YosemiteBlog.com » Inside the NPS

Couple Suing Yosemite After Being Crushed By Tree

Loyd — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:28:42 +0000

The Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Florencia Marchetti.

A Eugene, Oregon couple has filed a lawsuit against Yosemite National Park after a park worker felled a tree onto the Tioga Road crushing the plaintiffs car as they were passing by.

The suit says no warning signs were posted on Sept. 16, 2008, when Lisa Thorpe drove her Honda CRV along Tioga Road with her partner, David Stone, in the passenger seat.

The suit alleges park service employee Jared Brown was felling trees nearby, cutting one in a way that caused another tree to fall “suddenly and unexpectedly into the roadway, smashing the car.”

Thorpe suffered a spinal cord fracture and was airlifted to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, California. Stone, who was riding in the car, suffered minor injuries including abrasions to one knee.

The couple’s suit alleges that the National Park Service was negligent in failing to close the Tioga Road during the tree cutting; failure to warn motorists of potential dangers; not properly training and supervising the tree cutter; and for causing the logged tree to fall into the roadway.

A Busy Night With Bears

Loyd — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:07:43 +0000

Jeffrey Trust is not only the voice of the National Park Service on Twitter (@YosemiteNPS) he’s also one of the rangers who spend their nights chasing bears out of the campgrounds. Somehow, after a full night of chasing bears he still has enough energy to sit down in front of the computer and write about the nights adventures (must be the chocolate). Here’s an excerpt from Jeffery’s blog after a very busy night with the bears.

We decided to start off our night by visiting the picnic areas to educate people about bears and make sure no bears were around. Before we even had a chance to head that way, there were two bear calls at the same time–one in Curry Village and the other in Upper Pines Campground. The wildlife techs responded to Curry Village while we went over to Upper Pines, where we found a bear vigorously scratching himself (or… something) at the edge of the campground. We chased him off, and since there were two campground rangers working in Upper Pines, we decided to try again to visit the picnic areas.

A Yosemite Bear is right at home among visitors. Photo by torhutchins.

Alas, we were passing Camp 4 when there was a call for a bear at Housekeeping Camp. The wildlife techs were still busy with the Curry Village bear, so we turned around and met Ryan, the lead wildlife tech, there (he’d been working in the office). We found the bear walking on the bike path along the road by Housekeeping Camp. We followed him for a short while, then he crossed the street (the people in the car were probably confused why we had them stopped for a good 10 seconds, but their question was answered when the bear lumbered across the road in front of them). He swam across the river, headed toward the day use parking (aka Camp 6).

So, we all drove over there and eventually found him skirting the parking lot, but he then went behind a fence and was in an area away from the parking lot. We went to the other end of the fence (few hundred yards away) to see if he’d continued in the direction he’d been traveling, and to make sure he didn’t enter the parking lot. We stayed there a few minutes and decided we weren’t going to see him, so we walked back into the parking lot, only to have a visitor say something about a bear in a car.

A bear makes it’s way through the parked cars in the Curry Village Parking area. Photo by Sean and Erica.

I interpreted the visitor to mean a bear had been in a car–surely the bear we were following couldn’t be in a car already. I walked up to the car… to find the same bear we’d been following inside the car, focused on a box of granola cereal. Ryan came over with his shotgun and the bear exited the car, to be hit with three rubber slugs as he ran toward the fence–and vanished.

Now, this is a solid wood fence with vertical slats. I tried to chase the bear once Ryan was done shooting, assuming there was a missing slat I could squeeze through, but the bear seemingly ran through an invisible gap in the fence. I was bewildered. After a minute of searching, we found a very small space beneath the fence that he had squeezed through.

Bear leaving a vehicle after a break in. Photo by Tammy Evans.

After taking the report, talking to the owners of the car after they returned, etc., we had some quiet time. Then, one of the campground rangers reported seeing a bear in Upper Pines again, so we headed there since we were close by. We drove around, checking for food storage and bears, and we saw people in a campsite looking at what we assumed (correctly) was a bear. We got out and headed toward the bear, catching sight of it. I stopped at the small creek (which is maybe six or eight feet wide and about a foot deep) because there wasn’t an obvious crossing right there, but my partner inexplicably kept going through the creek. (I remember thinking to myself, “She’s just going to go splashing through, eh?”) Well, she underestimated the creek and took probably only one or two steps before falling face-first into the creek. After checking to see if she was ok (she started to get up and head toward the bear), I crossed the creek and yelled at the bear once before breaking down in laughter, joined by my partner. It was quite funny. Oh, and there was a campsite full of visitors who saw the whole thing. (I’m glad it wasn’t me…)

Be sure to read the rest of the nights adventures and more about bears over at Jeffrey’s blog.

