July 1930

The Yosemite Museum Volume IX

JULY, 1930

Number 7 Department of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur, Secretary National Park Service Horace M Albright, Direc for

Ttii PUBLICATION OP

THE YOSEMITE EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT AND THE YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

Published monthly Volume

July 1930 Number 7 Albright's Efforts Save Yosemite Timber By JAMES V. LLOYD Assistant Superintendent Yosemite National Park Yosemite, June 21.-With the securing the passage of a federal payment of $293,685.15 to private regulation permitting the National interests recently by John D. RockPark Service to buy private lands efeller Jr. and the United States, within the boundaries of a national 12,000 acres of the finest yellow and park, provided some citizen would sugar pine forests in the West be willing to share half the purpassed to government control and chase price with the United States. became an important part of YoA second bill passed by Congress semite National Park, located on gave the government the right to California's eastern boundary. This condemn all private holdings in the transaction marked the largest sinparks. gle purchase-ever made in connee Already a generous donor to nation with a national park. It saved tional parks, Director Albright the Tuolumne and Merced groves found John D. Rockefeller Jr. a of Big Trees from an ignominious ready aide in the fight to save the isolation, certain to follow with the precious timberlands. With the asthreatened cutting of the nearby surance from Rockefeller that he forest lands. The purchase of the would furnish necessary private do12,000 acres brought to an end a nation to meet the 50-50 purchase protracted fight to preserve the provision of the law, Director AlYosemite timber. bright and Congressman Cramton Director. Horace M. Albright of redoubled their efforts to secure the the National Park Service first dineeded funds from the government. rected public attention toward the An appropriation of $1,649,342.57 by menace of the woodman's ax deCongress followed. With a like sum stroying the virgin forests of the contributed by Rockefeller, the delipark. He interested Congressman Cate negotiations for the acquisition Louis C. Cramton of Michigan Ni of the valuable forests were brought

'YG81iM1TL :NA1'URI. N(ITLS to a speedy conclusion. ficials to be of vital importance to Commeting 'en the purchase of. the future public enjoyment of Yo these lands, Secretary of the Intesemite. Tresidder is largely re ran' Wi bui recently said; sponsible for the modern hotel and The nation as a whole and parcamp resort development in the ticularly futiri'e. visitors to the Yo_ park that 'serves 460,000 visitors an smuts?, pwe ce. &lit of.gratitude to nually—at all seasons of the. year John D. Rockefeller Jr. and to the The cost of these private land members of Congress, particularly purchases involving only 12,006 Repesentative Lonis C. Cramton of acres is an index of the enormous Michigan, who were so far-sighted value of the 728,000 acres now con and patriotic to make possible this stituting Yosemite National Park.

VIRGIN TIMBER SAVED FOR. YOSEMITE MERCED GROV B1G TREES

(,TIIOG tGG ~ ~~

GROVE

Bie' RREES I ACQU €D BY ENOIEBRpNT B4

ACO/ARED M JOINT P JRQIASE OF, LR ROCIT 1

L zR ITFE UNTIED STAIRS

ACQUIRED BY JOINT PURCHASE OF,..

DR TRE..BODER a THE' MIRED STATE S saving' of national beauty."" The third land acqulsitioo i:ialie This outstanding forest'cbntribufor Yosemite recently came with tion by Rockefeller has been some the passage of Congressman Harry what' paralleledby Dr. Don TresidL. Engeibright's bill,' adding 960 del', president.Of the Yosemite Park acres of government land to th< aridCorry Company; public utility park. The administration of 'this operators in Yosemi'te.-: He recently area by the National Park Service joined With the National Park Seais considered of paramountlimpoi f' vieethe"purchase of 52G-acres-at ante iri the building of the new Gin and Crane flats, inside of Yosemite National Park and along the Crane Flat-Hetch Hetchy road, now Big Oak Flat road. These lands teing surveyed for early construe are considered by national park oftion.

