Yosemite National Park
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Yosemite National Park Zone Forecast
Today: Sunny. Highs 81 to 89 at 5000 feet…69 to 77 at 8000 feet.
Tonight: Clear. Lows 57 to 67 at 5000 feet…47 to 55 at 8000 feet.
Tomorrow: Sunny. Highs 83 to 91 at 5000 feet…72 to 80 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
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NEW AND HAPPENING TODAY
YNPCCC Hiring
Yosemite National Park Child Care Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is looking for its next Executive Director. The center runs two child care facilities in El Portal and Yosemite Valley for children four months old to school-aged. The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing daily operations, supervision of staff and children, budgeting and strategic planning. The position is full-time, year-round.
The ideal candidate brings strength in business management and supervision with the ability to adapt to the ever changing Yosemite landscape. Experience and understanding of early childhood education, and/or a teaching credential are preferred but not required. A background check will be required. Housing may be available. Salary is negotiable, based on qualifications, experience, and job performance.
Interested individuals should send a resume and letter of interest to ynpcccboard@gmail.com. Ideally this position will be filled by the end of June. (J. Latham)
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RECENT NEWS
Yosemite GIS User Group Thursday
The next (virtual) meetup for parkwide GIS users is scheduled for Thursday, May 28 10am-noon. Any and all park employees interested and/or involved in GIS are invited to attend. Email yose_gis_support@nps.gov to request a calendar invitation, which includes the link to join the meeting. Presenters will provide updates on the GIS program and its direction, and GIS users will have a chance to share updates as well. The knowledge fair portion (approx. 11am-noon) will include presentations about the new CarryMap, recent cultural resource GIS projects, and COVID-19 response maps and dashboards. ?
You can also join the YOSE GIS user group mailing list. Use the request button on center of page: http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/reso/gis/SitePages/Home.aspx (E. Hale)
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Four Mile Trail
The seasonal closure at Union Point has been lifted. (J. Trust)
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40-Year Anniversary Of The 1980 Mammoth Lakes Earthquakes
May 25-27 marks 40 years since a series of powerful earthquakes rocked Yosemite. Over a three day period in May of 1980, hundreds of earthquakes occurred on faults 10 km (6 miles) southeast of the town Mammoth Lakes, the largest being a magnitude 6.3. Given its close proximity to the epicenter, Yosemite Valley experienced very strong shaking that triggered at least a dozen large rockfalls, including from El Capitan, Cathedral Spires, Panorama Cliff, Sentinel Falls, and Arch Rock. A rockfall from Grizzly Peak seriously injured two hikers on the Sierra Point Trail. This was the strongest shaking felt in Yosemite in more than a century, since the 1872 Lone Pine earthquake. As the Mammoth Lakes earthquakes were located near the volcanic cone of Mammoth Mountain, and occurred just a week after Mount Saint Helens erupted with unexpected ferocity, geologists were concerned that the earthquake activity might be a precursor to an eruption. Although that didn’t happen, the events increased awareness of earthquake and volcanic hazards in the region. (G. Stock)
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Yosemite Valley Mountain Lion Activity
Recently there has been an increase in mountain lion activity, particularly around NPS Lower Housing. It’s possible a family group is living in the area as they have been heard calling multiple different nights near houses. Lions are a normal and important part of the natural surroundings enjoyed while in and around Yosemite National Park. However, the presence of lions, especially near developed areas, requires that humans take precautions:
– Keep children close to you. Do not allow them to run ahead or lag behind on the trail. Be particularly vigilant during morning and evening hours.
– Keep pets indoors or on a leash with you. Do not let them roam free. Be aware particularly in mornings and evenings even in fenced yards.
– Never feed wildlife. This includes deer, raccoons, squirrels or coyotes. Feeding wildlife attracts them in higher numbers to developed area. These smaller animals can then attract mountain lions into developed areas.
– Hiking or running alone is not recommended. A walking stick can be a useful defense.
If you encounter a lion, take the following actions:
– Shout in a low voice, wave your arms, or hold your coat open. Your goal is to make yourself look as large and threatening as possible.
– Maintain eye contact with the lion, and do not crouch down.
– Throw sticks or rocks at the lion.
– Never run.
– Pick up or restrain small children to keep them from panicking and running.
– If a lion attacks, fight back!
Attack from a mountain lion is still an extremely unlikely event, but use of the above recommendations can further reduce the chances of injury, and allow residents to more safely share the park with these spectacular animals.
