Daily Report – Yosemite National Park
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Yosemite National Park Zone Forecast
Today: Sunny. Slight chance of rain showers late in the morning. Slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs 55 to 67. South winds up to 10 mph shifting to the southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows 37 to 49. Northeast winds up to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Sunny. Highs 50 to 64. Southeast winds up to 10 mph shifting to the west in the afternoon. Gusts up to 30 mph.
Additional Point Forecast Weather Links:
Yosemite Valley | Wawona | Tuolumne Meadows | Glacier Point | Big Oak Flat | Hetch Hetchy | El Portal | Mariposa | Badger Pass
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NEW & HAPPENING TODAY
Continued Fire System Inspections
Fire system inspections continue in the Valley this week. Friday, inspections will begin in Wawona. Thanks again for your patience and understanding during this annual requirement. (C. Toepper)
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LGBTQ+ ERG Mixer 9/20 @ 6pm
Join the Yosemite LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group at the El Portal Community Hall for a mixer! Come enjoy casual snacks, music, and community. Employee, park partners, volunteers, and community members welcome! Can’t make if to this mixer? We will have another one in the Valley next week! 9/28 @ 6:30pm at the Carabiner/Degnan’s Loft. (S. Soroka)
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Picture a Scientist Dialogue Postponed
The Picture a Scientist Dialogue set for this Thursday will be postponed until further notice. Thank you for your understanding. (S. Soroka)
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RECENT NEWS
Pothole Dome Restoration
Meadow restoration will be occurring near Pothole Dome in Tuolumne Meadow from 9/18 through 10/5. There will be equipment in the meadow to fill gullies and plant salvaged vegetation. Expect occasional traffic delays. Contact Matt Jones with any questions. (M. Jones)
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El Portal Warehouse Elevators
Construction in the El Portal Warehouse lobby is resuming September 18-28, so the elevator is once again off limits during that time except in case of emergency. (N. Belle Isle)
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RISE Innovation Station Workshops 9/28, 9am-12pm
Join us at the Valley Auditorium for an open forum brainstorm to explore the new NPS RISE Framework and Surgeon General Mental Health in the Workplace Framework. This will be the second session of an interactive style 3-part workshop with breakout groups and a chance engage with the material and your peers. You can join one individually or participate in the full series. Can’t attend the full time? Feel free to stop in for an hour or two! For questions and RSVP, email yose_dei@nps.gov. (S. Soroka)
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Position Available with Yosemite Conservancy Wilderness Reservation Team through October 2024
Do you enjoy sharing your local knowledge and love for Yosemite’s backcountry with visitors? Do you want to help wilderness users plan great trips and have a smooth permit reservation process? Do you find joy in the dynamic nature of Yosemite and feel undaunted by change? Are you able to find job satisfaction with the majority of your workdays spent in front of a computer? Yosemite Conservancy is seeking an employee to help operate the wilderness permit reservations system and Ostrander Ski Hut reservations. This is a fast-paced office job with heavy administrative duties, tempered with weekly wilderness patrols.
For application instructions and job description go to yosemite.org/careers (S. Hickey)
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Tuolumne Meadows Season Nearing the End
The Tuolumne Meadows season is nearing the end and there is still time to attend programs.
The Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Information Station located in the Parsons Lodge parking lot, will be open through Wednesday September 27.
The 15-minute talks at 12:00pm and 3:00pm, and the 10:00am Ranger programs will also conclude on the 27th.
There is a Full-Moon Sunset Ranger program, meeting at Lembert Dome parking at 6:30pm on September 29th.
The last Tuolumne Meadows Bird walk will be at 8:30am on Saturday September 30. (K. Amstutz)
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Seasonal Employee Radio Return
This is a friendly reminder from Telecom, to all those returning your radios in the next few weeks. If you also checked out a charger, bring that as well! We don’t want you to have to make two trips. See you soon.
Telecom Hours: Mon-Thurs 7:30AM-4PM, Fri 7:30AM-3PM
Telecom Contact: 209/379-1212, YOSE_Telecom@nps.gov (M. Roubal)
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Mariposa Rental Available
Now accepting applications for single family home. 3 bedroom plus den. Attached garage. Water and trash paid. No pets, non smokers. $1950 a month plus deposits. Please contact 209-966-3369 (E. Dayhoff)
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ONGOING PROJECTS
Valley-wide Continuous Flow Intersection Improvement Project
Primary stages of Sentinel Drive construction are now complete. The Sentinel-Cook’s Meadow Parking Area remains closed because the space is assigned to the contractor for construction staging. Work that is now underway includes modifications to the roundabout in Yosemite Village, a widening of Northside Drive, reconstruction and extension of Shuttle Bus Stop #1 at Village Parking, paving the new driveway into Yosemite Valley Lodge, and paving the new pedestrian promenade to Yosemite Falls. The contractor is also grinding the center line on Northside Drive to remove the continuous mumble strip and to lay new asphalt prior to re-striping. One travel lane will be blocked as contractor equipment occupies the other lane. Sign post hole excavation and sign installation are also occurring over the next two weeks. Construction work should be completed on Oct 15. Please drive carefully and watch for laborers and equipment on roadways. (J. Donovan)
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Yosemite Valley Shuttle Bus Stop Improvements
The NPS contractor has completed demolition work in Yosemite Village and has turned attention to Curry Village (Orchard Parking) and at Upper Pines and Lower Pines campground stops on the Happy Isles Loop. All seven work sites will be ready for paving in early October. Disruption and delays in traffic circulation are to be expected. The contractor is authorized to conduct traffic control operations Monday through Thursday. This work is likely to continue until mid-December. (J. Donovan)
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Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment
The contractor is working at the Tuolumne Meadows visitor parking area over the next two to four weeks. New vehicle chargers will not be available until the units can be energized and commissioning is completed. Working EV charging stations are available only at Yosemite Valley Lodge, six at the Ahwahnee Hotel, four at the Village Store, and two between the El Portal market and gas station. (J. Donovan)
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Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project
The long-planned Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project, on Evergreen Road, is set to begin. Be aware of potential truck traffic in the area between August 14 and October 31.