Ansel Adams: The Mural Project Finally Comes Home

Loyd — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:20:16 +0000

Ansel Adams iconic photo of Canyon de Chelly, part of The Mural Project. Photo courtesy Department of the Interior.

After 68 Years Ansel Adams: The Mural Project has finally been given a home and is on display for viewing by the general public at the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum.

The Mural Project was a series of images commissioned by Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes in 1941 to represent the Departments mission to manage and conserve the nation’s vast resource. Ansel’s photos were to be placed on the wall so that visitors and employees would be able to see the beautiful areas the Department of the Interior was responsible for managing, the way the resources were being developed and the people of those areas.

Unfortunately the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II brought Adams to a stop not long after his work began. Nonetheless, he was able to take more than 200 photographs, which were eventually sent to the National Archives where they have been housed ever since.

Now you can finally see them as Ickes and Adams intended, on the walls of the Department of the Interior building in Washington D.C.

The U.S. Department of the Interior Museum exhibition Ansel Adams: The Mural Project 1941-1942 is open to the public by appointment only. Reservations for a guided tour should be made a month in advance by calling the Museum at 202-208-4743. Adult visitors must present photo identification.

The Department of the Interior Museum is located at 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240.

Don’t like the Half Dome permit system? Make your voice heard.

Loyd — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:56:59 +0000

A line forms to climb the Half Dome cables. Photo by Greg Foster.

If you tried to hike Half Dome last weekend and you were turned around because you didn’t have a permit or you think you have a better idea than the current permit system then now is your chance to make your voice heard. You better hurry though, time is running out. You only have until July 6th, 2010.

The National Park Service is working on a plan for the trail leading to Half Dome and the Half Dome cables. The purpose of the plan is to provide for the long-term stewardship of Half Dome in a manner that is consistent with the 1964 Wilderness Act and the National Park Service Organic Act.

Currently an interim plan is currently in place for the 2010 and 2011 summer season that requires a permit to ascend the Half Dome cables on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. During that time the National Park Service is monitoring visitor activity on the Mist Trail, John Muir Trail leading up to Half Dome, and the Half Dome cables, to assess the effectiveness of the interim program and come up with long-term solutions.

You can submit comments by mail to:

**Superintendent**
Attn: Half Dome Trail Stewardship Plan
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

By fax at: **209-379-1294**

Or by visiting the park website at:
[http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/hdp_comment.htm](http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/hdp_comment.htm)

For more information on the Half Dome Trail Stewardship Plan please visit [http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/planning.htm](http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/planning.htm)

Ansel Adams Gallery to Stay in Yosemite Village Another 10 Years

Loyd — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:47:51 +0000

The iconic Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park is staying put at least for another 10 years. Photo by Nicola Corboy.

Many people don’t realize that all the business operating within the park must obtain a concessionaires contract and that contracts may expire. This is even true of the iconic Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Village. Fortunately the Gallery isn’t going anywhere for a long while.

Best’s Studio, Inc. doing business as The Ansel Adams Gallery® in Yosemite National Park, was the awarded a new 10-year concession contract that became effective March 1, 2010. The Ansel Adams Gallery® has been operating in the park since 1902, making them the oldest, family owned and operated concessioner in the National Park Service. The Ansel Adams Gallery® is a photographic and art business with an emphasis on Ansel Adams and the history of art and photography in Yosemite.
In addition to selling Ansel Adams photography, the gallery also rents photographic equipment, sells photographic and art supplies, park related publications, and authentic American Indian handicrafts. The gallery also provides instruction in photographic and artistic methods and complementary visitor education programs. (NPS)

The Last Straw

Loyd — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:32:12 +0000

Even though I get tons of spam comments, I believe in letting people share their opinions by commenting on posts. That’s why I leave comments enabled on posts. At the bottom of each post is a comment form. You put in your name and email address (only visible to me so I can cut out the spam) and then you type your comment in the big box and hit submit. I get the comment in my email and then I approve or disapprove (only if it’s spam). Otherwise, I don’t care! Share your opinion. That’s why I leave it open. But when I get emails like this one from Tom Brooks who claims to work for the National Park Service and threatens to shoot visitors pets and animals, well it’s a bit disturbing.

