WawonaNews.com - June 2018
New Wawona Real Estate Listing
8035 A Koon Hollar, Wawona, CA 95389, 3 beds 2 baths 1,400 sqft, $649,000 Click here for more info.
A Renewed View of Some of the World’s Oldest Trees
The grove was closed for three years for renovations intended to make the area healthier for the trees and to manage the impact of crowds of visitors.
|
Charles Barth, left, and Andrea Cruden stood in the hollow of the Telescope Tree in the Mariposa Grove at Yosemite National Park.CreditMax Whittaker for The New York Times
|
The New York Times - YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — John Muir, the naturalist who was most at home sleeping outdoors on a bed of pine needles in the Sierra Nevada, called giant sequoias the “noblest of God’s trees.”
For three years, some of the most striking examples of these towering marvels were off limits to visitors in Yosemite National Park. After a $40 million renovation — the largest restoration project in the park’s history — the Mariposa Grove, a collection of around 500 mature giant sequoias, reopened last week.
What Muir called a “forest masterpiece” is now back on display.
The renovation addressed a problem that the park has struggled with for years. On the busiest summer days, more than 7,000 cars may converge on the park, which is about a four-hour drive from San Francisco. The gridlock they create amid the stunning chutes of water running down the steep granite slopes of Yosemite’s glacier-carved valley results in a kind of drive-by naturalism that frustrates many.
In the Mariposa grove, which is a 45-minute drive from the Yosemite Valley floor, the traffic brought exhaust fumes and engine noise to the foot of some of the world’s oldest living things. Park rangers feared that the asphalt covering the root systems of the trees could damage them.
For three years, some of the most striking examples of these towering marvels were off limits to visitors in Yosemite National Park. After a $40 million renovation — the largest restoration project in the park’s history — the Mariposa Grove, a collection of around 500 mature giant sequoias, reopened last week.
What Muir called a “forest masterpiece” is now back on display.
The renovation addressed a problem that the park has struggled with for years. On the busiest summer days, more than 7,000 cars may converge on the park, which is about a four-hour drive from San Francisco. The gridlock they create amid the stunning chutes of water running down the steep granite slopes of Yosemite’s glacier-carved valley results in a kind of drive-by naturalism that frustrates many.
In the Mariposa grove, which is a 45-minute drive from the Yosemite Valley floor, the traffic brought exhaust fumes and engine noise to the foot of some of the world’s oldest living things. Park rangers feared that the asphalt covering the root systems of the trees could damage them.
The grove contains hundreds of mature giant sequoias, whose thick, tannin-rich bark makes them among the most resilient of trees.
|
Asphalt pavement in the grove was torn up and replaced with dirt walking trails to benefit the sequoias’ relatively shallow root systems.
|
One of the trees in the grove, the Grizzly Giant, a massive, battered and gangly sequoia, is estimated to be 1,800 years old (“plus or minus a few centuries,” according to the National Park Service). Early last week, just a few days before visitors were welcomed back into the grove, a deer was calmly enjoying the shade of the trunk, which measures nearly 100 feet in circumference, one-third of a football field’s length.
Partly financed with a $20 million gift from the Yosemite Conservancy, a private philanthropic organization, the renovation involved ripping up nearly an acre and a half of pavement near the trees where cars and trams would pass and replacing it with walking paths made of packed dirt held together with resin. Visitors are now encouraged to take a free shuttle bus from a new parking lot a 10-minute drive away (there is still some accessible parking for disabled visitors at the grove itself). The clanging, smoke-spewing diesel trams which previously took visitors on a tour of the grove have been removed.
“We are not trying to take away anyone’s freedom,” said Scott Gediman, a spokesman for the park. “Take your car, but then park it. And walk.”
With bark that can be more than one foot thick and high levels of tannins to repel insects, giant sequoias are regarded by experts as some of the world’s most resilient trees. Close to 130 million trees of other species died in California over the past decade after being weakened by a five-year drought, but no mature giant sequoias perished, according to Sue Beatty, a restoration ecologist who helped lead the project. Even so, Ms. Beatty and other experts said they saw some signs of stress in the sequoias.
