Spring 1986

OSVolume Forty-eightNumber Two

s

Published for Membersof the Yosemite Association

The Bighorns Are Back!

Dr me, one of the mostLn arating experiences is to hikeI morning and finally pop over acue to view a grand expanse ofr .ne meadows and lakesa-ed by snow-capped peaks.

e only thing that would beu : : : fulfilling would be to lookt. and find that I was sharingta : view with a bighorn sheepnz- on a rocky crag above me.

iks to the Yosemite Associa-c-. and The Yosemite Fund, thisrn _ :ience may soon be realizedre sheep from the recent rein-r_cuction reach their summertr ie within Yosemite.

A.ithough bighorn sheep werer ::tired extinct in Yosemite in

occasional unconfirmedQ-.nngs have been reported

egh the years. John Muir'sr. rings indicate that he had seenr_ . three bighorns nearYosem-t -- :or to 1873 and none after-n--is . He expressed the hope'tan the " noblest creatures livingt =d nature" would some dayr-

This, too, was the hope of1" :< Riegelhuth, Chief of Re-tLr:es Management in Yosemite3ee 1972.

: .bile Dick was stationed intt : :oia and Kings Canyon Na-t eal Parks, he took a great in-rest in bighorn sheep and be-t-7.e known as a local expert.1 en he moved to Yosemite, he

. . .an Wagtendonk is thee.z-ch Scientist for Yosemite: :sal Park, and David Graber-: -ms the same function in Sequoia

'r z1 Park .

outlined the steps necessary toreintroduce sheep to the Park.First, we needed to knowwhether or not any remnantherds remained in Yosemite . Todo this, I contracted with JohnWehausen, who had just com-pleted his Ph .D. studying the lastremaining herds on Mt . Baxterand Mt . Williamson, in Sequoia,Kings Canyon and the adjacentInyo National Forest.

For two years John and hiscrews scoured the Yosemite back-country in summer and winterlooking for any recent sign of big-horn sheep. Every windsweptridge that exposed enough vege-tation through the snow waschecked, as were the canyons onthe east side, but to no avail . Johnconcluded that there were noremnants . His surveys of the can-yons, however, led him to believethat Lee Vining Canyon repre-sented the best relocation sitewithin the northern portion ofthe sheep's original range . Thestage had been set for a rein-troduction in Yosemite.

An interagency team consist-ing of personnel from the Califor-nia Department of Fish andGame, National Park Service,Forest Service, and Bureau ofLand Management, along withDr. Wehausen, wrote a " SierraNevada Bighorn Sheep Recoveryand Conservation Plan . " Itspecified that Lee Vining Canyonwould receive sheep as soon asthe Mt. Baxter herd reached theappropriate population level.

Only one obstacle remained

Cooling off a captured sheep withwater and clipping its hobbles intothe litter.

an Wagtendonk,David Graber

PAGE TWO

Y OSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SPRING ii

in the way. Lee Vining Canyonand much of the surroundingfoothills were part of a domesticsheep allotment administered bythe Forest Service . Since diseasetransmission from domesticsheep to wild sheep contributedto the decline of the original wildherds, Fish and Game biologistsinsisted that there be no possiblemeans of contact . This meantthat the owner of the allotmentwould have to give up his right toit. Nobody would take the firststep, however. Frustrated by thisstubborn impediment to Yosem-ite 's long-standing dream, Iturned to the Yosemite Associa-tion for help.

After intense negotiation inthe fall of 1985, Association Presi-dent Steve Medley was able tobuy out the allotment using$30,000 from the Richard andRhoda Goldman Fund and$20,000 from the SacramentoSafari Club . The reintroductionwas on!

At dawn on March 5, 50 menand women representing federaland state agencies, private conser-vation groups, and assortedmedia personnel gathered belowthe wintering grounds of the Mt.Baxter herd near Independence .

Resource Specialist Steve Bottiand Wildlife Biologist Jeff Keayhad come over from Yosemite toassist . The night before, crewsfrom Fish and Game had set uplarge, nearly invisible nets on therugged slopes.

In the bright morning light,teams of bighorn wranglers wereferried by helicopters to the nets,there to hide behind rocks and

Untangled from the capture net thisbighom is ready for the head coverwhich calms the sheep.

brush . As the crews below pre-pared to process the sheep, thehelicopter pilot Iocated smallgroups of bighorn and began todrive them toward the nets.When the drives were successful.the wranglers quickly hobbled,

A litter hauls several sheep from thcapture site to the processing area.

blindfolded, and untangled thenetted sheep . Using a sling-loaded cargo platform, the heli-copter transported the boundsheep to the processing station.

Under the concerned eyes ofFish and Game biologists, crewsfrantically weighed and measurethe sheep, took blood and hairsamples, strapped radio transmvter collars around their necks, anreleased the sheep to waitingtrucks . By late afternoon, 32 big-horn sheep had been captured.Twenty-seven were destined fotLee Vining Canyon and fourothers were radio-collared to joiea previously reintroduced herd.One old ewe had a broken legwhen she arrived at the process-ing station ; the veterinarian sad}decided to euthanize her. While

Setting up nets into which thebighoms are herded by helicopter.

#SCn.iITE ASSOCIATION . SPRING 1986

PACE THREE

De- .:lion cameras rolled, the first

tno' 12 sheep were releasedafternoon of the capture . The

tc-2:nder spent the night in theirNeck and were freed the follow-Dg morning.

Since it was hoped, and. acted, that bighorn reintro-hiced into Lee Vining CanyonMould eventually summer in Yo-rn te, the National Park ServiceDrlmitted funds to conduct in-Irsive research and monitoring

e new herd for three years.(< he past, although some sheepInge been fitted with radio trans-I ers and periodic censuses ofbe native and reintroduced herds'I've been made, knowledge of

'*e fate of the herds and the fac-trs controlling them has beenRanty at best.

With no time to spare, Les—:n : ..v was hired to lead the fieldr act . Twenty-five collars, in-

five specially constructed0 iambs, arrived just weeks

rre the capture date . The dayowing release, Chow began

De :y monitoring of the sheep.kw they move about in unfa-i:ar territory, whether theyamain together or break up intogate groups, what they eat,lac most important—who does

does not survive and why—p_ be Chow 's job to determine.

Sadly. in the first three weeks,lien sheep have perished.lot sough snow storms anditnng winds at first kept Chow

/cc: observing the sheep directly,`0crtality sensors on the trans-

Rir_ers that change the pulse beat111r..ne collars remain motionless! sx hours were telling him the

W. One old ram fell throughDow into a crevasse ; a lamb

cared to have died on a windycaredBut each week, snow and

Wage conditions are improvingnhe odds for the remaining band.

all goes well and the bighorni soer, keen-eyed visitors cross-

ioga Pass or hiking Yosem-_ eastern crest may have a new

lac' thrilling spectacle to report.

tease of the bighorn sheep intoiee Vming Canyon, March 6, 1986 .

March 18, 1988

Mr. Steven MedleyYosemite AssociationP.O . Box 545Yosemite National ParkCA 95389Dear Steven:

This letter is to personally expressour appreciation for the role yourorganization played in the recent suc-cessful reintroduction of Californiabighorn sheep to the Lee Vining Can-yon area of Mono County. The projecthas received a great deal of positivecoverage in the news media. Yourorganization deserves special recogni-tion for its role in retiring the domes-tic grazing sheep allotment in the LeeVining Canyon area.The cooperation of members of thepublic, state and federal resourcemanagement agencies and interestedorganizations resulted in a fine exam-ple of well directed efforts to accom-plish an important wildlife enhance-ment project. Your organization waslargely responsible for the successfuloutcome.Once again, thank you for yourcooperation and assistance.

Sincerely,

Jack C . ParnellDirector, California Department ofFish and Game

Yosemite BudgetCuts ReduceServicesVisitors to Yosemite will find afew things missing in the parkthis year—namely, the numberand variety of services normallyavailable from the National ParkService.

The smaller budget availableto national parks for fiscal year1986 which was further pared bythe enactment of the Graham-Rudman-Hollings Act, has re-sulted in staffing reductions thatwill require cutbacks in inter-pretive activities, assistance to vis-itors, standards of maintenanceof park facilities, litter pickup andresource management programs.Hours of operation of somefacilities, including the IndianCultural Museum, have also beencurtailed.

In the interest of maintaininghigher operational levels duringsummer, when visitation is great-est, the NPS will make this year'scutbacks in winter and spring pro-grams, with additional cuts ex-pected in September. The magni-tude of the budget reduction,however, makes some curtail-ment in summer services un-avoidable, including shorteningthe season . Summer activitieswill get underway later than inyears past.

Operations that will remainlargely unaffected by these bud-get strictures are campgroundsand visitor centers . All park camp-grounds will be open this sum-

mer. Visitor centers and informa-tion stations will remain opendaily, although probably forfewer hours.

