> TAKE PRIDE IN United States Department of the Interior AMERICA NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 3^ P.O. Box 577 Yosemite National Park, California 95389 IN REfLY REFER TO: A2621 (WR-RH) AftPR 2 •50 Or Memorandum To: Regional Director, Western Region From: Superintendent, Yosemite Subject: Superintendent's Annual Report Enclosed is Yosemite's Annual Report for 1994. /$/ B. J. Griffin B.J. Griffin Enclosure Yosemite National Park Superintendent's Annual Report 1994 Table of Contents Highlights 1 Division of Administration 5 Division of Concessions Management 11 Division of Interpretation 15 Division of Maintenance 33 Division of Visitor Protection 46 Division of Resources Management 48 Safety Office 59 SUPERINTENDENT'S ANNUAL REPORT YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 1994 HIGHLIGHTS January ♦ January 6 - Superintendent Mike Finley met with Congressman Doolittle (R- Rocklin), Senator Tim Leslie (R-Roseville), Assemblyman David Knowles (R- Placerville), District 3 Supervisor Tim Alpers, Mammoth Lakes Mayor David Watson, Mammoth Mountain Inn Manager Tom Smith, and CalTrans officials in Sacramento to discuss the opening of the Tioga Road. ♦ January 10 - Four day search began for Scott Kent, 23, of Sacramento. Initial evidence led the NPS to believe he was in the park. He later called his family on February 16 and told them he was okay. Search cost the park approximately $60,000. ♦ January 31 - The park received $151,000 from the first Yosemite License Plate installment. A press conference was held in Sacramento to commemorate the event. The State received $240,000. March ♦ March 14 - Superintendent Finley took a two month detail as Associate Director for Operations in WASO. ♦ March 21 - The decision was made to allow rafting, but with specific time and location restrictions. ♦ March 26 - The body of Keita Chijiwa, 21, a Japanese National, was found just off the Four-Mile Trail. He had been missing since early March. ♦ March 29 - Gregory Sholders, 19, Greeley, Colorado, drowned in the Merced River below the Vernal Fall foot bridge. April ♦ April 4-5 - Secretary Bruce Babbitt visited the park. ♦ April 18 - Plowing began along the Tioga Road. Mono County started plows from the east into the park and NPS crews began plowing from the west. NPS crews were able to plow as far as White Wolf on the first day. Twelve inches of snow was reported in Tuolumne. ♦ April 20 - NPS and Mono County plow crews met at Tenaya Lake on the Tioga Road. 1 ♦ April 25 - A press conference marking the distribution of the first Yosemite License Plates was held in Sacramento. Attendees were: Doug Wheeler, DMV representatives, Mike Finley and Keith Schiller. An estimated $600,000 had been received from the program to date. May ♦ May 9 - "CBS This Morning" shot a 2-hour show with Harry Smith and Paula Zahn from the Ahwahnee Hotel - all stories focused on the park. ♦ May 11 - The Half Dome cables were put up. ♦ May 13 - Glacier Point Road opened. ♦ May 17 - A slide below Arch Rock closed Highway 140 for several hours. ♦ May 21 - The body of Gordon Douglas Gasnoda, 34, from Concord, California was discovered at the base of Ribbon Fall. The cause and extent of the fall remain unknown. ♦ May 23 - WASO announced that Mike Finley was selected as the new Superintendent of Yellowstone. He assumed the new post in October. ♦ May 25 - Tioga Road opened for the season. ♦ May 25 - A joint press conference with Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park was held at Chaffee Zoo in Fresno. The event promoted the bear resistant food canisters. It was a huge success with significant media coverage. ♦ May 27 - A cautionary flyer about mountain lions was distributed to all visitors entering the park over the Memorial Day weekend. Reports indicated that three lions had been seen in the Valley during the previous week. ♦ May 31 - Tioga Road was closed from midnight to 7 a.m. due to a rock slide on the east side and snow along the road. June ♦ June 3-5 - Sir Edmond Hillary visited the park for the first time. ♦ June 11 - Wawona rangers reported four deer poached in the area. Several individuals were cited into court. ♦ June 13 - Three climbers were cited into court for using motorized bolting on El Capitan. July ♦ July 4 - Tioga Road was closed from approximately 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. due to a single car accident which killed three people near Tamarack Flat Campground. 