WawonaNews.com - July 2024
French Fire Update - 6:30 AM, July 5
CAL Fire - French Frie is 843 acres and 5% contained. Dozers and handcrews constructed line around the entire eastern side of Mariposa. As fire activity is moderated, firefighters will focus on the eastern side of the fire. Multiple evacuations and road closures are in place. To access the evacuation map, visit https://arcg.is/XyvK11
A fire information line has been established and will be answered 24 hours a day. 209-742-1377
CAL Fire - French Frie is 843 acres and 5% contained. Dozers and handcrews constructed line around the entire eastern side of Mariposa. As fire activity is moderated, firefighters will focus on the eastern side of the fire. Multiple evacuations and road closures are in place. To access the evacuation map, visit https://arcg.is/XyvK11
A fire information line has been established and will be answered 24 hours a day. 209-742-1377
The French Fire is currently about 20 miles west of Wawona
French Fire Closes Rte. 140
Highway 140 is closed in the Mariposa area, outside of Yosemite, due to the French Fire. All other roads to Yosemite are open; expect long delays at entrance stations. The fire is not threatening Yosemite National Park. If you are in the Yosemite area, please be prepared for power outages.
Highway 140 is closed in the Mariposa area, outside of Yosemite, due to the French Fire. All other roads to Yosemite are open; expect long delays at entrance stations. The fire is not threatening Yosemite National Park. If you are in the Yosemite area, please be prepared for power outages.
4th of July in Wawona!
- Parade: Decorate your bike/walking sticks/etc. and meet at the stables on the 4th @ 10 am. All welcome. Route is stables to Pine Tree Market, around Bruce loop, ending at the Market. Watch from anywhere on route but good group spots to watch are the school, library and Market.
- Potluck and Games: Directly after parade in Market Picnic area, bring a meat/veg for grill and/or a side dish/dessert to share. Please bring own mess kit(s).
- Picnic at the Wawona Hotel: 5-7 pm on Saturday the 6th on the Hotel lawn. See Hotel for details.
- Barn Dance: 7-9 pm on Saturday the 6th at the Gray Barn in the Yosemite History Center. Square dancing for all levels. Sponsored by WAPPOA.
- Coffee With a Ranger: 9 am every Wednesday and Sunday at the Market. Free drip coffee for participants!
Transforming Paradise Book Now on Amazon
Exciting news about the long-awaited book by our Wawona neighbor and five-generation Yosemite family, John Broesamle, published yesterday by The Press at California State University, Fresno. Wawona history is featured prominently in the book.
“This is a must-read for those who love Yosemite and its place in the American tale.” — Stephen Shackelton, Former Chief Ranger, Yosemite National Park; Director, National Parks Institute
“The first definitive account – and a stirring, intimate portrait – of how the New Deal transformed a natural wonder into our greatest national park.” — Mark Frost, Author, screenwriter, director, and producer
“Everyone knows Yosemite National Park, a magnificent treasure loved by Americans. Fewer know the New Deal, an extraordinary experiment in public policy that saved an America ravaged by the Great Depression. No one but John Broesamle knows what the New Deal did to remake Yosemite so that millions of Americans could enjoy its glory. This book tells that story – no mere historical anecdote but a vital tale that lives on in Yosemite’s landscape of campgrounds, trails, buildings, and roads today.” — Richard A. Walker, Executive Director, the Living New Deal, UC Berkeley
Glacially-sculpted granite cliffs and breathtaking vistas lure millions of visitors annually to Yosemite National Park. Relatively few, however, know about the contributions and sacrifices made by post-Depression Americans that fundamentally transformed Yosemite into the park of today.
John Broesamle’s Transforming Paradise vividly tells that story, with compelling prose seasoned equally by his years in the Yosemite back country and his expertise as a political historian. In many ways, this is a tale that only Broesamle could tell.
The 1930s were easily the most important and interesting decade in the history of Yosemite. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal created the park we recognize today. Because Roosevelt considered it the preeminent national park, Yosemite became the focal point for addressing the question, what should a national park be? Nothing remotely comparable to the scale of New Deal conservation and construction initiatives has been attempted in Yosemite since.
Strikingly, the story of New Deal Yosemite has never been told. As a senior Yosemite interpretive ranger put it recently: “We know nothing about this.” Transforming Paradise fills the void. Connecting the 1930s with today, it addresses conflicts around environmental theory, battles over protecting iconic natural features, and climate change (first identified in the park in 1935). Transforming Paradise is about Yosemite, and about the planet.
The book further describes a great social and governmental experiment that provided federal jobs to the unemployed. Eight thousand young men worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Yosemite. The book’s cast of characters includes four CCC volunteers – three of them from immigrant families ruined by the Great Depression, and one himself an immigrant from Mexico who went on to become a renowned news photographer. His CCC photos are a highlight of the book.
