Yosemite Nature Notes · Volume 36, Number 9
September 1957
YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES VOLUME XXXVI - NUMBER 9 SEPTEMBER 1957
Ranger patrol at Rogers Lake.
MISSION 66
What it is.—MISSION 66 is a conservation program for the National Park System and all other areas managed by the National Park Service. Conservation is generally defined as wise use : this 10-year program is intended so to develop and staff these priceless possessions of the American people as to permit their wisest possible use; maximum enjoyment for those who use them : and maximum protection of the scenic, scientific, and historic resources that give them distinction. Construction is, of course, an important element of the program. Modern roads, well-planned trails, utilities, camp and picnic grounds, and many kinds of structures needed for public use or administration, to meet the requirements of an expected 60.000,000 visitors to 1966, are necessary; but they are simply one of the means by which "enjoyment-without-impairment " is to be What it will do.—MISSION 66 will replace outmoded and inadequate facilities with physical improvements adequate for expected demands but so designed as to minimize the impact of public use on valuable and destructible features. It will provide both facilities and personnel for visitor services of the quality and quantity that the public is entitled to expect in its National Park System. It is intended to assure the fullest possible degree of protection both. to visitors and resources. The reason for its name.—MISSION 66 is a long-range program; it will require at least 10 years to accomplish on a sound and realistic dollar basis. That means completion in 1966 the 50th anniversary year of the establishment of the National Park Service.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
THE MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE YOSEMITE NATURALIST DIVISION AND THE YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, INC.
John C. Preston, Superintendent D. H. Hubbard, Park Naturalist G. D. Gallison, Assoc. Park Naturalist W. C. Bullard, Asst. Park Naturalist R. W. Carpenter, Junior Park Naturalist W. W. Dunmire, Park Naturalist Trainee
VOL. XXXVI SEPTEMBER 1957 NO. 9 SOME ASPECTS OF MISSION 66
Part I By Roland Steinmetz, Ranger-Naturalist Today 's visitor to Yosemite, and for that matter, the visitor to other national Parks and Monuments, has been confronted and sometimes greeted with a sign, "This is a MISSION 66 Project. " Recent terminology and oil company advertisements only further confuse him
"What 's this MISSION 66 business all about? "
Perhaps it is well that such a promising name be given this project, for thereby is the curiosity aroused, and thence comes the opportunity to explain. The opportunistic interpreter will capitalize on this to imbue the listener a bit of National Park Service philosophy as well.
A presentation of proposed solutions as they will be carried out in MISSION 66.
The Nature of the Problem
Two main difficulties face the Park Service at this writing because of staff or facility shortages. They are (1) inability to take care of the increasing millions of visitors who will be coming in the near future, and (2) inability to protect the irreplaceable features of the areas. The two general problems are closely related. These face practically all areas administered by the Park Service, and are nowhere more acute than in Yosemite. Let us examine the facets of the pertinent problems.
The Problem of Inadequate visitor Use Facilities
1966 will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service—the year which will see the completion of the MISSION 66 program, a forward-looking program designed to bring the National Park system up to the standards which the American people want and have a right to expect.
A discussion of portions of the present situation (the problem) will be presented herewith. In a succeeding article there will appear a presentation
In 1855 five visitors toured Yosemite. By 1870 the fame of its beauty had spread and 1735 visitors came that year—enough to bring the first complaint from a lady visitor that the valley was "too crowded." Last year 's total reached over 1,113,000, and indications are that 1957 will see even a larger number. There is reason to believe that 1966 will find nearly two million visitors in Yosemite, and even greater numbers thereafter.
Surveying for new road alignments. These data are not in themselves shocking to anyone versed in travel trends, but consider the full impact to the Incomparable Valley. Unless something is done to avoid it, the large majority of these vast numbers will continue to pour into the seven square miles of the tiny valley itself, seeking accommodations and services which the already crowded and inadequate facilities cannot provide.
Campgrounds are often overcrowded. Hotel rooms and other sleeping quarters are frequently sold out; long lines face the visitor wishing restaurant meals. The number of comfort stations and other sanitary facilities is far below the need. Information and interpretive centers are too localized. Picnic areas and parking turnouts are insufficient in number. Many roads still follow stage-coach alignments; traffic jams exist. The problems are heightened in periods of peak summer loads. Unquestionably there have been visitors whose memory of their contact with Yosemite has been less than their legitimate expectations — not because the natural beauty wasn't there, but their personal inconvenience infringed upon their enjoying their visit more.
