December 2018

WAWONA RANGER UPDATE

Eric Scott ~ Wawona District Ranger

As we go into the winter season, I wanted to pass along some items relating to property
owners and wildland fire prevention that have been discussed recently at the last WAPOA and
WTPAC meetings with the NPS. There has been recent discussion between property owners
and the NPS regarding what can be done to help reduce the threat of wildfire in the Wawona
community. The NPS is currently working on a proposed plan that will need to be approved
by the Park Superintendent that will authorize private property owners to clear brush and lad-
der fuels on adjoining NPS land within 100 feet of their property line. The authorization will
be in writing and will be specific on what property owners can and cannot do on NPS land.
The NPS recognizes the importance of fuel reduction as it relates to fire prevention and struc-
ture protection in the wildland-urban interface.

When this process is approved and finalized, the NPS will notify property owners in
Wawona in writing through various means. Please do not take this article was written permis-
sion from the NPS to start clearing NPS land near your property. As Wawona Fire Captain
Parker Bevington has stated at the last couple of WAPOA meetings, NPS Fire also has several
projects inside the Wawona community that will also be focusing on fuel reduction. If you
intend to burn small debris piles on your property, you are required to get a burn permit
from Cal-Fire at any of the local Cal-Fire stations, and are allowed only to do it on
“Permissive” burn days, which you can determine by calling Mariposa County. You
should also call Yosemite Park Dispatch at 209-379-1992 to inform them you will be
burning a pile.

The Wawona Woodlot is currently open for the dumping of yard debris including:
leaves, pine needles, brush and tree limbs ONLY. We do not want property owners to deposit
any trees or logs. We will also not allow any Contractors to dump any yard debris into the
woodlot. If you hire a contractor to clean your property, you must ensure that they haul the
debris out of the park.

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions at the Wawona Ranger
office, 209-375-9520 or via email at Eric_Scott@nps.gov.
 WAWONA RANGER UPDATE (continued)
Eric Scott ~ Wawona District Ranger
As we approach winter, the Park is going into winter mode with several closures that will oc-
cur or have already occurred. These include the Tioga Road and the Glacier Point Road. One
of concerns the Park will be monitoring are the Ferguson Fire burn scars on both Highway 140
and 41 in the park. During storms this winter and the spring, the burn scars will be subject to
debris flows and potential rock fall due to the severity of the fire burning in those areas. The
NPS will have personnel patrolling both roads during the storms and may initiate road closures
if the conditions become necessary to ensure visitor safety. The NPS is coordinating weather
monitoring efforts with the Hanford office of the National Weather Service that will include
Spot Weather forecasts and Ferguson Fire burn scar “threat levels” during storms. Mariposa
County has already rolled out their new Everbridge alert notification system for alerts in the
County. Yosemite National Park will also be transitioning from Rapid Notify to the Ever-
bridge system as well. You are strongly encouraged to sign up to receive the Everbridge alerts
from Mariposa County. You can find the link to do so online at: www.mariposacounty.org.
If you were already registered with Mariposa County for their alerts, you likely already re-
ceived an email from them to register with Everbridge

Winter Operations in the

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Yosemite National Park Announces winter operations in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Se-
quoias to begin on Friday, November 30, 2018.

The Mariposa Grove will be closed to automobiles for the winter season beginning on Fri-
day, November 30, 2018. The Mariposa Grove Shuttle Service also ends for the season on
November 30, 2018. Visitors can use the South Entrance Parking Area and walk into the
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.

The visitor contact station and gift shop located in the Depot at Mariposa Grove will be
open during the winter season, as weather and road conditions permit. During the month of
December, the Depot will be open 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Depot operations in January and February may vary depending upon weather and road
conditions.

All roads within the park are subject to chain control or temporary closures due to hazard-
ous driving conditions. All motorists should carry tire chains, even if their car is equipped
with four-wheel drive. Tire chains may be required at any time based on conditions.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call
209-372-0200 (press 1,1).
 The Redwoods In Yosemite
Christian Mueller ~ General Manager

The Redwoods in Yosemite and our staff have those who are affected by all the fires
raging in California in our thoughts and prayers. This Holiday season, we could not be
more thankful for the incredible sacrifice all of the first-responder's make every time
they answer the call of duty.

We have the opportunity to host 4 students from Brazil this winter. If any homeown-
ers are interested in offering them any work in addition to their duties for The Red-
woods, please contact Ashley at Ashley@redwoodsinyosemite.com. Additionally
please contact Ashley if you are in need of our Event Center for any meetings or gath-
erings. Our winter hours will be from 8:00 am-5:00 pm 7 days a week.

From all of us at The Redwoods, we wish you all a very happy holiday season and a
phenomenal 2019.