Transforming Paradise is as much about people as about the park itself. Prominent figures include Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover; First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt; General Douglas MacArthur; the legendary Yosemite naturalist Carl Sharsmith; Lorena Hickok, the leading woman reporter of her time; Harold Ickes, the irascible, visionary Secretary of the Interior; Don Tresidder, the controversial head of park concessions; and an all-but-forgotten Yosemite Superintendent, Charles Thomson, who turns out to have been a transformational leader. The book tells how these people changed Yosemite, and how it in turn changed them.
Book available on Amazon. Click here
Exciting news about the long-awaited book by our Wawona neighbor and five-generation Yosemite family, John Broesamle, published yesterday by The Press at California State University, Fresno. Wawona history is featured prominently in the book.
“This is a must-read for those who love Yosemite and its place in the American tale.” — Stephen Shackelton, Former Chief Ranger, Yosemite National Park; Director, National Parks Institute
“The first definitive account – and a stirring, intimate portrait – of how the New Deal transformed a natural wonder into our greatest national park.” — Mark Frost, Author, screenwriter, director, and producer
“Everyone knows Yosemite National Park, a magnificent treasure loved by Americans. Fewer know the New Deal, an extraordinary experiment in public policy that saved an America ravaged by the Great Depression. No one but John Broesamle knows what the New Deal did to remake Yosemite so that millions of Americans could enjoy its glory. This book tells that story – no mere historical anecdote but a vital tale that lives on in Yosemite’s landscape of campgrounds, trails, buildings, and roads today.” — Richard A. Walker, Executive Director, the Living New Deal, UC Berkeley
Glacially-sculpted granite cliffs and breathtaking vistas lure millions of visitors annually to Yosemite National Park. Relatively few, however, know about the contributions and sacrifices made by post-Depression Americans that fundamentally transformed Yosemite into the park of today.
John Broesamle’s Transforming Paradise vividly tells that story, with compelling prose seasoned equally by his years in the Yosemite back country and his expertise as a political historian. In many ways, this is a tale that only Broesamle could tell.
The 1930s were easily the most important and interesting decade in the history of Yosemite. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal created the park we recognize today. Because Roosevelt considered it the preeminent national park, Yosemite became the focal point for addressing the question, what should a national park be? Nothing remotely comparable to the scale of New Deal conservation and construction initiatives has been attempted in Yosemite since.
Strikingly, the story of New Deal Yosemite has never been told. As a senior Yosemite interpretive ranger put it recently: “We know nothing about this.” Transforming Paradise fills the void. Connecting the 1930s with today, it addresses conflicts around environmental theory, battles over protecting iconic natural features, and climate change (first identified in the park in 1935). Transforming Paradise is about Yosemite, and about the planet.
The book further describes a great social and governmental experiment that provided federal jobs to the unemployed. Eight thousand young men worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Yosemite. The book’s cast of characters includes four CCC volunteers – three of them from immigrant families ruined by the Great Depression, and one himself an immigrant from Mexico who went on to become a renowned news photographer. His CCC photos are a highlight of the book.
Transforming Paradise is as much about people as about the park itself. Prominent figures include Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover; First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt; General Douglas MacArthur; the legendary Yosemite naturalist Carl Sharsmith; Lorena Hickok, the leading woman reporter of her time; Harold Ickes, the irascible, visionary Secretary of the Interior; Don Tresidder, the controversial head of park concessions; and an all-but-forgotten Yosemite Superintendent, Charles Thomson, who turns out to have been a transformational leader. The book tells how these people changed Yosemite, and how it in turn changed them.
Book available on Amazon. Click here
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of June 18
3.3 - Approve Warrants/Payroll
3.4 – Accept Donations to YWECS
ACTION ITEMS
INFORMATION ITEMS
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA
- CALL TO ORDER
- ROLL CALL
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
- CONSENT AGENDA
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of June 18
3.3 - Approve Warrants/Payroll
3.4 – Accept Donations to YWECS
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
- ADOPTION OF THE 2024-25 LOCAL CONTROL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN (LCAP)
- ADOPTION OF THE 2024-25 SCHOOL BUDGET
- ADOPTION OF THE LOCAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS REPORT
- ADOPTION OF THE MUSIC AND ARTS GRANT REPORT FOR 2023-24
INFORMATION ITEMS
- REPORT ON LCAP METRICS FOR 2023-24
- STAFF REPORTS
- BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS PROJECTS UPDATE
- BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
- FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
- NEXT BOARD MEETING
- ADJOURNMENT
New Wawona Listing
$375,0007992 Koon Hollar Rd, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389 - 1beds, 1baths, 843sqft. Click here for more info.
$375,0007992 Koon Hollar Rd, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389 - 1beds, 1baths, 843sqft. Click here for more info.
PUBLIC HEARING
June 18, 2023
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA
Adoption of the LCAP and Budget for 2024-25 is scheduled for June 25, 2024 at 5:30 at Wawona Elementary School at 5:30 P.M.
