Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Thursday, February 4, 2010

Weather

Yosemite Valley
Today: Rain and snow after 4pm. Snow level 5700 feet. High near 50. South
wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow
accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tonight: Rain and snow. The rain and snow could be heavy at times. Snow
level 5600 feet. Low around 34. South southeast wind between 10 and 14 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches
possible.
Friday: Rain. High near 40. South wind between 14 and 18 mph, with gusts as
high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Snow level 5000 feet.
Low around 33. South wind between 14 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 23
mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday: Snow. High near 37. Southwest wind between 7 and 9 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Saturday Night: Rain and snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 30.
Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of around an inch
possible.

El Portal
Today: Rain after 4pm. High near 61. South wind around 11 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 80%.
Tonight: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 39. Southeast
wind between 13 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 90%.
Friday: Rain. High near 52. Southeast wind between 14 and 16 mph, with
gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 33. South
southeast wind between 13 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance
of precipitation is 100%.
Saturday: Rain. High near 50. South southwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.
Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Saturday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of
precipitation is 60%.

Wawona
Today: Rain after 4pm. High near 57. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 80%.
Tonight: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 32. Southeast
wind between 11 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 100%.
Friday: Rain. High near 46. Southeast wind between 13 and 16 mph, with
gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 33. South
southeast wind between 15 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance
of precipitation is 100%.
Saturday: Rain. Snow level 4400 feet. High near 44. South southwest wind
between 3 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Saturday Night: Rain and snow showers likely. Snow level 4000 feet. Cloudy,
with a low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation
of less than a half inch possible.

Safety Slogan of the Day: Your good health is your greatest wealth

Park News

Valley Fuel Station Update #2: Wright Express cards are now accepted at the
Valley Fuel Station, and PIN's are not required for Wright Express. After
inserting your card, with the mag stripe on the right side, you will be
prompted for your odometer reading. Then you will be prompted for your
Driver number. The Driver number is the six digits of the license plate
following the "G". This number is also embossed on the credit card. There
will be a short wait time for authorization. You can then select your pump
number and dispense your fuel. Keep in mind that only diesel and regular
unleaded fuels are authorized for purchase, and that premium gasoline is
not. After fueling, you can reinsert your card and you will be prompted to
print a receipt. The last transaction on each card will be saved in memory
for receipt printing until 12:00 midnight each day. For those that have an
Interior Master Card, prior to your first transaction, you will need to
have a PIN assigned to each card. You can obtain PIN"s M-F from 8:00 AM to
5:00 PM at the Village Garage. (D Anthonijsz 2/4/10)
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There will be no Daily Report on Friday, February 5, 2010 (K Calder 2/4/10)
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The February 1 snow surveys have been completed. Overall, water content
for the Tuolumne drainage is 117% of average; the Merced drainage is 107%
of average. (M Fincher 2/3/10)
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Yosemite Forum at Noon Feb. 9 in the Valley Auditorium: Title: A Grand Old
Site--Preliminary Results from 12 Years of Archeology at the Grandad Site,
by Dr. John Pryor, anthropology department chair at California State
University-Fresno. Since 1998, CSU-Fresno has held its annual Archeological
Field School at the Grandad site, which is located west of Yosemite
National Park in Bootjack, Calif. This site contains evidence of how
American Indians lived in the Sierra Nevada Range from the period of
contact with European populations back to the end of the last Ice Age more
than 9,000 years ago. For the past three years, the focus has been on the
total excavation of the remains of an earth-covered dwelling, measuring
around 18 feet in diameter, which appears to have been a chief’s house.
This project is one of the largest excavations ever conducted on a village
site in the Sierra. http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/yose-forum.htm
(A Long 2/4/10)

Updates

TUOLUMNE MEADOWS
WINTER CONDITIONS UPDATE
February 3, 2010

Weather: (January 28 through February 3)
High temp: 46° (January 28)
Low temp: -7 (January 31)
New Snow: 2”
Total settled snow depth: 47” as of February 3