“I enjoy your Yosemite blog very much. But this picture was a bit much. I am sure the dog is well behaved but it is illegally off leash and the picture only encourages people to bring Fido to Yosemite to run free chasing chipmunks, squirrels, and anything that moves, just to have a little fun. I know too many dog owners who think it is cute to let their dogs run wild for a “little while.” But I guess now you can shoot a loose dog under the new laws allowing guns in the parks. If I am sitting at a nice campground table in Yosemite and a blue jay, squirrel, dog, bear, anything threatens my meal, boom, no more nuisance! Must oil and clean my Dirty Harry 44 magnum for my next trip to Yosemite to do some “hunting.” Maybe even a new concession stand in Yosemite to rent guns to protect oneself from all the other gun toting idiots out there.
Me, I have worked years in Yosemite, been there countless other times, hiked, skied, backpacked, everything. But I don’t need loose dogs or guns in Yosemite. Would you show a picture of someone throwing a beer can out the window of a car, or feeding a beer for a good photo (common in Yellowstone), feeding squirrels or raccoons or any other illegal activity? I also currently work in a National Park. Cute dog – wonder where he is going or where he has been.”

So here’s the photo Tom is all worked up about. It’s the Photo of the Day from February 24th from Jill Goodell of her dog Munch. Munch is standing on a log with Sentinel in the background wrapped in clouds and little bit of sky and sun showing through.

I’m going to admit Tom has a point. While the dog is clearly on a leash in all Jill’s other photos there’s no leash visible in this one and the law does say that dogs must be on a leash not more than 6 feet long or otherwise physically restrained. But to say that you would shoot someone’s pet if it came into your camp is uncalled for and almost threatening. In all my years of camping in public camp grounds and in the back country where dogs are allowed, I have NEVER ONCE been bothered by another persons dog coming into my camp.

In the last 2 days I have seen people who should be representative of Yosemite and it’s culture being rude and complete asses to visitors. Tom, if you work for the National Park Service then you need to apologize for your behavior. It’s totally uncalled for. If this photo encourages people to visit Yosemite and let their dogs run loose then the behavior I have witnessed in person and via this email not only discourages visitors, it discourages me from writing about Yosemite.

New Yosemite Superintendent No Stranger to Controversy

Loyd — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:21:47 +0000

Don Neubacher, a 28 year veteran of the National Park Service is taking over as Superintendent in Yosemite National Park. Neubacher, formerly Superintendent of Point Reyes National Seashore, will have the difficult task of taking over the ill-fated Merced River Plan which has already been shot down once by U.S courts.

Neubacher is no stranger to controversy though, while head of Point Reyes Neubacher drew local ire when a family-owned oyster farm which had operated in Drakes Bay for decades was almost shut down after a Park Service biologist published an inaccurate report and led park officials to believe the farm would be detrimental to the local environment (ptreyeslight.com, sparselysageandtimely.com).

Neubacher was later chastised in a report by the Department of the Interior, “he [Neubacher] could have exercised better judgment and expressed NPS’ position with greater clarity and transparency. Further, he exaggerated the Marine Mammal Commission’s role in responding to DBOC’s impact on the harbor seal population in Drakes Estero when he spoke before the Marin County Board of Supervisors.” (Heartland.org)

Yosemite is a different boat though (pardon the pun). One of the crown jewels of America’s National Park System, Yosemite is watched by no less than 30 environmental organizations, each eager to make their view know. It was 2 such organizations that led to the injunction and later court case that killed the previous Merced River Plan. Already the Access Fund has started a social media campaign to make sure the new plan “doesn’t impede upon the rights of climbers in Yosemite.”

Unfortunately there is no happy end to this post. In the end Neubacher may wish he’d have stayed at Point Reyes listening to the sound of the ocean rather than the sound of lawyers filing motions. Either way, welcome to Yosemite Don, you’ve got a lot of work ahead.

