Yosemite Daily Report for July 18

Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Monday, July 18, 2011      
 
WEATHER  
 
Yosemite Valley

Today: Sunny, with a high near 86.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 54. 
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 86. 
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

El Portal 

Today: Sunny, with a high near 95.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 56.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 94.
Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.   

Wawona   

Today: Sunny, with a high near 85.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 48.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 85.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 86.

Tuolumne Meadows

Today: Sunny, with a high near 67.  Windy.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 35. Windy.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Breezy.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68.

 
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PARK AND PARK PARTNER NEWS   

Wapama Falls Bridge Opened
On Friday July 15th at 1500 hours the Wapama Falls Bridge was re-opened. Wilderness travel has resumed in all of the Hetch Hetchy area.  With wilderness travel comes significant risk. Yosemite is still experiencing spring run-off condition. The flow of water is as unpredictable as the Sierra weather. Know your options and plan alternative routes. Remember, you have the choice to turn back and re-plan if you encounter conditions that you deem too risky. (R. Davis - 7/18) 

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Wawona Northwest Prescribed Fire
Yosemite National Park fire managers are planning the Wawona Northwest Prescribed Fire for late July, 2011.  The primary objective for this 800 acre prescribed fire is to reduce hazardous fuel loading in the Wawona Wildland Urban Interface area.  Burning this segment will form a barrier to the community of Wawona from the spread of unwanted wildfire approaching from Turner Ridge to the north and partially from the South Fork Merced River drainage to the northwest.  The segment is directly adjacent to several government and private home and structures.  This project ties together multiple and previous historical research, natural and prescribed fires, and mechanical thinning. 

Another objective for this project is to conduct ecosystem restoration by applying fire to this fire adapted landscape. Prior to the exclusion of fire over 100 years ago, fire was a natural process that played an integral role in shaping the landscape of Yosemite.  Densities of shade tolerant tree species, such as white fir and incense cedar, and forest litter and duff have accumulated to unnatural and unaccepted levels in the absence of fire.  Through the application of fire, a more natural vegetation composition can be achieved that would likely support a surface fire, but less likely to support crown fire. 

Before the actual date of the prescribed fire crews will be on the ground preparing the segment for fire operations, including measuring fuel moistures.  Other pre-fire planning will include working with the Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District for issuing a burn permit, and timing the project for a weather system that will facilitate good air quality, and move and disperse smoke into the atmosphere away from the community. 

This fire segment is identified in the 2005 Yosemite Fire Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement and re included in the Multi-year Strategic Fuels Management Plan.  The goals and objectives for this project conform to the park’s General Management Plan and Vegetation Management Plan.  More details concerning this prescribed project will be available as planning continues.

For additional Information: Yosemite Fire Information and Education Office: gary_wuchner@nps.gov - (209) 375-9574 or 372-0480, Yosemite Fire Management Website: http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/rx-fire-projects.htm (G. Wuchner - 7/18)

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Half Dome Permits Update
Initial hiker counts for this season indicate that there are numerous no shows among Half Dome permit holders. In an effort to make up for these no shows, the National Park Service (NPS) will manually release additional Half Dome permits each day, at 7 am PDT on the day before the permit date. For instance, at 7 am on Friday, additional permits will become available online (recommended) and through the call center at Recreation.gov for use on Saturday. This will continue throughout the summer until further notice.

 

NPS will initially release an additional 50 Half Dome permits each day and then adjust these numbers, either up or down, throughout the season based upon ongoing hiker counts.These additional permits will have $1.50 processing fee and be limited to purchases of four at a time. Unlike the earlier Half Dome permits, these are non transferable. To counter the illegal resale of Half Dome permits, the group leader, whose name is recorded at the time of transaction, must accompany his or her group on their Half Dome hike. Once the permit transaction is completed, the group leader’s name cannot be changed.

 

The day-before-release method was chosen to counter both illegal resale of permits and speculative buying by the general public. While purchasing a permit the day before does not allow as much advance notice as many people may wish, it should put permits in the hands of hikers who will use them. (M. Marschall - 7/15)
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Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center Update
Starting Saturday July 16th, the wilderness center hours will be 7:30am to 5pm daily. (N. Chakrin - 7/15)
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Tuolumne Power Outage Rescheduled
Southern Cal Edison will be upgrading aging infrastructure and/or completeing other repairs as needed.  A power outage for all of Tuolumne Meadows has been changed to will be Monday August 1st, 2011  between 10:00am and 1:00pm. If you have any questions, please contact: Southern Cal Edison, 888-759-6056. (K. Bablitch - 7/15)

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EMPLOYEE NEWS

 

New Valley Campground Supervisor
Congratulations to Eric Bissmeyer who has been selected as the permanent Valley Campground Supervisor.  Eric holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Dakota, and has worked for the NPS since 1998 holding positions in Jewel Cave, Mount Rushmore, and Yosemite.  Eric has worked in various positions in Yosemite fees since 2003, including the challenging campground bear shift, entrance station positions, and, most recently, as the acting Valley Campground Supervisor.  Congratulations! (M. Carter - 7/15) 

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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE  

Valley Loop Trail Resurfacing
The Valley Loop Trail will be closed during work hours (8:00am-5:00pm) Mon through Friday, from Church Bowl to Lower Yosemite Falls loop. Detour signs are in place. This is due to trail resurfacing project. Expect closure to remain in effect through 8/22. (R. Kish - 7/12)

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ACTING DESIGNATIONS   

Shawn Lingo (379-1416) will be acting Branch Chief for History, Architecture & Landscapes (HAL) from Monday, July 18 thru Friday, July 29, 2011.

Todd Newburger (209-379-1434) will be Acting Visitor Use and Social Sciences Branch Chief from Monday, July 18th through Tuesday, July 19th.

Brian Martin will be acting chief of B&G thru 7/20 while Tom Darcy is out of the office. Brian's contact # is 379-1061.

 

Brian Long will be acting Valley Utilities Supervisor while Chad Thomas is out of the park from 7/14/11 to 7/30/11.

 
Don Ramsey will be the Acting Supervisory General Supply Specialist from July 5 - 19. He can be reach at 379-1024.

Dale St. Vincent has been selected as the acting Administrative Officer until the AO position is permanently filled.

Jim Roche will be acting branch chief of Physical Sciences and Landscape Ecology through September 30th.

 

Charles Cuvelier  is acting Deputy Superintendent for the month of July. Charles can be reached at 372-0211.

Jay Shields will be Acting Mather District Ranger until further notice.

Brenna Lissoway (379-1283) will be the Acting Park Archivist while Paul Rogers is on a detail as the Acting Regional Archivist (PWR). 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 

6th Street Cinema
Located upstairs in the historic Old Masonic Lodge on 6th Street, in downtown Mariposa. Entrance is $7 per film for non-members; non-member students pay $5. Monthly membership is $12 allowing film entry for $3 each.   More information is available on the website: www.sixthstreetcinema.org . This week: July 15-16, (Friday - Saturday)   7:30 p.m.: VINCENT, A LIFE IN COLOR, with director Jennifer Burns and film subject Vincent Falk July 15-16, 7:30 p.m. Not rated; 93 min. Vincent P. Falk is Fashion Man. Clad in brightly colored suits, Vincent twirls on Chicago’s many bridges, performing fashion shows for passing tour boats.  As he spins his way through the city, tourists and locals alike are left to wonder just who this strange man could be.  Over the course of one boat season, we follow Vincent and begin to unravel the mystery that surrounds him.   We discover that the man behind the fashion, having come through the travails of life, has decided to do what makes him happy. And so, he spins on. (T. Arfsten - 7/15)