There is no easy answer to the question of how to eliminate these conditions. MISSION 66 planners consider it undesirable to build and develop many more visitor accommodations on the valley floor itself. This cannot be done without impairing and ultimately destroying the very qualities for which the park was created. A ceiling of about 800 campers and 4500 concessioner-provided accommodations is considered to be the limit. What then? The answer lies in a master plan involving (1) modification or modernization of present visitor facilities
in the valley and maintaining the established ceiling; (2) removal of all but absolutely necessary operating facilities from the valley; and (3) development of accommodations, facilities, and services in other sections of the park to relieve overcrowding, but at the same time permit quick and easy access by car to the valley and its renowned scenic features.
Simple, isn't it? But isolating the general answers to a large problem does not insure accomplishment of its solution. Myriads of other problems present themselves, including three more which will be treated here.
The Road and Trail System
Transportation looms as a big factor in carrying out the proposals stated. The park's road and trail system has never been completed. Portions of Big Oak Flat Road and the Tioga Road, built to stagecoach standards of the 1870's and 1880's, have been little improved since. Consequently, visitors from the north and the east have been handicapped, but even more seriously, a definite imbalance of visitor load and overall park development has occurred. Nearly four-fifths of the entries come through South Entrance and Arch Rock Entrance, both terminal points of good state roads leading to the park. It is not difficult to conceive why areas easily accessible to these roads have received most attention and development, leaving other areas largely unused.
Privately Owned Lands Within The Park
The casual visitor does not ordinarily realize that in many National Parks, including Yosemite, there exist privately-owned lands, some tastefully developed, some below the Roads built for those cars are still in use. —Anderson
Various types of homes are found on private lands. —Seiman standards of the surroundings. In any case, private holdings within National Parks are not compatible with public use.
Yosemite-contained private lands are in many cases located in the most desirable places left for possible development of visitor-use facilities outside Yosemite Valley. They stand in the way until acquired by the government, are often divided into small plots which make acquisition procedures laborious and time-consuming, and up to this time have often been unavailable to the park because of lack of funds with which to purchase them.
The Problem of Protection
Good management and planning insure protection if a reasonable staff is provided. Proof of this is manifested in the evidence of Yosemite Valley's superior beauty today contrasted to its condition at the turn of the century when early visitors found less well-controlled camping and other use of the Valley floor. But today's staff cannot cope with conditions in excess of its handling capabilities. There must be anticipated a greater need for qualified personnel to handle accidents, fight fires, interpret, administer, control plant and animal life, and tend to a myriad of other duties.
Whereas vandalism and thoughtlessness are general causes of damage to park areas everywhere, several of Yosemite's sacred spots have suffered from the impact of the feet of human beings engaged in altogether legitimate and purposeful activity of enjoyment. Notable among these areas are the Mariposa and Tuolumne groves of giant Sequoias where root damage has already reached severe proportions.
Summary
In brief have been stated some of the general problems which face the areas administered by the National Park Service, plus specific problems as they occur in Yosemite. Of interest to all lovers of Yosemite are the proposals by MISSION 66 planners. They will be discussed in a succeeding article.
Many Giant Sequoias have suffered from "human erosion". —Anderson
MUSIC HATH CHARMS
Carl Sharsmith, Ranger Naturalist We were on our way back from an all-day nature hike, twenty-two children and I. The day thus far had been full of interest; indeed, wonderful things of all sorts had been discovered by my group of sharpeyed eight to ten year olds. But now it was late afternoon; soon we were due on the hilltop where fathers and mothers in their cars would be awaiting our return. The long, forested hillslope loomed above us. We had hiked and hiked. The afternoon sun had been almost hot. Our legs were getting tired. In this cool, shady spot, before we tackle the steep hill for the last lap, how about a bit of a rest and a ranger's story? And maybe some music?