Stinging NPS Report Says Yosemite Officials Were Overconfident About Ability to Manage Big Meadow Fire

Loyd — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:15:48 +0000

The Big Meadow Fire burns unchecked. Photo by Edie Howe-Byrne

A stinging report just released by the National Park Service about the Big Meadow Fire, which scorched over 7000, required the assistance of 171 personnel and equipment and closed 2 major roads into the park, says Yosemite officials were overconfident in their ability to control and manage the fire.

In response, it plans to review and clarify guidelines outlining the factors that crews should consider when rating the relative complexity of each controlled burn.

Yosemite Superintendent Dave Uberuaga has also ordered a revision of the park’s policies for tracking fuel danger.

Although the National Park Service has been forthcoming with answers many residents in and around the park still question the logic for a controlled burn in August, a month with traditionally the highest fire danger in California. Even the National Forest Service just outside the park warned visitors that fire conditions were “HIGH” on their signs and that extreme caution should be taken with campfires and stoves.

(MyMotherLode.com, LATimes.com)

Yosemite Accounts for 25% of Annual Search and Rescue Costs

Loyd — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:05:16 +0000

A NPS helo brings in a load of SAR gear before beginning a “rope down”. Photo by Brian Zambrano.

A report by two researchers in the field of wilderness medice have come to some interesting conclusions. Yosemite seems to account for 1/4 of Annual NPS Search and Rescue costs at nearly $1.2 million in 2005.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve ($29310) and Denali National Park and Preserve ($18345) were found to have the highest average SAR costs along with Yosemite National Park.

Hiking and boating were the cause of most SAR activities with most of the fatalities occuring from Hiking (22.8%), suicides (12.1%), swimming (10.1%), and boating (10.1%).

Fortunately for us it was money well spent. The researchers also found that 1 in 5 (20%) of all SAR requests would have resulted in a fatality if NPS personnel had not responded.

For more information you can check out the abstract at the Wilderness Medical Society journal at wemjournal.org.

Yosemite Nature Notes: Yosemite Falls (video)

Loyd — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:51:59 +0000

Check out the new Yosemite Nature Notes with rangers Shelton Johnson, Tom Burgess, Jim Roche the park hydrologist and Greg Stock the park geologist talking about waterfalls. Beautiful.

Mojave National Preserve Superintendent Appointed Acting Deputy Superintendant of Yosemite

Loyd — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:20:37 +0000

Dennis Schramm, a 32 year veteran of the National Park Service and the current superintendent of Mojave National Preserve, has been appointed Acting Deputy Superintendent of Yosemite.

Schramm will serve as Acting Deputy Superintendent for up to 120 days, but could be extended to serve through the end of the calendar year. Schramm has worked as Superintendent of Mojave for the last 3 1/2 years before which he had worked as a management assistant there.

Schramm began his NPS career in the Denver Service Center in 1978 as an environmental specialist and planner. He has since worked in several California parks, the Alaska Regional Office and Washington, D.C.

Ranger Shelton Johnson to be Honored

Loyd — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:32:55 +0000

Ranger Shelton Johnson shaking hands with President Obama after a screening of the Ken Burns special.

You may know Shelton Johnson as the Buffalo Soldier from Yosemite in the recent Ken Burns special, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Now Johnson is being honored for his work in bringing to light the life of the Buffalo Soldier and the role they played in the park by being honored with the prestigious Freeman Tilden Award.

The Freeman Tilden Award is presented to Interpretive Rangers within the National Park Service who through words or actions have enriched the lives of others.

Johnson’s research into the Buffalo Soldier history, the creation of an individual soldiers persona he utilizes to tell the broader story, and the multitude of creative techniques he uses to tell the story have allowed audiences worldwide to explore the meanings of race and wilderness.

Ranger Shelton Johnson Meets President Obama at Ken Burns Screening

Loyd — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:28:25 +0000

Ranger Shelton Johnson, who portrays a Buffalo Soldier in Yosemite National Park and appears in several episodes of the new Ken Burn’s documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”, got to meet President Obama during a screening of the documentary which airs this weekend.

