WawonaNews.com - March 2018
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Meeting
February 24, 2018
9 AM - noon
Wawona Elementary School
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, California
AGENDA
- CALL TO ORDER
- ROLL CALL
- CONSENT AGENDA
- Approval of agenda
- Approval of minutes of the regular meeting
- Financial reports
- Monthly approval of warrants (Action needed)
- Financial Report
- Payroll Report
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
INFORMATION ITEMS
- BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
- Board Workshop with Glenn Reid- 9:00am-Noon
- 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
Yosemite National Park’s Concessionaire Reports Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area Will Not Open This Year
February 21, 2018 - Yosemite National Park's concessionaire says: Unfortunately, there isn't enough snow this season to open Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area for the 2017-18 season.
We're contacting all season pass holders via email to offer the option of a season pass roll over to the 2018-19 season or a refund.
We hope to see you next year!
Source: Aramark
Jim Bridwell, free-spirited climber who conquered Yosemite, dies at 73
Mountaineer Jim Bridwell at Colorado’s Ouray Ice Festival in 2013. (Duane Raleigh/Rock and Ice)
Billy Westbay, Mr. Bridwell and John Long in front of El Capitan, after making their record-setting single-day ascent in 1975. (Jim Bridwell Collection)
By Harrison SmithJim Bridwell, a paisley-clad climber who pioneered new routes up some of the world’s most formidable rock faces, including the prow of El Capitan — a granite monolith in California’s Yosemite Valley that rises twice the height of the Empire State Building — died Feb. 16 at a hospital in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 73.
He had liver and kidney failure from hepatitis C, his wife, Peggy Bridwell, told the Associated Press.
Mr. Bridwell made historic climbs in the Alaska Range near Denali and in the Andes of Patagonia, and in 1982 was part of an expedition that became the first to circumvent Mount Everest, trekking 300 miles around the mountain and over some of its 20,000-foot sister peaks.
But in a five-decade climbing career, he was most closely associated with Yosemite National Park, where in the 1970s he led a group of renegade climbers that dropped acid while bouldering, filched food from the park cafeteria and idolized the strength of Bruce Lee and the psychedelic rock of Jimi Hendrix. They called themselves the Stonemasters. A more fitting name, climber Lynn Hill once joked, might have been the “stoned masters.”
While Mr. Bridwell and his circle blazed through prodigious amounts of low-grade marijuana, they also established themselves as some of the world’s most intrepid climbers, devising new routes — and setting new speed records — on the rock domes and spires that have made Yosemite the Mecca of American climbing.
Mr. Bridwell notched 100 first ascents in the national park and was 30 when he performed his signature climb, scaling the so-called Nose of El Capitan with his friends John Long and Billy Westbay. The 2,900-foot ascent was once considered impossible, and even when it was first scaled, in a siege-style expedition led by Warren Harding in 1958, the climb took 47 days.Mr. Bridwell and his partners, complementing their store of ropes, nuts, pitons and water with about five packs of cigarettes, completed the ascent in 15 hours, smoke breaks included.
“Friends greeted us outside the Mountain Room Bar with a heroes welcome,” Mr. Bridwell later wrote. “Soon, I had more drinks in hand than I could juggle. My fondest memory occurred the following day when [Harding] . . . gave me his warm congratulations. I thanked him and hobbled toward the cafeteria for some stolen coffee.”
The climb marked the first time El Capitan’s Nose had been ascended in less than a day. The achievement has long since been surpassed — last year, climber Alex Honnold scaled the rock in about four hours without the use of ropes — but became an indelible moment in the history of American climbing, immortalized in a photo of Mr. Bridwell and his partners standing at the base of the mountain.
“They seem to exude cockiness — gods sneering down on mere mortals,” Honnold wrote in his book “Alone on the Wall.” “Cigarettes dangle from Bridwell’s and Long’s mouths. They’re dressed like hippies, in loosefitting vests and shirts, but they could just as well pass for Hell’s Angels.”
Mr. Bridwell sometimes wrangled with park rangers, who sought to stymie the all-things-go culture of his climber commune at Yosemite’s Camp Four. (The camp sometimes seemed blessed from above; in 1977, some of the climbers salvaged several thousand pounds of marijuana from a plane that crashed in a nearby lake.)
Still, the Park Service commissioned Mr. Bridwell in 1967 to establish Yosemite’s search-and-rescue team, according to journalist and climber Daniel Duane’s book “El Capitan: Historic Feats and Radical Routes.” (Given Mr. Bridwell’s disdain for bureaucracy and authority, it was “not the wisest policy decision we ever made,” one Yosemite superintendent later said.)
He had liver and kidney failure from hepatitis C, his wife, Peggy Bridwell, told the Associated Press.
Mr. Bridwell made historic climbs in the Alaska Range near Denali and in the Andes of Patagonia, and in 1982 was part of an expedition that became the first to circumvent Mount Everest, trekking 300 miles around the mountain and over some of its 20,000-foot sister peaks.
But in a five-decade climbing career, he was most closely associated with Yosemite National Park, where in the 1970s he led a group of renegade climbers that dropped acid while bouldering, filched food from the park cafeteria and idolized the strength of Bruce Lee and the psychedelic rock of Jimi Hendrix. They called themselves the Stonemasters. A more fitting name, climber Lynn Hill once joked, might have been the “stoned masters.”
While Mr. Bridwell and his circle blazed through prodigious amounts of low-grade marijuana, they also established themselves as some of the world’s most intrepid climbers, devising new routes — and setting new speed records — on the rock domes and spires that have made Yosemite the Mecca of American climbing.