So there we lay, the children and I. Time passed. I had finished my story. The children remained quiet. I was now playing my sweetest on my old harmonica. The little grassy swale, encircled by its dense thicket of young lodgepole pines, was filled with the strains of music as in a quiet room. Only an occasional sour note, blown from the one off-key reed of my instrument, stirred the children now and then into their delighted little laughs. My eyes were closed; I was completely absorbed in giving them the best renditions of my old favorites: "Tipperary," "K-k-k-Katy," "Sobre las Olas," etc., when suddenly I was roused from my reverie. With hushed, yet tense voices the children had cried : "Oh, there 's a deer!" Yes, sure enough there was a deer. It was a doe. Bounding across the meadow, toward our thicket she came. Stock still she stood. Anticipating possibilities I continued my playing and, between breaths hushed the children. In a moment the doe reached our thicket and had abruptly halted. Standing stock-still, she was peering at us through the little trees, moist nostrils quivering and ears alerted forward. Watching her through the corners of my eyes, I quickly turned to my most lively airs, almost never stopping to catch my breath. The doe stamped her forefoot; then turned and quick as a flash bounded around to the other side of our encircling thicket. Here she stopped, and sharply peered at us as before. Then, in a streak of bounds, she raced back to her original spot, and stood stock-still and peered at us again. But not for long. Again she dashed around to the other side, halted and peered, then raced back again to halt and peer as before. The children were entranced. I played furiously. My lips were getting sore. The rusty edges of my ancient harmonica hurt but I dared not stop! Then, from a stand as motionless as a statue, she turned, and with graceful leaps bounded away across the meadow to the forest from whence she had come. She was gone! The spell was broken. But the children's eyes were
still sparkling with delight. And I think mine were, too! Exactly one week later I was with another group of children. We were on the same route of return from another all-day children ' s nature hike. The afternoon sun was warm as before, and we laid ourselves down for a rest in the same little swale. Again I told one of my ranger stories, then turned to my old harmonica. As the strains filled the glen, I inwardly wished but could not believe that our doe would give us a repeat performance. But yes! Here she was again! abruptly as an apparition, head through thicket, eyes gazing, ears cocked forward, and nostrils quivering! And again she bounded about and halted as before - hither and stop, return and stop. Only then flash away over meadow and disappear from view. Indeed it was a repeat performance! John Muir in his "Mountains of California" tells of the charm his whistled tunes had for the Douglas squirrel (chickaree). Old packers working with Yosemite's trail crews tell of the charms of musical strains from radio or trumpet upon bears.
...a bit of rest and a ranger's story. —Hubbard
I dared not stop. —Anderson With respect to our doe 's performance there might, on the other hand, be those to suggest it was prompted by concern for fawns possibly hidden in our thicket. But there was no question in our minds. We knew. The children and I are certain it was all because she was charmed by the spell of our music! —Hubbard
LAST TRIP OF JOHN MUIR TO YOSEMITE (1912)
By William E. Colby I was greatly interested in the "Note on John Muir " in the March 1957 issue of Yosemite Nature Notes. It is a very readable account of a period in John Muir's life where there is little published information. The writer states that this was "his last trip to Yosemite National Park." While the exact time of year the trip described was taken is not given, it was in 1912 when the "waterfalls " were an object of attraction and presumably it was some time in the summer. However, John Muir took another trip to Yosemite in early October of 1912. As President of the Sierra Club he was invited by Walter Fisher, Secretary of the Interior, to attend a National Park conference, where the superintendents of the parks and the concessionaires were to discuss their problems. The first of these conferences had been held in 1911 in Yellowstone and had proved so desirable and successful that it was repeated in Yosemite in 1912. This was prior to the creation of the National Park Service by Congress and when the Army was called upon to police and administer the National Parks. Major W. W. Forsythe, successor to the very capable Major Benson, was the administrative officer in Yosemite. As Secretary of the Sierra Club I was also invited to the conference and I had the great good fortune to be with John Muir and share a room John Muir and Wm. Curtis in Yosemite Valley, 1912. with him in one of the buildings across the road from the Sentinel Hotel. The conference, attended by leaders interested in the National Parks, discussed the many park problems of those early days. The major question was whether automobiles should be permitted to enter the National Parks with Yosemite as the critical case. The park superintendents were strongly opposed to letting them in, mainly on account of danger of accident with horse-drawn vehicles on the same roads, which roads were not too safe anyway. The automobile associations and auto users made a strong plea for admission.
John Muir was called on to speak and he made one of his great talks on the importance of parks generally and, to the surprise of many, strongly advocated allowing automobiles to enter them. His reasons were that it was very evident that automobiles would become the exclusive means of transportation entirely superseding equine-drawn vehicles and that the great objective was to let as many people as possible receive the inspiration and spiritual benefit of entering these incomparable mountain temples. Secretary Fisher was impressed and recognized that eventually automobiles could not be kept out, but he remarked dryly "Let 's not crowd the mourners." I was called on to speak for the Sierra Club and had the temerity to open my talk by saying "Mr. Secretary, you would not be sitting in the presiding chair today and this conference would not be held in Yosemite were it not for the work and influence of John Muir and the Sierra Club in bringing about the recession of Yosemite Valley to the federal government."