Partly financed with a $20 million gift from the Yosemite Conservancy, a private philanthropic organization, the renovation involved ripping up nearly an acre and a half of pavement near the trees where cars and trams would pass and replacing it with walking paths made of packed dirt held together with resin. Visitors are now encouraged to take a free shuttle bus from a new parking lot a 10-minute drive away (there is still some accessible parking for disabled visitors at the grove itself). The clanging, smoke-spewing diesel trams which previously took visitors on a tour of the grove have been removed.
“We are not trying to take away anyone’s freedom,” said Scott Gediman, a spokesman for the park. “Take your car, but then park it. And walk.”
With bark that can be more than one foot thick and high levels of tannins to repel insects, giant sequoias are regarded by experts as some of the world’s most resilient trees. Close to 130 million trees of other species died in California over the past decade after being weakened by a five-year drought, but no mature giant sequoias perished, according to Sue Beatty, a restoration ecologist who helped lead the project. Even so, Ms. Beatty and other experts said they saw some signs of stress in the sequoias.
Linus Roesch, 2, played under the Grizzly Giant, one of the immense sequoia trees in the grove.
|
A cross section of a giant sequoia on display at the grove shows the tree’s many growth rings. The trees can live for 2,000 years or more.
|
Giant sequoias do not have a central taproot. Instead, they develop a shallow network of roots, around 3 feet deep, that spreads as far as 200 feet from the trunk, Ms. Beatty said. The asphalt and the trampling feet of visitors in the grove were making the trees more vulnerable.
“This project was all about the trees,” she said. “We wanted to improve their survivability in the time of a changing climate.”
In the main viewing areas, the trees are cordoned by pine fences, although visitors can get up close to the trees in the upper parts of the grove. Culverts were torn up and creeks and wetlands were restored.
Frank Dean, a former park ranger who is head of the Yosemite Conservancy, describes the renovation of the grove as part of an evolution in the way Americans approach the West: from conquest and discovery to preservation.
Early visitors to the Mariposa Grove bored through at least one giant tree, which today is aptly called the California Tunnel Tree. Visitors can still walk through the trunk.
“There’s a greater understanding of how special — and how fragile — it is,” Mr. Dean said of the flora and fauna in the park. “Society has evolved. It’s a lighter-on-the-land approach.”
“This project was all about the trees,” she said. “We wanted to improve their survivability in the time of a changing climate.”
In the main viewing areas, the trees are cordoned by pine fences, although visitors can get up close to the trees in the upper parts of the grove. Culverts were torn up and creeks and wetlands were restored.
Frank Dean, a former park ranger who is head of the Yosemite Conservancy, describes the renovation of the grove as part of an evolution in the way Americans approach the West: from conquest and discovery to preservation.
Early visitors to the Mariposa Grove bored through at least one giant tree, which today is aptly called the California Tunnel Tree. Visitors can still walk through the trunk.
“There’s a greater understanding of how special — and how fragile — it is,” Mr. Dean said of the flora and fauna in the park. “Society has evolved. It’s a lighter-on-the-land approach.”
Jeanne Lay and Bob Borinstein reclined on the trunk of a fallen giant sequoia.
|
More than 500 mature giant sequoia trees stand in the Mariposa Grove.
|
Yosemite receives around 5 million visitors a year. The park is balancing its mission to attract visitors with a need not to be overwhelmed by them, said Mr. Gediman, the ranger.
“The whole idea of, ‘Here’s an attraction, let’s build a parking lot next to it’ — we’re not doing that any more,” he said
Yosemite isn’t finished with parking lots: a new one for the Mariposa Grove shuttle terminal holds 300 cars. But they are being built farther from the park’s most stunning attractions.
John Muir, whose writings helped alert Americans and the world to the beauty of Yosemite and the importance of preserving it, would probably be put off by the crowds of today. But he would recognize his favorite trees, which he described as immortal and which look very much the way he saw them 150 years ago.
“These colossal trees are as wonderful in fineness of beauty and proportion as in stature — an assemblage of conifers surpassing all that have ever yet been discovered in the forests of the world,” he wrote. “Here indeed is the tree-lover’s paradise.”