The five-year schedule estab-lished by the new legislation toeliminate the federal deficit willinevitably bring additional auster-ity to Yosemite and other units ofthe National Park System . Thepark's Division of Interpretationhas had its budget cut back 10 .6%this year, and that figure is likelyto be larger in the near future.

Some small areas may even beclosed by 1988 to permit funds forthose areas to be distributed tolarger parks that have higher pub-lic visibility and visitation . How-ever, the National Park Servicewill continue to strive to protectpark resources and to insurea quality experience for parkvisitors.

In an effort to recoup thesebudget losses, William PennMott, Director of the NPS, hasproposed a Eive-fold increase inpark entrance fees . The standard$2-per-car fee ($3 in Yosemite)would be raised to $10 at all of thepark system 's 11 major areas, in-cluding Yosemite . Mott antici-pates that these fee increaseswould enable the system to oper-ate "at a level of quality.' through1987 but fears that 1988 will bringthe park closures mentionedabove.

Given the considerable impactof these budget cuts on so manyYosemite functions, the impor-tance of the Yosemite Associa-tion 's fundraising program isheightened . While monies from

Continued page N

PAGE FOUR

YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SPRING 196

The New Superintendent's Giant Challenge

Yosemite 's newSuperintendent,

John M . "Jack" Morehead.

Linda Abbott

In January, 1986, John M . "Jack"Morehead was assigned to thesuperintendency of Yosemite Na-tional Park following the reassign-ment of Robert O . Binnewies tothe Western Regional Office inSan Francisco.

Morehead is by no means astranger to Yosemite—this is histhird assignment in the park!While he began his employmentwith the National Park Service in1951 in Rocky Mountain NationalPark, his first park ranger careerassignment was in Yosemite in1954 . He returned to Yosemite toserve as the Chief Ranger from1971 to 1974 . His Park Service as-signments have placed him allaround the United States, and hisprevious assignment was asSuperindendent of EvergladesNational Park in Florida withmanagement responsibilities forthe adjoining Big Cypress Na-tional Preserve and Fort JeffersonNational Monument.

Most Association membersprobably cannot claim extensiveknowledge of Everglades Na-tional Park and will not know,therefore, that the Park consistsof 1 .4 million acres of very uniqueenvironment and resources aboveand beyond the impressive alli-gator (which is the image thatpops into most of our heads).Superintendent Morehead admitsthat he had never even seen analligator prior to his arrival at theFlorida park, but he quickly rem-edied his lack of familiarity withthe park's ecology. He became soknowledgeable about the areathat he received high marks frommany sources including the Stateof Florida and the Florida Audu-bon Society for his promotion ofthe area and his efforts to restorethe park to its former condition.

Water management was aconcern to Morehead and heinitiated planning to protectthe park from both drought, floodand excess water dumped intothe park by the South FloridaWater Management District andto achieve a more natural water

flow. His proposals were ap-proved by the Water District man-agement and later became part ofthe Governor 's 'Save Our Ever-glades" program. Morehead wasalso concerned with the destruc-tive effects of agricultural drain-age into the Everglades ' easternboundary from tomato farmingin that area.

During this time, he success-fully thwarted an attempt bythen-Secretary of Interior JamesWatt to have Morehead fired . Mr.Watt is remembered for his sup-port of commercial developmentaround national park areas andhis policy discouraging furtherprotective measures and land ac-quisitions . In 1984, Jack More-head was awarded the Stephen

Message fromthe PresidentIt was with great regret that weat the Yosemite Associationreceived the news of Superinten-dent Robert Binnewies' reassign-ment to the Western RegionalOffice . There have been fewstronger supporters of the Yosem-ite Association to have held hisposition over the years. We willall miss Bob 's leadership, insight,humor and charm.

Since his arrival here in 1979,many strides have been made inYosemite towards the implemen-tation of the General Manage-

T. Mather award in the southeastregion of the National Park Sys-tem. The award honors thosewho have demonstrated initiativeand resourcefulness in promotingenvironmental protection, whohave taken direct action whereothers have hesitated, and finally,have risked their jobs and careersfor the principles and practices ofgood stewardship of the naturalenvironment. He was, withoutquestion, an appropriate choice.

The highlight of his Park Ser-vice career to date occurred as hewas departing Everglades forYo-semite . At the park get-togetherto bid Jack farewell, he was sur-prised with the presentation ofthe Department of Interior 'sMeritorious Service Award . This

ment Plan, a bold new fundrais-ing program has been under-taken, and significant programshave been developed to manageand limit the ever-increasingnumbers of visitors to the park.Given the budget-shrinking thathas occurred over the years, BobBinnewies' track record is a re-markably fine one.

We at the Yosemite Associa-tion recognize the valuable con-tributions Bob Binnewies hasmade to Yosemite National Parkand to our own operation . Sorryas we are to see him go, we knowhe will prosper in his new pur-suits, and wish him well.

Steven P. Medley, President

is the highest award given by th-Department and is presented tohonor exceptional service byan individual.

All of this serves to portray aman with a strong managementbackground who has successfulland firmly defended the resourche was given to protect with in-novative solutions for old andever-growing problems . JackMorehead has also achieved rec-ognition for involvement and in-terest beyond his assigned dutieby participation where his posi-tion and expertise would be ofvalue . These are a few of the sand experiences he brings to hisassignment to Yosemite . He ar-rives here at a time when the p.faces the largest budget cuts eve•the most difficult goals to achieand a list of problems for whichno solutions seem to be readilyavailable . His calendar began tofill long before he ever set footthe park . Jack is indeed facing a"giant " — challenge, that is!

Jack and his wife, Pat, will reside in Yosemite Valley. Theirchildren, once pupils at theelementary school in YosemiteValley, are daughter Shawn, 26,who resides in Detroit, Michig.and son Mark, 24, a graduate sdent at the University of Wash-ington in Seattle . Morehead listshis intended "free-time" activityfavorites as hiking and backpac <ing in the summer, and skiing,both nordic and alpine, in thewinter. When asked about his f.vorite area of Yosemite to spendtime, his response is " the higher,the better!" He would, howeverecommend that the first-timeitor start with an adequate tourof the Valley, with Glacier Pointand the Mariposa Grove next.

When asked if he had anycomment for the membership .the Yosemite Association, Mr.Morehead said, "I think theAssociation is doing a fabulousjob—please keep it up! " Welcoto Yosemite National Park, Supintendent Morehead, from thesemite Association . We wish ycontinued success and thank yfor your support of our efforts .

.

.

Another New Hetch HetchyDeve1opmentz

_ EMITEASSOCIATION, SPRING 1986

PAGE FIVE

passage of the Raker Act_913 gave the City and Countyan Francisco broad rights to_ue water supply and hydro-3ic power development proj-

on the Tuolumne River insidemite National Park. The

ch-Hetchy System has con-..ed to grow over subsequent;.:.des, and now includes major-s at Hetch-Hetchy, Lakea:or,, and Cherry Lake, the

on Tunnel between Hetch-.ehy and Early Intake, the

.:ntain Tunnel between Earlyce and Moccasin, the Valley=-el across the San Joaquin Val-and the Kirkwood, Holm, andccasin powerhouses . Ten addi--a : projects are being seriously_:tiered, despite the passage-.e California Wilderness Act:934 designating 83 miles ofTuolumne River as a Nationalc and Scenic River and includ-r ost of the river inside thewithin the National Wilder-system.ne most recent projectosals affecting the Park

e raising O ' ShaughnessyHetch-Hetchy) by 50 feet,

adding a third generator totrkwood powerhouse.-aughnessy Dam was raised

^.e : in 1938, and raising it,ter 50 feet would flood desig-

wilderness areas inside theAlthough raising the dam is

^eing actively pursued at this. the Kirkwood powerhouse

-nsion will soon be underction, having been ap-

d by the Secretary of the.or in November 1985, using: Act authority.

-:e addition of a third gener-a : Kirkwood will result in anzonal diversion of 400 cubic_er second through the Can-Tonnel during the spring and-er months . The generatore - is designed solely to in-se power revenue, and pro-

e Botti is Acting Chief of-_esIvianagement for Yosemite

-eh/Park.

vides no benefit in supplyingwater to San Francisco . Althoughthis project would require no ad-ditional construction inside thePark, the Park Service has ex-pressed concern that the reduc-tion in river flows will diminishrecreational and aesthetic valuesalong the river corridor. The pass-age of the California WildernessAct strengthened the Park's man-date to protect these values . After24 years of controversy and liti-gation, the City finally agreedin 1985 to minimum instreamflows below the dam . At thattime, however, the Asst . Secre-tary of the Interior emphasizedthat the minimum flows werenot to become the actual flowsand that protecting the springspill flows that might be affectedby projects such as the thirdgenerator was important.

