Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Friday, April 11, 2008
Weather
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
345 AM PDT FRI APR 11 2008
...WARMER WEATHER TO BRING AN INCREASE IN MOUNTAIN STREAM FLOWS..
THE TRANSITION FROM NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO MUCH WARMER WEATHER HAS
BEGUN...AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.
ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE MUCH WARMER IN ALL AREAS...THE MAIN CONCERN FROM THIS
WARM UP WILL BE AN INCREASE IN SNOW MELT...AND THE RISE IN WATER LEVELS OF
MOUNTAIN CREEKS AND STREAMS. ALTHOUGH FLOODING CONDITIONS ARE NOT
ANTICIPATED...MOST STREAMS AND RIVERS WILL EXPERIENCE MUCH HIGHER FLOWS.
THIS WILL CREATE A CONCERN FOR
PEOPLE VENTURING INTO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...INCLUDING THE UPPER KERN
RIVER ABOVE LAKE ISABELLA...THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT EVEN THOUGH A STREAM OR RIVER LOOKS COOL AND INVITING
DURING WARM WEATHER...THE WATER IS ACTUALLY VERY COLD AND MAY BE
DANGEROUSLY FAST. OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS ARE ADVISED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION IN
AND NEAR STREAMS AND RIVERS. IF YOU ARE BOATING OR RAFTING...ALWAYS WEAR
LIFE JACKETS OR VESTS...AND KEEP OTHER FLOTATION GEAR HANDY.
IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON CAMPING NEAR STREAMS...REMEMBER THAT THE HIGHEST
WATER LEVELS OCCUR AT NIGHT...USUALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OR TWO EITHER SIDE OF
MIDNIGHT. A CAMPGROUND MAY LOOK PERFECTLY DRY AND SAFE IN THE LATE
AFTERNOON...BUT CAN QUICKLY TAKE ON WATER AT NIGHT.
TEMPERATURES WILL COOL BACK TO NEAR NORMAL BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS A
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES INTO CALIFORNIA.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE...FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION.
Yosemite: TODAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 66 TO 76 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...50 TO 60 IN
THE HIGH COUNTRY.
ONIGHT...CLEAR. LOWS 34 TO 44 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...25 TO 35 IN THE HIGH
COUNTRY. .SATURDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 69 TO 79 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...51 TO 61
IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
SATURDAY NIGHT...CLEAR. LOWS 36 TO 46 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...27 TO 37 IN THE
HIGH COUNTRY.
SUNDAY...SUNNY. HIGHS 70 TO 80 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...52 TO 62 IN THE HIGH
COUNTRY.
SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...CLEAR...WINDY. LOWS 35 TO 45 IN YOSEMITE
VALLEY...27 TO 37 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. HIGHS 64 TO 74 IN YOSEMITE
VALLEY...49 TO 59 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
El Portal: Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. East northeast wind at 9 mph
becoming west.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 39. West wind 6 to 14 mph becoming east
northeast.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 83. East wind 6 to 13 mph becoming west.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 41. West wind at 10 mph becoming
north northeast.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 84. East northeast wind around 10 mph
becoming south southwest.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 41.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Happening Today/This Weekend (Check the Community News section for other
events)
See Community News below for a variety of spring hikes.
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Campgroung Opening: Lower Pines Campground will open for the season on
Friday, April 11. (M. Carter - 4/11/08)
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Valley Shuttle: Due to the closure of Southside Drive, Shuttle Stop #12 (Le
Conte Memorial/Housekeeping Camp) will be closed and guests and patrons are
directed to Stop 13A (Curry Village). Effective 4/7 - 4/17. (G. Rosenfeld
- 4/8/08)
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El Capitan Shuttle: The El Capitan Shuttle has begun limited service from
the Visitor's Center and Camp 4 to the El Cap Picnic Area. Service
operates daily every thirty minutes from 9:00 to 6:00. After the
construction is completed along Northside Drive, the Shuttle will expand to
include the remaining stops at the cross-over and the four mile trail head.
(G. Rosenfeld - 4/8/08)
New Today
Yosemite News Release
April 10, 2008
For Immediate Release
Yosemite National Park to be Featured on New Travel Channel Show
“Yosemite- America’s Treasure” will debut on the Travel Channel this
Sunday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The one- hour program, produced in
the summer and fall of 2007, features the beauty, cultural and natural
history, and landmark features of Yosemite National Park.