Important Web Site:

Check out local events and news
on the Wawona website:
www.wawonanews.com
Many thanks to Fede Peinado
November 25—December 14:Wawona Hotel for maintaining our
Closed www.wawonanews.com web-
December 14: Wawona Hotel reopens for the site!
holidays
December 14: Wawona Hotel Annual Tr ee Light-
ing Dinner 5 p.m.
January 1: Wawona Hotel Closes for the Winter
after Breakfast
Date TBA: Hotel Reopens for the 2019 Season: WAWONA TOWN
April 13 WAPPOA Wawona Community Center PLANNING
9.a.m. ADVISORY COMMITTEE
June 8 WAPPOA Wawona Community Center There are several vacancies on this
9 a.m. committee. Check the Mariposa
June Date TBA : Pine Needle Pickup County website or contact our Dis-
August 31: Wawona Fr iends of the Libr ar y Book/ trict 5 Supervisor, Miles Menetrey,
Bake/Craft Sale (mmenetrey@mariposacounty.org)
October 12: WAPPOA Wawona Community Cen- if you are interested in serving.
ter 9 a.m.
TBA: Lar ge item pickup
 The Wawona History Project
Liv Eskola

At the conclusion of the June 2018 WAPPOA general meeting, Wayne Heringer and Liv
Eskola videoed 94 year old Anita Fulmer as she shared her experiences in Raymond and the
Park beginning with her childhood. She was sharp, humorous and managing a fragile
body. Sadly, on October 21, 2018 she passed on. She will be missed.

Anita was our inaugural attempt to begin gathering the 'living history' of Wawona with a focus
starting in the 1920 +/-. She inspired me to look for more folks in her age category. I've locat-
ed 9 more 90 year olds, and it is clear to me there is no time to waste. I'll start the interviews
ASAP, early 2019.

My Dad, Al Escola, 91 years old has agreed to be my first subject by sharing his memories of
WAPOA's beginnings. He observed and supported Marie Escola and Chuck Cushman to create
an inholders presence in Yosemite. His idea is to call his and the others' interviews 'Wawona
As We Knew It'.

The next cohort I'd like to interview will be people who grew up in Wawona as residents and
visitors. I'm interested in recollections as well as photos and I have a good size group of
them!

To learn about planning, recording and storing the interviews for the indefinite future, I took
an short oral history class this past summer. It was an introduction and it's much more com-
plex than it seems.

It is a time intensive process, so I'm forming a nonprofit to accept tax deductible donations to
do it correctly. Each interview takes 30-40 hours of preparation, transcriptions, etc. WAP-
POA's nonnprofit does not allow tax deductible donations so a separate nonprofit is indicated.

In all of this, WAPPOA and I will be collaborating by sharing history subjects as well as
presentations, though we will be separate entities. We already have some exciting possibilities
for next year. Liv Eskola can be reached at: <liv.eskola@gmail.com>

Pioneer Yosemite History Center

Adam Ramsey, the new Wawona District Supervisor for Interpretation, will be in charge of
running living history, stagecoach operations, and ranger programs in the PYHC taking the
place of retired Dean Shenk.
Adam has done living history as a park ranger at National Mall and Memorial Parks, and at
Governors Island National Monument. He has been a park ranger in Yosemite for over 7 years.
His main passion is people and stories of the countless fascinating folks who have visited Yo-
semite or called it home.
 Wawona’s Hooting Owl Lecture Series Completes First Year
James Cox

2018 was a successful first year for the Hooting Owl Lecture Series in Wawona. This new
community event began hosting speakers in January and events ran each month through No-
vember. Attendees got a chance to hear about rock falls in Yosemite from NPS Geologist
Greg Stock, the latest mountain lion research from California Department of Fish & Wildlife
Environmental Scientist Justin Dellinger, and a few pieces of Wawona’s unique history from
local historian Tom Bopp. Other speakers included local artist, naturalist, and Ranger Shirley
Spencer, NPS Fire Ecologist Jun Kinoshita, Yosemite Biologist and bear expert Ryan Leahy,
and UC Merced Professor Stephen Hart. The most recent events included Yosemite Search &
Rescue expert John Dill and Yosemite Wildlife Ecologist Sarah Stock.

The lecture series and events are organized by a committee of volunteers, which consists of
NPS Ranger James Cox, SNRI Director Anne Kelly, Redwoods Channel Liaison Yulia Rip-
petoe, and community member Gary Wuchner. Events are hosted at the Wawona Community
Center, typically in the evening from 6:00 to 7:30 PM during the second week of the month.
Didn’t have a chance to make a Hooting Owl Lecture event in 2018? Well the committee is
currently working on the 2019 schedule, which will be announced in early January. One goal
for the new year is to align lecture dates with other Wawona events. In April, June and Octo-
ber the schedule will align with weekends scheduled for WAPPOA meetings, for example.
Events are open to all Wawona community members and employees. Look for schedule up-
dates on the Wawona Community Facebook page and online at www.wawonanews.com. Or
better yet, come to the next lecture and sign up for the email list and you’ll be sure to know the
latest!