~ 7D YOSOOTE VALLEY

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTE;

Evidence of an Old Indian Trail Located By ASSISTANT CHIEF RANGER d. H. WEGNER Returning by way of the Big Oak first white men crossing the mounFlat road from an inspection trip tams from west to east used the through the Crane Flat district this Indians' through trail, would it not spring, the ground became suffibe reasonable to suppose that Capciently bare after leaving Tamafain Walker, on his expedition rack Flat to allow travel without across the Sierras from Mono lake the aid of snow shoes. After strapto the San Joaquin valley in the ping these to my back and while year 1833, would have done exactly stepping blithely along in one of the same thing from the starting the bare spots near the west fork point on the east slope? of Coyote creek, my attention was These deductions are strengthattracted by some flakes of obsidiened further by notes in the diary an lying scattered about along the of Captain Walker's secretary, reroadside. This immediately aroused cently brought to public attention my curiosity, as Indian rancherias in articles written by Francis Farare rather an exception in a purely quhar, a prominent member of the fir type forest. This naturally Sierra Club and an historian of called for a little further investiganote, in which mention is made tion, which soon disclosed the acorn that some of the party doing scout grinding mortar holes on a neighduty came upon a deep valley with boring granite boulder, This, of vertical walls down which there course, definitely established it as was no possibility of descending one of their camp grounds. and into which plunged tremendous After some reflection on the unwaterfalls, the depth of the valley usual location of this camp, I ob being so great that the water disserved that it was directly on the appeared from view before landing path of the trail used by the first on the floor below "Certainly s white men whc crossed the mouelikely impression of anyone viewtains to the Mono Lake side. The ing the valley for the first time general course of this old trail, I from the top of Yosemite Falls." have been told by some of the real Another note in the diary men old-time stockmen who used to tions that the party came upon a range throughout this area, was group of trees.. with. cinnamon col from Anderson valley to Hazel ored bark, immensely larger than Green, Big Meadows to Tamarack any.:of,the surrounding forests. creek, and then over Lightning With the trail location known al Ridge (so named because lightning the point crossing Yosemite creek at one time was said to have killed a rancheria (reported by old sheepa large number of sheep there), men) on Lightning Ridge, ' and 'thy down what is now known as Blue known locations at Coyote creek Jay creek, into the Yosemite creek Big Meadows and ' Little IVelli canyon, crossing the' creek at the Falls, it could reasonably be 1m-al.; second sand bar, which is approxi fined that the Walker party.tnaN mately two miles above the' falls ' have traveled that route and wr'r These reflections lead to the more. the first white men to sec the Me,or less logical deduction that if the

ced Grove of Big Trees

1`SM M ITE NATURE'NOTES

The Golden-Winged Elder Borer By LOIS M. BALLOT_ Student Field School The most colorful and one of the largc'rt insects of the Yosemite National Park, excluding the lepidopterus group, seen by the Field School of" Natural History during the past summer, was the golden winged eldeir borer. This beetle, scientifically known as Desmocerus a' r iperinis Chev., was 'first ' seen on'theelderberry (Sambucus glauca) while nearing the top of the YoSemite Falls. One week later it was observed while hiking down the Pohone Trail. According to E. O. Essig, The larvae live 'two years and mine the trunks and limbs of the living red and blue elderberry in the High Sierra of California and Nevada. The larvae enter wounds and scars and mine into the pith. Sometimes they kill the limbs and smaller branches." (1) The wings of the beetle are predominantly a very brillian orange color, thus the name "golden-winged elder borer." The body, with the exbeption of the wings, is shiny black and varies in length' from 23-28" m. m. The females are dis tinguished frrom the male by large

blue-green blotches on the wing covers outlined by orange. The borer has long curled and manyjointed antennae. The accompanying illustration gives one an idea of the form and pattern of the insect. (1) Essig, E. O., Insects of West, North. Am. p 454-1926. The Knobcone Pine at El Portal By ENID MICHAEL Ranger-Naturalist In the Yosemite National Paid: and left without protection. This the pine tree family is represented pine is the knobcone pine (Pinuby eight species. In former yea's attenuate). the pines had nine representatives In George B. Sudworth's "Forest in the park, but when the western Trees of the Pacific Slope," 1912 boundary of the park was moved the author quotes a questionable eastward, one of the most interest record of the knobcone pine in Ye ing pines was, thrown out of bounds semite National Park. For years