The show, produced by Bellvue Entertainment Inc. of Chicago, Illinois, was
shot in high-definition and gives viewers unique perspectives of icons in
the park such as Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and El Capitan. Interviews with
several Yosemite park rangers were also a part of the production.
“They were a great crew to work with and we are all excited to see the
result. We last did a Travel Channel show over 10 years ago so we are
especially excited about this new, state of the art program”, said Scott
Gediman, Chief of Media Relations for Yosemite National Park.
The Travel Channel is seen in over 90 million homes across the United
States. In addition to Sunday’s debut, the show will be broadcast on
Thursday, April 17 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) and on Friday, April 18 at 4:00
p.m. (ET/PT). (-NPS-)
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GSA Auction: The General Services Administration will be conducting an
internet auction of Yosemite personal property, consisting of a Chevrolet
Caprice sedan, Homelite chainsaws, a Polaris snow mobile, and a Hawkeye
double snow mobile trailer. The auction opens on Thursday, 04/10/08, and
closes on Thursday 04/17/08. The sale is number 91QSCI08086, items
#326-329. These items are located in the yard adjacent to the warehouse in
El Portal for inspection, and are marked with yellow item number cards.
Park employees are allowed to participate in the sale, with the exception
of any employee with unfair (nonpublic) detailed knowledge or prior use of
an item offered for sale. Such employees are prohibited from bidding on
that item, and the prohibition includes their immediate family as well.
Employees must view the items and bid on their own time. For further
information regarding the sale items or to register to bid, visit the
website gsaauctions.gov. (K. Kolbeck - 4/11/08)
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Summer Housing Needed - Two summer law clerks [paid positions] are looking
for rooms to rent in the local community. Tom and Scott will be working
for Protection in the Legal Office and are second year law students at
Hastings and San Joaquin. If you would be willing to rent a room or know
of a rental call Beth at the Legal Office. 372-0243. (B. Waldow - 4/11/08)
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The Groveland Rotary is holding a fundraiser. On Thursday April 24 we will
be holding our 'Nite at the Races' fundraising event. This wonderful event
will be held in the Groveland Community Hall, where everyone can enjoy
betting on the horses, other people's company, food and drinks.
The night's programs is:
5:00 pm No-host cocktails
6:00 pm Races start
Each $25 admission ticket includes:
* $20 funny money to bet on races (bets are $2)
* 1 ticket for prize drawing
* 2 tickets for food
* 1 ticket for beer or wine
The event is Sponsored by Groveland Rotary Club. Proceeds benefit Rotary
projects. (C. Day - 4/11/08)
Park News
CANCELLED: Tuolumne Public Planning Workshop on April 12 - The Tuolumne
River Plan/Tuolumne Meadow Plan Public Workshop scheduled for Saturday,
April 12 from 9 am to 4 pm in the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center Auditorium
has been CANCELLED while park management considers the implications of the
recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling regarding the Merced River Plan.
For more information on the Tuolumne planning process, visit online at
www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/trp.htm. Also check out the project manager’s
Tuolumne Planning Blog at www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/trpblog.htm.
The aforementioned ruling can be found on the Yosemite National Park
website at: http://home.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/litigation.htm (K. Rylands -
4/2/08)
Announcements
It has come to our notice that announcements are being posted at the
Midpines Post Office on behalf of "the management" of Yosemite National
Park. These did not come from Yosemite's management team and should be
disregarded. (M. Tollefson - 4/10/08)
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Leave Share Participants
Currently, YOSE leave share participants are:
Shari Baudoux
Kevin Bowman
Kimberly Cunningham-Summerfield
You can find leave share participants Servicewide on InsideNPS at:
http://insidenps.gov/index.cfm?handler=leaveshare
If you are interested in contributing annual leave, please do so by
completing a Request to Donate Annual Leave to Leave Recipient (Within
Agency) Under the Leave Transfer Program, OPM Form 630-A. A fillable PDF
version of the OPM 630-A may be found at:
http://opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/opm630a.pdf (T. Hawkins - 1/31/07)
HR Corner
Background Investigations for Non-Federal Staff
Volunteers, SCA employees, interns, park partners, contractors and others
must have at least an Advanced Fingerprint Report completed if the answer
to either (or both) of the following questions is yes:
Will he/she require access to Federally controlled information systems
(i.e., the NPS LAN, Lotus Notes, etc.)?
Will the individual require unsupervised access on a regular basis to
Federally controlled space that is not open to the general public or to
Federally controlled records?