Interesting Mountain Lion Facts:
– Also called cougars, pumas or panthers
– Solitary, shy and elusive animals
– Largest of North American wild cats
– Unable to roar, but capable of a wide variety of vocalizations, including a loud chirp, yowl, and scream
– Mostly active at dawn and dusk, and at night when they hunt for food
Report all mountain lion sightings to the Park’s Dispatch Office at 379-1992 or Wildlife Management at yose_bear_mgmt@nps.gov. (C. Lee-Roney)
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Devils Postpile National Monument Announces the Retirement of Superintendent Deanna Dulen – National Park Service News Release May 20, 2020
Deanna Dulen, Superintendent of Devils Postpile National Monument, announces her retirement from the National Park Service at the end of May 2020. Dulen’s federal career spanned over 37 years working for several land management agencies and the US Postal Service. She started her career in 1979 as a seasonal firefighter with Olympic National Forest. That first seasonal job sparked her passion for the great outdoors and public service.
She worked as a seasonal park ranger at four national parks: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Death Valley, and Denali. In 1991, Deanna was appointed as the first Director of the Inyo National Forest Mono Basin Visitor Center and Interpretive Program for the Mono District and the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway. In 2000, Deanna returned to the National Park Service and was proud to serve as Superintendent for Devils Postpile National Monument.
“Deanna has been a valued park manager and colleague for over twenty years and has contributed significantly to many critical projects in the Sierra Nevada region,” stated Cicely Muldoon, Acting Superintendent of Yosemite National Park, which oversees Devils Postpile National Monument. “We congratulate Deanna on her retirement and wish her well on all of her future endeavors.”
Over the past twenty years, Deanna has advocated for and initiated many critical projects and partnerships to improve visitor access and scientific understanding of Devils Postpile National Monument’s natural resources and biodiversity at the crossroads of the Sierra and Great Basin ecosystems. She helped launch the Sierra Nevada Inventory and Monitoring Network and multiple scientific partnerships, launched valuable interpretive exhibits describing the geologic wonder of the Postpile, Rainbow Falls, and the Minaret Vista, established the park’s newspaper and its first Junior Ranger program booklet, and helped launch the Native Kids First Bloom partnership with the Bishop Paiute Tribe.
“It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as the Superintendent of Devils Postpile National Monument,” stated Dulen. “I have been honored to work with an incredible team within the NPS, along with amazing partners and valued stakeholders over the past twenty years. I am very inspired by the many seasonal employees and Student Conservation Association interns who diligently work to continue the conservation legacy of our national parks. I wish the incoming generations of park leaders the same fulfillment that I’ve experienced as a civil servant.”
Deanna is especially proud of the recent update to the 2019 Fire Management Plan and the implementation of Devils Postpile’s first wilderness prescribed fire, which took place in November 2019. This was a significant accomplishment for Devils Postpile National Monument, which resulted in a dramatic reduction in hazard fuels and worked to restore overall forest health in collaboration with the Inyo National Forest and NPS Regional Fire Team.
Deanna helped lead the campaign to develop a Sister Parks Agreement between Yosemite National Park and the Nepal Parks of Sagarmarta – Chitwan and LangTang. She is currently a member of IUCN and the World Commission of Protected Areas. In retirement, she hopes to devote more time to these efforts. Deanna and her husband Wangdowa Sherpa will also continue efforts to bring education, health care, and conservation awareness to remote and impoverished areas in the Himalaya through a non-profit that they founded.
Kevin Killian, currently the Chief Ranger of Yosemite National Park, will be serving as the interim Site Manager of Devils Postpile National Monument. He can be reached at kevin_killian@nps.gov. (J. Richards)
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CONSTRUCTION & TRAFFIC DELAYS
Valley Forestry On Lower Falls Trail
Valley Forestry will be removing tree hazards in the Lower Falls trail system. Portions of the trail system will be closed during operations, and work will continue Monday through Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm until further notice. (B. See)
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Single Lane Travel & One-Way Traffic Controls On State Route 120 During Spring And Summer 2020
Caltrans will conduct one-way traffic control on eastbound and westbound State Route 120 between Groveland and Yosemite National Park for paving operations. Work began Monday, April 13 and will finish in the Fall of 2020. Work is scheduled between 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays and plan travel time accordingly. Work is subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment and/or materials, and/or construction-related issues. Please drive carefully and watch for warning signs, workers and equipment in the roadway. (J. Donovan)