2 August ♦ August 12 - The Horizon Fire, a PNF lightening strike fire which started May 31 (approximately 1.5 miles south of Glacier Point), took a major run. It crossed the Illilouette Creek causing a precautionary evacuation of approximately 200 backpackers and hikers from Little Yosemite Valley and surrounding areas. The fire was 100% contained on August 15. ♦ August 17 - Investigators and archeologists flew into Stubblefield Canyon to a plane crash site reported August 7 by trail workers. Human remains were found. The crash was reported to have occurred in 1962. ♦ August 18 - During a meeting with CalTrans, PG&E, NPS, and California Energy Commission to discuss alternative fuel vehicles for the park, PG&E presented a $95,000 check to the NPS to help purchase electric buses. ♦ August 20 - A memorial service was held in Lee Vining for Ferdinand Castillo, a long-time Tioga Pass ranger. His ashes were scattered at the pass. ♦ August 27 - Park entrance "Free Day" in honor of the NPS's 78th birthday. ♦ August 27 - September 3 - Tom Collier, Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt's Chief of Staff, visited the park. September ♦ September 8-10 - Superintendent Finley hosted a Yosemite Fund function at May Lake. Attendees were: Deputy Director John Reynolds; Secretary, The Resources Agency of California Doug Wheeler; Delaware North executives; Ambassador Bill Lane; Chevron and Texaco executives; and Transamerica and Wells Fargo Bank executives. ♦ September 12 - Tioga Road closed in Lee Vining due to snow, remaining closed through the night and following day. The road reopened September 14. ♦ September 16-21 - Nat Reed and his wife visited the park. October ♦ October 4 - Tioga Road closed due to snow - 16 inches reported at Tuolumne Meadows. The road reopened on October 6. ♦ October 4 - Glacier Point Road closed due to snow. It reopened October 7. ♦ October 4 - A rockslide below Arch Rock on Highway 140 temporarily delayed traffic on that road. ♦ October 5 - Thirteen people were rescued from El Capitan after being caught off guard in a cold storm. There were no major injuries. ♦ October 6-10 - Mike Finley's "Agenda 95" group visited the park. 3 ♦ October 11 - Superintendent decided to close the Ostrander Ski Hut due to fecal coliform in the lake. ♦ October 14 - The oldest ranger in the NPS, Carl Sharsmith, died in San Jose at the age of 91. Carl, who worked seasonally in Yosemite since 1930, completed the 1994 summer season in Tuolumne. November ♦ November 1 - Senator Barbara Boxer met with Superintendent Finley to discuss park issues. Local business owners and environmentalists were invited to a round table discussion with the Senator. ♦ November 2 - Tioga Road closed due to snow. Road conditions were assessed on a daily basis. ♦ November 3 - Glacier Point Road closed for the season. ♦ November 7 - Kevin Cann, Chief of Maintenance, assumed Acting Superintendent duties until Mike Finley's replacement came on-board. ♦ November 7 - B.J. Griffin was named new Superintendent for Yosemite. ♦ November 10 - Tioga Road officially closed for the season. ♦ November 28 - Mariposa Grove Road closed for the season due to deteriorating condition of the road. December ♦ December 1 - The decision was made to close Badger Pass Ski Area on weekdays between December 5 and 16. ♦ December 12 - Rockslides on Northside Drive at Three Brothers caused the closure of one lane on Northside Drive. Traffic was convoyed around the slide. ♦ December 31 - The annual visitation for 1994 was: 4,105,755. 4 DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT Branch of Fiscal Management The end of FY94 showed the park completed the fiscal year within its budget. The park was 2.0 over FTE. There was a significant reduction in purchase orders and blanket orders. 4,127 Bills for Collection were issued. 4,259 Third Party Drafts were processed. 880 Travel Authorizations were issued which generated over 2,640 associated travel documents. Implementation of the new AFSII system was begun. Complete parkwide implementation was expected for March 1995 once all network connections were in place. The following individuals joined the Administrative management team: Sallie Stansberry Supervisory Contract Officer Robert (Bob) Johnson Chief of Special Park Uses Other positions filled were: Nikyra Calcagno Contracting Mary Lou Cant Fiscal C. Marie Denn Human Resources Carmen Fay Accounts Payable Jan Gwynn Human Resources Calvin Liu Information Management Gerrit (Lou) Louweren Supervisory Voucher Examiner Jody Phillips Human Resources Paula Sheehan Lost and Found George Stephens Accounts Payable Cindy Whitten Human Resources The division acquired a new branch in order to consolidate and manage the special use permits system. This branch is known as Special Park Uses. Housing Management The Administrative Officer and the Housing Manager met with the County of Mariposa Tax Collector in order to establish better communications and to come to an understanding of supplemental property taxes and how they are applied to government quarters. 5 The Housing Office worked closely with the General Accounting Office (GAO) and WASO in responding to the many inquiries on Yosemite housing. The GAO sent a report, "Re-examination of Employee Housing," to Congress in August 1994. Rental rates continued under the congressional 10% cap limitation. This is the fourth year the cap has been in place. Unit #4186, located in Wawona, was added to the available housing units for the park. The park received 28 new apartment units in the Rancheria Flat area of El Portal.