If the answer to both questions is “no” then no background investigation is
required.
If the answer to either question is "yes" then please send the individual's
name, current physical address, and e-mail address to Lynette Jackson and
Tami Barton so we can initiate a background investigation for these
non-Federal staff. Also, please tell Lynette and Tami if the individual
will be handling government funds. The background investigation paperwork
for these individuals is slightly different than that we use for Federal
staff, so the Human Resources Office will be responsible for mailing out
the forms and other documents and notifying you when adjudicated. This is
effective immediately.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please
contact me. (H. Whitman - 4/10/08)
Community News
YOSEMITE RENAISSANCE XXIII ART EXHIBIT open at the Yosemite Museum Gallery
through May 4, 2008, Fridays through Mondays, 10 - Noon and 1 - 4 PM.
TAKE SOME ART HOME! Most of the works of art are available for sale, with
one-quarter of the proceeds going to support the Renaissance non-profit
arts organization, and the rest to the artist.
This year, from a near-record number of 465 entries, 38 paintings,
photographs, sculptures and drawings by 34 artists from across the country
were selected, and six prize-winners were named and received $4000 in cash
awards. This year's exhibit is unquestionably one of the best and includes
a broad range of works from the representational to the abstract to the
conceptual. Local artists in the exhibit include: Linda R. Abbott, Susan
Bolen, Elizabeth Carmel, Michael Frye, Marian Gault, Peggy Hansen, Mark
Heliger, William Neill, Penny Otwell, Jon Shiu, and Carol Rae Shockley. (J.
Bayless & B. Beroza - 3/26/08)
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6th STREET CINEMA is a non-profit theater located in downtown Mariposa,
atop the historic Masonic Lodge on 6th Street. It is the presentation arm
of the Rural Media Arts and Education Project, a 501(c)(3) corporation,
and is supported by the California Arts Council, SierraTel, the James
Irvine Foundation, Mariposa County, and The Geoff and Josie Fox Family
Foundation, a Donor Advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community
Foundation. We are also generously supported by Iron Mountain Systems and
Stonecutter.com. The views expressed by the films, in print materials, or
by discussion facilitators are not necessarily those of these funders.
This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state
agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a national agency. Monthly
membership is
$12, allowing film entry for $3 each; non-members pay $7, and non-member
students pay only $5.
Film/theater information: (209) 966-1333 or
http://www.sixthstreetcinema.org Staff: 209 742-6666. E-mail us:
sixthstreetcinema@sti.net
This week's programs:
Friday-Saturday, April 11-12, 7:30 p.m. MY KID COULD PAINT THAT. (PG-13, 82
min.) In 2004, four-year-old Marla Olmstead of Binghamton, New York, took
the art world by storm. After a New York Times feature, Marla's paintings
began to be compared to the likes of Picasso, and she began raking in
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then, 60 Minutes did an expose raising
doubts about whether she was a child star or a fraud. This documentary is
outstanding in its capacity to make the viewer think. In the end, this is a
story about adults, not the child artist.
UPCOMING FILMS:
Deliver Us From Evil, April 17 FREE ADMISSION
Juno, April 18-19
Lars and the Real Girl, April 25-26 (T. Arfsten - 4/8/08)
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On Friday morning, April 11, the Upper Merced River Watershed Council and
Yosemite Area Audubon invite community members to learn bird sketching
techniques from an expert. Join wildlife artist and naturalist John Muir
(Jack) Laws at the Ag Complex conference room adjacent to the Mariposa
County Fairgrounds from 9 am to noon for a hands-on workshop. He’ll teach
you tricks to get down the shape and proportion of birds in a quick sketch
and then fill in details with an improved understanding of bird anatomy.
You’ll learn proportion basics, drawing wings, the bright-eye trick and
feather tricks of the head. Bring binoculars, a soft pencil, colored
pencils or watercolors, and a small sketch book (about 8 1⁄2 x 11”).
Weather permitting, some time will be spent outdoors observing birds. The
cost is $25 per person. Space is limited. Please call the watershed office
at (209) 966 2221 to reserve your place in the class. Directions: Enter the
Fairgrounds parking lot and stay to the right. The Ag Complex is straight
ahead on the left. Please call (209) 966-2221 or email watershed@sti.net if
you have questions. (A. Steed - 4/2/08)
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California Native Plant Society Flower Walk, Saturday April 12, 2008 Join
naturalist and author, Michael Ross, on a spring wildflower walk in the
Merced Canyon. Meet at the gas station in El Portal at 9:00 am. Those
wishing to carpool from Mariposa should meet at the Midpines Community
Park at 8:15 am. The walk will be moderate in difficulty. Bring water,
lunch, hat. For more information call Ann at 209-742-7734. (M. Ross -
4/8/08)
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Hike in the Foothills this Weekend!