“The whole idea of, ‘Here’s an attraction, let’s build a parking lot next to it’ — we’re not doing that any more,” he said
Yosemite isn’t finished with parking lots: a new one for the Mariposa Grove shuttle terminal holds 300 cars. But they are being built farther from the park’s most stunning attractions.
John Muir, whose writings helped alert Americans and the world to the beauty of Yosemite and the importance of preserving it, would probably be put off by the crowds of today. But he would recognize his favorite trees, which he described as immortal and which look very much the way he saw them 150 years ago.
“These colossal trees are as wonderful in fineness of beauty and proportion as in stature — an assemblage of conifers surpassing all that have ever yet been discovered in the forests of the world,” he wrote. “Here indeed is the tree-lover’s paradise.”
Expect Delays With One-Way Traffic Control On Highway 41
Posted by: Kellie Flanagan SNO June 15, 2018 - 2:14 pm
MADERA COUNTY — Heads up, commuters — expect delays as long as 20 minutes on SR-41 north of Oakhurst next week.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with Michels Pipeline Construction, announces one-way traffic control on State Route 41 near the community of Oakhurst in Madera County for five working days as part of a culvert repair project taking place in Madera County.
The following one-way traffic control will take place (weather permitting):
- Monday, June 18 through Friday, June 22, one-way traffic control will be in effect on a nine-mile stretch of State Route 41 in Madera County, beginning at Crane Valley Road (Road 426) and ending just north of Road 630.
- One-way traffic control will be in effect each day from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. The closure zones will be up to one-mile long inside of the nine-mile project work area. Traffic could be held for up to 20 minutes at a time while crews work on culvert repairs in the area.
Closures may continue for longer periods of time each day if necessary, due to delays caused by weather or uncontrollable events that may occur during construction. These scheduled closures will occur, weather permitting.
Also taking place on SR-41 north of Oakhurst, in the burn scar area from the Railroad Fire last year: crews contracted by the Forest Service are in the process of removing hazard trees. Further delays in that area may occur. We will update when we have more information.
Commuters are reminded to obey flagging personnel and pay close attention to road maintenance vehicles and personnel. As always, please slow for our Caltrans friends and neighbors in the cone zone.
Mariposa Grove Reopens After Three-year Restoration
Visitors try out the new boardwalk in a Thursday event at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The grove opened to the public Friday. (Al Golub Photography)
Los Angeles Times - Yosemite's Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias reopens Friday after the biggest restoration project in the national park's history. It took three years and $40 million to remove parking areas, create a new boardwalk and visitor center, reestablish wetlands and make more improvements to protect the 4-acre habitat for the landmark redwoods.
The grove is home to about 500 big trees near the southern entrance to the park. President Lincoln in 1864 set aside Yosemite Valley and the grove "for public use, resort and recreation."
The restoration project's goals, according to the park's website, were to improve habitat for the trees and improve the experience for visitors.
The grove is home to about 500 big trees near the southern entrance to the park. President Lincoln in 1864 set aside Yosemite Valley and the grove "for public use, resort and recreation."
The restoration project's goals, according to the park's website, were to improve habitat for the trees and improve the experience for visitors.
Yosemite National Park's mounted patrol presents the colors at the reopening of the Mariposa Grove. (Al Golub Photography)
The grove, which closed in July 2015, received visitors and officials Thursday during a preview event.
Mariposa Grove Shuttle Information
There will be a shuttle that is offered by Yosemite Hospitality from The Big Trees Lodge to the Mariposa Grove daily. The purpose of the shuttle is to reduce the number of cars driving into the Grove; however, it is specifically here for the guests of the Lodge, Redwoods, and Wawona residents. The image above shows a travel voucher that residents of Wawona will need to be able to board the shuttle to the Mariposa Grove. Without it they will not be able to board.
We ask that residents of Wawona park down in the parking lot at the store and walk up to the hotel, as parking at the hotel will be tight. Shuttles will leave from the Big Trees Lodge to Mariposa Grove at the following times: 9:30AM, 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Shuttles back from Mariposa Grove to the Big Trees Lodge will be 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:30 PM. If someone misses the 6 PM YH the shuttle will not be able to bring them back to Wawona. If times to this schedule change we will be posting an updated travel voucher.
