Yosemite Daily Report for Jan 9

Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Monday, January 9, 2012

WEATHER

Yosemite Valley
Today: Sunny, with a high near 53. 
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. 
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. 
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 51.

El Portal
Today: Sunny, with a high near 68. 
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. 
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. 
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. 

Wawona
Today: Sunny, with a high near 57. 
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 21. 
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. 
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 55. 

National Weather Service Long-term Forecast (aka "The Daily Report Snow Watch")
Dry weather and near normal temperatures will continue through the upcoming work week. A persistent upper level ridge of high pressure will continue to remain in control.
(Ed. note: Bookmark this link to stay informed of long-term forecast discussion by NWS meteorologists: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?wfo=hnx&pil=AFD&sid=HNX&version=0.)

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PARK AND PARTNER NEWS

NPS Mourns Loss of Ranger Margaret Anderson
See the information below about the memorial service for Ranger Margaret Anderson, killed in the line of duty.  The guest column captures how many of feel about the the loss of Ranger Anderson. (D. Neubacher - 1/9)
A memorial service will be held to celebrate the life of Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, at 1:00 p.m., on Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at Pacific Lutheran University – 12180 Park Avenue S, Tacoma, Washington. Ranger Anderson was fatally shot in the line of duty on January 1, 2012. Arrangements are in progress and will be shared as they become available. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to KeyBank, P.O. Box 159, Eatonville, WA 98328. Checks should be made out to the Margaret Anderson Donation Account. Send all correspondence including requests for information, resource offers, and condolences to MountRainierInfo@gmail.com. 
Guest columnist - Seattle Times
The ranger who protected Mount Rainier from greater tragedy - Guest columnist Bruce Barcott writes about his gratitude for Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, who was murdered on the mountain on New Year's Day. She was protecting the mountain and possibly averted a more serious tragedy.

I didn't know Margaret Anderson, the Mount Rainier National Park ranger shot and killed on New Year's Day. But I know what she died protecting. And I wish I could thank her for saving the mountain.

For many of us in the Pacific Northwest, Mount Rainier isn't just a national park. It's sacred public space. We go there to play and we go there to pray. Young mountaineers test their mettle on the Emmons Glacier. Elderly women stand and lay their hands on Rainier's old-growth cedars near Kautz Creek. Young couples hike into the backcountry at Indian Bar. Mothers take daughters snow camping at Reflection Lakes.

Memory is Rainier's most powerful attribute. We live in a place where family history is often thin on the ground. Here in the West there aren't many ancestral estates. Our family migration stories aren't traced to the Mayflower, they're traced to last week. Amid all that transience the mountain offers a place to connect with permanence, to create the personal back stories that bind us to the land. Every day hike at Sunrise, every car-camping weekend at Ohanapecosh, every Paradise snowball fight forms a tendon that ties us to our chosen home, and to each other. On a busy day in Seattle, when the clouds part and Rainier reveals itself, the mountain doesn't just come out. It opens the memory album of the mind.

There's no irony in the name Paradise. Rainier's most popular visitor destination sits at 5,400 feet, more than a mile above Puget Sound. Virinda Longmire named it in 1885 after witnessing the breathtaking wildflower bloom of its subalpine meadows. But the place lives up to its name not by flowers alone. Because it's accessible by car, Paradise draws a comically diverse mix of people in the parking lot: World-class climbers gear up next to flip-flop-clad Aussies and Sri Lankan immigrants who have driven up to touch snow for the first time in their lives. It's Paradise for everyone, open every day.

This is the mountain that Margaret Anderson was protecting.

The weather has been gray and depressing for weeks around here, so when blue sky and sunshine showed up last Sunday, New Year's Day, a lot of folks piled into the car and headed for Paradise.

One of those people didn't have snow play in mind.

When trouble finds people, sometimes they go to the mountain. As a young man, I often hiked into the backcountry to try to sort out my life. It did me a lot of good.
Others are not so fortunate. An old friend of mine, a former ranger at Mount Rainier, once told me that one of the toughest parts of his job was finding suicides in the Park. "People come up here for a lot of different reasons," he told me. "Sometimes they want it to be the last place they see."

When Anderson responded to a traffic call on New Year's morning, she had no idea what kind of trouble was coming up the road. A blue Pontiac had just blown past the tire-chain checkpoint at Longmire. She set up a roadblock about a mile away from Paradise.

We have no way of knowing Benjamin Colton Barnes' intent. But the evidence suggests. This was a troubled 24 year-old Iraq war veteran, possibly suffering from untreated post-traumatic stress disorder, a gun collector, with a history of suicidal thoughts and erratic tendencies. He'd allegedly shot four people at a party a few hours earlier. In his car was an arsenal of weapons and body armor.