Mr. Bridwell notched 100 first ascents in the national park and was 30 when he performed his signature climb, scaling the so-called Nose of El Capitan with his friends John Long and Billy Westbay. The 2,900-foot ascent was once considered impossible, and even when it was first scaled, in a siege-style expedition led by Warren Harding in 1958, the climb took 47 days.Mr. Bridwell and his partners, complementing their store of ropes, nuts, pitons and water with about five packs of cigarettes, completed the ascent in 15 hours, smoke breaks included.
“Friends greeted us outside the Mountain Room Bar with a heroes welcome,” Mr. Bridwell later wrote. “Soon, I had more drinks in hand than I could juggle. My fondest memory occurred the following day when [Harding] . . . gave me his warm congratulations. I thanked him and hobbled toward the cafeteria for some stolen coffee.”
The climb marked the first time El Capitan’s Nose had been ascended in less than a day. The achievement has long since been surpassed — last year, climber Alex Honnold scaled the rock in about four hours without the use of ropes — but became an indelible moment in the history of American climbing, immortalized in a photo of Mr. Bridwell and his partners standing at the base of the mountain.
“They seem to exude cockiness — gods sneering down on mere mortals,” Honnold wrote in his book “Alone on the Wall.” “Cigarettes dangle from Bridwell’s and Long’s mouths. They’re dressed like hippies, in loosefitting vests and shirts, but they could just as well pass for Hell’s Angels.”
Mr. Bridwell sometimes wrangled with park rangers, who sought to stymie the all-things-go culture of his climber commune at Yosemite’s Camp Four. (The camp sometimes seemed blessed from above; in 1977, some of the climbers salvaged several thousand pounds of marijuana from a plane that crashed in a nearby lake.)
Still, the Park Service commissioned Mr. Bridwell in 1967 to establish Yosemite’s search-and-rescue team, according to journalist and climber Daniel Duane’s book “El Capitan: Historic Feats and Radical Routes.” (Given Mr. Bridwell’s disdain for bureaucracy and authority, it was “not the wisest policy decision we ever made,” one Yosemite superintendent later said.)
Yoga Always on Wednesdays
Yoga has been moved to Wednesdays at 6pm at the Redwoods and this will be the weekly schedule from now on.
Mariposa Grove Of Giant Sequoias Reopens June 15
by: gina clugston February 15, 2018
YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park announces that the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias will 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:
YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park announces that the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias will 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
Bridalveil Fall Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment
Yosemite National Park announces the release of the Bridalveil Fall Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment (Bridalveil Fall EA) and opening of the public comment period until March 14, 2018. The Bridalveil Fall EA describes and analyzes two action alternatives to improve visitor services and facilities in the Bridalveil Fall area. The preferred alternative (Alternative 3) would:
Yosemite is hosting a public meeting on February 28, 2018 in Mariposa to provide an opportunity to learn more about the Bridalveil Fall EA, interact with park staff, and ask questions about the project. The meeting will take place from 3pm to 6pm at the Mariposa County Government Center in the Board Chambers. On March 1, 2018, the park will host a public webinar about the Bridalveil Fall project from 9:30am to 10:30am. Please follow this link for the webinar: yose.webex.com
Public participation is an important element of the planning process and we welcome your comments. The Bridalveil Fall EA is available for review and comment on the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at:
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/bridalveil
To request printed documents (available in limited quantity), call (209) 379-1221 or e-mail [email protected]. You may also mail comments, date stamped by March 14, 2018, to the following address:
Superintendent
Attn: Bridalveil Fall EA/Superintendent
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite National Park, CA 95389
The NPS will prepare a decision document after analysis of public comments and conclusion of agency consultation.
- Replace vault toilets with flush toilets at the Bridalveil Fall parking lot
- Construct a new accessible loop trail from the parking lot to a viewing platform
- Enhance the parking lot within its existing footprint to improve safety and congestion
- Expand the existing viewing platform
- Improve congested conditions at Bridalveil Straight (along Southside Drive)
Yosemite is hosting a public meeting on February 28, 2018 in Mariposa to provide an opportunity to learn more about the Bridalveil Fall EA, interact with park staff, and ask questions about the project. The meeting will take place from 3pm to 6pm at the Mariposa County Government Center in the Board Chambers. On March 1, 2018, the park will host a public webinar about the Bridalveil Fall project from 9:30am to 10:30am. Please follow this link for the webinar: yose.webex.com
Public participation is an important element of the planning process and we welcome your comments. The Bridalveil Fall EA is available for review and comment on the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at:
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/bridalveil
To request printed documents (available in limited quantity), call (209) 379-1221 or e-mail [email protected]. You may also mail comments, date stamped by March 14, 2018, to the following address:
Superintendent
Attn: Bridalveil Fall EA/Superintendent
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite National Park, CA 95389
The NPS will prepare a decision document after analysis of public comments and conclusion of agency consultation.
YOSEMITE-WAWONA ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Board of Directors Meeting
Wawona Elementary School
Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 5:30 PM
7925 Chilnualna Falls Road
Wawona, California
AGENDA
ACTION ITEMS
INFORMATION ITEMS
Wawona Elementary School
Wednesday, February 14, 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, January 10, 2018
- Approve SARC Report
- Financial reports
- Monthly approval of warrants (Action needed)
- Financial Report
- Payroll Report
- Approval of tax issues
- HEARING OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
ACTION ITEMS
- Nomination and vote for Eugene Moisa to fill Board vacancy
- Select and approve school Auditor for 2018-2019
- Discuss and approve the retention of Glen Reid as an administrative consultant
- Discuss and approve a Board workshop February 24 to adopt a Board Governance Handbook
- Discuss proposed new library system for school and fundraiser to support costs
- Discuss and approve use of school bus for fundraisers
- Discuss and approve Board calendar
INFORMATION ITEMS
- April 14 silent auction/bar-b-que fundraiser
- Mother’s Day luncheon fundraiser
- 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
- Adjourn
