Issue No. 104- Tuesday, November 3, 2009    

A Message from Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga

Yosemite National Park Acting Superintendent, Dave Uberuaga has recently released a letter in support of the Yosemite Association and Yosemite Fund consolidation. The Trustees of both organizations have unanimously voted to support the consolidation because they strongly believe it will better protect and preserve Yosemite National Park for future generations by combining the best elements and proud histories of each organization. To quote an excerpt from the Acting Park Superintendent's letter:

"We are truly fortunate in that Yosemite National Park has vibrant and successful nonprofit partner organizations that have contributed to this special place and its visitors in so many ways, including having incredible members and donors who dedicate their human and financial resources to this magnificent landscape we all cherish. By combining the strengths and proud traditions of two organizations, its members and donors, we are excited that a new unified organization will better serve Yosemite and help preserve our national treasure for future generations."  

To read the full letter of support, please Click Here.

Call of the Wild

Bigfoot loves getting out for a winter ramble in Yosemite and you should too. Yosemite Association’s Outdoor Adventures are are a superb way to structure an exploration of the namesake season in the Sierra Nevada. Our field seminars are a great mix of snowshoe naturalist hikes, moonlight snowshoe treks, photography programs, helping rangers with a snow survey, and a natural history adventure at Ostrander Lake Ski Hut. Most of our courses are on Saturdays. There’s lodging already reserved for your Friday and Saturday nights. For no extra charge, there is also camping reserved in Yosemite Valley (BYO fur). Sasquatch and Yosemite Fund donors get a 10% discount on tuition, and Association members get a 15% tuition discount. Park entry is free for all mammals enrolled in these education programs. Explore the offerings on our website or call us at 209/379-2321. 

A Legacy of Volunteering

When Yosemite Association member Joyce Avenell’s husband Jim died in 2007, she and her children wanted to do something special to help create a legacy to the place that meant so much to them all. Jim had been a High Sierra guide from 1956 to 1961, while working his way through Cal-Poly.  Throughout his life, Jim celebrated his love of the outdoors, and especially Yosemite National Park. Jim married Joyce in 1979, and every year for the rest of his life they would travel with their family to Yosemite three or four times each year. Joyce says, “we’d get withdrawal symptoms if we didn’t come every quarter.” 

Near the end of his life, Jim told his children that “my legacy will be my collection of 30 or more Pendleton wool shirts.”  The family decided to enrich the legacy out of their father’s gift by creating a Yosemite quilt made out of the Pendletons and Levis. Each of the Avenell’s three children and eight grandchildren chose a pattern they wanted to be included in the quilt. At the center of the quilt --  designed, pieced and quilted by Sharlene Weiser of Wiggins, Colorado -- is the Yosemite Association logo.

In June, Joyce spent a month in Yosemite Valley as a Yosemite Association volunteer. “I feel close to Jim while I’m here,” Joyce said between helping visitors at the Association membership booth. “There are so many things that reflect his memory.”Joyce plans to return to volunteer again next summer. Her daughter Cherie Stephens of Yuba City sells jams and jellies in Yosemite Valley stores, with names such as “Bears Choice Raspberry” and “Pomo-Granite.”

For the Avenells and so many others, Yosemite is a family affair that is carried across generations, each with an opportunity to leave a legacy for the next.

Stay Informed on Proposed Consolidation

You can find background materials and new developments regarding the Yosemite Association and Yosemite Fund consolidation on our website. Association members can also cast their vote for the consolidation (one vote per membership ID). Please click here to find out more. 

On Sale Now-Get Them While They Last!

Yosemite National Park 2010 Calendar

Was $8.95, now $5.95 (Member price $5.06)

This full-size calendar features 12 stunning photographs and large date boxes.Scenes include waterfalls, winterscapes, meadows, and trees. Produced exclusively for the Yosemite Association, this calendar will be sure to remind you of your best times in Yosemite National Park year round.Click here for more information.

 Volunteer Season Wrap Up

October marked the end of the Association’s work week and month long volunteer programs. From the first to arrive to the last to leave, our volunteers were hearty souls who came from all over the nation. They flew, drove, carpooled and took public transportation to get to the Park from California, Illinois, Florida, South Dakota, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, North Carolina, Washington, Kentucky, Georgia, Hawaii, and Alaska. From newbie’s to 18 year veterans, they forged new and rekindled old friendships. Their joy and passion for Yosemite was the glue that bound them together.

The Work Week Program

Work Week volunteers removed invasive species and illegal fire rings, obliterated social trails, restored habitats, helped archeologists in the aftermath of the Big Meadow fire, monitored trail use, and built protective fences in projects located in Foresta, Yosemite Valley, Wawona, Sunrise High Sierra Camp, Tenaya Lake, and Tuolumne Meadows areas. They nurtured natives, from seedlings to Sequoias and went after invasives with a vengeance. 

Month Long Volunteer Program  

Month-long volunteers provided visitors with information regarding park transportation, activity planning, habitat protection, pets, lost & found, hiking safety, bears, picnic, lodging and campground accommodations, handicap access, and cultural events. They also assisted with art classes, theater advertising, Outdoor Adventure classes, bear roving, campsite assignments, cultural events & festivals. The friendly service they provided in Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, and Wawona enabled visitors to make the most of the time they had to spend. These visitors then returned home to become emissaries of the Park. 

 

Jo Wamser & visitor in Tuolumne Meadows

Misha Buckley & visitors in Yosemite Valley

vol•un•teer (vol әn ter′) n.  1.  a person who offers to serve without obligation to do so.  2.  a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.  3.  a person who is an exceptional human being.     

 To all of those who came to contribute to the legacy of volunteerism in Yosemite, the Association extends its thanks!  -Suzy Hasty, Volunteer Coordinator

 Many Thanks To Our Partners!

Yosemite Association's volunteer program could not succeed without the wonderful people who so generously work with us. Thank you all!

National Park Service-Yosemite Fund-Delaware North Companies-Yosemite Institute

Merced Wild & Scenic River: New Ideas for a New Plan

Public scoping meetings to be held on the Merced River Plan. Please click here to view schedule and to find the meeting nearest you.