In the late afternoon, after adjourning for the day, John Muir and I would take walks on the valley floor. It was early October and down the valley the cliffs and forests were bathed in the intense blue and purple light that is characteristic of autumn. We sauntered through the abandoned campgrounds which only two or three months earlier had teemed with campers and noted how quickly "nature heals its wounds" for the forest floor was already covered with pine needles and leaves. John Muir took me down below the little chapel and over to the vertical granite cliffs which came straight down into the level meadow area, without any talus to conceal the meeting and pointed out that the rib or ridge of granite above deflected the rocks falling from above so as to keep the immediate base free.
John Burroughs visiting John Muir's grave.
I shall always regret that I did not insist on his taking me to the various places that he wrote about and where he lived during the years he spent in the Valley so as to identify them, for with the lapse of time there is now much uncertainty as to just where they were situated.
The article in your March issue concludes with the statement that John Muir was 78 when he died. Actually he was only 76 when he passed away on Christmas eve in 1914.
DRAMA AT DUSK
By David C. Ochsner, Park Ranger Coyotes keep watch over McGurk Meadow. —Anderson Picture, if you will, a mountain meadow, very moist and carpeted with Sierra shootingstar, elephanthead, camas, cornlily, sedges, and grasses of many varieties. In the center of this meadow a dry island of rocks, shrubs, and small trees protrudes above this verdant carpet. The trout are jumping at insects winging over the deep pools in the meadow stream. Don 't forget the clouds of mosquitoes, swarming and buzzing, seemingly intent on draining your last ounce of life blood. In a few moments the alpine glow bathes the surrounding mountain tops and finally the whole setting is swathed in the silvery light of a full moon as fog rises from the meandering stream.
All is peaceful and serene and, apparently, all life, animal and plant, has folded for a night of rest. Imagine then, the ear-piercing, hair-raising yip and howl of the mountain coyote. Blood runs rather cold and the heart skips a couple of beats at the howls and cries penetrating dusk ' s solitude. One 's mind immediately flashes to the far north and
Coyotes, I learned through one experience, are not always intently stalking and prowling in search of food. While quietly fishing one evening in McGurk Meadow my attention was suddenly turned to coyotes by much howling and yipping. Losing all interest in fishing I stealthily crept on the soft grasses to upper McGurk Meadow and there found about eight coyotes indulging in leisure time activities. Just as dogs play and feign anger so were these coyotes, young and old alike, snapping, growling, hovering over and wrestling with each other. Occasionally, a busy brown tail would describe an arc over the tops of the grasses and flowers followed by clicking bare teeth and hardy growls. One coyote remained on duty acting as a sentinel, constantly alert for approaching danger. Many times during the summer, coyotes, quietly sitting on the edges of their meadow, had observed my actions but in this instance the tables were turned.
Within a few minutes after concluding their romp, the howls and cries resumed in the deep forest and I can only imagine and surmise about the action that followed. As the sky began to darken and the yelping increased to a feverish pitch, I decided to call it an evening. The trail follows a fire control road between McGurk's broken-down log cabin and the Glacier Point Road. A few hundred feet up the road two does, obviously excited and frightened, raced at breakneck speed across my path amid sounds of crashing in the direction from which they had come. After I crossed the paths of the does a peculiar cry and another crash emanated from the quickly darkening forest. Immediately one doe raced back across the road with neck extended, nostrils dilated and ears pressed to head. Was she returning to a fawn in distress or just confused as to the direction of the crashes? Were the coyotes and possibly a bear fighting over the possession of this doe's fawn? Only the participants will ever know the drama of that moment at McGurk Meadow and I shall forever wonder what motivated the doe to return to the scene of confusion and apparent battle.
Shooting star.
Cornlily
EDITOR'S NOTE--Hardly a month goes by that the Yosemite museum does not receive several old photos for inclusion in the historic photo files. It seems a shame to not be sharing these with you readers. Therefore starting with this issue we will run a series of some of the most interesting pictures in our files. Some of the photos have bits of information concerning them on the backs, others have nothing. We will explain the pictures as much as we can. If you readers can add information on a particular illustration we would be glad to hear from you. Last month
grew from 12 to 16 pages. We hope to continue this larger size in spite of rising production costs. Formerly our printing was done by the letterpress method. Now we have gone to rotary offset, which will allow more illustrations.