The diversion of an additional400 cfs without enlarging theCanyon Tunnel inside the Park ispossible because the tunnel wasoriginally constructed 258 percentlarger than the design specifica-tions approved by the Secretaryof the Interior.

In approving the Kirkwoodexpansion, Assistant SecretaryWilliam P. Horn mandated thatstudies be carried out to assessthe project impact on recrea-tional, aesthetic and fisheryvalues . The results of suchstudies, funded by the City andcarried out under the direction ofthe U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service,may result in changes in existingminimum instream flows and inthe preservation of part of theexisting spring spill flows thatare released through or overO ' Shaughnessy Dam. Thesestudies will begin in the springof 1986.

Congressman Richard Leh-man, whose 15th District in-cludes the Tuolumne River andpart of Yosemite, opposed thethird generator project unless theDepartment of the Interior firmlyestablished that the generatorwould be the final constructionpermitted under the Raker Act.In approving the project theDepartment concluded that thisDepartment has determined, as amatter of law, that no furtherexpansion of the Hetch-Hetchy

The Hetch Hetchy Valley before theinundation by the Tuolumne Riverand (inset) afterwards, a recent viewfrom the O ' Shaughnessy Dam.

Water & Power System will bepermitted by the Department ofthe Interior within YosemiteNational Park . Absent specificfuture approval by Congress, theRaker Act will no longer be avail-able to expand, modify, or relo-cate any aspect of this Systemlocated on Park lands ."

The City replied that thePUC (Public Utilities Commis-sion) does not necessarily sharethe interpretation of the RakerAct set forth in your letter . . .,"leaving the door open for futurelegal and Congressional chal-lenges, or for a policy reversalby a future Secretary of theInterior. Consequently, in Feb-ruary 1986 Congressman Lehmanintroduced legislation prohibitingthe construction of new or theexpansion of old water andpower projects in national parks.That legislation still awaits actionby the House of Representatives .

PAGE. SIX

Y OSEMITE ASSOCIATION . SPRING 19E!

The Powerful Stonesof Winter 1986

Jim Snyder

Preservation of the world maywell lie in wildness, if only be-cause wildness highlights thedefenses human beings erect toconfine, disguise, or even to hideit . One of these defenses is the" management mystique " whichassumes that ours is a largelymanageable world . For many,"management" is nearly equal to"control" in this context.

The management mystique islimited in a national park becausenatural processes there are largelyunmanageable . A storm, flood,rockslides, drought, winds, heavysnows, or fire now and again re-mind us what a national park is —a political boundary around anarea of genuinely wild country.Park organizations for the mostpart attempt to manage thepeople who visit the park and tosustain the boundary against anencroaching technology. Themajor impact of the storms ofFebruary and March 1986 madeclear the degree to which thiswild park is resistant tomanagement.

Rosie Pepito lives at ArchRock . The rockslides on the roadthere kept her at home for severaldays while she watched the riverrise . " I ' m cut off; what if I getwashed away" She woke up astranger sleeping in his car out-side, hoping for company as therising river threatened her home.He did not know the road wasclosed, but announced that helived in El Portal and would sim-ply walk home, which he did.Rosie was alone again with theswollen river, blasting crewsworking all around her.

Steve Lyman, painter of " Yo-semite Alpenglow," had come tothe park betweeen paintings tosee more of his favorite place andto work on a collage of JohnMuir's experiences around theValley. He left his car in front ofRosie 's place at Arch Rock, havingbroken the key off in the door,and hitched a ride to the Valley.Flooding at Cascades preventedhim from getting back, and he

suffered through a soggy night inLower Pines Campground until alocal resident took him in . Hewaited for the Postal Service todeliver a new car key and took inwhat he could of this winterscene that would have facinatedMuir.

Steve Lyman's car key arrivedthrough the good graces of RustyRust, Yosemite postmaster andveteran of many storms, who ranthe gauntlet of the Cascadesflooding and Arch Rockrockslides to bring in the maileach day. Radio and televisiontransmitters were out and news-papers were not getting into theValley, so the mail and telephonewere the only forms of communi-cation with the "great outside ."

Water service was disruptedin the Valley for a day or more.Pat Bryant, having travelled allover the world under many con-ditions, quickly had every avail-able pot out to catch the rainwater to flush the toilet . Therewas a run on bottled water at theVillage Store, and on melted iceafter that.

Pat Harley, who sleeps lightly

working on the water project inlYosemite Valley, found them-selves lending their time andequipment to get the water bathon in the Valley and to keep theroads serviceable.

Driving was like trying to getaround inside a 24-hour carwasiMore water hit the roads thancould run off; one did not driveas much as hydroplane to work.The prescribed burn in El CapitaMeadow was quickly doused,leaving the eerie spectre of glowing snags seen through veryheavy rain for early morningtravellers.

Rainfall statistics wereimpressive . From February 13 to19 there were 6 days of rain ; 2 .4(2 .85, 2 .15, 5 .20, 3 .60, and 3 .50inches, and then another 3 .90inches on March 8.

The widely fluctuating snow

February

Marct

line contributed to flooding andwind damage, but snow loadsabove about 7,500 feet wereequally impressive . By mid-March, runoff in the MercedRiver drainage was estimated tobe 165% of normal . While thelow country nearly flooded, thehigh country was buried in snosSunrise High Sierra Camp was ivisible . In Tuolumne, only raftetops protruded above the snowBridges at Glen Aulin carried coumns of nine feet of snow overthe river. Avalanches occurredeverywhere after the storms, buthose inTenaya Canyon werestartling in their scale.

After several days of groundsoaking rains, the storm front ofFebruary 19 brought winds with

5 .505 .00

4 .504 .003 .50

3 .002 .50

21 .501 .00

.50

The March avalanche that coveredthe Tioga Road just east ofTenaya Lake.

during storms, was out watchingthe creekbed behind the oldshowerhouse at Camp Curry.There was no water in the littlecreek channel there ; soon, a littletrickle appeared . The flow grew,in turn, to a small creek, and theslope began to move slowly to-ward the structure . Pat had turnedthe flow with a shovel just last fallwhen it had run in large quan-tities toward the showerhouse.This time, the waterlogged taluswas transformed into a Iegitimatemudflow which surrounded theshowerhouse gently, buried itsback wall up to its eaves and thenflowed on toward the CampCurry pavilion.

One caravan evacuating vis-itors from the Valley had to turnback in the face of the storm . Likethe road crews, Ray Wilson pulledtrees out of the Indian Creek cul-verts, remembering flooding fromyears before in his garage . Peoplefrom Marin and Napa Countieshad come to Yosemite to getaway from their soggy problemsonly to find things as severe andcomplicated by rock and mud ontop of water and flood.

Reintroduction of bighornsheep into Yosemite had to bepostponed because of the storms.WESTCON employees, here

_=MITE. ASSOCIATION, SPRING 1986

PAGE SEVEN

ne winds were not Monoe.ds and did not blow with thesistency of those winds_ :h had caused many fallens in Camp 6 in recent years.'ohnson nevertheless countedlees blown down in Valley.Dgrounds alone . Many other

were weakened by thewere cracked or showed

beginning signs of uprooting._stry crews had to fell anotherhazard trees in the camp-

• nds after the storm.The park 's three million vis-

each year and the servicesrequire lend the Valley a

_zed appearance it canply shed . Yet heavy visitationthe expectations of visitors

<e it necessary to manage the-e more as an urban than a

:ocale . Forestry crews have:oed most of the trees around

.:Died areas of the park andrk them regularly for damage

ater or wind.Roads into the park were-sed for several days, giving the:eats who make the long bus:o school in Mariposa a brief,aterlogged, reprieve . Theona and Big Oak Flat roadsred slumps and rock falls.Merced River road receivedonly real rockslides with mul-earth movements just belowRock. The first slide closed

road for three days while roadf:s blasted and cleared the rub-Most other road damage was

d by slumping or by that oldc :em, culvert-plugging . TheDak Flat Road was closed inh for over a week by a plug-

`ulvert and wash on the road.s to complete the laying of

culvert were slowed byand runoff. Though one man-hand on forehead, lamented,my poor roads!," thosedid not suffer as much as

have at other times in the re-p_ ast, perhaps because the les-of plugged culverts and the

crews cleared many rocksthis one from the road belowRock .

The Vemal Fall trail was hit hard bythe rockslide of February 13.

need for regular maintenancewere still close enough at hand tobe implemented . Still, repair ofstorm damage to roads was esti-mated at about $700,000.