Ski Conditions and Weather: Well as you can see we had to skip last week’s
report due to a power outage here in Tuolumne. More on that later. For the
month of January we received 98 inches of snow with a water content of 6.2
inches. Very light, dry snow. The large system that pummeled us for a week
straight brought close to 7 feet of snow here in Tuolumne. Snow surveys
last week are showing our snowpack above average. The temperatures have
been on the cool side with many cloudy days, the results of storms to our
north. Trail breaking has gone from impossible to fairly easy in the last
few days. We are sinking in about 6 inches. However, there is another storm
predicted for this weekend which could make travel difficult. Reports from
Lee Vining Canyon said snowline is at the locked gate on Highway 120, which
means you can ski the whole way in with the exception of 2 small bare spots
where you might have to take off your skis. Visitors report 3 areas where
avalanche debris has crossed the road.

On January 25 we lost power here in Tuolumne. Southern California Edison,
who is the utility supplying the power, has said they are not going to fix
it till the snow melts, i.e. months from now. So what that means to
visitors coming in to use the Tuolumne ski hut is you have to bring your
own stove and fuel and a good light source. There is no power to the ski
hut. Also, all phone lines and cell towers are down, so don’t expect to be
making phone calls once you get in here.

Avalanche and Snowpack Conditions: For the latest avalanche advisory for
this area go to www.esavalanche.org for the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center
and click on advisory. The ESAC site is updated several times a week and
more often during weather events.

Wildlife:
We saw our usual Coyote, Pine Marten, Chickaree, White-tailed Jack Rabbit,
and many tiny rodent tracks.

Birds seen and heard this week include the Mountain Chickadee, Red Breasted
Nuthatch, White Breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Clark’s Nutcracker,
Common Raven, and Red Crossbills.

Questions: As mentioned above, we have no land lines or cell tower
operating. Sorry for the inconvenience. (Jeff and Kathi, the Tuolumne
winter rangers).
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Yosemite News Release
February 2, 2010
For Immediate Release

Media Contacts:
Scott Gediman 209-372-0248
Kari Cobb 209-372-0529

Yosemite National Park Announces Public Scoping on the Tioga Road
Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment

The National Park Service is initiating an Environmental Assessment (EA) to
study rehabilitating 27 miles of the Tioga Road to make safety
improvements, while preserving natural and cultural resources along the
road providing access to Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Pass, U.S. Route 395 and
trailheads for the John Muir, Pacific Crest, Yosemite Creek, Lukens Lake,
and South Fork of the Tuolumne River Trails.

The existing roadway surface on this western segment of the Tioga Road is
in very poor condition, with no major maintenance repairs undertaken for
over 40 years. The existing road shoulders and road surface have
deteriorated beyond minor repair due to poor drainage and subsurface
erosion. Currently, there is no designated roadside parking. The informal
parking that has resulted is currently causing resource damage. The
proposed project would address these issues, as well as others.

Public scoping will begin February 4 through March 5, 2010. An EA will be
available for public review in fall 2010. Construction is expected to begin
in summer/fall 2012 and to be completed by summer/fall 2016.

During the public scoping period, two Public Open Houses will be held, one
at the public library in Groveland, CA on February 18th from 6 pm to 8 pm
and one at the Valley Visitor Center Auditorium on February 24th from 1 pm
to 4 pm.

The public is encouraged to submit comments online at the National Park
Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) site at:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yose/tiogaroad

Comments can also be submitted in writing to:
Superintendent, Yosemite National Park
Attn: Tioga Road Rehabilitation (Big Oak Flat Road to May Lake Road)
PO Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

Faxed comments may be sent to:
Fax: 209.379.1294

An informational fact sheet can be viewed online at
www.nps.gov/yose/planning (K Cobb 2/3/10)

Employee Corner

Please join us in welcoming Patricia Walls as our new Budget Analyst.
Patricia will be working in the Park Budget Office. She began her Park
Service career in Yosemite working from 1990 through 2001 in various budget
position starting in the Fire Management Office. She then went on to
manage the budgets for the Divisions of Interpretation, Resources
Management and Concessions Management. In 1998, she began working in the
Park Budget Office. Then in 2001, she accepted the position of Budget
Officer at Point Reyes National Seashore. Patricia comes to us with a
wealth of experience and knowledge. We are very excited to have her back
with us and are looking forward to working with her again. (D Jackson
2/4/10)