NPS Digest: “They’d included the clip from the film where I tell about the winter encounter with bison in Yellowstone (national park) and the president started to tell me about an experience he had with bison in Yellowstone. It was on the trip with his grandparents that he’s talked about before. I couldn’t believe it.
“I’m standing there listening but there’s this loop playing in my head, ‘Oh my God, I’m shaking hands with the President of the United States of America. Oh my God, I’m shaking hands with the President of the United States of America’ and that loop keeps playing and playing and I’m seeing the President’s mouth moving and I know words must be coming out but this loop keeps playing and I’m trying to figure what it is he’s talking about and I’m, well I’m just stupefied.”
Johnson, an interpretive ranger at Yosemite National Park, was among fewer than 50 people – filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan included – to attend the screening in advance of Sunday’s premier of the six-part, 12-hour documentary that airs on PBS stations across the country.
The past months, and especially the past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Johnson. Last week’s itinerary included Detroit, the White House, Austin, Texas, and New York City where he remains for media interviews through Thursday before heading home to California.
In Detroit Johnson saw his mother and brother during a visit to his high school alma mater, Cass Technical High School. “It was wonderful to be there,” Johnson said, “my mother was thrilled.”
Johnson also made an appearance on Detroit’s PBS affiliate with Duncan to screen clips of the film. The time in Detroit also afforded him an opportunity to meet with the Cass High principal to encourage the college-preparatory school to develop a relationship with Isle Royal National Park so that students can spend time working in the park.
In addition to fielding questions about the film and national parks, Johnson is the obvious answer to what he says is the sometimes startling realization that there are black park rangers. “Not only are there black park rangers but I tell people there are black chief rangers, deputy directors of the National Park Service, black park superintendents and natural resource managers.”
Johnson said media whose audience is people of color have shown little interest in the national parks film. There have been black people at the screening events he’s been a part of and Johnson said he hopes word of mouth and people getting on social network sites will drive interest in watching the film and visiting national parks.
“When the film comes out and people see this they’ll ask themselves, ‘Are there other black rangers?’ and this film will be an opportunity to create a dialogue,” Johnson said. “If we are going to reach people of color and if national parks are going to be part of their culture then it starts with children. We need to get children into the national parks so they will pass that along to their children. That’s how I “got” national parks. My parents took me and I’m passing it on to my son.”

Cleaning Up with a Bang

Loyd — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:43:36 +0000

Reg Bowders explains the workings of the electronic detonators used with fireline explosives. The detonators have a radio transmitting range of 5 miles in line of sight, making for a much safer method of dropping large trees. Photo courtesy National Park Service.

One of the things most people don’t realize is that after a forest fire passes by or over a roadway, there’s a significant amount of debris and hazardous trees that may have burned or partially burned and left snags that need to be removed for safety. That’s where Reg Bowdler comes in. Reg is the US Forest Service’s regional blaster from the Stanislaus National Forest. His job is to utilize high explosives to clear dangerous and difficult trees and snags that can’t otherwise be safely removed. How does he do it? With a loud bang of course.

“Safety is the main benefit of using fireline explosives,” Bowdler explained. As crews work to re-open Big Oak Flat Road and Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park, expert sawyers evaluate trees for safety along the road and identify hazards that need to be removed. In some cases, trees are too large and have too much fire damage to cut down safely using typical tools such as chainsaws and wedges. “Fireline explosives give them the option not to fell the tree with a saw,” says Bowdler. Instead, a blaster using a radio transmitter can topple a dangerous tree with fireline explosives from up to five miles away.
The explosive, which is manufactured in ninety-foot long tubes an inch and a quarter in diameter, is taped to the side of a tree in a bundle. By packing the explosive properly, an expert blaster can determine the direction in which the tree will fall in order to minimize damage to nearby trees and other resources. According to Bowdler, fireline explosives are generally used to clear line in wilderness areas when crews are short on time or don’t want to leave tree stumps. Because fireline explosives throw debris without leaving a pattern, they leave a more natural appearance along the line. On the Big Meadow Fire, fireline explosives are being used mainly to remove hazard trees.

Yosemite Biologist Killed After Fall Rock Climbing on Mt. Dana

Loyd — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:08:51 +0000

Jeff Maurer, a Wildlife Biologist at Yosemite National Park, died Sunday, August 30, after falling from the Third Pillar, a technical rock climbing route on Mount Dana. Maurer, 47, has worked in the park for the past 3 years. Prior to that, he worked at the Yosemite Institute, taught at the University of California at Davis, and did research for many conservation organizations.

Funeral arrangements are pending and condolences to the family can be sent to:

The Maurer Family
c/o Peter Maurer
3460 Coon Hollow Rd.
Placerville, CA 95667

Our deepest sympathies go out to Jeff’s family and loved ones.