Worst hit by the storms werepark trails below about 7.000 feet.Fluctuating snowlines during thestorms increased runoff as rainoften washed away fresh snow.Creeks and gullies were so fullthat, especially on steep YosemiteValley walls, water loosenedcreekbed material which un-loaded downhill in mud and rockslides . Seven Nevada Falls trailswitchbacks below Clarks Pointwere buried in three to six feet ofrock and mud . Old channelschanged through the talus all theway to the Valley floor. Water

greased the skids for rockfall onthe Vernal Fall trail three times inone month as a total of about5,000 tons of new granite fell to-ward the Merced River. InWawona and Hetch Hetchy,there were no slides, but theheavy runoff deeply rutted trailsand the Tuolumne River trail inPate Valley was buried under tonsof sediments and rocks washeddown from the walls above.Damage to park trails will costabout $600,000 and require sev-eral years work to repair.

It was not just the runoff thatcaused the damage, for trails inthe park tend to be located inareas less susceptible to damagefrom water and rockslides . Thetrails were also damaged becausethey have not received regularwork at standards commensuratewith their use or their environ-

mental situations . Of all of thepark trails, the Four Mile Trail toGlacier Point suffered most in thisway. The trail has little of itsdrainage system left; parts of ithave lost up to two feet of treadmaterial in the last ten years . Thestorms of February and Marchgreatly accelerated the processesof deterioration, turning the trailinto a series of creekbeds andusing it as a field demonstrationof high angle slope erosion.

Budgets and the other con-cerns of the management mys-tique aside, the best we can do isto shoulder our shovels and hikeback up the mountain to work.Whether the work is in hazardtrees, road or trail repair, or protec-tion and providing for visitors,there comes to be an interestingrepetition in the process overtime . In the long run, one comesto expect natural violence incertain ways at certain times incertain places under certain cir-cumstances . In watching and liv-ing with such events, we alsolearn slowly to work with theplace . Any control we may thinkwe have becomes meaninglesswhen we encounter the powerof the elements such as we ex-perienced in February and Marchof'86 .

PAGE EIGHT

YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SPRING 1981

The Ostrander Ski HutFrom the Beginning

Henry Berrey

May 4Q 1939To: Superintendent, Yosemite National

ParkFrom : Frank Givens, Acting District

RangerSubject.. Cross-country ski trails

"The most logical route would be fromnear Bridal Veil, up the ridge to HorseRidge, from Horse Ridge to DeerCamp and down to the WawonaRoad. I have traveled this route withthe above in mind. A cabin wouldhave to be built at Horse Ridge, themost logical location being just belowthe Ostrander Lake . From that center,skiers could ski for days, always onnew terrain. The scenery is the best,snow conditions are always good dueto the many different exposures ."

So wrote Ranger Givens, fortyyears ago.

Badger Pass, with its downhillskiing facilities, had opened forthe winter of 1935, the realizationof the efforts of Don and MaryCurry Tresidder. With the help ofJerry Carpenter, head of the Cal-ifornia State Chamber of Com-merce, put to rest were the fearsof those in the tourist businesswho touted California for its sin-gularly summertime attractions;it became acceptable to admitthat snow fell in the Golden Stateand that the Sierra Nevada couldprovide excellent skiing.

In addition to the Tresidders 'enthusiasm for the Badger de-velopment, they were as wellcaught up in the joys of ski tour-ing, and made winter trips toTuolumne and to Snow Creek,where they had built a simplecabin for overnight stays.

Records of the decision tobuild a ski hut at Ostrander areskimpy in the Park Service annals.However, in the Superintendent'snarrative report for August, 1940,it is noted that on August 15," Twenty CCC (Civilian Conser-vation Corps) enrollees, twostonemasons, one carpenter andtwo foremen were at work on thehut, and that 3600 ski trail mar-kers had been cut and painted .'

In the next entry, September,

1940, the Superintendent wrotethat the hut was "75% com-pleted, " and in his report forthe next month, the hut wasproclaimed finished and wouldbe ready for occupancy byOctober 26.

In the N.P.S . "Plan of Opera-tion,' the Yosemite Park andCurry Co . was to staff the hut,providing a cook/majordomo,and fees of $1 per night's lodgingand $1 per meal were approved.The plan went on to specify thatwhen ski tourers fetched theirown sleeping gear and providedtheir own meals, there would beno charge . Proper attention thuswas given to those who could notor chose not to partake of theCurry Co .'s hospitality.

The Curry people, led by theTresidders, wished to pattern the

Luggi Foeger, Director of the Yosem-ite Ski School, circa 1940.

ambience of the hut after theirHigh Sierra camps . So, whilemeals scarcely were elegant,they were substantial and well-prepared . Generally, in the lardercould be found a bottle or two ofDemarara rum along with a bot-tle of good cognac, to be taken toward off frost bite after a day inthe snowy wilds.

From a practical standpoint,that is to say profitable, the hutoperation did little to improve theCurry Co .'s bank balance . But, inthe manner of the High Sierracamps, it projected a wholesome

public relations image while fulfil-ling the need for a ski touring hut.Although the records don 't indi-cate the number of skier/nightsat the hut, by today's expecta-tions it was little used . Until 1952,the Curry Co . hauled passengersfrom Badger Pass to the hut in"snow weasels " . . . these wereWW II amphibious track-layingmachines, cursed with a habit ofthrowing a track at inconvenientplaces.

In that year, it is recorded inN .P.S . regulations that " no me-chanical over-the-snow vehiclescould be operated beyond theHorizon Ridge Trail Junction"(with the Glacier Point Road).Thereafter, the weasels were usedonly for administrative trips (ofwhich there were many).

During the late 40s and early

50s, Ostrander was the scene of agood deal of motion picture film-ing . Luggi Foeger, who directed atthe Yosemite Ski School, was notonly a teacher and skier of inter-national caliber, he was as well afine motion picture photographer,having worked on a number ofimportant European winter films.He was well-qualified then tophotograph ski promotion filmsfor the Curry Co. advertising de-partment. With his ski schoolstaff, including Nic Fiore, Foegermade several films at Ostrander,which, in some circles, have yetto be outclassed.

Fiore was a wide-eyed, in-

The Ostrander Lake ski hut.

genuous French Canadian who,at Foeger's invitation, came fromthe Laurentians to join Foeger'sstaff . On the Ostrander filmingtrips, Fiore was often the butt ofwicked pranks concocted by hisfellow teachers . One morning hcouldn't find his skis . . . theywere hanging from the flag poleon the hut 's roof. The contents chis tooth paste tube were re-placed with Crisco : after carryirwhat he thought was an uncommonly heavy camera to the topof Horse Ridge . he found his patfilled with chunks of granite . Nitook it all in stride and when it rlonger amused the others to harrass him, they left him in peace.

In 1968, the Curry peoplechose to no longer operate thehut, and it became the responsi-bility of the Park Service . Finan-cially, it was a no-win situationfor the N .P.S . because, for whenthe hut-users paid for their bunkall the revenue went to the U.S.General Treasury. This left thePark Service holding the sack tothe tune of $8,000 each year formaintenance, the cost of makinlreservations and for the wages athe hut-keeper. Despite this draithe hut was kept open and in

0

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SMITE ASSOCIATION . SPRING 1986

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4

good repair, reservations werehandled properly and the hut-keeper stayed on the payroll.

As Park Service budgets grewslimmer, it seemed to some thatthe sensible move would be toshut the hut, period . But, in 1980,Ron Mackie, in charge of thebackcountry matters for N .P.S .,came to Y.N .H.A., proposing thatthe Association become the hut 'sproprietors . The Associationpeople, always ready to help out,agreed . Bunk fees were raised to$4 per night, a reservation systemwas set up, and a caretaker en-gaged . At the end of the firstwinter's operation, after the As-sociation paid all the hut bills,paid itself a little for administra-tion costs, it turned over $4000 tothe N .P.S ., which represented atotal saving to the government ofsome $12,000.

Once things got going underthe Association 's wing and witha little publicity, requests for reser-vations at the hut increased mate-rially, to the point where it be-came necessary to conduct a'drawing' to determine which res-ervation requests were to be hon-ored . Claire Haley, Associationfactotum, was in charge of thedrawing, which was accom-plished simply by putting allthe requests in a hat and draw-ing out the lucky winners . Thiswas perhaps crude, but an hon-est method . The system waschanged at the suggestion ofDr. David Starkweather, amathematics professor at U.C .B.and a long-time Ostrander afici-onado . He was leader of a groupof tourers known as the Friendsof Ostrander.

Over the years, the group hadmade many trips to the hut andeach year donated some bit ofequipment to improve the hut'soperation. Starkweather pointedout the flaws in the 'name-in-the-hat' method and came upwith a somewhat complex ran-dom numbers table, which ac-cording to some law of chance,

Snow weasels carried winter sportsenthusiasts to the ski hut .

PACE NINE

gave everyone an equal shot atgetting the reservation wanted.So, each fall, Starkweather hasappeared with his tables andcharts and helped with the now-purified drawing.

Starkweather 's group has be-come noted for the meals pre-pared at the hut, and judging fromtheir menus pinned to the kitchenwalls, they dined elegantly on thehaut-est of cuisine.