Y06BMIT$ NAlURh,NOTls there has been more or less specPinus ponderosa and Pinus sabihiulation among those who happened time The knobcone pine is 'a fire to be interested as to whether this type pine —a pine that does not orpine had ever been found within dinarily shed or open its cones unthe confines of the park. less swept by fire. The cones perThis question was recently settled silt on the branches for many when a party from the Yosemite years, sometimes even becoming Museum discovered two fine speciembedded in the wood of the tree. mens of the knobcone pine growing It was cones densely clustered along on a flat between the El Portal stathe branches that attracted our attion and the Merced river. The altention to the tree. A specimen of titude here is 2000 feet. These two trees approximately 45 feet tall branch and cones was;collected for were about 100 yards apart and exhibit in the tree room at our Yo were growing in, association with semite Museum. Bird Intelligence By Enid Michael, Ranger'-LVatura}1St Blue-fronted;jays are certainly of the,house to see how the jays wise birds. The blue-fronts are were progressing with their nest' those handsome-crested jays, but found Lady Jay tugging at a piece with all their beauty they surely of string that had become entan use their heads for other purposes gled - in the branches of the cedar.

than merely to support a jaunty To help the jay out h 'went into the head-dress. They have logical house and got some cotton waste Minds; they can reasoe and it which I shredded and tossed ' on member. the ground under the cedar. The It happened to be my good.for jays _were,quick to take advantage tune to get very well acquainted of my offering.ad during the 'onwith a certain pair of these jays struetion of the nest the ° cotton In the spring of 1929 when they dewaste was incorporated into the tide(' to nest they chose as the nestframe of the structure and also ing site a cedar bough about six into the nest cup. feet above the ground. Where the About the time the nest began branchlets spread from the main to assume the aspect of completestem of the bough they laid a fourstress there came a heavy downpour dation of course twigs Those of rain. For two days the jays of twig& were not picked from she the pair took ' turns hovering the ground, but broken one by one nest to protect it from the downfrom manzanita bushes growing pour.. The nest, however, and espe• in the neighborhood. Each twig dally the cotton waste became was carefully selected so that when more or less moistened. Now this placed it would dovetail nicely into is the truth : When the strom was the structure. The foundation was over and the sun came out, the lady bound together and 'lashed to the jay actually pulled the nest partly branch by bits of cotton string. to pieces and hung the cotton •o :r One morning when I came act a branch to Whenthe waste

was dry the jay constructed her This year the jays are building nest, laid her eggs and reared her high up in the cedar, beyond the family. reach of prying humans. The While the jays successfully reared morning of April 6 I was once more their family, their choice of nesting thrilled with admiration of their site was not altogether fortunate, intelligence. When I stepped out as thoughtless and inquisitive huto interview the jays I found them mans came to pull down the branch pulling last season's nest apart that and pry into ther family affairs, they might again utilize the cotton The jays, however, being intelliwaste in binding their new struegent birds, lost nothing by the extune together. To show my friendperience with the meddling huliness and appreciation I supplied mans, as being clearly demonstratfresh cotton waste to line the nest ed this season. cup. The Yellow-Headed Blackbirdd Visits Yosemite By Clifford C. Presnall, Ranger - Naturalist The yellow-headed blackbird tory route by the severe and pro- (Xanthoeephalus xanthocephalus), tracted storms of the previous fortwhile a common summer resident night. of the San Joaquin valley, is an acMichael recorded the bird on cidental transient in the Yosemite three days—May 9, 10 and ll. On region. Its presence in the valley the last date he saw another female this spring was therefore the cause and a young male of the species in of much interest among local orfront of the postoffice. nithologists. During the last 13 years there On May 8, Ranger Homer Hoyt have been but two other records of noted a peculiar blackbird near the yellow-headed blackbirds in Yopark headquarters, but did not semite National Park. In the spring identify it. The next day Charles of 1917 a male in full plumage was Michael identified the bird as a fetaken near the Sentinel Hotel by male yellow-headed blackbird. SevChief Ranger F. S. Townsley. Chief eral other persons observed and Townsley mounted this bird and ex photographed the bird at that time. hibited it in his collection for sevIt was evidently very tired and era] years. The other instance was hungry, feeding very industriously on the ground and refusing to fly an observation by Herbert Sonn in when aproached. Apparently it had the spring of 1925 near the site of been blown from its usual migrathe Ahwahnee Hotel.