Barnes might have gone to the mountain to think things over. That's a generous reading. Some have speculated that he planned to flee into the woods. But the road from Longmire to Paradise is a 12-mile dead end in winter. And 5,400 feet up Rainier in January is no place for criminal flight.

Once Barnes reached the parking lot at the Jackson Visitors Center, there would be nowhere for him to go. But there would be an estimated 200 innocent visitors and park employees around him.

Maybe he'd have taken his own life quietly. Maybe he'd have forced a suicide-by-cop situation. But in this post-Columbine age, it's hard not to imagine the darkest possibility. Though she couldn't have known it, I believe that Margaret Anderson positioned herself between Benjamin Barnes and a possible mass murder at Paradise.

The story's tragic denouement has been well documented by Craig Welch, Steve Miletich and other Times reporters this past week. At Anderson's roadblock, Barnes stopped the Pontiac, drew a shotgun, and pulled the trigger. Rescuers were unable to reach her for an hour and a half, because Barnes unloaded on anyone who came near. Then he fled on foot into the snowdrifts and mountain streams that would ultimately claim his life.

Spree killers murder more than people. They desecrate a geographic space. They rub dirt on our memories. Last year's mass murders changed Norway's Utoya Island from an idyllic retreat to a place of haunting sorrow. Nearly 50 years after the fact, it's impossible to pass under the University of Texas Tower in Austin and not recall, if just for an instant, Charles Whitman and the day he turned it into a sniper's nest.

That's why I wish I could thank Anderson. By responding to a common traffic stop, and laying down her life, she diverted a killer and allowed Paradise to remain paradise.
On clear days, when the mountain comes out, none of us has to look at Mount Rainier and be reminded of mass murder. We can look and see beauty, adventure and a symbol of our connection to this place. We can look and think of Margaret Anderson. And say a little thanks.
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Yosemite National Park to Waive Entrance Fees for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Weekend - news release
Scott Gediman 209-372-0248
Kari Cobb 209-372-0529

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Yosemite National Park will offer free admission into the park starting Saturday, January 14 through Monday, January 16, 2012.  The fee free waiver is for all visitors in honor of the holiday weekend.

Fees being waived for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend include the fees associated with entrance into the park only.  All other fees associated with camping, lodging, or activities within the park are not waived.  The fee waiver is good for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend only.

Visitors coming to the park over the fee free weekend are urged to be aware of the possibility of changing weather and precipitation.  Ice on the roadways may be present throughout the park.  For updated 24-hour weather and road information please call, 209-372-0200. (K. Cobb - 1/9)
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New License Plates for Government Vehicles
All government license plates are being switched over to plates with expiration dates. Many plates have already been switched. If you have any vehicles, trailers, road equipment, anything with Interior (I-) plates without expiration dates, they need to be brought to Property Management and be exchanged for the plates with expiration dates. The dead line has passed, switch out for the new plates ASAP. A call to Don Ramsey (379-1024) prior to coming is appreciated but not mandatory. The old plates must be brought in to receive the new plates. (D. Ramsey - 1/6)

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Machine Shop Closed for Inventory
The Machine Shop will be closed except for emergency vehicle maintenance January 9 thru January 13 for inventory.
If you do have an emergency please call 379-1155. (G. Tilley - 1/6)
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Wawona Hotel Closed for Winter
Greetings! Wawona Hotel is closed for the winter and I will be away and not checking company emails. Please email Joe Alfano @ jalfano@dncinc.com in my absence for any business needs. Thank you and have a great winter! (J. Oliver - 1/6)

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EMPLOYEE NEWS

Potluck for the Gabriel Family
Eric Gabriel has accepted a new challenge as the Branch Chief of Ranger Activities at Glacier National Park. Please join us in wishing the family farewell and best of luck. Bring your own table service and a dish to share. Saturday, January 14 at 5:00 p.m. East Auditorium, Yosemite Valley. (C. Cuvelier - 1/9)
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Elexis Mayer Temporarily Assigned to Full-Time Support of MRP
In an effort to support the Merced River Plan (MRP), Elexis Mayer will transition into the Planning Division as the MRP Program Manager for the next 8 months (January - September 2012). Successful completion of the Merced River Plan is extremely important for the Park Service and Yosemite. Although Elexis has been involved in planning for the Merced River for many years, it has become apparent that the scope of the project today requires full commitment of her expertise and time.

The role of Program Manager is to coordinate all of the various components of plan development, including environmental compliance, site planning, user capacity analyses and transportation planning. She will be joining the team of Project Managers currently responsible for leadership of these key components of the plan. This team approach ensures full integration of the complex components of this planning effort in order to comply with the court-ordered deadlines and time constraints.