OUT OF Yosemite'S PAST — A one picture story. Part of the cast of "Ersa". 1925. Who remembers?
PUBLICATIONS FOR SALE AT THE YOSEMITE MUSEUM
All mail orders should be addressed to, and remittances made payable to, Yosemite NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, Yosemite NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA. Prices include postage, insurance, and on proper items, California State Sales Tax 3%, plus 1% County Tax.
GENERAL
Adams' Guide to Yosemite Valley, Illustrated $1 65 Auto Tour of Yosemite Valley, Self-Guiding - Beatty and Harwell
Auto Tour of Yosemite National Park - Ditton and McHenry
Climber 's Guide to High Sierra (Sierra Club) 3 25 Devils Postpile National Monument - Hartesveldt
Exploring Our National Parks and Monuments - Butcher (paper) 3 75 Exploring Our National Parks and Monuments — Butcher (cloth) ... 5.40 Going Light - With Backpack or Burro - Sierra Club 2 20 National Park Story in Pictures
National Parks, The — What They Mean to You and Me — Tilden (cloth) ... 5.40 National Parks, The — What They Mean to You and Me — Tilden (paper) ... 1.15 Outdoor Hazards - Real and Fancied - Hood 4 25 Park Ranger — Colby ... 1.45 This is California 7 96 Starr's Guide to John Muir Trail and High Sierra Region 2 20 Waterfalls, Famous, of the World - Brockman
Yosemite Story, The — Scott ... 1.20
ANIMAL LIFE
Animal Tracks, Field Guide to 4 30 Birds of Pacific States — Hoffman ... 5.35 Birds, Western, Field Guide to - Peterson 4 30 Birds of Yosemite — Stebbins ... .85 Fishes of Yosemite National Park
Mammals, Field Guide to - Burt and Grossenheider 4 30 Mammals of Yosemite National Park - Parker
Reptiles and Amphibians of Yosemite National Park — Walker ... .40 Survey of Sierra Nevada Bighorn — Jones ... .60
TREES AND FLOWERS
Broadleaved Trees of Yosemite National Park — Brockman ... .60 Cone-bearing Trees of Yosemite National Park - Cole
Ferns, Field Guide to ... 4.30 Flowers of Coast and Sierra — Clements ... 4.80 Sequoias, Yosemite, Guide to the - McFarland
Trees of Yosemite - Tresidder and Floss 2 20 Wildflowers, Common, of Yosemite - Beatty, Harwell, and Cole
Wildflowers, Western, Field Book of - Armstrong 5.35
HISTORY AND INDIANS
Gold, Guns and Ghost Towns - Chalfant 3 80 Indians, Yosemite, Yesterday and Today - Godfrey
Miwok Material Culture - Barrett and Gifford 2 25 Mother Lode Country, Guide to the - Brockman
One Thousand California Place Names - Gudde 1 15 Steve Mather of the National Parks — Shankland ... 4.30 Wilderness World of John Muir, The — Teale ... 4.80 Yosemite's Pioneer Cabins — Uhte ... .35 Yosemite: The Story of An Idea — Huth ... .30
GEOLOGY AND MAPS
Campsite Finder (Western) 1 65 Geologic History of Yosemite Valley (Professional Paper 160) — Matthes ... 5.65 Geology of Yosemite Valley, Brief Story of - Beatty
High Sierra Camp Areas, Pocket Guide to (Clark)
High Sierra Camp Areas, Trail Guide to (Clark) 1 10 How To Know the Minerals and Rocks - Pearl
Incomparable Valley, The - Matthes (cloth) 4 10 Incomparable Valley, The - Matthes (paper) 2 15 Map of Yosemite National Park, Topographic ... .55 Map of Yosemite Valley, Topographic, shaded (geology story printed on back)
North Country of Yosemite, Pocket Guide to (Clark) (paper) ... .55 North Country of Yosemite, Trail Guide to (Clark) 1 10 Rocks and Minerals of California - Allan and Brown 2 95 Rocks and Minerals, How to Know Them
Rocks and Minerals, Field Guide to 4.30 South Boundary Country, Pocket Guide to (Clark)
South Boundary Country, Trail Guide to (Clark) 1.10
FOR CHILDREN
A Day With Tupi, An Indian Boy of the Sierra (paper) 1.15 A Day With Tupi, An Indian Boy of the Sierra (buckram) 2.55 Animal Friends of the Sierra (paper) ... 1.15 Animal Friends of the Sierra (buckram) 2.55 John Muir, Protector of the Wilds 1.90