Birding the Mariposa Foothills. Saturday April 12th. 8am-12 noon. $10
Individual/$20 Family
Birding experts Len McKenzie and Mariposa Audubon President Kris Randal
will lead this class on the Striped Rock Preserve. Discover a diverse
array of spring birds in foothill habitats on this 3mile easy-moderate
walk. Bring water, snacks, binoculars, and hiking shoes. Meet at the
Mariposa County Fairgrounds parking lot.
Wildflowers and Wine of Mt. Bullion. Sunday April 13th, 9am-3pm. $35
Individual/$60 Couple
Enjoy the fruits of the Mt. Bullion landscape from wildflower to grape.
Local wildflower aficionado Denise Ludington and botanist Lusetta Nelson
lead this fun day exploring our local flora. After the wildflower class,
we will enjoy a luncheon and spend the afternoon tasting local vintages
with the vintners themselves, Harold and Kris Casto, at Mt. Bullion Winery.
Space is limited for this special event, so make your reservation today!
Meet at the Mariposa Rest Stop in the middle of town at 9am.
To Register: Contact Bridget Fithian at (209) 742-5556 or
bridget.fithian@sierrafoothill.org
Become a Member of Sierra Foothill Conservancy and join in the conservation
and enjoyment our natural lands and cultural traditions:
www.sierrafoothill.org. Sierra Foothill Conservancy is a non-profit land
trust serving Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno Counties.
SFC has worked with local land owners to conserve over 5,500 acres of
natural lands in Mariposa County and another 10,500 acres in Madera and
Fresno Counties. All proceeds from SFC's classes and events benefit out
land conservation work. (B. Fithian - 4/8/08)
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Saturday, April 12, 2008 live music at the Yosemite Bug Hostel - Come see
the dynamic acoustic trio THICK SOUP at the Bug Hostel. An honest acoustic
mix of bluegrass, blues and jazz. Show starts at 9:00 pm, NO COVER
CHARGE.For more info call the Bug Hostel at (209) 966-6666 (G. Torres -
3/28/08)
Acting Designation
Jeanette Simons will be Acting Branch Chief of Environmental Planning and
Compliance April 14th, 15th, and 16th. You may phone Jeannette at 379-1372
in her El Portal Office. You may also leave a message with Doyle Harrison
at 379-1202. (D.Harrison - 4/11/08)
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During my absence the week of April 14, the following people are acting
Branch Chief for Anthropology and Archeology:
4/14 - 4/15 Sonny Montague
4/16 - 4/18 Epi Suafoa (L. Kirn - 4/11/08)
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Katy Warner acting RMS Management Assistant April 10-18th . She can be
reasched at 379-1421 (C. Knipper - 4/10/08)
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While David Thorpe is out of the office, Nancy Bissmeyer will be the acting
Communications Branch Chief and Tolleman Gorham will be the Telecom
Supervisor. (N. Bissmeyer - 4/8/08)
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Katy Warner will be the Acting Branch Chief for Physical Science and GIS
from April 8-11. Katy can be reached at 379-1421.
Lee Tarnay will be the Acting Branch Chief for Physical Science and GIS
from April 14-17. Lee can be reached at 379-1420. (J. Meyer - 4/8/08)
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Craig Anthony will be acting Safety Officer while Roger Farmer is on
training. Craig can be reached at 379-1064 Roger will be back in the
office Monday April 14. (C. Ronay - 4/7/08)
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Leslie Reynolds will be the acting Deputy Chief Ranger April 7-10 while I
am out of the park. Eric Gabriel will be acting on April 11 until my
return that day. (C. Cuvelier - 4/7/08)
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Stuart Foster will be Acting Utilities Branch Chief on Friday April 11th.
He can be reached at 379-1828 or leave a message with Katie Bablitch at
379-1055. (K. Bablitch - 4/7/08)
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Deron Mills will be acting Fire Chief from April 6th - April 12th. He can
be contacted at 209-379-1902 (K. Martin - 3/31/08)
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