Daily Report - Yosemite National Park Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Daily Report – Yosemite National Park

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Yosemite National Park Zone Forecast

Today: Sunny. Highs 46 to 62. East winds up to 10 mph shifting to the west in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 30 to 44. Northeast winds up to 15 mph.
Tomorrow: Warmer, sunny. Highs 50 to 66. East winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the west in the afternoon.

Additional Point Forecast Weather Links:

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NEW & HAPPENING TODAY

Yosemite Valley Flooding Later This Week
Most of Yosemite Valley will close starting Friday, April 28, at 10 pm, due to a forecast of flooding. This closure will last until Wednesday, May 3—possibly longer. Additional flooding and closures may occur later in May or June. Reservations for lodging and campgrounds in eastern Yosemite Valley will automatically be canceled and refunded. Wilderness permits can be rescheduled to alternate trailheads as space allows.

During this closure, Wawona, Mariposa Grove (via hike only), Crane Flat area, Hetch Hetchy, and western Yosemite Valley will be open. In Yosemite Valley, the closure will be at El Capitan crossover (the road that crosses the Merced River just east of El Capitan). There will be no visitor access (including pedestrian access) east of that road. Parking in western Yosemite Valley and throughout the park will be extremely limited. Do not park off road. No services will be available in western Yosemite Valley. (J. Trust)

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FREE Writing Workshop with a best-selling author!
Thursday, May 25 5:30-7:00 PM
Location: Yosemite Valley Library
Register by emailing Jenni at Jenni.Buczko@gmail.com
Limit 10

You are the Hero of your Life Story Your Life is a Hero’s Journey
In this workshop, we’ll use some principles of screenwriting to provide a frame for a portion of your life. Anne Katherine, best-selling author and prolific screenwriter, will introduce some basics of screenwriting. You’ll apply these basics to a portion of your life. You’ll choose which part of your life to use, and Anne will help you see how to convert your personal story into a screenplay. Besides being fun, (and having a new understanding when you watch movies) you’ll get to see yourself and your world from a different perspective. You can share your work or keep it entirely private and to yourself. If there’s time, we might do a table read or even an enactment of some of the screenplays, if any individuals would like to participate in that way. *Every aspect of your own work will be governed by your choices. No pressure. Just fun and enlightenment.
Link on yoscommunity website: https://www.yoscommunity.com/#event=76460557;instance=20230525173000?popup=1

**This program is brought to you through the Mariposa County Behavioral Health Wellness program in collaboration with Jenni Buczko. (J.Buczko)

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RECENT NEWS

El Portal Bear Activity – Urgent Information For Residents
A bear has entered and damaged four vehicles this week in Old El Portal, getting food from two of them. A bear has additionally broke into sheds and has obtained unsecured food including compost in the neighborhood. Once a bear gets food, like getting food from a car, that behavior is near impossible to change. Bears remember food sources and will continue to use those sources throughout their lives. Food to a bear includes anything with a scent or calories. This includes things like pet food, bird seed, drinks, toiletries, gum, trash, recycling, and compost.

Residents of El Portal you can help save bear’s lives.

Remove ALL food and scented items from vehicles daily. Lock your car doors – this bear is getting in by simply opening the doors of unlocked cars. Once inside the bear is causing considerable damage.
When you are not home, remember to close and latch/lock all windows and doors. When you are home at night, close the windows and doors of all rooms that are not occupied on the first floor – pay special attention to those in and near the kitchen.
Remove attractants from around your home. Feed pets indoors, remove bird feeders and don’t use them in places where bears also live, keep trash and recycling secured inside a building. Sheds are not bear-proof (and neither are many garages) these places are not the best place to store food/attractants.
If you see a bear in the neighborhood, yell loudly and aggressively to scare it away. They should not feel comfortable near people or residences. Scaring them when they enter neighborhoods helps keep them wild and is critical to their protection.
If a bear is attempting to enter your home or car call dispatch immediately (209)379-1992
Report non-urgent sightings to yosebear@nps.gov, or by leaving a message for wildlife management (209)372-0322. (C. Lee Roney)
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Big Oak Flat entrance bookstore and Mariposa Grove Depot bookstore are now open!
Yosemite Conservancy’s bookstores at the Big Oak Flat entrance station and the Mariposa Grove Depot are now open for the season!
Big Oak Flat bookstore is open Friday-Tuesday 9am-5pm, closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Mariposa Grove Depot is open 7 days a week 9am-5pm. (N. Koske)
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Hazard Tree Removal
Hazard tree removal along the Wawona Road until further notice. (J Brown)
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Valley Woodlot
Fire crews plan to ignite the Valley woodlot and piles around it this week. This is the area on Northside drive west of El Cap Meadow. Smoke will be visible from different locations along north and south side drive. (N. Phillipe)
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Vernal Fall Comfort Station Open
The Vernal Fall Comfort Station and Drinking Fountain at the Vernal Fall foot bridge are open for the 2023 season. (S. Zumbrunnen)
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Bark Beetle VIP Announcement
Would you like to help Protect Sugar Pines from mortality and bark beetle attack? We’ve lost a significant amount of our big, beautiful sugar pines from drought and bark beetles in recent years. What a wonderful time of year it is to be out in nature and get some great experience working with other VIPs and employees. Volunteers will need to be able to hike through untrailed, hilly terrain within assigned areas (e.g., Sequoia Groves and campgrounds), be able to identify tree species (Sugar Pine and a few other conifers), use tools to measure trees, and use a tablet or smart phone to record data, as well as apply a bark beetle deterrent paste with a calibrated caulking gun to tree trunks. Training will be provided. This work will likely go on throughout May and possibly into June. If you are a Park employee, please check with your supervisor before volunteering. Please share. If you are interested and would like more information, have employees who have come on but can’t get to their normal work location yet and need other work to do or who would like to come on a week or two early to work on this project, please contact me at pegg_julson@nps.gov, Pegg Julson, YOSE Park Forester. (P. Julson)
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John Reynolds Retirement Party
There will be a retirement party at the community hall for John Reynolds on Saturday, May 13 from 3-8pm.