The project goal is to eliminate excessive soil erosion, slow water loss, and reverse loss of water-loving plants and animals, and impacts to endangered species. To do this, a contractor will completely fill the century-old human-caused erosion gully that is now more than 3 miles long, and up to 14 feet deep by 100 feet wide. Revegetation of the area will be completed using more than 425,000 wetland container plants and 700 pounds of native plant seeds. This project is planned for completion in spring 2025, and is a partnership of American Rivers, Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite Conservancy, and Yosemite National Park. Learn more: https://go.nps.gov/ackerson. For questions, contact tim_kuhn@nps.gov. (T. Kuhn)
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Valley Forestry on Glacier Point
Valley Forestry will be removing hazard trees along Glacier Point Road through the end of September. Work will take place from 0800-1530 Monday through Thursday. Expect 15 minute delays. Thanks for your patience. (B. See)
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Glacier Point Road Delays
Crews are continuing rehabilitation of the Glacier Point Road between Wawona Road junction (Chinquapin) and Glacier Point. The Crews will be working Monday thru Friday from 6AM to 6PM with alternating one-way traffic control and up to 30-minute delays. Delays should be diminishing as work progresses over the next couple of months; however, please expect delays thru September 29, 2023. Please contact Michael Pieper, with any questions or concerns at (209) 200-1131. (M. Peiper)
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Tioga Road Delays
Crews are continuing to complete intermittent road repairs on the Tioga Road between Tamarack Flat Campground entrance road and Little Blue Slide. Over the next couple of months there will be multiple crews working at various locations along the Tioga Road corridor. The Crews will be working Monday thru Friday, from 6AM to 6PM with alternating one-way traffic control and up to 15-minute delays. These Tioga Road delays will continue thru September 29, 2023. Please contact Michael Pieper, with any questions or concerns at (209) 200-1131. (M. Peiper)
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Construction in Bug and Ranger Camps is underway in Tuolumne Meadows
Several crews are repairing damaged structures and replacing the underground and overhead electric. Please avoid the area unless you are a resident. Any questions, contact Matt Outhier. (M. Outhier)
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Mist Trail Repair July 10th – November 2nd
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 7/10/23 – 9/1/23. Beginning 9/2/23 – 11/2/23 the trail will be closed M-Fr between 7:00am and 3:30pm. The trail will be open on Labor Day and Columbus Day.
The trail will remain open on weekends. 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 Little Yosemite Valley, 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 Friday. Otherwise, they must hike the JMT. (W. Weaver)
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The Merced Grove is Closed for Restoration
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. 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 first. 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 grove will be closed for 2.5 months 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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Dispatch Expansion Project
The Dispatch Expansion project is converting most of the El Portal Warehouse lobby into office space for the Emergency Communications (Dispatch) Center. Work is resuming September 18-28, so the lobby elevator will once again be off-limits during that time except in case of emergency. The stairs are still blocked off and the rest of the lobby area is closed unless you are involved with the project. To access the Dispatch office area, follow the signs in through the Trails area door just inside the fence/gate. Warehouse occupants and visitors need to use alternate means of ingress/egress until the re-construction of the stairs is finished. Do not enter through the RMS building unless you work there. Contact Nicole Belle Isle, Project Manager, for more information. (N. Belle Isle)
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Sugar Pine Floodplain Restoration Through November 10
The Vegetation and Ecological Restoration Branch will be conducting restoration work in the floodplain south of Sugar Pine Bridge from August 14 to November 10. This project will excavate fill from historic channels to reactivate the floodplain, provide habitat for aquatic wildlife and plants, and restore natural hydrology. This project is a recommended action from the Merced Wild and Scenic River Management Plan to mitigate the effects of the historic but undersized Sugar Pine Bridge on the Merced River. Earth moving machinery, including excavators and dump trucks, will be operating in this area. Please ask that the public stay out of this area for their safety. To learn more about Merced River restoration visit: https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/mercedriverrestoration.htm (A. Puchkoff)
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Y8 Fuel Station Down
The Y8 gas station is currently down. For gas needs in the meantime, please call the garage from 8 am – 5 pm, 7 days a week at 209-372-1060 to schedule a fill until further notice. We’ll update when the station is back up and running. (C. Layman)
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Valley Shuttle Construction Impacts
Valley Shuttle stops 19, 4 and 2 are out of service due to construction. (C. Layman)