Views: 1
Daily Report – Yosemite National Park
Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
Today: Sunny. Near the crest, a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs 80 to 88 at 5000 feet… 67 to 75 at 8000 feet.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Near the crest, a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows 55 to 65 at 5000 feet…43 to 53 at 8000 feet.
Tomorrow: Sunny. Highs 81 to 89 at 5000 feet…68 to 76 at 8000 feet.
Additional Point Forecast Weather Links:
Yosemite Valley | Wawona | Tuolumne Meadows | Glacier Point | Big Oak Flat | Hetch Hetchy | El Portal | Mariposa | Badger Pass
=======================================================
NEW AND HAPPENING TODAY
Yosemite and the Future of Outreach Today
Outreach Intern Jamila Rice will be presenting her research presentation July 26 at 11 am at the El Portal Community Hall. Everyone is invited. Jamila is a Senior Political Science Major from Fresno, CA who attends Tuskegee University and is serving in Yosemite through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Internship Program. This summer Jamila has worked on outreaching to Yosemite’s gateway communities in efforts to expand the volunteer program to communities of color. (J. Rice)
_______________________
Yosemite in Print
The following freshly arrived magazines in the Yosemite Research Library have Yosemite specific information and are available for borrowing. Come check it out!:
Lucas, James. “The Free Rider: What it Took to Free Solo El Capitan.” Climbing, Aug 2017, pp. 18-20.
Greenwald, Alexandra. “Mediating Women’s Time Allocation Trade-offs: Basketry Cradle Technology in California and the Maintenance of Maternal Foraging Efficiency.” Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, pp. 38-47.
Lund, Nick. “Bouncing Back in Yosemite: Sierra Nevada Tree Frogs.” National Parks, pp. 24-25. (V. Sanchez)
_______________________
Uncovering Chinese History in Yosemite National Park
The following activities will be occurring in Tuolumne Meadows and Wawona in cooperation with the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and Yosemite National Park. For more information contact John Jackson at 375-9531.
Tour of Historic Tioga Road (Tuolumne Meadows Hwy #120 east)
Friday, July 28 11:00 AM
This walk is 1.5 miles on a flat trail through a large sub-alpine meadow. Bring a sack lunch and 1-2 liters of water per person. Meet Ranger Yenyen at the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center front porch.
Tour Historic Wawona
Saturday, July 29 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Meet Molly Baptista, Park Archeological Technician and walk to Wawona historic sites where Chinese worked to service the Big Tree Lodge. Meet at 10:00 am at the main entrance to the Grey Barn near the Wawona Covered Bridge.
The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental
July 29 1:00 – 2:00 PM
Come hear Hilton Obenzinger, PhD, discuss Chinese in America in the late 1800’s. Meet in the Grey Barn in Wawona. (J. Jackson)
_______________________
El Portal Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation – Phase 1
June 24-28: Contractor will be cleaning and inspecting the sewerline on HWY 140 from Yosemite View Lodge to El Portal Market 9:00PM to 6:00AM. Please observe traffic control signs and watch for workers on the road. For additional information please visit the Construction Update Boards located at the Post Office and El Portal Market. For any further questions or concerns, please contact Jamie Richards at jamie_richards@nps.gov. (G. Chun, Y. Lugo, J. Richards)
_______________________
Big Oak Flat Road Hazard Tree Removal
Mather Forestry will be removing hazardous trees in the Crane Flat area working east along the Big Oak Flat road towards Foresta. Work will begin 7/26 and is expected to take several weeks. Motorists should anticipate traffic control and 10 to 15 minute delays. Please drive slow and watch for workers and hazards in the work area. (J. Brown)
=======================================================
RECENT NEWS
New Training Requirement for PEPC Users by 8/1
All PEPC (Planning, Environment, and Public Comment) users must take the “Privacy For System Managers” training (course code: DOIU-3105-OLT-DOI) in DOI Learn, before August 1, 2017, to maintain access to the system. This applies to all Yosemite project managers, compliance staff, and subject matter experts entering or reviewing projects. If you are currently a PEPC user, please take this training before August 1st. It is a new requirement we recently learned of coming out of DOI. Once you receive a certificate, you will need to upload it to your PEPC profile page (this function and instructions will be available in PEPC on August 1). This process will ensure your continued access and seamless continuation of your projects. Questions? Contact Kristin Anderson or Madelyn Ruffner. (M. Ruffner)
_______________________
Wawona Road Delays
Between the Wawona Tunnel and the Rostrum: There will be up to 30 minute delays Sunday night thru Thursday night, 8PM to 6AM as crews complete storm damage repairs along Wawona Road.