Over the years, the OstranderHut has been tended by a numberof people, but the most faithfulhas been Howard Weamer.Weamer, the hut ' s Muirish guru,has served as its principal keepersince 1974, and has a place in theminds and hearts of countlesstourers . He exhibits a territorialattitude toward the hut and itssurroundings, and becomes out-raged when the hut maintenanceis less than perfect . With thevisitors, Howard has gained areputation as botanist, geologist,historian, photographer and anall-around philosopher. There aremany nights when he's at thecenter of heavy conversations.And on many nights, he ' s goneout on the trail to hunt for late-arriving skiers . What Dr. CarlSharsmith is to Tuolumne, How-ard may be to Ostrander.

For those who may have won-dered, Ostrander Lake and Os-trander Rocks were named forHarvey J . Ostrander who cameto California to seek his fortunein the gold mines . In the late1860's, he homesteaded at thejunction of the (old) Mono Trailand the Glacier Point Road . Hisname appears on the WhitneySurvey Maps dated 1867.

In addition to furnishing lodg-ings for ski tourers, the hut is alsothe Iocale of a number of winterfield seminars sponsored by theAssociation . These are typicallythree day jaunts, led by experi-enced naturalists . A catalog of theprograms will be sent on request.And, readers wishing to learnmore about the Ostrander Hutand to make reservations may callthe Yosemite Association office,(209) 379-2646 .

PAGE TEN

YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION . SPRING 19$

Spring on the Wing

Karen Cobb

Each of us had a different reasonfor our first visit to Yosemite.Some came with interests in bot-any or wildlife . Others soughtrelaxation and escape from urbanpressures . Some found wildernessadventures and others camesimply because Mom and Daddragged us along on family camp-ing trips. Whatever the reason forthat initial experience, we haveall come to love Yosemite and insubsequent visits find ourselvesbecoming more and more knowl-edgeable about the park and theenvironment.

Birdwatching, or, "birding" asthe initiated say, can be accom-plished without making numer-ous trips to REI or Sierra Designsto spend thousands of dollars for" brand name equipment. " Ageand gender requirements are lib-eral and political affiliations areirrelevant . There are no accept-able excuses for not expandingyour interests to include such anobvious facet of the environmentas the bird life . Best of all, it isknowledge that you can enjoy al-most anywhere or any time, andonce having practiced in Yosem-ite, you can take your observa-tions home with you . A pair ofbinoculars and a field guide arethe only needed tools of thetrade, and the use of your percep-tive powers obviously is essential.

So, for all of you latent or-nithologists ready to admit thatyou might be interested, Yosemitein the springtime is a perfect placeto begin birding . This is the sea-son when birds are in their mostcolorful and easily identifiableplumages . Spring is the time forbreeding and nesting, and almostall birds are singing to attractmates or to defend their terri-tories . Attune your ears and eyesto the undercurrent of birdlife inthe park and it will add to yourunderstanding of the ecologicalconcert. Here are a few interest-ing birds to get you started.

The first time you see an West-ern Tanager, you will say to your-self, "How could I ever have

missed that bird!" The WesternTanager has a bright red head,bright yellow body, black wingswith 2 white bars on each and ablack tail . A rather distinctive cos-tume . They are slightly smallerthan a robin and you will findthem in mature stands of fir,spruce, pine and aspen . Duringthe breeding and nesting seasons(May—July) they generally keepto high, dense foliage where theyfeed on insects such as flies . Thatalone qualifies them as environ-mental allies of humans.Throughout the rest of the yearthey eat berries and other fruit.Western Tanagers arrive in Yosem-ite from their Baja, California andMexican winter ranges during thelatter part of May. This is one ofthe most visually striking birds inNorth America, and in Yosemitecan be regularly seen on the edgesof Cook's Meadow in the Valley.

Dippers (also called WaterOuzels) spend a great deal of timewalking around underwater, anunusual lifestyle for a bird . Lookalongside a pond or swiftly flow-ing stream for dippers . Generally,they perch on rocks where theybob up and down 40—60 times aminute—hence the name dipper.They blend well with their sur-roundings as they are dusky slate-grey and usually 5½—7½ incheslong . A dipper will dive from itsperch into the water where itswims using its wings or walksalong the bottom of the streambed while holding onto rockswith its long toes . They can " fly"through 20 feet of water to a feed-ing spot where they look for cad-dis flies, mosquito larvae andwater beetles, to name a few. Dip-pers are extremely territorial andone pair will control '/2—1 mile ofstream. Traditionally, a pair ofthese birds has nested near theSuperintendent's footbridge overthe Merced River in Cook's

Goshawk.

Meadow. Another likely place tosee them is on the river at HappyIsles . They do not migrate andwill remain throughout the win-ter unless frozen water forcesthem to lower elevations . Dip-pers are the only aquatic song-bird, their clear, year-round,flute-like song being audible evenover the noise of rushing torrents.

An ecotone is a transition areabetween two adjacent ecologicalcommunities . For example, lowgrowing shrubs might constitutethe transition zone from a mead-ow to a forest. This also, bychance, is the ecological niche ofthe Dark-eyed Junco which isfound feeding on the ground inthese areas . You have probablyseen these birds a thousand timesbut never known their names.They are seed eaters and preferthis open habitat with brushyshrubs, grasses and weeds alongwith decidious trees offeringshade . While nesting they alsoconsume insects . A black hood,reddish-brown back, rusty sidesand a white belly are all indentify-ing marks along with the flesh-colored stubby beak. Another fea-ture which helps distinguish thisbird is the white margin on eachside of the tail . When approachedthe birds will generally retreat 10

15 feet and flit from bush to bustor hop along the ground . They zabundant in Yosemite and groutof juncos can be seen around theVillage Mall and Visitor Center.

If you have ever noticed barkon the oak trees of Yosemitedrilled full of holes and packedwith acorns, you are looking atthe work of Acorn Woodpecker!Since this species does not mi-grate, these acorns are needed tcsustain the woodpeckers througthe winter when insects arescarce . A unique quality of AcorWoodpeckers is their co-operaticlifestyle . Groups of 4—15 birdspractice co-op food gathering anstorage in addition to raisingyoung and defending territory.

These birds display a verystriking pattern of red, white anblack which gives them a some-what clownish appearance . Avibrant red forms a cap from theforehead to the back of the headAcorn Woodpeckers have a blaclback, a white rump and whitepatches on each wing which areevident in flight . They are nothard to spot as they are 8—9½inches long with a wingspan of17 inches and noisily call to eachother with harsh notes like thesound of raucous parrots . Theyprefer an area with two types ofoaks since acorns are theirmainstay and a lean crop fromone species may be off-set byabundance from the other. Lookfor them in the oak trees in ElCapitan Meadow or on the wayto the base of Yosemite Falls.

These several birds may opeta new door for you and alert yoito a world you have never no-ticed . They represent only onefacet of the Yosemite environ-ment, yet they are an integral paof the overall balance of nature.In that context, birding soundslike a weighty subject, however.once involved, you will realizewhat a pleasant, undemandinghobby it can be . Best of all,imagine how proud you will bewhen you can spot a robin in thparking lot of Burger King andexclaim to your friends, " Look!Turdus Migratorius! "

TE ASSOCIATION, SPRING 1986

PAGE ELEVEN

THE YOSEMITE FUND

American Savings DonatesAdditional $507,310

the culmination of an im-s ve 100 day campaign to ben-: csemite, American SavingsLoan Association recently_:buted an additional_ 310 to The Yosemite Fund.

x only is this the largest gift ofhey ever made to Yosemite

=nal Park, when combined_2e earlier donation of

~ : . )00 made by the FCA/_ :ican Savings Charitable7:elation, the contribution rep--s a major accomplishmentc _semite.3 - the time of the gift, Acting: :ntendent James O . Laney

ser red that "American Savings 'rrz-ous contribution will help

eve Yosemite in many ways.:ok at this as an opportunity

't jrn some missing jewels toszmite's crown . "American Savings Chairman

...earn J . Popejoy explained that,:heating the Yosemite cam--.-. . American Savings ' goal

ii -ot just to raise funds, but topease the public 's awareness of

-.eeds for preserving our natu-=a-ks, and to generate addi-

ree : corporate sponsorship . He-I feel this effort exemplifies

: e ntribution that the private:- can make to preserve our

American Savings Chairman,William J. Popejoy (left), presentscheck for $507,310 to ActingYosemite Superintendent James O.Laney and Steve Medley. YosemiteAssociation President.et_

national heritage for generationsto come . "

The American Savings gift is asignificant one for other reasonsas well . The contribution repre-sents the combined donationsfrom employees and customersalike . Employees devised theirown fundraising events such asparking lot auctions and bake

sales . The company purchasedboth historic Yosemite postersand photographic books aboutthe Park, which it made availableto customers in exchange fordonations to Yosemite . Approxi-mately 10,000 customers re-sponded, and at least one per-son wrote a check for $1,000 tohelp Yosemite.