During this period of redirected work, a series of actions will be taken to ensure that the Environmental Planning & Compliance group remains supported so it will not miss a beat. For the month of January, acting Branch Chief assignments will be rotated among staff. Check the Daily for current information. Beginning January 29th, Madelyn Ruffner will start a 120-day detail into the position through the end of May 2012. From May to September 2012, another detail promotion opportunity will be made available. (K. Morse and R. Fong - 1/6)

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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Hazard Tree Clean-up at Crane Flat
Scott Timber Company will be cleaning up previously cut hazardous trees along roadsides from Crane Flat to Big Oak Flat Entrance while weather permits. Intermittent traffic control may result in brief delays. Contact 490 on Park Net for emergency traffic. (B. Mattos - 1/5)
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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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UPDATE - Foresta Road Closure thru 2/29/12 - Slide Repair Between Rancheria and Old El Portal
The current road closure along Foresta Road will continue thru the end of February 2012. Due to the unseasonably dry weather crews made good progress on the upper (cut) slope stabilization and it is nearly complete, however the steep slopes required much of the work to occur with hand labor, so they were not able to make as much progress as planned. The remaining work includes the final seeding and mulching along the upper slope, then installation of a retaining wall along the lower (fill) slope, and then the final curb and pavement repairs. (M. Pieper - 1/6)

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ACTING DESIGNATIONS

Bill Kuhn is acting Branch Chief for Physical Science and Landscape Ecology today, January 9; you can reach him at 379-1157.
Ann Roberts (379-1383) will be Acting Branch Chief of Environmental Planning and Compliance from Monday, Jan. 9 to Thursday, Jan. 12.
Deron Mills will be acting Chief of Fire and Aviation Management through Jan 13th. He can be contacted at 209-375-9572.
Julie Byerly will be acting Deputy Chief Ranger from January 2 for the next several weeks.
Donna Dean will be acting Human Resources Officer while Cindy Whitten is on leave through January 16. You may contact Donna at 209-379-1814.
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.

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

For Rent
Studio apartment with nice view. Three miles east of Mariposa. 5069 Lakeview Road. $500/month plus first and last. Call Al Bedard at 742-5015. (Y. Radanovich - 1/9)
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The General Services Administration Auction
The General Services Administration is conducting an internet auction of Yosemite personal property consisting of a couple trailers, a safe, cameras, secondary haz mat container, a quarter ton jib crane and misc. scrap culverts. For further information regarding the sale items or to register to bid, visit the website gsaauctions.gov. Sale number 91QSCI12085 lots 324 to 330. The sale will close on January 12, 2012. An appointment must be made with Don Ramsey (379-1024) prior to inspection, no exceptions (serious bidders only). Park employees must view the items and bid on their own time. 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. (D. Ramsey - 1/6)
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Fire Danger Exists Despite Cooler Weather
The California Department of Forestry and the YNP Fire Marshal is reminding all residents, due to December’s prolonged dry spell, fire danger remains above average across the Central Sierras and the chance of large and damaging fires still exists. Even though the area has experienced cooler temperatures and a little moisture, recent dry winds have brought back the danger of wildland fire.

Even though fire season has ended, California lends itself to severe wildfire conditions year round with its unique climate and topography. Listed below are some safety tips:
-Check to make sure it is a permissive burn day prior to starting a burn project
-Just because it is a permissive burn day doesn’t mean it is safe to burn, take into consideration current conditions, such as high gusty and or windy days, surrounding dry vegetation
-ALWAYS stay in attendance of the burn project
-Have suppression tools, such as shovel and a water source available in case of a fire escape
-Create a bare mineral soil zone (down to dirt) around your project
-Don’t burn piles that are too big for your control- piles should be no more than 4 foot by 4 foot in diameter
-Don’t dump ashes from fire places or wood stoves onto vegetation, there could still be hot spots in the ashes which would ignite dry vegetation
Although burning is an effective tool in the reduction of wildland fire fuels, if a homeowner does have a fire escape their control they can be fined, issued a citation (misdemeanor), and have to pay suppression cost to put the fire out. Be Fire Safe and practice Fire Prevention. (J. Alviso - 1/6)
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Village Store Sale: 30% Off
Starting Thursday, January 12, 2012 the Village Store will be have a 30% sale of all grocery and retail items, excluding tobacco and alcohol. This sale will continue until everything is sold or until the store closes on January 16 th. The Village Store will be closed for remodeling beginning Tuesday, January 17 th and will reopen on Thursday, February 16 th @ Noon. (W. Kearns - 1/6)