Yosemite Blog

One of the coolest things about staying in Tuolumne Meadows is some of the great programs that take place at the Parsons Lodge (by Soda Springs). The 2008 Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series was just announced and it looks like an awesome schedule this year.

All programs, unless otherwise noted, begin at 2 pm and last approximately one hour. Allow 30 minutes walking time to Parsons Memorial Lodge from either Lembert Dome parking area or the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. Admission is free.

JULY

Saturday, July 19
Lightning: What Strikes Our Fancy
Slide presentation by Dr. Jan van Wagtendonk, Research Scientist, USGS Field Station

Sunday, July 20
Bats, Birds, and Butterflies: Illuminating the High Sierra through Stories
Performance by Ane Carla Rovetta, naturalist, illustrator, and storyteller

Saturday, July 26
Bugs of the Underworld: The Natural History of Aquatic Insects
Video and talk by Ralph and Lisa Cutter, naturalists and award-winning nature videographers

Sunday, July 27
Reading the Land: A History of Geologic Research in Yosemite
Slide presentation by Greg Stock, Park Geologist

AUGUST

Saturday, August 2:
2:00 pm: Ooolation! Singers
A performance of nature-inspired music by young singers led by hammer dulcimer player Malcolm Dalglish and singers Naomi Dalglish, Joshua Kartes, and Georgia Rose Armstrong Park

7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Practice and Process: Prints and Writings in the Mountains
Slide presentation by Tom Killion, artist, and talk and reading by Gary Snyder, writer/poet, from Mountains and Rivers Without End

Sunday, August 3
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Practice and Process: Prints and Writings in the Mountains
Discussion of the woodcut printing process by Tom Killion, artist, and talk and reading by writer/poet Gary Snyder—poems of place from his fifty years of work and writing

Saturday, August 9
Celebrating Yosemite’s Rivers and 40 Years of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Slide presentation by Kristina Rylands, NPS Tuolumne Planning Project Manager

Sunday, August 10
Rock Glaciers as Refugia during Changing Climates: Pika, Plants, and Water
Slide presentation by Connie Millar, Senior Scientist, USFS

Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17
12th Annual Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival
Poets David Hinton, Li-Young Lee, and Jay Leeming; Musician Shira Kammen, violin and vielle

Saturday, August 23
Ansel Adams in the Sierra Nevada
Slide presentation by Michael Adams, M.D., son of Virginia and Ansel Adams

Sunday, August 24
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Good Summer Rain: Songs and Stories of Place
Concert and writing workshop by award-winning singer/songwriter Erica Wheeler

Saturday, August 30
Mono Lake’s Tributaries: An Eventful Past, A Promising Future
Slide presentation by Greg Reis, Information Specialist, Mono Lake Committee

This series is supported by the National Park Service, Yosemite Association, Loralee Tucker Hiramoto Memorial Fund, Friends of Parsons Lodge, Institute for Law and Systems Research, and Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.

Happy Birthday America! Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July.

Photo by Loyd Schutte.

Have a listen to this short interview from NPR with Moose Mutlow, environmental education instructor and roadkill guy. His gear includes a baseball bat, a shovel, and a field guide called Flattened Fauna. He started the signs which show where bears have been hit by cars.

Link

For the first time in over 30 years the California National Guard is being called in to help fight the fires sparked by lightning nearly 2 weeks ago including the Aurora Fire which burns south-south west of Yosemite and the North Mountain Fire which moved into Yosemite a couple days ago.

The Modesto Bee: “Minimal fire activity Monday night allowed firefighters to contain 50 percent of the North Mountain fire, which by Tuesday had burned 2,750 acres in a remote area of the Stanislaus National Forest and into Yosemite National Park.

Steep, rugged terrain, however, continued to slow the progress of firefighters trying to put out the blaze, according to a news release.

As of Tuesday, 514 people had been assigned to fight the fire. Ground crews continued to dig fire breaks with aerial support from three helicopters.

Lightning sparked the North Mountain fire and at least nine smaller fires June 21 north of Highway 120 and the Tuolumne River in the Stanislaus National Forest’s Groveland Ranger District.

Fire officials had no estimate for when the fire would be under control.

Ground crews were flown to a remote wilderness camp so they could reach hard-to-access areas and dig more fire breaks.

A Type 1 heavy helicopter, which has the capability of carrying as much as 1,800 gallons of fire retardant, is allowing authorities to drop more retardant on the flames more rapidly, fire officials said.

No evacuations have been ordered, and no roads have been closed.

‘Firefighters and equipment will be working in the area’ read signs posted on Cherry Lake Road.

Tuesday’s weather continued to be hot and dry with increased winds from the southwest, increasing the chances for fire growth.

Additional crews arrived Tuesday to help battle the blaze, and fire officials have reported 11 injuries since the fire started.

Gov. Schwarzenegger on Tuesday ordered the California National Guard to help fight the wildfires scorching Northern California.

The National Guard is mobilizing at least 200 members from Northern and Southern California to help the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as it fights hundreds of fires covering thousands of acres, the governor’s office announced Tuesday morning.

That marks the first time the Guard has been asked to send soldiers to join ground-based fire crews since 1977, a Guard spokesman said.

Schwarzenegger also declared a state of emergency this morning in Mariposa County, where the Oliver Complex fires have burned more than 2,800 acres and are threatening homes.”

Last month I started a contest where one lucky Yosemite Blog reader gets a Pro account at Flickr for a year (a $25 value). I’d like to keep this contest going BUT…I don’t know who to give it to. So about the 15th I’m going to hold a drawing and one lucky YB reader will get this months prize.

If you’d like to enter simply email me with your full name (I need it and a valid email to send you your prize). That’s it. Simple. If you don’t win this month you’ll be automatically in next months drawing.

Send your emails to Loyd@yosemiteblog.com (there’s only 1 ‘L’ in my name).

If you have a Flickr account and you’d like to give away the prize as a gift simply send in your email “I want to gift the prize.” If you’re chosen I’ll ask you for the name and email of the person to gift it to and send the the prize instead. Cool? Cool. So send in your emails.