Post: Join us Saturday, May 13th from 3PM- 8PM at the El Portal Community Hall to celebrate John’s 44 years of service with the Post Office.
Food will be available for purchase through the RSVP link below; prepared by Willow Creek Catering. Beverages will be available for purchase and served by the Yosemite Employee Association (YEA).
Attendees will need to RSVP on or before May 1st in order to reserve a meal via purchase through this link: https://johnreynoldsretirementpar.rsvpify.com or by contacting Alora Reynolds- (530) 444-0710 or alorareynolds@gmail.com (A. Reynolds)
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PG&E Power Outage May 4
PG&E will conduct a shutdown at the Indian Flat substation Thursday May 4th from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This will affect the Valley, Wawona Tunnel, El Portal, Chinquapin, Glacier Point Road and Badger Pass. Contact Mike Vantzelfden or Clarisa Flores for additional information. (C. Flores)
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Survey Work near Abbieville at the “old” El Portal Trailer Park
A survey crew will be gathering information with conventional surveying equipment and an aerial drone working overhead at the north side of Hwy 140 between the NPS Maintenance Facility and Old El Portal from Thursday April 26th until Friday May 5th. This work is in support of the future El Portal Wastewater Treatment Plant and new Administrative campground in that area. (S. Dunakoskie)
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ONGOING PROJECTS

Dispatch Expansion Project
The Dispatch Expansion project will convert most of the El Portal Warehouse lobby into office space for the Emergency Communications (Dispatch) Center. The lobby area is an active construction zone and therefore is off-limits to non-construction workers. 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 that portion of the construction is finished. Do not enter through the RMS building unless you work there. Expect intermittent construction noise throughout the project, which is scheduled to be completed in September of 2023. Contact Nicole Belle Isle, Project Manager, for more information. (N. Belle Isle)
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Day Use Parking Construction- North Lot
North Lot Parking contractors will be on site Monday 4/24 and Tuesday 4/25 to complete the remaining paving the lot. Please be cautious and watch for asphalt delivery trucks and contractor equipment. No traffic control is anticipated. (B. Lewis)
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Tree Work and Prescribed Fire Preparation along South Side Drive
Work will be occurring along South Side Drive between El Capitan and Sentinel Beach. Short traffic delays or one lane closures can be anticipated. This work supports implementation of prescribed fires that help restore forest health and reduce fuel hazardous fuel loading in Yosemite Valley. (G. Dickman)

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COVID-19 OPERATIONS

COVID-19 Community Levels
Mariposa: Low (was low last week)
Tuolumne: Low (was low last week)
Madera: Low (was low last week)

This means mask wearing in federal facilities and enclosed public transportation is not required for staff, visitors, and others, regardless of vaccination status. While masks are not required, any employee may wear a mask if they desire. This information applies to all facilities in Yosemite National Park, the El Portal Administrative Site, and the Mariposa office.

Testing
COVID-19 antigen (rapid) tests are now more available and easier to access through options like doctors’ offices, pharmacies, and through online purchase.

Rapid Tests are available from www.covid.gov/tests. These are free at-home tests delivered via USPS or for testing information & resources. Visit covid19.ca.gov/get-tested or call the Mariposa Community Health Center at 966-3689 for more information.

Yosemite Medical Clinic offers COVID testing (there is a fee associated with the clinic visit, this can be billed to your insurance, and you may have a co-pay). Call 372-4637 for more information. DOI offers reimbursement for asymptomatic testing that occurs as a result of workplace exposures; please talk with your supervisor for more information.