Near South Entrance: Crews will be running single lane traffic control from 6AM to 8PM on Tuesday, July 25th, Wednesday July 26th, and Thursday, July 27th. An Asphalt Test Strip will be placed on Mariposa Grove Road Wednesday, July 26th so there will be some additional truck traffic coming thru the entrance station kiosks. Note: Although only three days are specifically noted for delays, please plan on up to 30-minute delays on Wawona Road over the next couple of months, Monday thru Friday 6AM to 8PM. (M. Pieper)
_______________________
Temporary Promotion/Detail: Tree Worker Supervisor, WS-5042-10
This is a temporary developmental assignment NTE 120 days.
Opening Date: 7/21/2017 Closing Date: 7/28/2017 Target EOD: asap
For more information contact Brian Mattos at 379-1113 or brian_s_mattos@nps.gov (K. Lewis)
_______________________
California Naturalist Immersion Course
The California Naturalist Immersion Course will be offered from October 1-7, 2017. This course offers professional certification as a California Naturalist through University of California extension, and is available for UC course credit. The one-week Sierra Nevada Immersion Course begins at the UC Merced Yosemite Field Station in Wawona, where students will explore the west side of Yosemite National Park for three days. The course takes advantage of the natural gradient in climate, geology, and ecology as the class transitions over Tioga Pass through Tuolumne Meadows, the Mono Lake basin and the Eastern Sierra to the UCSB Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, where the remaining three days of the course will be spent in and around Mammoth Lakes. This is the first year and the first California Naturalist course to offer such a range of California natural history. For more information and the application, go to: http://snrs.ucmerced.edu/calnat. Applications are due August 10th. (A. Kelly)
_______________________
Hetch Hetchy Resource Guide Now Available
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, in partnership with Yosemite National Park, has put together a resource guide about the Hetch Hetchy Water System. This guide was specifically designed as a tool to help park employees learn about the water system and the partnership between the two organizations. Check it out on SharePoint at: http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/Supt/hetchy/Shared%20Documents/YNP%20Interpretive%20Resource%20Gde_rye_051617.pdf
For more information, or to get a copy of the Resource Guide, contact Heather Boothe at 372-0238 or heather_boothe@Nps.gov. (H. Boothe)
_______________________
Yosemite National Park Remains Open – Yosemite News Release July 21, 2017
Yosemite Valley accessible via Highways 140, 120, and 41
Yosemite National Park remains open with all hotels, lodges, stores and campgrounds that have opened for the season fully open and operational. All entrances to Yosemite National Park are open. Visitors can get to Yosemite Valley via Highway 140 from Mariposa, Highway 41 from Fresno, Highway 120 West from Groveland, and Highway 120 East from Lee Vining and US Route 395.
Interested in visiting Yosemite this weekend? There are rooms in Yosemite Valley available for Saturday and Sunday at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, Yosemite Valley Lodge, and Half Dome Village. For more information on lodging, visit http://www.travelyosemite.com or call 888-413-8869.
“We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Cal Fire and all of the other agencies who have been working to suppress the Detwiler Fire,” stated Acting Superintendent Chip Jenkins. “Yosemite National Park and its employees are grateful for their hard work and dedication to fight this fire. We are always proud to work with Cal Fire and all of our sister agencies to help support our gateway communities.”
Air quality in Yosemite Valley and throughout the park has been impacted by smoke from the Detwiler Fire. Visitors coming to Yosemite who are sensitive to smoke or suffer from respiratory problems are encouraged to minimize outdoor activities. For updated information on air quality in Yosemite National Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/aqmonitoring.htm
For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200 and press 1. Updated information is also available on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/yose (J. Richards)
=======================================================
CONSTRUCTION & TRAFFIC DELAYS
Yosemite Valley Road Work
Work crews are on schedule to finish work on Northside Drive in west Yosemite Valley between the Bridalveil View pullout and Pohono Bridge by the end of July. One lane will remain open at all times. Crews also expect to complete construction on Southside Drive between Housekeeping Camp and Half Dome Village by the end of July. (L. Acree)