Daily Report – Yosemite National Park Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Daily Report – Yosemite National Park
Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Yosemite National Park Zone Forecast
Today: Sunny. Highs 61 to 75. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.
Tonight: Colder, clear. Lows 34 to 50. South winds up to 10 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.
Tomorrow: Sunny. Highs 58 to 72. South winds up to 15 mph.

RECENT NEWS

Room for Rent in Midpines Home
One bedroom (with bath) for rent in 2400 sq ft house situated in a quiet forest on 4 acres, only 2.5 miles from the Bug Hostel and 10 minutes from the Merced River. House will be shared with 2 other individuals. UTILITIES ARE INCLUDED(except internet and firewood). Rent is $1100/month. House features 2 large separate living spaces, large open kitchen, sunny atrium dining nook, fenced outdoor patio with HEATED in-ground POOL (average swim season is April-Oct). Pets considered on a case by case basis. Two seasonal creeks on property. Wonderful neighbors. 2700’=cooler night time temperatures. Available mid-September. Contact Chuck Carter at mtboy13@gmail.com with interest. (C. Henry)
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Yosemite Fire Updates

Middle
Location: Near the Middle Fork of the Tuolumne River, west of White Wolf Lodge
Elevation: 7,000’
Discover date: August 4th, 2024
Size: 310 acres
Containment: 85%
Cause: Lightning
Yosemite Fire crews are using a full suppression strategy using ground and air resources, including handline construction with fire crews including 1 helicopter, 2 Type 2 crews, 1 NPS wildland fire use module and 2 engines. Operations include patrol mop-up, rehab, trail closure will remain in place until lines are secure.
Crews are accessing the fire from Tioga Road, so please be watchful for firefighters, equipment and smoke along Tioga Rd. Trail closures went into effect Tuesday, August 6th, impacting the trail along Long Gulch Creek, between Aspen Valley and White Wolf.
All remaining fires are being managed with a confined contained strategy/ monitor by Yosemite Fire crews.

Morrison
Location: One mile north of Morrison Creek
Discovery Date: August 4th, 2024 Size: 31 acres
Containment: 50% Cause: Lightning

Echo
Location: North of Little Yosemite Valley above Echo Valley, near Merced Lake
Discovery Date: August 2nd, 2024 Size: 0.5 acre
Containment: 0% Cause: Lightning
Smoke and fire may be visible from Glacier Point and other park areas. (M. Ruggiero)

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ONGOING PROJECTS

Valley Forestry Through September
Valley Forestry will be performing residential tree trimming and hazard removal in Old El Portal, Rancheria and Yosemite Valley through the end of September. Workers will be entering yards for tree inspection and trimming. Email Brian_See@nps.gov for more information or work requests. (B. See)
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Merced Grove Restoration Closure
Giant sequoias are adapted to frequent, low-intensity fire and depend on fire for reproduction. Frequent fires reduce fire intensity by thinning the forest of small and unhealthy trees and reducing the accumulation of dead branches and trees. But over the past century, fires were suppressed, and drought and insects killed millions of trees in Yosemite creating fuels for fires. In the Merced Grove, there is limited sequoia regeneration and fuel loading has increased to dangerous levels. Currently, we cannot safely introduce fire without first mechanically removing fuels. Since 2020, wildfires have killed almost 20% of mature giant sequoias across their range due to extreme fuel loading, and we aim to prevent that outcome in the Merced Grove. Therefore, we are removing small diameter conifers, trees posing a hazard to firefighters and containment lines, and dead and downed wood to reduce wildfire risk to the sequoias and firefighters as preparation for the first prescribed fire in and around the grove. The wood will be transported to Ackerson Meadow where it will be mixed with soil and used to fill a gully that has been draining the meadow and wetlands. The carbon from the buried wood is sequestered and helps increase water holding capacity of the soil.
The grove will be closed until approximately September 20th during the restoration for visitor and worker safety. Please contact garrett_dickman@nps.gov with questions or for access. (G. Dickman)
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El Capitan Removal Action
An environmental cleanup contractor will be implementing the El Capitan NTCRA 7/29-11/8. The El Capitan site includes 13 Decision-Units (DUs) to be excavated for removal of buried waste. This former waste disposal area was used up until the 1930’s, with waste mainly coming from yosemite valley hotel/campground operations in the early part of the 20th century. The DUs are located in various depressions along the merced river and slaughterhouse meadow. Upon a satisfactory confirmation testing of these locations, the contractor will be restoring the DUs to a natural grade.

Impacts: The Valley Loop trail will be barricaded at the west end of the project site and at the entrance to the project site south of the El Capitan picnic area. A trail detour is available to hikers by walking north of the project site. The contractor will also be periodically closing the left-hand lane of Northside Drive for approximately 2500 feet west of and in front of the El Capitan picnic area in order to stage trucks for off hauling of waste/soil from the site. Please contact Moshe Calm with any questions/concerns. (C. Moshe)
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Potential Traffic Delays
Road crews are working from crane flat to the 120/140 junction clearing drainages please watch for workers and equipment, expect up to 15 minute traffic delays
(B. Brantley)
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Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project
Earth-moving for final phase of the Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project on Evergreen Road has begun. Operations are planned through October 31. Please watch for trucks on roads in the area.

