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Daily Report – Yosemite National Park
Wednesday, February 27th, 2019
Today: Snow with rain likely in the morning, then rain and snow likely in the afternoon, gusts up to 40 mph in the morning. Near the crest, snow in the morning, then snow likely in the afternoon. Windy. Snow accumulation up to 12 inches. Snow level 7000 feet. Highs 43 to 49 at 5000 feet…33 to 40 at 8000 feet. Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts to around 65 mph over higher elevations.
Tonight: Chance of rain and snow in the evening, then snow and rain after midnight. Near the crest, chance of snow in the evening, then snow likely after midnight. Windy. Snow accumulation up to 11 inches. Snow level 6500 feet. Lows 35 to 41 at 5000 feet…25 to 31 at 8000 feet. Southwest winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts to around 55 mph over higher elevations.
Tomorrow: Snow with rain likely in the morning, then chance of rain and snow in the afternoon. Near the crest, a 50 percent chance of snow. Windy. Snow accumulation up to 10 inches. Total snow accumulation up to 34 inches. Snow level 6500 feet. Highs 41 to 49 at 5000 feet…31 to 39 at 8000 feet. Southwest winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts to around 55 mph over higher elevations.
Additional Point Forecast Weather Links:
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NEW AND HAPPENING TODAY
Yosemite National Park Announces That The 2019 Half Dome Preseason Lottery Will Be Delayed – Yosemite News Release February 27, 2019
Yosemite National Park announces that the 2019 preseason lottery for Half Dome permits will be delayed this year due to a transition to a new contracted provider. The preseason lottery typically opens on March 1. For the latest information on the status of the Half Dome preseason lottery, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm. No date is yet determined on when the preseason lottery will open.
All hikers are required to have permits to ascend the Sub Dome steps and the Half Dome cables seven days a week when the cables are up. Park Rangers install the Half Dome cables each spring and take them down each fall, based on weather and trail conditions. The cables are typically up from late May to early October.
All day use hiking permits are distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov, with the preseason lottery in the spring and daily lotteries during the hiking season. During the preseason lottery, 225 permits are available for each day that the cables are up. To include Half Dome as part of an overnight wilderness trip please visit https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdwildpermits.htm.
All visitors planning to apply for permits to climb the Half Dome cables are strongly encouraged to thoroughly read all information posted on Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome page and the “Cables on Half Dome” page managed by Recreation.gov, http://www.recreation.gov/permits/234652, as there have been some new changes to the application process. The most accurate information will be posted on both the Yosemite National Park webpage and on Recreation.gov. (J. Richards)
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RECENT NEWS
Change In Workers’ Compensation Medical Care At Yosemite Medical Clinic
On March 1st, 2019, Yosemite Medical Clinic will begin limiting its management of new Workers’ Compensation cases to “First Reports” only.
Employees who are injured on the job should continue to notify their supervisors, obtain treatment authorizations, and, at their discretion, come to the Clinic for an initial medical visit in a Workers’ Compensation scenario. A Clinic provider will complete a “Doctor’s First Report of Occupational Injury or Illness” and an “Occupational Work Status” form.
Employees needing medical care for Workers’ Compensation beyond the initial visit will be referred to the appropriate resources. (C. Griffin)
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Forestry Operations In Valley
Valley Forestry will be cleaning up and hauling storm damaged tree material in Yosemite Valley. Much of this material is Oak, which is being hauled to the Valley woodcutting area (just outside the old wood yard). (B. See)
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House For Rent
3 bedroom, 2 bath, in Mt. Bullion. $1100 + $1200 deposit. Private setting, all wide plank pine floors, wood stove and cooler. Large garage and workshop separate from house. Please send
inquires and references to raucina@yosemite.net. (J.D. Raucina)
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House For Rent
2 bdr. 2 bath house for rent. Available early May. Has large garage for storage, brand new HVAC system, propane heat and water, lots of windows and lots of light. A deck that overlooks an amazing view. 4 mile drive to Mariposa. $1200 monthly. Email b.contreras22@yahoo.com. (K. Lewis)
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Visitor Fatality in Yosemite National Park – Yosemite News Release February 25, 2019
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Sunday February 24, 2019, a park visitor was killed in an incident on the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park. Xuan Wang, 56, from Cupertino, California was hiking on the trail when she was struck by falling rock and ice and she succumbed to her injuries soon thereafter.
The MIst Trail, a popular trail from Yosemite Valley to the top of Vernal Fall, is closed this time of year due to icy and hazardous conditions. The trail closure is clearly marked and there is a gate on the trail reminding visitors of the closure. Wang ignored the signs, went around the gate and the incident happened on the trail leading to Vernal Fall.
There are no photos available of the incident and it remains under investigation. No further information will be released until the investigation is completed. (S. Gediman)
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Recent Publications from Yosemite Wildlife
Recent papers describe the effectiveness of using environmental DNA to detect aquatic species, the micro-habitat characteristics of the Yosemite toad, technologies that are improving our human-bear management, ways birds are responding to variation in climate, and how great gray owls responded to the Rim Fire. If you would like a PDF of any of these papers, please email the Yosemite author (in bold).
Jackson, B.K. and S.M.P. Sullivan (2018) Ecosystem size and flooding drive trophic dynamics of riparian spiders in a fire-prone Sierra Nevada river system. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science. 75(2): 308-318.
Kamoroff, C., and C. S. Goldberg. 2018. An issue of life or death: using eDNA to detect viable individuals in wilderness restoration. Freshwater Science 37: 685-696.
Kamoroff, C., and C. S. Goldberg. 2018. Environmental DNA quantification in a spatial and temporal context: a case study examining the removal of brook trout from a high alpine basin. Limnology 19: 335-342.
Kamoroff, C., and C. S. Goldberg. 2017. Using environmental DNA for early detection of amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis prior to a ranid die-off. Diseases of aquatic organisms 127:75-79.
Liang, C. T.; Grasso, R. L.; Nelson-Paul, J. J.; Vincent, K. E.; Lind, A. J. 2017. Fine-scale habitat characteristics related to occupancy of the Yosemite Toad, Anaxyrus canorus. Copeia. 105(1): 120-127
Mazur, R., Leahy, R., Lee-Roney, C., and K. Patrick. 2018. Using global positioning system technology to manage human-black bear incidents at Yosemite National Park. Human-Wildlife Interactions. 12(3):387-395.
Saracco, J.F., Siegel, R.B., Helton, L., Stock, S.L., and D.F. DeSante. 2019. Phenology and productivity in a montane bird assemblage: Trends and responses to elevation and climate variation. Global Change Biology 2019:1-12.
Siegel, R.B., Eyes, S.A., Tingley, M.W., Wu, J.X., Stock, S.L., Medley, J.R., Kalinowski, R.S., Casas, A., Lima-Baumbach, M., and A.C. Rich. 2019. Short-term resilience of Great Gray Owls to a megafire in California, USA. The Condor: Ornithological Applications 121:1–13. (R. Mazur)