Another interesting aspect ofthe campaign was that public ser-vice ads for The Yosemite Fundwere developed by the advertis-ing staff of American Savings andsent to newspapers throughoutthe state and to national publi-cations . Free of charge, the adsappeared many times in suchperiodicals as Business Week andU.S . News and World Report, forexample . The ads resulted in mul-tiple donations, and demon-strated the national support thatexists for Yosemite.

The FCA/American SavingsCharitable Foundation, a fundsupported and supervised byemployees, was the first corpo-rate sponsor to contribute to TheYosemite Fund, with a donationof $150,000 . The American Sav-ings multifaceted advertising,marketing and public relationsprogram grew independent of theFoundation's gift, and resulted ina tremendous public boost for Yo-semite and for the Association'sfundraising efforts.

In other related news, Na-tional Park Service Director Wil-liam Penn Mott has directed theYosemite Association to acceptno further gifts from the YosemitePark and Curry Company and itsparent, MCA, Inc . Last fall, Curryrepresentatives pledged $500,000to The Yosemite Fund in $50,000installments over 10 years . Afterthe first installment had been re-ceived, Director Mott determinedthat acceptance of future pay-ments would be inappropriategiven the potential appearanceof a conflict of interest orimpropriety.

NPS policy for fundraising inthe national parks now statesthat: "The National Park Servicewill neither knowingly solicit nor

accept gifts from concessionersor their principals or beneficialowners, nor permit others to doso on its behalf ." Because ParkService personnel is charged withmonitoring and regulating theconcessioner in each nationalpark, this policy will place the reg-ulatory function beyond questionor reproach.

Disappointed as fundraisingrepresentatives in Yosemite maybe about the loss of some$450,000, they are all the moreresolute in their plans to makethe fundraising effort a success-ful one and a model for othernational parks.

The Yosemite FundApril 1986

PAGE TWELVE

YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SPRING 1 1

Books of Interest

The following selection ofbooks are works which chroniclethe wide and varied scope ofYosemite and the High Sierra re-gion, or the national parks gener-ally. All can be purchased fromthe Association at the YosemiteValley Visitor Bookstore, or bymail order, using the order formon page 14 of this issue . Membersof the Association are entitled toa 15% discount off retail prices.

Gunfighters, Highwaymen &VigilantesViolence on the Frontier.Roger McGrath.University of California Press,1984.(#10930 cloth $16.95).

This book takes the first truly rep-resentative look at violence on thefrontier and in the process tellsthe stories of some of the mostcolorful characters and excitingevents in the history of the OldWest . It looks exclusively at twotowns, Aurora (Nev.) and Bodie(Ca .), that were typical of thefrontier—the mining frontierspecifically—and uncovers everyform of violence and lawlessnessthat occured in and about theirenvirons . The author strips awaythe facade of violence that mo-tion pictures, television, and west-ern fiction have long associatedwith the Old West and showssome long-cherished popularnotions about life on the frontierare nothing more than myth . Buthe also shows that other widelyheld beliefs, long suspected ofbeing mythical, are well foundedin fact.

The Whistles Blow No MoreRailroad Logging in the SierraNevada, 4874—1942.Hank Johnston.Trans-Anglo Press, 1984.(#18075 cloth $25 .95).

This book is a pictorial accountof the glory days of flume and rail-road logging in California's south-ern Sierra Nevada . Lasting inter-mittently, for just 68 seasons andinvolving only six operations,they typified nearly everythingthat was exciting about steam log-

ging in the West . The book pro-vides an overview of the generalsouthern Sierra logging scene ofthe time and points out the differ-ent methods employed in gettingtimber out of the mountains ; illus-trates the intriguing juxtapositionof the three great lumber flumes;compares the various railroads,inclines, sawmills, and camps . . .and preserves the flavor of a color-ful bygone time.

The Complete Walker IIIThe Joys and Techniques of Hikingand Backpacking.Colin Fletcher.Alfred A . Knopf, 1984.(#14225 paper $11 .95).

Colin Fletcher—the most elo-quent, authoritative, readablewriter on the subject of backpack-ing—has revised and updated hisclassic guide to walking . . . it isfilled with his firsthand knowl-edge, sage advice and outspokenopinion : on equipment, onchanges in the backcountry (andits users) ; on the state of mindthat he captures as no one else.Fletcher advises us not to becometoo caught up in backpackingtechnique, and reminds us thatthe prime object of walking is toexperience, and learn about thegreen world.

The Forest Domain of thePierce ArrowJohn Meyer III.Southern California Region of thePierce Arrow Society, 1984.(#10105 cloth $12 .50).

This book documents an era ofthe transportation services in, to,and around Yosemite NationalPark . Fleets of the elegant, durableand now very collectible PierceArrow passenger touring carswere used in Yosemite from 1915through the 1930s . In June, 1982,the Pierce Arrow Society ofSouthern California made agrand tour of Yosemite, Wawona,and the Mariposa Grove, andphotographs taken during thatevent capture the ambiance oftouring in the 1920s and 1930s.This is a photographic history aswell as a pictorial celebration of

Wildflowers of the Hite'sCove TrailStephen Botti andAnn Mendershausen.Pioneer Publishing Co ., 1985.(#18315 paper $5 .00).

Wildflower enthusiasts have longmarveled at the richness and di-versity of plants and wildflowersthat inhabit the canyon of theSouth Fork of the Merced River.It has become recognized as oneof the most spectacular wild-flower displays in the centralSierra Nevada . This book is amuch needed addition to the liter-ature on the western approachesto Yosemite National Park . Thesponsor of this guidebook, TheMerced Canyon Committee, iscommitted to the protection ofthe South Fork as a National Wildand Scenic River. The use and en-joyment of this book brings out agreater sense of value and belong-ing and will be a step toward thepreservation of the unique valuesof the South Fork.

The Earth SpeaksSteve Van Matre.Institute for Earth Education,1983.(#9525 paper $9 .95).This book is a collection of im-ages and impressions recorded bythose who have lived in close con-tact with the natural world . . . ajournal of writings of naturalists,poets, philosophers, & scientists,

who chose to go beyond analyto `seeing' and rediscovering thsense of the wonder of nature.

A Hiking Guide to the Theo-dore Solomons TrailGary Buscombe.High Adventure Press, 1983.(#11390 paper $5 .95).

Named after the man who conJceived and pioneered the crest-paralleling trail the length of theHigh Sierra which becameknown as the John Muir Trail, tTheodore Solomons Trail is theonly trail that not only traverserthe Sierra Nevada from east towest, but follows the range frorsouth to north, roughly paralleling the Muir Trail along the we!slope, beginning at the Cotton-wood Basin south of Mt . Whit-ney and ending at Glacier Pointin Yosemite . Theodore Solomo(1870—1947) was an early exploof the High Sierra—Yosemite,Tuolumne Canyon, Kings Can-yon, Evolution Mountains andthe Tehipite Valley. Mt . Solo-mons, (13,016) near the GoddarDivide carries his name.

Families of BirdsA Guide to Bird Classification.Oliver L . Austin, Jr.Golden Press, 1985.(#9695 paper $7.95).

The most recent addition to thlpopular Golden Field Guide series, this guide to the frameworkof bird classification presentsthumbnail sketches of the 34orders and 185 families intowhich scientists currently groutsome 9,600 known species ofbirds in the world . It is designerfor those who have familiaritywith birds and would like toknow more about their relationships to one another. The illus-trations are of species selected othe basis of typical family char-acteristics . A must for students.naturalists, birders and birdlovers everywhere.

the 1982 trip as 32 classicsgathered in the `forest domain ofthe Pierce Arrow'

'. ITE ASSOCIATION, SPRING 1986

PAGE THIRTEEN

YosetiteC A T A L O G

3sonal Titles

Club Guides to thenal Parks

- gronal-volume series).a Club/Random House,

rt Southwest= '50 paper $13 .95).

c Northwest and Alaska=x `95 paper $14 .95).

c Southwest and Hawaii"75 paper $11 .95).

Mountains^35 paper $12 .95)

est and EastPublished).

country's forty-eight na-parks contain natural won-

more varied and extra-than those found in any

nation on earth. Recogniz--ate for park guide booksare practical as well as beauti-

_ _s series has been created.ra .e regional guides take you_gh each of the national

of the United States . Lead--attire writers and photogra-

experts in their fields, have_ :ed text and photographs

ork together as a tour of:arks. One chapter is devoted

park, including an up-to-iacilities chart, trail guides,:ark and trail maps created:_ally for the book . An exten-=,il-color appendix of thecommonly seen animals

: .ants is included at the endbook.

Sunrise: ::e Muir Trail.