Acting Designations

The acting branch chief for Archeology & Anthropology the week of February
1st is as follows: Monday 2/1, Tuesday 2/2, Thursday 2/4 & Friday 2/5:
Sonny Montague 379-1313, Wednesday 2/3: Jessica Middleton 379-1432
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Madelyn Ruffner will be Acting Branch Chief for the Environmental Planning
and Compliance Branch of Project Management from Monday, February 1, 2010,
through Friday, February 5, 2010. She can be reached at 379-1226 or you
may leave a message with Karen Dera at 379-1002.
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Joe Meyer will be Acting Chief of Resources Management and Science for the
week of February 1.
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Sheri Ogden is Acting Chief of Business and Revenue Management February 1
- 5, 2010.
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Katariina Tuovinen will be Acting Deputy Superintendent February 1-5, 2010.
She can be reached at 372-0286.
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While I am out of the park February 1-5 attending the Fire and Aviation
Workshop Eric Gabriel will be the acting Operations Branch Chief. (C
Cuvelier)
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Cindy Whitten will be the acting Human Resources Officer until further
notice, you may contact her at (209) 379-1878

Community News

Mariposa Little League signups are this Saturday, February 6th. Go to
www.mariposall.com for details. (D Kari 2/4/10)
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Sometimes funny, sometimes pointed, and sometimes poignant, "Under Our
Skin" is a night of story and song, compiled from blogs, original pieces,
and seminal works that both celebrate and question the idea of contemporary
woman-hood. "Under Our Skin" is produced by community members and hosted
by the Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort to benefit Mountain Crisis
Services. Performances will be February 12th & 13th at 8 pm. Ticket cost
is $25, which includes a chocolate reception to follow the performance, and
can be purchased through MCS at 742-5865 or the Bug at 966-6666. (D Tudor
2/4/10)
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Please come and support the Mariposa High School Grizzlies Cheerleaders
They will be having a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser Saturday Feb 6th
Place: Pizza Plus ( Shopping Center on the corner of 49 south & 140 in
Mariposa)
Time: 6am - 12 noon
Price: $7.95 / person
Menu: 3 pancakes, scrambles eggs, 2 bacon & 2 sausage & coffee
Hope to see there! (Y Cheley 2/3/10)
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The Adam Burns Band will be playing this Saturday, February 6th, at the
Evergreen Lodge, starting at 9 pm. (K Ramsey 2/3/10)
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6TH STREET CINEMA is located in the historic Old Masonic Lodge (under
renovation) on 6th Street in downtown Mariposa. Entrance is $7 per film
for non-members, and non-member students pay $5. Monthly membership is $12
allowing film entry for $3 each. Special performances and broadcasts have
alternate pricing structures. Recorded Information: (209) 966-1333. Staff:
209 742-6666. Visit our website: http://www.sixthstreetcinema.org or e-mail
us: sixthstreetcinema@sti.net

Special event, Thursday night only!
Feb 4th (Thursday), 8:00 p.m.: "A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, WITH GARRISON
KEILLOR, LIVE IN HD"
(Gen. Admission $22; Member Admission $18; Student $15)(PLEASE NOTE: 8:00
P.M. SHOW TIME)
Coming to you live from the Fitzgerald Theater, and beamed into movie
theaters across the country, it's a special Thursday evening edition of A
Prairie Home Companion. Featuring legendary English singer-songwriter Elvis
Costello, sibling vocal powerhouses Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele, songstress
Heather Masse, and the finest folk duo around, Robin and Linda Williams.
Also with The Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Sue Scott, Tim Russell and
Erica Rhodes, with both Tom Keith AND Fred Newman creating sound effects
mayhem, plus a punched-up Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and of course, The News
from Lake Wobegon. Two hours of non-stop fun (well, there'll be a brief
intermission) on the big screen. Bring your Powdermilk Biscuits, Mournful
Oatmeal, and maybe some Duck Tape! (T Arfsten 2/2/10)
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To All Wage Grade Employees: I am overwhelmed by your generous gift. This
paraphrase tells my feelings - You are the best there was, the best there
is and the best that will ever be. Thank you all. Connie Waldron (C
Waldron 2/4/10)