Mammoth unveiling at Fossil Discovery Center in Chowchilla

Jarrod Lyman
Director of Media
Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau
(559) 683-4636

Mammoth unveiling at Fossil Discovery Center in Chowchilla

Chowchilla, CA. – The popular Fossil Discovery Center, which has been open a little more than a year since October of 2010, is unveiling the latest and largest of its new exhibits this Friday.

The Fossil Discovery Center has completed the new exhibit, which is the body of an entire Colombian Mammoth that will now greet visitors as they enter the museum. Standing at approximately 13 feet tall, it’s an impressive greeting. 

The mammoth will be unveiled at a special event Friday, Jan. 20 at the Fossil Discovery Center. There will be hors d’ouevres and wine from various award winning Madera Wine Trail wineries poured as well. Members can attend the event for just $20 while non members’ tickets cost $25. Membership can be purchased at www.maderamammoths.org. 

The Fossil Discovery Center brings to life a very different Central Valley from the Pleistocene era around 700,000 year ago. The area we now call home once harbored numerous unique and fascinating creatures.

Towering Colombian Mammoths, larger even than the Wooly Mammoth, grazed in the fertile grasslands. Sabretoothed cats, California’s state fossil, competed for food with other predators like the Dire Wolf, hunting other prehistoric animals that lived here, including Harlan’s Groundsloth, and relatives of today’s camels known as Camelops. Another denizen was the Short Faced Bear, the largest bear to ever walk the Earth, known to be 11 or taller when standing up.

It’s the remains of these animals and more, that are on display at the Fossil Discovery Center of California in Chowchilla. Perhaps even more impressive, is each of these fossils was unearthed at the dig site, located adjacent to the museum, making Chowchilla home to the largest Pleistocene era fossil bed in the western United States. 

Fore more information on the event, or the Fossil Discovery Center, call (559) 665-7107. The Fossil Discovery Center is located at 19450 Ave. 21 1/2. Take exit 164 from Highway 99.

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Yosemite extends Half Dome permitting process

Yosemite News Release

January 13, 2012

For Immediate Release

Media Contacts:

Scott Gediman 209-372-0248

Kari Cobb 209-372-0529

               Yosemite National Park Announces Extension of

              Interim Permit Program for the Half Dome Cables

                Program Extended for the 2012 Hiking Season

Yosemite National Park will require Day Use Permits seven days per week for climbing the Half Dome cables during the summer 2012 season.  This is an extension of the interim permit system that was implemented beginning in 2010.  Permits will be required seven days per week to ascend the Half Dome cables.  This is part of an interim program designed to address crowding and safety issues on the cables.

Hiking to the top of Half Dome is one of the most popular hikes in Yosemite National Park.  The iconic granite monolith, at 8,842 feet above sea level, attracts people from all over the world who attempt to climb to the summit.

Most visitors ascend Half Dome via the cables, which are typically in place from mid-May through mid-October.  Most visitors begin and end their hike at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley.  This is an approximately 14-mile round-trip journey.

Applications for permits are available from March 1 through March 31.   The

park will allocate permits through a preseason lottery, a two-day in advance lottery, and as part of the Wilderness Permit process.  Details regarding the lotteries and the wilderness process can be found at the park’s website at www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm.  The lottery will be conducted through www.recreation.gov.

The park is expecting to release the Half Dome Trail Stewardship Plan Environmental Assessment (EA) later this winter.  This document will address use on the trail and the cables and provide alternatives on a permanent management plan for the Half Dome cables.  The park strongly encourages public comment on the plan during the formal comment period.

Yosemite National Park will provide more detailed information regarding the Day Use Permit lotteries and other pertinent information about the Half Dome Trail soon.

                                   -NPS-

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)

Yosemite Daily Report for Dec 22

Here's the latest information on what's going on in Yosemite, straight from the National Park. To start planning your Yosemite vacation, visit www.YosemiteThisYear.com.

Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Thursday, December 22, 2011

WEATHER

Yosemite Valley
Today: Sunny, with a high near 42.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 26.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 47.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 52.
Still no snow.

El Portal
Today: Sunny, with a high near 59.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 30.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 67.

Wawona
Today: Sunny, with a high near 50.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 21.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 53.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 57.

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PARK AND PARTNER NEWS

2012 Group Volunteer Projects sought - You have the work, we have the workers!
Does your NPS program have work you need to get done, if only you had a group of people to tackle it for a few hours one or two days? Let us help you by providing a volunteer group!  Boy Scouts, families, school groups, church groups, and conservation clubs ranging in size from 5 to 50, and ages of 5 to 90 want to help Yosemite. Last year over 200 groups donated their time to the park, removing invasive plants, building picnic tables, cleaning out fire rings, shoveling snow, painting, doing Leave No Trace education, providing interpretive programming, doing wilderness restoration and trail work, and more. What can they do for you in 2012?