Lynn Wilson.Printing & Publishing,

: ;35.:•55 paper $8 .95).

ring, beautiful photo-oumal volume retracing an:us 67-day hike along this

=-sous High Sierra trail by.r:;ors/photographers . Start-

: bsemite Valley and culmi-, .- :th a triumphant descent:amey Portal, the bookthe highlights of their path

photo images and a Iively,:ext .

Yosemite and the High SierraRandy Collings.Adam Randolph Collings,Inc ., 1985.(#18625 paper $12 .95).

Herein is an enthralling journeyof exploration through thesefamed mountains and parklandsof California, celebrating thebeauty, uniqueness, and crucialimportance of preserving thishigh country legacy. A welcomeaddition to the library of anyonewho has fallen under the spell ofthe Yosemite, it affords both aneducational and entertaining ex-perience that could only be sur-passed by actually spendingmonths of study and travel in theSierra Nevada itself.

National Parks Trade JournalDave Anzalone, editor.Taverly- Churchill Publishing,1986.(#13725 paper $7.95).

America's number one guide toliving and working in the national

V IIUA,II` 1NA,

10,1101101 SI

parks, describing seasonal andcareer opportunities in over 330beautiful locations . The book fea-tures information on 30,000 jobs,describing availability of specifictypes of jobs, employment re-quirements, low cost housing andmeal programs available, withstories, interviews, articles andphotos of living and working situ-ations in our national parks.

Cowboys of the High SierraPeter Perkins.Northland Press, 1980.(#9070 paper $2 .95 ; originally$12.50).

Yosemite Association has pur-chased a large quantity of thisbook from the publisher at agreatly reduced price, andwe've lowered our retail priceaccordingly.

A well designed and printedbook, this work chronicles an in-teresting and different facet of theSierra Nevada, that of the con-temporary working cowboy.With tape recorder and camera in

his saddlebags, the author spenttwo years recording this lifestyle.He travelled throughout the Sierrato ranches stretching from Se-quoia Forest in the south to Las-sen National Forest in the north.No other documentation of thistype, for this century, exists today.Illustrated with fine black-and-white and color photographs.

Field Guide to the Birds ofNorth AmericaNational Geographic Society,1983.(#9875 paper $13 .95).Through an exclusive purchasingagreement, National Parks associ-ations are the only source, asidefrom National Geographic Soci-ety direct, for selected NationalGeographic Society books . We'repleased to offer our members thisfine title . The guide includes allspecies known to breed in NorthAmerica, as well as those thatspend their winter here of passthrough on regular migrationroutes . Accurate descriptions,

PLACE

off tile

NE WtUFrom Abbotto Zumwalt

Peter Browning

PAGE FOURTEEN

YosetiteC A T A L O G

including measurements, fieldmarks, abundance and habitat,are included for each specieslisted, as well as vivid color illus-trations and range maps for mostentries . This book ranks amongthe top bird field guides.

Place Names of theSierra NevadaFrom Abbot to Zumwalt.Peter Browning.Wilderness Press, 1986.(#14885 paper $11 .95 ; #14886cloth $19 .95).

In 1926, Sierra historian FrancisFarquhar wrote Place Names of theHigh Sierra . It quickly became astandard reference book . Sincethen, more than half the nameson the present topographic mapsof the Sierra have been created,but Farquhar died before he wasable to complete his planned revi-sion. Peter Browning, who wasgiven access to Farquhar's exten-sive revision notes, and has pe-rused many original sources, haswritten an entirely new book onthe place names of the Sierra

Nevada . This new bookgives the derivation andlore associated with eachname as well as quotes frommany of the explorers andtravelers of the region . It alsogives the topographic map onwhich to find each of the almost3,000 place names, along withaltitudes of peaks, passesand lakes.

Guide to Bird SoundsFour-record set.National Geographic Society,1983.(#4540, $2 .95).

A Companion to NGS's FieldGuide to the Birds of North America,this record set includes recordingsof the sounds of 179 species—notalways the most beautifulsounds, nor those most oftenheard, but the sounds that aremost helpful in finding and iden-tifying elusive or confusingspecies . Time spent at home inbecoming familiar with the birdsounds on these records will bewell rewarded in the field .

YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SPRING

YA ProductsYosemite Association Decaland Patches

Our association logo, depictiqHalf Dome is offered to our n-bers in these two useful formsHelp announce your affiliatioiwith our organization to otherby purchasing and using YoseAssociation patches and decalPatch $1 .50 ; Decal $1 .00.

Yosemite Association T-Sln

Comfortable, heavy quality.100% cotton Hanes "Beefy-T"'shirts are printed with the Yo-semite Association's handsorrHalf Dome logo on front . Chilren's sizes are available in shotsleeve ; adult sizes in short andlong sleeve.

Color.' Tan with brown embleChild sizes (short sleeve) : small,medium and large $6.00 . Adultsizes (short sleeve) : small, mediularge and extra-large $8 .00; (lotsleeve) : small, medium, large atextra-large $10 .00 .

n

I

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Order Form

Quantity

PriceOrdered

Item #

Description

Each

Total

Subtotal:Less 15% Member's Discount:

Subtotal A:

Ordered by:

Name:

Address :

1650 Y.A . T-shirt Childs Lg . short sleeve

$ 6 .00

1650 Y.A . T-shirt Childs Med . short sleeve

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$ 6 .00

1650 Y.A . T-shirt Childs Small short sleeve

$ 6 .001675 Y A . T-shirt Adult X-Lg . short sleeve

$ 8 .00

1675 Y.A . T-shirt Adult Lg . short sleeve

$ 8 .00

1675 Y.A . T-shirt Adult Med . short sleeve $ 8 .00

1675 Y.A . T-shirt Adult Small short sleeve $ 8 .00

1680 Y.A . T-shirt Adult X-Lg . long sleeve $10 .00

1680 Y.A . T-shirt Adult Lg . long sleeve $10 .00

1680 Y.A . T-shirt Adult Med . long sleeve $10 .00

1680 Y.A . T-shirt Adult Small long sleeve $10 .00

Yosemite Association Decal $

1 .00

Yosemite Association Patch $

1 .50

Subtotal B:

Merchandise Total (Subtotals A_+ B)

6% Sales Tax (CA customers only)

Shipping charge

$ 1 .50

PriceItem # Description

Each

discounts are nor applicable when purchasing the following items.

QuantityOrdered

Members'

Total

City:

Membership Number :State :

Zip :

Total enclosed

Send to : Yosemite Association, P.O . Box 230 . El Portal, CA 95318

. E ASSOCIATION . SPRING 1986

RULES AND REGULATIONS

PAGE FIFTEEN

k:clget Cuts

Yosemite National Park.r-t.i from page

k ' : -Dsemite Fund may not bek -c replace budget amounts

_. full, the effect of this sup-

olimentary funding will be

positive.These financial constraints 0

= :ant out the need for eachvisitor to make a specialto use Yosemite gently,

zand with as small an im-

as possible.

rolew Rules'IDrOational Park

pace upon a time when the na-"nnr..a_ ?ark was young and its pro-

r_ wore blue instead ofa . life was simple enough

Ir = rk rules fit on one sheet.it :es were printed on muslinFr _s ske toilet paper tied be-

--aopers' saddles . The sol-: : .:t large blazes in lodgepole

which to post the rules1

-_slations, tacking them up-obnails . Acting Superinten-

t

like to welcome to the._ Association the following

; ': s who became membersate past three months . Youra greatly appreciated.

Members

Holly Abbott, Rita & BarryDave & Judie Andersen, Lee

Ms M Jean Anderson, W.1--:Ida Beadle, Mrs Robert Ben-

= :ben & Grace Bertalot,ertken, Mary Jane Elam &

Michael Bianco ; Liane3rent Briggs, Elaine Brooks,rown, Mr & Mrs William

man . Walter S Brunt', Mr &_:m Cahill, John Canning,arnes . Ken Chan, Robert

Philip Cott, Beverly Dean,:nning, Margaret Doke . Paul

loose . Helene & Bill Dun-:: Bonnie Dunn, Mrs Janet

dent S . B . M. Young reported onthe campaign to educate visitorsin his annual report for 1896:

Many persons plead ignoranceof the rules and regulations, al-though there is not a town-ship, thoroughfare, trail, orpoint of interest within the en-tire area of the park wherecopies of the rules in largeprint, on heavy muslin, havenot been posted . In manyplaces they have been torndown and destroyed by vic-ious persons as often asposted. Every patrol party sentout is supplied with copies topost in conspicuous places andto replace those that havebeen destroyed.