June 18, 2023
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA
- Local Control Accountability Plan for 2024-25
- 2024-25 Budget
Adoption of the LCAP and Budget for 2024-25 is scheduled for June 25, 2024 at 5:30 at Wawona Elementary School at 5:30 P.M.
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of May 14
3.3 - Approve Warrants/Payroll
3.4 – Accept Donations to YWECS
ACTION ITEMS
INFORMATION ITEMS
Approval of Budget and LCAP for 2024-25
Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
5:30 P.M.
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, CA
- CALL TO ORDER
- ROLL CALL
MONTHLY ITEMS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS
- CONSENT AGENDA
3.1- Approval of Agenda
3.2– Approval of Minutes of the regular meeting of May 14
3.3 - Approve Warrants/Payroll
3.4 – Accept Donations to YWECS
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
- PUBLIC HEARING OF THE 2024-25 LOCAL CONTROL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN (LCAP)
- PUBLIC HEARING OF THE 2024-25 SCHOOL BUDGET
INFORMATION ITEMS
- REPORT ON LCAP METRICS FOR 2023-24
- STAFF REPORTS
- BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS PROJECTS UPDATE
- BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
- FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Approval of Budget and LCAP for 2024-25
- NEXT BOARD MEETING
- ADJOURNMENT
Tioga Road Reopening
Tioga Road (continuation of Highway 120 through the park) will open to the public on Monday, June 10 by 7 am. We are so excited to welcome visitors and staff back to the high country of Tuolumne Meadows.
Please make sure you are prepared and stocked up before setting off on your way to the high country. There is no food service or fuel available, and campgrounds aren’t open yet.
A reservation is required to drive into Yosemite on weekends and Juneteenth this month, every day from July 1 through August 16, then weekends and holidays through October 27—even if you are only passing through the park.
Bears, deer, marmots and birds have gotten accustomed to life without visitors, so please drive to posted speed limits and keep your eyes peeled for critters on the road. Mosquitoes, however, are eager for your return; bring long clothing if they bother you.
Be ready to encounter some snow and lots of water on trails, please stick to trails so as not to damage fragile ecosystems.
All of the things that make Tuolumne Meadows such a special destination also make it a challenging place to open each season. A huge thank you to all of our crews for their dedication to providing safe visitor access to Tioga Road for 2024.
Tioga Road (continuation of Highway 120 through the park) will open to the public on Monday, June 10 by 7 am. We are so excited to welcome visitors and staff back to the high country of Tuolumne Meadows.
Please make sure you are prepared and stocked up before setting off on your way to the high country. There is no food service or fuel available, and campgrounds aren’t open yet.
A reservation is required to drive into Yosemite on weekends and Juneteenth this month, every day from July 1 through August 16, then weekends and holidays through October 27—even if you are only passing through the park.
Bears, deer, marmots and birds have gotten accustomed to life without visitors, so please drive to posted speed limits and keep your eyes peeled for critters on the road. Mosquitoes, however, are eager for your return; bring long clothing if they bother you.
Be ready to encounter some snow and lots of water on trails, please stick to trails so as not to damage fragile ecosystems.
All of the things that make Tuolumne Meadows such a special destination also make it a challenging place to open each season. A huge thank you to all of our crews for their dedication to providing safe visitor access to Tioga Road for 2024.
Yosemite Declares Fire Season
Yosemite National Park has declared fire season starting June 7, 2024, due to hotter and drier weather conditions. Fire season is officially enacted when fire danger rating indices for the park are moderate for three consecutive days.
Residential pile burning within the park is not permitted during fire season in accordance with Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 2.13(c). Be sure to follow all fire rules and regulations when recreating and help prevent human caused wildfires by making sure your campfire is out cold when you leave by using the drown, stir, and feel method.
It is also important for local residents to complete defensible space around their properties at the beginning of fire season. Fire personnel will be conducting inspections within Yosemite to ensure compliance.
Remember to sign up for Yosemite alerts at: go.nps.gov/alert
Thank you for your continued support!
Yosemite Fire Information
[email protected]
go.nps.gov/yosefire
Facebook @YosemiteFire
X (former Twitter) .@YosemiteFire
Instagram @YosemiteFire
Yosemite National Park has declared fire season starting June 7, 2024, due to hotter and drier weather conditions. Fire season is officially enacted when fire danger rating indices for the park are moderate for three consecutive days.
Residential pile burning within the park is not permitted during fire season in accordance with Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 2.13(c). Be sure to follow all fire rules and regulations when recreating and help prevent human caused wildfires by making sure your campfire is out cold when you leave by using the drown, stir, and feel method.
It is also important for local residents to complete defensible space around their properties at the beginning of fire season. Fire personnel will be conducting inspections within Yosemite to ensure compliance.
Remember to sign up for Yosemite alerts at: go.nps.gov/alert
Thank you for your continued support!
Yosemite Fire Information
[email protected]
go.nps.gov/yosefire
Facebook @YosemiteFire
X (former Twitter) .@YosemiteFire
Instagram @YosemiteFire