The goal is to eliminate excess soil erosion, slow water loss, and reverse loss of water-loving plants and animals, especially rare/endangered species. To do this, the project team will completely fill the century-old human-caused erosion gully that is >3 miles long, and up to 14’ deep by 100’ wide. Phase 1 of the project was a huge success protecting and rewetting 78 acres of vital wetland habitat, by completing earth-moving of nearly 60,000cy of material between Aug 14 and Nov 9, 2023, and planting over 127,000 wetland container plants on the restored surface this spring. Though smaller in extent, Phase 2 requires the placement of nearly 100,000cy of combined mineral soil and woodchips. More than 290,000 container plants will be installed in May 2025 to complete the restoration project. The project is a partnership of American Rivers, Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite Conservancy, and Yosemite National Park. Learn more at: https://go.nps.gov/ackerson, or https://youtu.be/3u9TpTTcArk. For questions, contact tim_kuhn@nps.gov. (T. Kuhn)
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Mist Trail Repair July 1st – October 31st, 2024
The Lower Mist Trail – from the John Muir Trail (JMT) junction (just uphill from the Vernal Fall Footbridge) to the top of Vernal Fall – will be closed M-TH between 7:00am and 3:30pm from 7/1/24 – 10/31/24 (subject to change).
The trail will remain open Fridays, weekends and holidays. It is expected to be open overnight, however there may be certain days when trail crew is not able to make it safe to open overnight. In that case, the gates will remain closed, and signs will be posted at the two closure gates that the trail is closed.
Hikers and backpackers headed to Half Dome and points beyond from the trailhead at Happy Isles may hike uphill on the Mist Trail if they reach the Mist Trail/JMT junction by 7:00am, Monday through Thursday. Otherwise, they must hike the JMT. (W. Weaver)
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Historic Preservation Crew – Post Office
The Yosemite Historic Preservation Crew is performing stabilization work on the Yosemite Valley Post Office. The project will repair damaged and broken windows, repair cracks in the masonry, and perform preservation carpentry on log elements. There will be no impact on Post Office operations. Please direct all questions to Kevin Brothers (kevin_brothers@nps.gov). (K. Brothers)
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Expect delays: North Side Drive between El Capitan Woodlot to Pohono Bridge
Hazardous fuel reduction is taking place on Northside Drive from El Capitan Woodlot to Pohono Bridge. This work is being conducted in preparation of prescribed fire and provide a safer place for fire fighters to work if a wildfire burns up the Merced River Canyon. The 2018 Ferguson Fire reached Cascades Falls and crossed both Wawona and Glacier Point Roads in a single run. Roads are our primary location to stop wildfires and implement prescribed fire. Personnel will be removing small trees and dead and down material. Wood will be transported to Ackerson Meadow where it will be mixed with fill as part of a massive gully restoration project will the aim of restoring one of the largest mid-elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada. Mixing the wood with the soil sequesters the carbon and increases the water holding capacity of the soil creating a wetter, more productive meadow.

Please watch for workers and drive slowly through the work zone. Traffic holds are 15 minutes while workers remove woody material. Delays may be expected Mon-Fri, 06:00-16:00. Thank you for your support and understanding. (G. Dickman)
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Caltrans Announces Improvement Project on State Route 140: Cathey’s Valley to Mariposa
On Monday, April 29, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin a maintenance project to improve State Route 140 (SR-140) between Cathey’s Valley and the town of Mariposa. Work will include pavement preservation with hot-mix asphalt, and removal and installation of guardrails, culverts, dikes, shoulder backing, signage, and corner curb ramps at seven intersections. Crews will work night shifts for approximately 170 working days, Sunday through Thursday, with alternating lane closures on eastbound and westbound SR-140. Project completion is expected in December 2024. The contractor’s work schedule is subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment and materials, and construction-related issues. Please drive carefully and watch for laborers and equipment in roadways. (J. Donovan)
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Wawona Hotel Roof Replacement Project
The Wawona re-roofing project is underway and the Contractor, Southwest Property Management, continues to work at the hotel phasing demolition and reroofing in sections progressively. Without unforeseen discoveries, the completion should occur in the fall of this year. Contact Steve Dunakoskie, YOSE SPPM Project Manager, for more information. (S. Dunakoskie)
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Dispatch Expansion Project
The Dispatch Expansion project is converting most of the El Portal Warehouse lobby into additional office space for the Emergency Communications (Dispatch) Center. The lobby stairs are no longer walled off, but the stairwell and adjacent entrance will periodically need to be temporarily closed as work dictates. When the stairs and entryway are blocked off, Warehouse occupants and visitors will need to use alternate means of ingress/egress. Do not enter through the RMS building unless you work there. To access the Dispatch office area, follow the signs in through the Trails area door just inside the fence/gate. Contact Alyssa Sharp, YOSE Project Manager, for more information. (M. Vantzelfden)
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Vegetation Removal and Maintenance Work in Wawona
PG&E contractors from Arborworks will be conducting vegetation removal and maintenance work in the Wawona residential area. Some traffic control may be necessary. This work will occur during a Tuesday to Friday schedule until August 30. (A.Kunz)