Dyer, Barry & Susan Eaton, JudithNadine Ehret, Frank Ergin, AroldGreen & Eva Bien, Barbara Fall, StuFarwell, Mark Fitzgibbons, RandallFong, Major & Mrs Leland Gerber,Christens Geyer. Lillian Giuli,Michelle Goldstein, Russell K Grater,Eric & Gail Gravem, Sue Grebel,Samuel Griffith . Karl Guhm. Mr &Mrs Edwin Guinasso, Pat Habicht,Pete & Cheryl Hall, Edward Hanra-han, Charlotte Hawley. Chet Hee,Fred Hofer. Kevin Holladay, Arthur &Barbara Huebner, Don Hukari, RobertJeffrey, Mr & Mrs Robert C Jensen.Helen Johnson . Carol & DonaldJones . Mr Joe Kay; Margie Kern-Marshall . Pat Kessler. Lora Kohman,Cathy Krause . Steven Krueger.Toshimi & Bill Kumagai, David Lai,Alicia & Vengu Lakshminarayanan,Marlene Lamb, Jeff Lane, Sharon &Bowman Looney, Meredith Luther,Mr & Mrs Harvey Lyon, ReedMaidenberg, Judy & Rick Maim,Robert Malte . Marjorie March, PhilipMarshel, Mr & Mrs Albert Martin,Joan Martin, Pam Daily Martin,Sharon Matuska . Mr & Mrs WilliamMcAfee, Pamela McFarlin, Mr & MrsEd McKean . Mr & Mrs Robert Mer-cer, Richard Metz, Mr & Mrs HarryMetzger, Kristen Meyer, Mr & MrsDouglas Milan . Mrs Barthol Miller,Mr & Mrs Mohr, David Moor, SueMoran, Vilma & Sonny Morkus, Jef-frey Mow Sally R Murray. JonathanNadler, Priscilla & Daniel Najera, LeeNelson, Harold & Joyce Nissen-

The board of the YosemiteAssociation recently sponsored acompetition for the developmentof a logo for the fundraisingeffort, The Yosemite Fund . Manyinteresting and eye-catching de-signs were submitted by a distin-guished group of artists andgraphic illustrators . The " win-ning" entry which will be used

Halley. Lisa 011erdessen, Peter Palm-quist, William D Peppard, Paul &Lourdes Perona, Paula Peterson, Bill &Bobbie Pomeranz, Hari & Paula Rao,John F Rice Jr, Richard & MarilynRiegelhuth, Dave & Laurie Riggs,Bianca Haendler & Robert Cook,Rhonda Givens & Robert Young, Wil-liam Roden, Phillip & Donna Romley.Marvin Rosenburg, Mary 0 Ruddell,Jean Sakai, Philip Scheinert, MarilynSchrader. Mr & Mrs Arent Schuyler,Rich & Nancy Schwarzmann, Jeanne& Arnold Sealove . Tomasina &Strether Smith . Mark Sonday,.Constance Sowards . RichardD Spotswood, Norma Stolling, AnnStone, Lisa Strong, Phoebe Tanner,Dale & Angela Taufer, Thomas Tharp,William Thawley. L S Todd, Al Tru-jillo, Gene & Jo Wagner, NormaC Wagner, Kathy Warren . WesleyWebb, Norman Weeks, CharlesWeinstein, Karen Wertz, MarthaL Williamson . Judith Yarborough.

Supporting Members

Paula Artac, Karen Batten, JayW Bevan, SandorT Boxer. SharonBriel, Pete Dangermond Jr, WendyDangermond, Louis & MarionEggers, Dennis & Tineke Farley,Ralph & Barbara Gaard, StephenGumina, Ms Jennifer Hooker, DudleyKendall, Mr & Mrs Carol Lane,Robert Edward Lane, Fern E Linder,Mrs Donald Long, Michael Mdivani,Mr & Mrs Richard Mithoff, SusanMunday, Billie Oglesby. Mr & Mrs

for the fund logo is by LarryDuke, a San Francisco-basedartist . Reproduced above, thebeautiful scratchboard view ofthe Valley from Inspiration Pointcaptures the tone that has beenset for the fundraising effort aswell as the grandeur and magnifi-cence of Yosemite.

George Parry, Mr & Mrs W M Peffley.Mitch Perkins, Tom & Beverly San-born, Margaret Saulsbeny, Warren &Brenda Seek, Daniel Shaw Susan &James Simmons, Tom & SusanSoniville, Robert & Nancy Stettler,John Walker, jean Whittlesey.

Contributing Members

Dr & Mrs John Baker, Mr & MrsAllan Betz, Charles Day, BurgessDempster, Robert Donaldson, Walter& Lynette Fong, Robert Johnson,Gary Kinkley, Bruce & Marcia Mor-ton, Katharine Morton, MarthaStocker, Mrs Martha Strauss, GertSuter, Marion VanDilla, Kay & DaleVanGundy III, Lynn Withey.

Sustaining Members

Don & Ann Brush, Mr & Mrs G Fac-tor, Verlyn Jensen, L Nissenson &K Morrow. Mr & Mrs Samuel Strong.

Life Members

Patricia Isely, Carl H & Wilma F Jor-dan, Ann Kennedy. Max Nareff, RoyBryant Rausch . Anne C S Soble.

ParticipatingLife Members

Merwin Mace.

Yosemite FundLogo Selected

THE YOSEMITE FUND

Non-profit OrganizalU.S . POSTAGE

PAIDYosemite Associatic

Yosemite AssociationPost Office Box 230El Portal, CA 95318.

Address Correction Requested

6

9

MainLibra ry

USenriivaelr7se.De

Y /Cal ifBerkele`! ± CA 847 20

Join the YosemiteAssociationYou can help support the workof the Yosemite Association bybecoming a member. Revenuesgenerated by the Association'sactivities are used to fund a vari-ety of National Park Service pro-grams in Yosemite . Not only doesthe Yosemite Association publishand sell literature and maps, itsponsors field seminars, thepark 's Art Activity Center, andthe Ostrander Lake Ski Hut.

A critical element in the suc-cess of the Association is its mem-bership . Individuals and familiesthroughout the country have longsupported the Yosemite Associa-tion through their dues and theirpersonal commitments . Won ' t

you join us in our effort to makeYosemite an even better place?

Member Benefits

As a member of the YosemiteAssociation, you will enjoy thefollowing benefits:

Yosemite, the Association bulle-tin, published on a quarterlybasis;

A A 15% discount on all books,maps, posters, calendars and pub-lications stocked for sale by theAssociation;

S. A 10% discount on most of thefield seminars conducted by theAssociation in Yosemite NationalPark;

— The opportunity to participatein the annual Members ' Meetingheld in the park each fall, alongwith other Association activities ;

A Yosemite Association decal;and

A Special membership gifts asfollows:

Supporting Members: Matted printfrom an illustration by Jane Gyerin " Discovering Sierra Trees" ;

Contributing Members: Full colorposter of Yosemite's wildflowersby Walter Sydoriak;

Sustaining Members : Matted colorphotograph of a wildflower byDana Morgenson;

Life Member : Matted color photo-graph by Howard Weamer of aYosemite scene ; and

Participating Life 114ember: AnselAdams Special Edition print, achi-vally mounted.

Membership dues are tax-deducti-ble as provided by law

YosemiteAssociationBoard ofTrustees Fundraising

CoordinatorKaren Cobb

SeminarCoordinator

Penny Otwell

BookkeeperOffice Manal

Claire Haley

Thomas 1 Shephard,Chairman

Harvey Rhodes,Vice-Clrairntan

Barbara DeWittCarlo S FowlerEdward C HardyRichard MartyrE H McLaughlinLennie RobertsDavid Robertson

MembershipAnne Schneider

CoordinatorPhyllis Weber

Mary Kate DVDaniel WolfusJohn M Morehead,

Administrad

Es officio

Secretary

Leonard W McKenzie . Linda AbbottEr officio

CashierPresident

Steven P Medley

Sales

Richard Reitnauer,.tanager

Patricia Wight,Assistant

Michelle Gissell,Clerk

Jane Loach

Consultant

Henry Bette)

Please enroll me in the Yosemite Association as a . . .

Name (please print) :

Phone Number:

Address :

City :

State/Zip:

Enclosed is my check or money order for $

, or charge to my credit card

Bankamericard/VISA : Number

Expiration Date

MasterCard :

Number

Expiration Date

q Regular Member $20 .00 q Contributing Member q Life Member

q Supporting Member $35 .00 $50.00 $500.00

q Sustaining Member q Participating Life Memberq Spouse add $5 .00 $100.00 $1,000.00

Mail to:Yosemite Association, Post Office Box 230, El Portal, CA 95318 . 209/372-4532 or 372-4714 .

MovingIf you are moving, or haverecently moved, don ' t forgetto notify us . You are a valuedmember of the Association,and we'd like to keep in touchwith you.

Yosemite is published quarter!}' formembers of the Yosemite Associaticedited br Steven P. Medley, and desiSnby Jon Goodchild/Tnad. CopvrightYosemite Association.

For Office Use

Paid :

Card #

Exp . Date :

Gift:

File :

Comp :

Digitized byYosemite Online Library

http ://www.yosemite .ca .us/library

Dan Anderson