TRAFFIC ALERT – WINTER CONDITIONS

Chain Requirements
Winter conditions now exist in Yosemite National Park. Drivers must be able to install
their own chains on the proper wheel axle. Chain installation charts can be obtained at the
following website: http://www.dot.ca.gov/cttravel/winter.html
Chain Requirements:
Autos & Pickups with Snow Tires OK (R1): Chains or tractions devices are required
on the drive axle of all vehicles without snow tires (M/S, M+S, MS, or Mud and
Snow stamp on sidewall AND a minimum of 6/32” tread depth). Additionally,
all vehicles over 6000 pounds unladen weight must install chains. If a 4WD vehi-
cle is between 6000 and 6500 pounds unladen weight, it does not need to install
chains but it does need to activate 4WD.
4WD with Snow Tires OK (R2): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles
except 4WD/AWD vehicles under 6500 pounds unladen weight with snow tires.
No Exceptions (R3): Chains or traction devices are required on ALL vehicles with no
exceptions.
 Big Trees Winter Holidays
Welcome to the holiday season at the Big Trees Lodge

Friday, December 14th – Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony

2pm – The Big Trees Lodge doors open, revealing our traditional country holiday décor.
5:00pm to 9:30pm – Big Trees annual tree lighting ceremony ~ take a walk through the Wawona histo-
ry with Master of Ceremonies Tom Bopp.
5:00pm to 6:00pm - Complimentary cookie and Chef’s specialty hot beverage served in the main lodge.

530pm to 930pm – Enjoy Tom Bopp’s piano and vocal stylings.

Christmas cookie decorating

Christmas ornament making
Ginger Bread house making Competition

Tuesday, December 25th –Christmas Day Celebration

Monday, December 24th - Christmas Eve Celebration
1pm to 9pm – Christmas Day Dinner in the dining
2pm-3p – Santa Claus comes to Big Trees Lodge for
room -Advanced reservations are required for dinner
storytelling and photo opportunities with the kids.
Santa Claus will present gifts and read a story by the fireplace.
Monday, January 31st – New Year’s Eve Celebration
Bring gifts to the Front Desk before noon, one labeled gift per
530pm to 10pm – Tom Bopp begins the Eve Celebra-
person. Chef’s specialty hot beverage and cookies served in the
tion with his dazzling array of musical selections.
main lodge while Santa is visiting.
5pm to 10pm – New Year’s Eve Dinner celebration in
3pm to 5pm – After Santa Claus departs Christmas Cookie
the dining room. -Advanced reservations required for
decorating will be taking place in the Small Dining room with
dinner
Chefs specialty hot beverages available.
10pm to Midnight – Live music by Wild Hare

Happy New Year ~ 2019!

 Friends of the Bassett Memorial Library in Wawona
NEWSLETTER
PO Box 2008, Wawona, CA 95389
Community Appreciation
The annual Book/Bake/Craft Sale was a
huge success this year! After all the late
sales were paid for, we made $2223.00!
Credit goes to Kathy Scott, our chairper-
son, and our amazing volunteers who
sorted books, worked the sale, did set-up
and take-down, and baked all the great
baked items. Once again, our community
supported the sale as the best customers!
August ~ November 2018
Memorial Donations
Wawona Bassett Memorial Library
Russ &Teresa Bassett
Lillian & Bob Eggers
Anita Fulmer
Closed Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday,
Important Web Site:
Check out local events and news on
the
Wawona website:
www.wawonanews.com
December 2018
Extra Summer Hours Challenge
THANK YOU, SARA!!!
Thanks to everyone who made donations to-
wards the Extra Summer Hours Challenge.
Sara Miller McCune matched the dollars do-
nated and we were able to keep the library
open 6 days a week from Memorial Day to
Labor Day—adding 3 days to the County
funded 3 days a week. We’ve been funded
for the Extra Summer Hours every summer
since the library opened in 1997 by the gen-
erous donations from the community and
Sara Miller McCune.
Hours
Labor Day 2018 through Memorial Day 2019
209-375-6510
Free Internet & Wi-Fi Available
Monday: Noon – 5 PM
Wednesday: Noon – 5 PM
Friday: Noon – 5 PM
Saturday: 10 AM – 3 PM
& Holidays
 Wawona Community Newsletter
P.O. Box 2008
Wawona, CA 95389

2019 MEMBERSHIP WAWONA FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY

Please print information for mailing list: April 1 ~ March 31

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___Golden Patron $ 500.00 ___Wawona Fund Booster Unlimited
Additional Contributions: (Include address for acknowledgement)

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