We ask that residents of Wawona park down in the parking lot at the store and walk up to the hotel, as parking at the hotel will be tight. Shuttles will leave from the Big Trees Lodge to Mariposa Grove at the following times: 9:30AM, 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Shuttles back from Mariposa Grove to the Big Trees Lodge will be 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:30 PM. If someone misses the 6 PM YH the shuttle will not be able to bring them back to Wawona. If times to this schedule change we will be posting an updated travel voucher.
Come join Justin Dellinger, Senior Environmental Scientist, for a presentation on basic mountain lion ecology and the current mountain lion research that California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is undertaking. Mr. Dellinger currently serves as the statewide mountain lion and gray wolf researcher for CDFW.
Community Center doors will open at 6:00 PM.
The lecture will start at 6:30 PM.
June 12, 2018
LOCATION:
Wawona Community Center
Refreshments will be served! Cash donations also appreciated so we can keep these events going.
FRIEND ON FACEBOOK
WAWONA NEWS
Copyright © 2018 Wawona Community Events, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
PO Box 2164, Wawona, CA 95389
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Community Center doors will open at 6:00 PM.
The lecture will start at 6:30 PM.
June 12, 2018
LOCATION:
Wawona Community Center
Refreshments will be served! Cash donations also appreciated so we can keep these events going.
FRIEND ON FACEBOOK
WAWONA NEWS
Copyright © 2018 Wawona Community Events, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
PO Box 2164, Wawona, CA 95389
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
School Hearing for Public Discussion on the Local Control and Accountability Plan
June 13, 2018, 1:30 PM
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, California
YWECS is announcing a Public Hearing for public discussion on the Local Control and Accountability Plan
Following is the charter school’s Mission Statement:
To produce self-motivated, competent, life-long learners in a local community school who have a sound academic foundation, create quality work, are group workers and problem solvers, show respect and consideration for others and choose the academic path to an enjoyable career as an adult.
With this mission statement as the guiding theme, the Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School is currently developing its fourth Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). This plan describes the charter school’s efforts to improve student achievement and serve as a blueprint for reform that encompasses curriculum, professional development, instruction, assessment and student and parent engagement.
Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School’s goals include the following:
All students will participate in high quality instruction and learning opportunities that will prepare them for success in high school, college and the workplace.
All students will receive instruction from highly qualified professionals in a clean, caring and secure environment.
All students will have access to quality intervention programs and enrichment activities with an emphasis on individualizing academic challenges for all.
All stakeholders will be engaged in the learning process by promoting opportunities that strengthen the skills, competencies and abilities of students, parents, staff and community.
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, California
YWECS is announcing a Public Hearing for public discussion on the Local Control and Accountability Plan
Following is the charter school’s Mission Statement:
To produce self-motivated, competent, life-long learners in a local community school who have a sound academic foundation, create quality work, are group workers and problem solvers, show respect and consideration for others and choose the academic path to an enjoyable career as an adult.
With this mission statement as the guiding theme, the Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School is currently developing its fourth Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). This plan describes the charter school’s efforts to improve student achievement and serve as a blueprint for reform that encompasses curriculum, professional development, instruction, assessment and student and parent engagement.
Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School’s goals include the following:
All students will participate in high quality instruction and learning opportunities that will prepare them for success in high school, college and the workplace.
All students will receive instruction from highly qualified professionals in a clean, caring and secure environment.
All students will have access to quality intervention programs and enrichment activities with an emphasis on individualizing academic challenges for all.
All stakeholders will be engaged in the learning process by promoting opportunities that strengthen the skills, competencies and abilities of students, parents, staff and community.
