (M. Ross - 4/4)
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Women’s History Lecture Rescheduled: EOC Hosts Author Fernando Peñalosa to Speak on Women’s History on May 20
Author Fernando Peñalosa will speak noon-1:30 p.m. May 20 (a Friday) on "Making and Documenting Women's History: Enid Michael and Shirley Sargent" in the Valley Auditorium as part of an EOC Women’s History Month program that is open to the public. The Rancho Palos Verdes author has written “Shirley Sargent: Yosemite Historian” about the well-known Flying Spur resident who died in 2004 and “The Joy of Yosemite: Selected Writings of Enid Michael” about an early female ranger, appointed in 1921, who wrote more than 500 articles related to Yosemite’s botany and ornithology. Don’t miss this chance to learn about two prominent Yosemite women, including vintage video footage of Enid Michael interacting with plants and animals. Penalosa’s books will be available for purchase and signing at the event through the Yosemite Conservancy bookstore. Learn more about Yosemite women's history: http://www.nps.gov/yose/historyculture/women.htm. (E. Munding - 4/1)