Yosemite Daily Report for Dec 9

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Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Friday, December 9, 2011

WEATHER

Yosemite Valley

Today: Sunny, with a high near 43. 
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 30. 
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 44. 
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. 

El Portal

Today: Sunny, with a high near 64. 
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 32.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 65. 
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.

Wawona

Today: Sunny, with a high near 55.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 23.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 55.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

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HAPPENING TODAY 

Fire Extinguisher Training

Annual/Re-Fresher Fire Extinguisher Training will be available December 9, 2011 at the El Portal Elementary School. Training will start at 1330 Hours and is open to NPS and DCA personnel. Fire Extinguisher training is an OSHA requirement and required by YNP Superintendent. Training is available on DOI Learn or by scheduling live hands on by contacting the Fire Prevention Office at 209-375-9541. (J. Alviso - 12/8)

Property Management Closed Today

The Property Management Office will be closed on Thursday and Friday, December 8th and 9th, while staff is in training. (K. Kolbeck - 12/8)

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PARK AND PARTNER NEWS

Planned Power Outage
On Monday December 19th, 2011,  PG&E has scheduled a power outage for 0700-1730,  to do switch work at Briceburg Junction (Rain or Shine). The areas affected will be: El Portal, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite West, Badger Pass, Foresta, Glacier Point and Chinquapin. An update will be posted when further information becomes available. (K. Bablitch - 12/9)
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Yosemite Directive - Vehicle Stickers
There is a new Yosemite Directive establishing guidelines and criteria for the issuance of Yosemite National Park vehicle stickers. The full text of the directive is available on the Superintendent's Sharepoint site: http://sharepoint.yose.nps.gov/supt/Superintendents%20Orders/Vehicle%20Stickers.pdf. (K. Kosick - 12/9)
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Yosemite Christmas Bird Count - Sunday, December 18

Celebrate birds by participating in Yosemite's Christmas Bird Count on December 18.  Yosemite has been contributing to this nationwide event since 1932!  To sign up, contact Sarah Stock (sarah_stock@nps.gov, (209) 379-1435). (S. Stick - 12/9)
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Traffic Counter Installation
There will be minor roadway work in locations throughout the park associated with installing traffic counters. Locations and dates (weather permitting) are as follows: Friday 12/9 Tioga Pass Entrance; Monday 12/12 Hetch Hetchy & Big Oak Flat Entrances; Tuesday 12/13 Chinquapin; Wednesday 12/14 east of Crane Flat & west of the 120 Tunnels; Thursday 12/15 South Entrance; Friday 12/16 Arch Rock; and Monday 12/19 El Cap Cross Over & near Camp 4. Please use caution when workers are present. For more info: Bret Meldrum 209-742-4254. (B. Meldrum - 12/9)
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Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park to Reopen - news release

Road Temporarily Closed Due to High Wind Event
Scott Gediman 209-372-0248
Kari Cobb 209-372-0529

After a temporary closure, the Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park will reopen to the public at 3:00 p.m. today, Wednesday, December 07, 2011. The Tioga Road, the popular east-west crossing of the Sierra Nevada in the northern portion of the park, has been temporarily closed due a high wind event in the Yosemite area.

Winds up to 75 miles per hour were experienced at the higher elevations of the park, including along portions of the Tioga Road. Wind in the area knocked over numerous trees and covered the Tioga Road with debris. Road crews and forestry crews worked throughout the weekend to clear the roadway for travel. No injuries were sustained and minimal structure damage was reported due to the event.

All roads within the Yosemite National Park are subject to temporary closures or chain control due to hazardous driving conditions. Visitors should be aware of the potential for icy spots along the higher elevations within the park. Tire chains may be required at any time during the fall and winter season. It is strongly recommended that all motorists carry tire chains while driving in the park during the fall and winter months.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200. (K. Cobb - 12/8)

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EMPLOYEE NEWS

Workplace Enrichment:  NPS Principles Of Internal Communications Released
Communication helps individuals and groups coordinate activities to achieve goals, and it’s vital in relationship-building, decision-making, and problem-solving.  It also provides employees with important information about their jobs, the organization, environment, and each other.  When done right, it helps us to make sense of our work, improve our service to the public and resources, and increase productivity and teamwork. When done wrong, it leads to misunderstandings, frustration, and decreased job satisfaction. This past year, a thorough assessment was conducted of NPS internal communications. We learned that our workforce is not always receiving the information they need to be most effective in their jobs and that the way in which we communicate is inconsistent across the organization.  Learn more about common causes, and steps you can take to help improve internal communications, at http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=11341. (J. Treutelaar - 12/9)
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Yosemite welcomes new Deputy Superintendent Woody Smeck
Please join me in welcoming Woody Smeck as Yosemite National Park's new Deputy Superintendent. Woody joins Yosemite from Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, where he is Superintendent. Woody's experience also includes assignments as Acting Regional Director for the National Capital Region (Feb-Jun 2011) and Acting Deputy Regional Director for Pacific West Region (Jan-July 2010).

Woody brings a wealth of experience to his new position; at Santa Monica Mountains NRA he manages the nation's largest urban national park, which is also one of the most visited recreation destinations in the country, with over 35 million visitors per year. He has partnered with more than 70 agencies and organizations to preserve open space resources and works with the four congressional districts, four state assembly districts, 35 city council districts, and over 250 property owner associations representing an array of diverse community interests within the national recreation area. In 2006, Woody was selected “Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resources Stewardship.”

Woody is a graduate of Cal Poly, with a Master’s of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and a Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture, and continues to maintain a license to practice landscape architecture in the state of California. Woody is a native Californian, born in Bakersfield. He has a wife, Karen, and two daughters who are attending college in California. He enjoys backpacking, running, landscape sketching, and spending time with his family.

Woody will join the park this April. We are truly honored to have Woody join the park's leadership team. Woody has the ideal background to help Yosemite achieve unequalled operational and innovative excellence. (K. Kosick - 12/8)
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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

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 

Jana Friesen McCabe will be Acting Branch Chief for Public Outreach and Engagement from November 15 to December 9. She can be reached at 372-0288.
Julie Byerly will be acting Deputy Chief Ranger from Saturday 12/3 through Sunday 12/18, she can be reached at 372-0243.
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 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

Holiday Concert of the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, December 17 7:00 pm - Festive Holiday Concert of the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra's 10th Anniversary Season. Bach, Tchaikovsky, Vaughan Williams and the MSO's own celebration of carols. The Fiester Auditorium at Mariposa County High School. $6 Adults/$4 Students. Tickets/info: (209) 966-3155. Website: http://www.arts-mariposa.org/symphony.html. (MSO - 12/8)
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Yosemite Employee Association Winter Social Semi-formal
Have you got your babysitter lined up so you can come and enjoy the Yosemite Employee Association Winter Social Semi-formal on Dec 16? Plan to come to the Cedar Lodge to join your friends, neighbors and co-workers from 5-10PM with hors d'ouevers by Chef Larry, music by Greg Stock and Company, raffle prizes of all sorts, and a host bar. Members-$25 and non-members $30. Spend the night at Cedar Lodge-ask for your YEA discount! Questions?-come by Sal's on Dec 15th and get some answers. (M. Dale -12/8)