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Yosemite National Park Friday, December 15th, 2017
Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Friday, December 15th, 2017
Today: Sunny. Highs 58 to 68 at 5000 feet...50 to 60 at 8000 feet.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Colder. Lows 33 to 43 at 5000 feet... 24 to 34 at 8000 feet. Over higher elevations, northwest winds around 25 mph after midnight, gusts up to 45 mph after midnight.
Tomorrow: Sunny, windy. Highs 49 to 57 at 5000 feet...39 to 49 at 8000 feet. North winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts to around 55 mph...north 30 to 40 mph with gusts to around 65 mph over higher elevations.
Additional Point Forecast Weather Links:
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NEW AND HAPPENING TODAY
There are no new announcements for today, Friday, December 15th.
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RECENT NEWS
Ice Rink Opens December 16
The Half Dome Village Ice Rink will open for the season on Saturday, December 16th. The ice rink is now located back in its original spot near the Huff Housing area. There is currently no lighting available for night skating, so the rink will be open during daylight hours only. Skating will be available from 9am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, then noon to 4pm during the weekdays. An updated schedule will be sent out as soon as the lights are installed. (E. Callahan)
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Winter Driving Training
Winter weather is here and that means you will soon be driving in icy and dicey road conditions. The Protection Division and the Safety Office would like to invite you to participate in a safe winter driving training which will be held on Monday, December 18th at the Valley Fort parking area at 10:00 AM.
Before registering for this hands-on training however, supervisors must complete the defensive driving classroom training with their employees.
The classroom training should take less than an hour by following these steps:
- Contact your supervisor, [email protected] (209-379-1072) or [email protected] (x1064) to get the powerpoint and quiz (it was also sent out in an all-employee email Thursday morning).
- Review the defensive driving powerpoint. Employees may complete this as a self-study course or in group training.
- Each employee must complete the ten question quiz to validate and document the training.
- Send the completed quizzes to the safety office by print or scanned email.
Once the classroom training is complete, register for hands-on training by following these steps:
- Make a reservation with [email protected] (209-379-1072) or [email protected] (x1064).
- Bring your government vehicles.
- Bring your vehicle's tire chains.
- Arrive on time (within your reservation time slot) to the Valley Fort at 10:00 AM on Monday, December 18th. (M. Doyle)
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Temporary Promotion/Detail: Maintenance Worker Supervisor, WS-4749-05
This is a temporary developmental assignment NTE 120 days.
Start Date: 12/13/2017 End Date: 12/15/2017
For more information contact Hassan Corbin at 209-379-1076 or [email protected]. (K. Lewis)
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Welcome New Valley Utilities Supervisor
Facilities would like to welcome the new Valley Utilities Supervisor Jeff Hull, his wife Jamie and their kiddos Abby and Jason to Yosemite's Utilities team. Jeff and family have just arrived from Oregon Caves and are excited about their new life adventure. He can be contacted at 209-372-0560. (S. Gaynor)
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Watch For Wildlife On The Roads
Resources Management and Science Division would like to remind people to drive the speed limit and watch for migrating wildlife this fall and winter. In addition to the myriad of species that use the local roads, there are a few species of special concern that RMS would like the Yosemite community to help keep safe.
The California red-legged frog is a federally endangered amphibian that has been recently introduced to Yosemite Valley. These frogs migrate from ponds and slack water to upland habitat during fall/winter rains. The red-legged frogs could be particularly vulnerable to car collisions around South Side Drive (between the El Cap crossover and Yellow Pine Campground), North Side Drive (between Half Dome Village and the Village Store), and in the Mirror Lake area.
The fisher is a small carnivorous mammal closely related the American marten. It is a candidate species for federal listing. This fall, for the first time in almost 100 years, a fisher was been spotted north of the Merced River. The fisher inhabits the area between Crane Flat and the Big Oak Flat Entrance station and could likely be crossing the Big Oak Flat Road regularly. This may be one of the only individuals in the northern region of the park.
Please also be on the lookout for the newly introduced Western pond turtle, a California Species of Special Concern. Turtles often migrate from river or slack water habitats to upland overwintering sites in the fall and winter. Please take extra caution in the Tenaya Creek/ Mirror lake corridor, as well as Southside drive in the vicinity of El Capitan meadow.
Please be extra careful while driving in the park to help protect these rare species. Thanks! (C. Kamoroff)
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Research Library Closed 12/18-1/2
The Research Library is closed from December 18, 2017 - January 2, 2018. Please contact the Museum or the Archives for assistance. https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/historyculture/collections.htm (V. Sanchez)
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CONSTRUCTION & TRAFFIC DELAYS
Yosemite Valley Parking and Road Construction
There will be one-way traffic control on Wednesday 12/13 to set sewer manholes. Steel plates have been placed over the manholes on Northside Dr. between Yosemite Village and the Lodge to protect the work while it cures. The contractor will remove the plates the following week.
Contractors are wrapping up work for their winter shutdown. The only work that will take place this winter will be reconstructing masonry headwalls, with local traffic control as needed. Masonry contractors will wrap up work in west Yosemite Valley and move to the Lodge area mid-week. (L. Acree)
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Yosemite Valley Building Demolition
The abatement and demolition of the AAC Center began on Monday, November 6th and will continue through November 22nd, with the building demolition phase scheduled November 27th – December 18th. The accessible pedestrian pathway from the new Yosemite Village Day Use Parking Area to Yosemite Village (to the Village Store, Visitors Center, etc.) will not be blocked and will have chain link fencing on the interior side for visitor protection. The site will be restored to a seasonal wetland in 2018. (D. Miller)