Yosemite Daily Report for Dec 28

Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Wednesday, December 28, 2011

WEATHER

Yosemite Valley
Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 55. N.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 40.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56. 
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 53.

El Portal
Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 67.

Wawona
Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 59.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.

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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Utility work at the Tecoya Dormitories
The contractor has completed the installation of the sewer mains and is now completing the new manholes. No work will occur during the Christmas week. When the contractor returns on January 3rd, 2012 the individual buildings will be connected to the new sewer which will require short term shutdowns of the water/sewer utilities to each building. Work is expected to be completed by mid January. (G. Rothell - 12/22)
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Foresta Road Closure - Slide Repair Between Rancheria and Old El Portal
Starting Monday, November 14th the Foresta Road will be closed between Rancheria and Old El Portal as crews complete a slide repair from a spring 2011 slide. The Foresta Road will be closed at 7:00 AM on November 14th and remain closed for approximately 2-3 months, while crews complete the stabilization work. The crews are planning to work 6-days per week, Monday thru Saturday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Due to the safety concerns, it will require a hard closure, meaning that throughout the duration of the project, there will be no access for pedestrians, bicycles, passenger vehicles, trucks, etc... Access will be limited to construction crews and emergency vehicles only. Trucks will also be using middle road to access CA St. Rte. 140, so please be cautious as you are traveling thru this area of Hwy. 140. Also, crews will be bringing in equipment and materials starting Thursday, November 10th, with intermittent single lane traffic control along Foresta Road. (M. Pieper - 11/10)

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ACTING DESIGNATIONS

Deron Mills will be acting Chief of Fire and Aviation Management while Kelly Martin on leave through Jan 13th.  He can be contacted at 209-375-9572.
Shawn Lingo (379.1416) will be acting Branch Chief for History, Architecture & Landscapes and Acting Division Chief for Resources Management and Science Wednesday - Friday Dec. 28-30.
Ken Fipps will be acting Chief of Facilities and Branch Chief for Roads & Trails December 27 - 29 and can be reached at 379-1156 in El Portal. Dean Mullis will be acting Chief of Facilities and Branch Chief for Roads & Trails on December 30 and can be reached at 379-1155 in El Portal.
Ann Roberts (379-1383) will be Acting Branch Chief of Environmental Planning and Compliance from Tuesday, December 27 to Thursday, December 29, 2011. 
Sue Vezeau (209-379-1458) will be Acting Branch Chief for Visitor Use and Social Science from Tuesday, December 27th through Friday, December 30th.
David Engelstad will be acting Division Chief for Project Management beginning Tuesday, December 27, 2011, through Friday, December 30, 2011. David may be reached at 379-1277, or you may leave a message with Jessica Zeek at 379-1002.
Keith Stowell will be acting Facilities Manager December 27-30, Ken Stowell will be acting Facilities Manager December 31-January 2. Ken may be reached at 372-0533, or 379-1278. Keith may be reached at 379-1280.
Jonathan Bayless will be Acting Chief of Interpretation & Education from Dec. 23 through Jan. 8 while Tom is on AL. Tom will be local and available as needed.
Dan Raspotnik will be acting Utilities Chief 12/23/11 - 1/2/12. He can be reached at (209) 379-1055 or (209) 742-3797.
Shawn Zumbrunnen will be Acting BCU Supervisor from December 22, 2011 to January 8, 2012. Shawn can be contacted at 379-1250.
Peggy Moore (379-2177) will be acting Branch Chief for Vegetation and Ecological Restoration December 20-30, 2011.

Jim Roche will be the Acting Chief of Physical Science and Landscape Ecology from Monday, December 19 through Friday, December 30. Jim can be reached at 379-1446 (office) or 742-3452 (cell).

Andy Fristensky will be Acting Deputy Chief of Interpretive Operations until further notice. He may be reached at 372-0599.

Jeffrey Trust will be Acting Yosemite Valley Field Interpretation Supervisor until further notice. He may be reached at 372-0307.

Greg Torres will be Acting Trails Supervisor 11/30 through 1/3. He can be reached at 742-8811.
Ron Watson will be the Acting Supervisory Information Technology Specialist until further notice. He may be reached at 379-1074.

Brenna Lissoway (379-1283) is on a detail as the Park Archivist. If you have need to access the Archives, or have archive related questions, you can call 379-1282 or 379-1104.
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COMMUNITY NEWS

Yosemite Chamber of Commerce Monthly Newsletter
Dear Members and Friends,
Your Yosemite Chamber of Commerce Newsletter is now available http://www.groveland.org/newletters/12-11newsletter.pdf.
By The Way is published monthly by the Yosemite Chamber of Commerce
18653 Main St. . P.O. Box 1263 . Groveland, CA . 95321
www.YosemiteChamberofCommerce.com . 209-962-0429 . info@groveland.org
Newsletter articles, Ads and Deadlines: Article submissions must be in the office no later than the 5th of the month or the Monday following a weekend if the fifth falls on a weekend. Articles for the By The Way newsletter should not be formatted, send your stories in the body of an email, no attachment necessary unless sending images. All information must be received electronically by email addressed to info@groveland.org.

Remember, to start planning you Yosemite vacation, visit www.YosemiteThisYear.com