The Volunteer Office is compiling the 2012 Group Volunteer Project Catalog and is seeking projects. Check out the 2011 catalog to see what types of projects we've done before, and the requirements for groups ( http://www.nps.gov/yose/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm ).  Then fill out the  Group Project Description Form , found on SharePoint (Interpretation >Volunteers>Forms). Forms are due (email preferred) to the volunteer Office by January 9 COB  (to allow time to reserve campsites before the January 15 sale date).  The catalog will be posted on January 20. Additional projects may be added later, but campsites may not be available. Contact the volunteer office at 379-1850 or yose_volunteers@nps.gov with questions. (H. Boothe - 12/22)
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Christmas Bird Count Summary

42 participants counted and identified 2,584 birds of 70 species across 6 zones in Yosemite. Highlights included 2 Bald Eagles - 1 observed flying in the Merced River Canyon (below the Rostrum) and 1 at Mirror Lake; Northern Saw-whet Owl in East Yosemite Valley; 125 White-throated Swifts in the Merced River Canyon; Williamson's Sapsucker on the way down from the Tioga Road; 5 Pileated Woodpeckers in the west end of Yosemite Valley alone; Northern Goshawk in West Yosemite Valley; California Thrasher (Foresta Road above El Portal) and 2 Savannah Sparrows (adjacent to the Community Hall) in El Portal; and 3 Lincoln's Sparrows in Foresta. Oh, and don't forget the 103 Varied Thrushes! This is only the 3rd Yosemite Christmas Bird Count to have Bald Eagle on the list (the other years were 1952 and 1989). We saw some species that were missed last year, such as Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, and Cedar Waxwing. However, this year, we didn't see any Mourning Doves or Chestnut-backed Chickadees.

Thanks to all the participants of the 112th Christmas Bird Count on December 18 in Yosemite. We had 8 teams scouring the count circle for birds, including one team exploring meadows along the Glacier Point Road and another team hiking down from the Tamarack Flat Road (from Tioga Rd) down to the Big Oak Flat Road above Foresta, and another team covering the John Muir and Mist Trails up to Nevada Fall. Thanks to each and every one of you who participated and who contributed to another successful bird count! If you weren't able to participate this year, there's always next year (Sunday, December 16, 2012), and there will always be more birds to see and count. This count has been going strong since 1932, for a total of 72 years! (S. Stock via D. Neubacher - 12/21)
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Status Update - UC Merced/NPS - Wawona Sierra Nevada Research Institute Project.

In late October it was stated in the Daily Report that UC Merced had awarded the Wawona Classroom remodel project (AKA The Wawona Informatics Project) to General Contractor JHK Construction of Modesto, CA. They were originally scheduled to commence work on Nov. 1, 2011 but due to unforeseen delays did not start work until December 8, 2011. Completion of the project is now anticipated to be on or about May 7, 2012.

As previously stated the project will rehabilitate the historic Wawona Ranger Station Garage to improve its use as a research and training facility for the Sierra Nevada Research Institute. The $343,600 partnership project is being funded by a National Science Foundation Academic Research Infrastructure grant and is being managed by the University's Facilities Manager for the Sierra Nevada Research Institute with support from Resources Management & Science. Exterior work on the building includes in-kind replacement of the existing wood shake roof with new fire retardant cedar shakes and replacement of the non-historic door with doors reconstructed to match the original doors. Interior work includes the removal of non-historic materials and installation of new wall, floor and ceiling finishes, insulation, a fire suppression sprinkler system and alarm, upgraded electrical and data wiring and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning systems. All work is being done in accordance with the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Consultation with the park History, Architecture, and Landscape (HAL) Branch has been ongoing and will continue throughout the duration of the project to ensure compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Consultation regarding archeological requirements has also been ongoing throughout the planning process and monitoring is underway for the project to ensure that it will avoid impacts to archeological resources, and to provide for all archeological resource treatment necessary for compliance with the NHPA and the Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA). Investigations meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archaeology, are being conducted in accordance with park Archeological Research Design and have been designed to avoid adverse effects to significant archeological deposits by collecting data relevant to the important research questions identified by the park. American Indian consultation has also been conducted for the project. If anyone has questions please contact RMS-HAL Branch Chief Dave Humphrey (209.379.1029). (D. Humphrey - 12/21)

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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

Shawn Zumbrunnen will be Acting BCU Supervisor from December 22, 2011 to January 8, 2012.  Shawn can be contacted at 379-1250.

Dave Humphrey will be Acting Division Chief for Resources Management and Science Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 21-22, you can reach him at 379-1029.
Ron Gaunt will be acting Branch Chief of Construction and acting Branch Chief of Design for Project Management, beginning Friday, December 16, 2011, through Thursday, December 22, 2011. Ron may be reached at 379-1027 or you may leave a message with Ashley Wilde at 379-1221.
Todd Newburger (209-379-1434) will be Acting Branch Chief for Visitor Use and Social Science from Wednesday, December 21st through Friday, December 23rd.

Mike Yochim will be the Acting Division Chief for the Planning Division Dec. 19th though the 22nd. You may phone Mike in his El Portal office at 379-1441. Mae Frantz will be the Acting Division Chief Friday, December 23rd. Mae may be reached in her El Portal office at 379-1218. If either are unavailable you may leave a message with Doyle Harrison at 379-1110.
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).
Ann Roberts (379-1383) will be Acting Branch Chief of Environmental Planning and Compliance from Tuesday, December 27 to Thursday, December 29, 2011.

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
YOSEMITE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Yosemite Chapel
December 24th Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 4:00 P.M.
December 25th Christmas  Day Service
9:15 A.M.
Come celebrate Christmas in the historic Yosemite Chapel! Questions please call 209-372-4831
www.YosemiteValleyChapel.org (12/22)
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No Sal's December 29th
YEA apologizes for anyone who goes hungry or thirsty that night and promises to be back on January 12th with the 2012 YEA Board. If you see one of the following people, please take a moment to congratulate and thank them for their service to the community. Seth Mayer-President, Laura Ouborg-Vice President, Dan Boughter-Secretary, George Jaramillo-Treasurer, Sean Anderson-Assistant Treasurer, Joe Toska and Melissa Goldberg-Board Members at Large. Happy Holidaze to all. (M. Dale - 12/21)