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Meeting
Wawona Elementary School
Wednesday, June 13, 2018, 5:30 PMA
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, California
AGENDA
- CALL TO ORDER
- ROLL CALL
- CONSENT AGENDA
- Approval of minutes of the regular meeting, May 30, 2018
- Financial reports
- Monthly approval of warrants (Action needed)
- Financial Report
- Payroll Report
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
6.Discuss and approve local sub list- so we can get people fingerprinted on or before August start date
7.Discuss and approve funds for Summer services for the two students with IEPs
- Discuss and approve allocation of 2017-18 budget’s Federal Impact Aid money
INFORMATION ITEMS
- BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
- STAFF REPORTS
- NEXT MEETING DATE
- CLOSED SESSION Personnel/Negotiations/Litigation
12.1.Employee Negotiations (Gov. Code 54957.6)
12.2.Personnel (Gov. Code 54957)
- RECOVENE IN OPEN SESSION: ANNOUNCE CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS
- ADJOURNMENT
Yosemite National Park Receives $21,578,000 to Rehabilitate Wawona Wastewater Treatment Plant as Administration Announces $256 Million in Construction Projects for National Parks
Sierra Sun Times
June 6, 2018 - WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced more than $256 million in approved funding to rebuild critical national park infrastructure. The list includes projects like the repair of the Arlington Memorial Bridge in D.C., the visitor access upgrade at Herring Cove Beach at the Cape Cod National Seashore, and the rehabilitation of the Wawona Waste Water Facility—dire maintenance and repair needs that contribute to the $11.6 billion backlog currently facing the nation’s national parks.
Roads, bridges, trails, water systems and visitor centers—even bathrooms, campgrounds and drinking fountains—are all part of this critical, but often unnoticed, infrastructure framework. In 2017, 330 million people visited the 417 NPS sites across the country. The NPS completed over $650 million in maintenance and repair work in Fiscal Year 2017, but aging facilities, high visitation, and resource constraints have kept the maintenance backlog between $11 billion and $12 billion since 2010.
June 6, 2018 - WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced more than $256 million in approved funding to rebuild critical national park infrastructure. The list includes projects like the repair of the Arlington Memorial Bridge in D.C., the visitor access upgrade at Herring Cove Beach at the Cape Cod National Seashore, and the rehabilitation of the Wawona Waste Water Facility—dire maintenance and repair needs that contribute to the $11.6 billion backlog currently facing the nation’s national parks.
Roads, bridges, trails, water systems and visitor centers—even bathrooms, campgrounds and drinking fountains—are all part of this critical, but often unnoticed, infrastructure framework. In 2017, 330 million people visited the 417 NPS sites across the country. The NPS completed over $650 million in maintenance and repair work in Fiscal Year 2017, but aging facilities, high visitation, and resource constraints have kept the maintenance backlog between $11 billion and $12 billion since 2010.
Two climbers fall to their deaths on El Capitan
(CNN)Two climbers fell to their deaths Saturday morning at Yosemite National Park in California, according to spokeswoman and Park Ranger Jamie Richards
The climbers were on the Freeblast Route of El Capitan when they fell.
"The circumstances around the fall are under investigation, and we are working to understand what happened," Richards said.
The climbers fell around 8:15 a.m. (11:15 a.m. ET), according to a news release. Park rangers along with search and rescue immediately responded after numerous 911 calls, said Richards. When they arrived at the site, they discovered the two climbers had died.
Officials have not yet released the identities of the climbers.
Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School is growing!
We are opening up our enrollment capacity to 35 students in TK-8th grade for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year!
We currently have 30 students enrolled for 2018-2019.
We now have 5 openings for new students!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Know someone who may be interested in
enrolling their child(ren) for the upcoming school year?
Please pass on our enrollment information!
Please share our school website below with our e
nrollment form & more information regarding the enrollment process.
ENROLLMENT FORM & MORE:
https://www.yosemitewawonacharter.org/enrollment.html
Ms. Esmé McCarthy
School Administrator
Lead Educator, 3rd-8th Grade
Ms. Karen Stansberry
Office Administrator
Field Studies Coordinator and Educator
Ms. Jess Stanphill
Lead Educator, TK-2nd Grade
Community Outreach Coordinator
Ms. Annie Starkey
Educator, TK-8th Grade
Art and Spanish Enrichment
Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School
PO Box 2068
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA 95389
Phone: 209.375.6383 Fax: 209.375.1029
E-mail: admin@yosemitewawonacharter.org
School Website: http://www.yosemitewawonacharter.org/
School Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YosemiteWawonaCharterSchool/
We currently have 30 students enrolled for 2018-2019.
We now have 5 openings for new students!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Know someone who may be interested in
enrolling their child(ren) for the upcoming school year?