YOSEMITE BIRD REPORT FOR MM

By Enid Michael, Ranger - Naturalist In Yosemite valley the month of out of the first 16 brought either May was not what might be called rain or snow, then followed a a spring-like month. Eleven days stretch of fair weather, but the

YOSEMITE NATURE' NOTES

YCOMn4tT.t •NATURE NOTES month came to a close with two birds were noted. feeding young: more stormy days. At the end -of Hairy woodpecker, white-headed the first week the thermometer woodpecker, California woodpecker, dropped to 25 degrees and many of blue-fronted jay, water ouzel and the flowering plants were badly Sierra creeper. frost-bitten. Snow plants, budding As usual the lazuli bunting,was oaks, dogwoods and ferns suffered the last of the summer vsitantg to greatly. arrive. The wood pewee arrived a The birds, however, suffered but full week behind his •normal schedlittle from the cold, inclement ale, while the trail] flycatchers, who weather. Those birds that nest are always next to the last to arearly mostly tuck their nests way rive in spring came in this year in holes and crevices where they just two days_ behind the woad pemay snugly weather the storms. Of wee& all the early nesting birds only the Glancing over the May bird rehardy blue-fronted jay nests in the ports for the last 10 years the leaopen, and usually his large wellture that stands out is not the unbuilt nest is sheltered in heavy usual things, but the usual. In foliage. The ouzel' builds a snug other words, it is most remarkable waterproof nest and anyway water how nearly the average. run of bird ouzels, do not mind a little mni'stare.; activities approximate an absolute During the month the following normal.

SKUNK AND BEAR EAT TOGETHER

By Clifford C. Presnall, Ranger - Naturalist Skunks are very independent cret;,ef i3 gd this early in the engagetares. Bears are equally self-reliant. ment. One big, black fellow staWhen the two come face to face tioned himself in the middle of the the unexpected is likely to happen. platform and with menacing looks It did, one evening in mid-April, at and low growls kept the two small. the bear feeding platform below El er ones at the edge. Capitan, when a lone skunk outThe leisurely return of the skunk taaneuvered five bears. caused these two to retreat still There were five of the larger anifarther, but did not seem to give mals at first, but all quit the platthe big bear any cause for worry. form and retired at the advance at For a quarter of an hour the skunk the enemy, leaving the skunk free prospected around among the to do as he wished. Being a gentledebris which the bears had scatterman, he wished to wash his face ed to one side of the platform, but and hands before going to dinner. he d:d not go near the black bear, While Mephitis occidentalis was who cont`nued to feed alone. refreshing himself at the river, by Presently one of the small bears. bathing and drinking, three of the perhaps a two-year-old, came slowbears returned to the feeding platly out of the bushes and cautiously form tc resume their interrupted approached the skunk. He moved meal Two were completely vanvery slowly until within a few feet

YOSEMITE NAT[J$.E NOTES

of the skunk, then stopped for 1(1 ly about on the far side of the plator 15 seconds, and then. suddenly form for five minutes, then settled jumped backwards and ran fol. down to eating again, stopping of cover. He did this three times. Ow ten to look at the skunk. ing to the poor light, it was imposWe watched this strange pair far sible to see what the skunk did: In 20 minutes without. noticing any ar fact, it was impossible to see it at tive hostilities—each one kept o all except when its eyes caught the his own corner of the platform light from our automobile headOnce the nervous strain seemed too lights: much for the bear and he started Soon after 9 o'clock the skunk to leave the platform. He stopped moved up the platform on the side and looked intently at the skunk, opposite the black bear. The bear apparently questioning the upraisceased eating and watched the ed tail, which is known to all aniskunk closely, but did not move mals as the skunk's final warning. away: Our lights now illuminated The otherwise placid demeanor the platform very well, so we were of the skunk seemed to reassure able to watch proceedings closely bruin, and he soon resumed eating. The skunk paid no attention to the No other bears appeared on the bear, but started eating immediscene, however. Apparently the ately, keeping its, tail high in the combination of the biggest bear in air all the while. This danger signal seemed to the valley and the boldest skunk bother the bear. He moved restlesswas more than they cared to face.

This is the official publication of the Educational Department of Yosemite National Park It is published each month by the National Park Service with the cooperation of the Yosemite Natural History Association, and its purpose is to supply authoritative information on the natural history and scientific features of Yosemite National Park. The articles pubiished herein are not copyrighted as it is intended that they shall be. freely used by the press. Correspondence should be addressed to C. A. Harwell, Park Naturalist, Yosemite National Park, California

C. G. THOMSON

Superintendent

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