Please pass on our enrollment information!
Please share our school website below with our e
nrollment form & more information regarding the enrollment process.
ENROLLMENT FORM & MORE:
https://www.yosemitewawonacharter.org/enrollment.html
Ms. Esmé McCarthy
School Administrator
Lead Educator, 3rd-8th Grade
Ms. Karen Stansberry
Office Administrator
Field Studies Coordinator and Educator
Ms. Jess Stanphill
Lead Educator, TK-2nd Grade
Community Outreach Coordinator
Ms. Annie Starkey
Educator, TK-8th Grade
Art and Spanish Enrichment
Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School
PO Box 2068
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA 95389
Phone: 209.375.6383 Fax: 209.375.1029
E-mail: admin@yosemitewawonacharter.org
School Website: http://www.yosemitewawonacharter.org/
School Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YosemiteWawonaCharterSchool/
Movie Night At The Community Center
Jeniffer Amezquita, who works for the education office in Wawona, is organizing Movie Nights as a way to integrate the Yosemite Leadership Summer Interns with the community in Wawona. The first movie night will be this Thursday, May 31st at the community center (located next to Wawona Elementary) and we will be playing The Lone Ranger (PG 13) at 7pm. Doors will open at 6:45pm. Hope to see you all there!!!
Tom Bopp's Tribute to Lower Chilnualna Falls, Accompanied by Music of His Own Composition
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Special Meeting
Wawona Elementary School
May 30, 2018, 5:30 PM
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, California
AGENDA
- CALL TO ORDER
- ROLL CALL
- CONSENT AGENDA
- Approval of minutes of the regular meeting, May 16, 2018
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
- Discuss and approve 2018-2019 student and staff levels
- BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
- STAFF REPORTS
- L CAP Update
- NEXT MEETING DATE
- CLOSED SESSION Personnel/Negotiations/Litigation
- Employee Negotiations (Gov. Code 54957.6)
- Personnel (Gov. Code 54957)
- RECOVENE IN OPEN SESSION: ANNOUNCE CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS
- ADJOURNMENT
Hiker falls to his death at Half Dome cables
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (KGO) -- May 22
A hiker fell to his death at Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, according to the National Park Service.
The hiker fell from the Half Dome cables Monday around 4:30 p.m. while hiking with another person during a thunderstorm.
Rangers were notified and arrived on the scene to provide assistance to the second hiker. The hiker who fell did not survive and rangers recovered his body Tuesday.
The National Park Service said in a press release that this was the first fatality on the Half Dome cables since 2010, and the first time a visitor has died at the park this year.
The identity of the hiker who fell has not been released, and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
No further details were immediately available.
A hiker fell to his death at Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, according to the National Park Service.
The hiker fell from the Half Dome cables Monday around 4:30 p.m. while hiking with another person during a thunderstorm.
Rangers were notified and arrived on the scene to provide assistance to the second hiker. The hiker who fell did not survive and rangers recovered his body Tuesday.
The National Park Service said in a press release that this was the first fatality on the Half Dome cables since 2010, and the first time a visitor has died at the park this year.
The identity of the hiker who fell has not been released, and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
No further details were immediately available.
Wawona Pine Needle Pile Pick Up: June 4–June 8
Your pile must be ready by Monday, June 4. If it is not ready by the time the equipment is in your area, they will not go back and pick up late piles. Remember, one pile per property along the road in front of your property in an unobstructed area where the equipment can easily access your needle pile. Tree limbs and branches must be cut to a maximum of 3 feet in length to be picked up. Only vegetation material will be picked up. No construction materials or large branches, please.
Yosemite National Park, Aramark, & UC Merced properties are not part of the Special Services District and are not included in the pick-up.
If your address is on an out-of-the-way street, you can call or e-mail Calvin Jones so your needle pile won’t be missed.
Calvin Jones
Superintendent
Mariposa County
Solid Waste & Recycling
(209)966-5165 x203
jones@mariposacounty.org
Tioga Road In Yosemite To Open For The Season
Posted by: gina clugston
YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park has announced that Tioga Road (Highway 120 East) will open for the season to all vehicular
traffic on Monday, May 21, at 9 a.m.
There will be limited services available along the route, say park officials, and all campgrounds along Tioga Road remain closed.
There is no anticipated opening date for the Tuolumne Meadows store and the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center.
Also, be prepared before you go, as there is no gasoline available along Tioga Road. The closest gas station is located at Crane Flat.
All motorists should drive with caution and be aware of possible hazards in the roadway including rocks, debris and water. The roadway may be impacted by incoming storm activity, including snow and icy driving conditions, over the next week.
Tioga Road may temporarily close due to weather and unsafe driving conditions at any time.
Yosemite National Park is open year-round, however Tioga Road is a seasonal route through Yosemite, typically open from late spring to early fall.
For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200.
SPECIAL MEETING
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Meeting
Wawona Elementary School
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 5:30 PM
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, California
AGENDA 1.CALL TO ORDER
2.ROLL CALL
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS3.CONSENT AGENDA
NOTE: The Board will be asked to approve all of the following items by a single vote, unless any member of the Board or of the public asks that an item be removed from the consent agenda and considered and discussed separately.
3.1.Approval of minutes of the regular meeting, May 9, 2018
4.Financial reports
4.1.Monthly approval of warrants (Action needed)
4.2.Financial Report
4.3.Payroll Report
5.HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
The public may address the Board on any matter pertaining to the school that is not on the agenda. There will be no Board discussion and no action will be taken unless listed on a subsequent agenda.
ACTION ITEMS6.Discuss and approve proposal to remove 7th and 8th grade from the Charter beginning school year 2018-19.
7.Discuss and approve proposal of basic academic schedule for 2018-19 school year (four-days at school and flexFriday for everyone).
8.Discuss and approve the contract for Document Tracking Services DTS- contract expires on 5/15/18 and we need this
service for this year's and next year's LCAP. $345.00
INFORMATION ITEMS 9.Discuss preliminary budget.
10.Discuss and propose class/staff structure with preliminary budget.
11.BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
12.STAFF REPORTS
12.1.L CAP Update and required hearing dates
13.NEXT MEETING DATE; Discuss meeting twice a month for the remainder of school year
14.CLOSED SESSION Personnel/Negotiations/Litigation
14.1.Board Governance
14.2.Personnel
NOTE: The Board will consider and may act upon any of the following items in closed session. Any action taken will be reported publicly at the end of the closed session as required by law.
14.3.Employee Negotiations (Gov. Code 54957.6)
14.4.Personnel (Gov. Code 54957)
15.RECOVENE IN OPEN SESSION: ANNOUNCE CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS
16.ADJOURNMENT
Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove Of Giant Sequoias Reopens In June
Posted by: gina clugston May 10, 2018 -
YOSEMITE – After being closed nearly three years for a restoration project, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park is set to reopen to the public at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 15.
The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias has been closed since July 2015 to complete a landmark restoration project.
In partnership with Yosemite Conservancy, the National Park Service has been working to improve natural hydrology, construct an ADA-accessible boardwalk, construct an improved welcome plaza, and improve the overall visitor experience.
This landmark project was made possible thanks to a strong public/private partnership between the National Park Service and Yosemite Conservancy.
To visit the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, visitors will park in a new 300-vehicle parking area at the South Entrance and hop on a free shuttle at the Welcome Plaza, which will transport you to the Lower Grove.
Key elements of the restoration include:
- Removing asphalt from the original parking lot and roadways, and transforming formerly paved areas into sustainable pedestrian trails and healthy sequoia habitat
- Creating an accessible trail system in the lower part of the grove, including boardwalks over sensitive wetland areas
- Improving accessibility around two iconic giant sequoias, the Grizzly Giant and the California Tunnel Tree
- Developing new educational signs and exhibits focused on the grove’s natural and human history
- Completing repairs and new stonework at Wawona Point, the overlook above the grove, to create a safer, more enjoyable visitor experience
- Replacing and repairing culverts to encourage natural water flow
- Building a new arrival plaza at the South Entrance, complete with parking, restrooms, shuttle, hydration stations and the Yosemite Conservancy Depot, where visitors will be able to purchase books, apparel and other retail items
To learn more about the restoration of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, please visit https://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/restoration-mariposa-grove.
