November 1976

YOSEMITE NOVEMBER 1976 VOLUME FORTY-FIVE, NUMBER 4

Published quarterly for members of Yosemite Natural History Association We're enthusiastic and optimistic about the prospects for increasing YNHA membership via our "Member-Get-A-Member" scheme. The details of the program are explained in the letter accompanying this Members Bulletin. We hope that you'll be an enthusiastic membergetter! And at the risk of making an obvious suggestion, we think that a membership in YNHA and selections from our publications would make outstanding Christmas gifts. You'll note from the enclosed new membership folder and the revised publications catalog that members now receive a 25% discount on Association publications and a 10% discount on the other publications we retail. HOT NEWS ABOUT WINTER - During several autumns past, we've aspired to provide a transSierra environmental ski tour. Now we've done it A six-day trip is all set for March 20 to 25, 1977. The leader will be Bob Roney, a first-rate mountaineer, biologist, botanist and student of Sierra Nevada geology. He will be assisted at Tuolumne Meadows by Mead Hargis, the Tuolumne winter ranger and his wife Tina, a delightful and experienced naturalist. In brief, the itinerary will be : fly from Mariposa Airport over the Park to lee Vining. Ascend east side to Tioga Pass and Tioga Ranger cabin for overnight. Days two and three will be spent studying the environment in Tuolumne area; overnight in the Hargis residence there. Day four, ski to Snow Flat cabin for overnight. Day five, ski to Snow Creek cabin; Day six, down Tenaya Zig-Zags to Valley. The physical demands will be great and our resources for removing an exhausted skier from the snowy depths of the Sierra will be severely limited, so the trip can be undertaken only by those in the fittest physical condition and experienced in ski touring, particularly in downhill running on snow of any consistency. YNHA will provide the. air flight, shuttle from Lee Vining Airport to start of climb, lodgings as described and food for the six days. And the expert services of Bob Roney and the Hargises : The cost for this will be $100. On the trip participants will carry their personal necessities, sleeping bags, ski repair essentials. Participants will be responsible for getting themselves to the Valley for briefing on the evening of March 19, lodgings that night, transportation to Mariposa Airport next morning, and their transportation out of Valley at completion of trip. (We plan to pool cars for the Yosemite to Mariposa trip.) The group will be limited to eight seasoned ski tourers adjusted to tairly spartan living conditions and consumed with a yearning to learn more about the winter environment of plants and animals at 9,000 ft. (700 m.), about the geology on the east and west slopes of the Sierra, the Sierra rainshadow, weather types, snow gauging, water resources and uses. And perhaps one will learn something about oneself under conditions of physical stress. This will not be a ski touring exercise - skiing will provide the means, not the end. The emphasis will be on the

variety, the relationships and the adaptation of plants and animals to the subalpine and alpine zones. If you're really interested please let us know soon, for it is likely that the eight places will be taken promptly. We have a detailed information paper which we'll be glad to mail to you. MUYBRIDGE, EDWEARD; PHOTOGRAPHER - By the time you receive this Bulletin, the Edweard Muybridge Print Portfolio will be nearing the final stages of assembly. As we told you in the last issue, we have allied ourselves with the Chicago Albumen Works in the production of 300 sets of ten facsimile reproductions of Yosemite photos made by Muybridge in 1872. There are in the National Park Service Museum about sixty photographic prints made from Muybridge's 18" x 22" negative glass plates. Most of Muybridge's negatives made during this period cannot be accounted for and are thought to have been destroyed in the San Francisco fire of 1906. Ten of the outstanding scenic photos have been selected for inclusion in the portfolios. These will be copied (in the same size) and printed by the identical. process originally employed by Muybridge. We don't understand all the technicalities, but we have learned that, first, the original prints are painstakingly copied on 18" x 22" film; these then will be printed on the same type of paper used by Muybridge. As the paper no longer exists commercially, the C.A.W. people will manufacture it. One of its peculiarities is that the sensitized emulsion is suspended in egg white and applied to the paper. The negative and the albumen paper then are exposed to sunlight in a printing frame, producing the print which is hand-burnished to create a slightly reflective finish, such as found on Muybridge's own prints. Each portfolio will be handsomely boxed and will contain, in addition to the ten prints, a discussion of Muybridge, his contributions to still and cinema photography, his effects on the conservation ethic. This will be prepared by Dr. Robert B. Haas of U.C.L.A.; Dr. Haas is a Muybridge authority and the author of Muybridge - Man in Action, published in 1976 by U.C. Press. Also, there will be a description of Muybridge's photographic techniques and methods and a statement on the significance of reproducing his work by the albumen process. This will be prepared by Joel Snyder and Douglas Munson of the Chicago Albumen Works. YNHA is sharing the substantial production and marketing costs with C.A.W. and will share in the anticipated profits, as retailers and part-owner. A percentage of the returns will be used by the Yosemite Museum to acquire artifacts, paintings, etc. for the Yosemite collection or to fund a curatorial position. Each portfolio will retail for $1,250.00. While there is no discount to members we will be glad to mail a prospectus to anyone seriously interested when it is available - in about a month. The prospectus will cost the Association several dollars each, so we would appreciate receiving no casual requests. AN HONOR FOR YNHA - Bill Lane of the Sunset Publishing Co. is an old Yosemite enthusiast - old in terms of experience and contribution. He was once a bellman at Camp Curry and when, recalling with enthusiasm and some emotion that he was among the louder Firefall callers, will let go with a mighty "Let the Fire Falllll!" Over the years, he has been a vigorous Yosemite buff and sympathetic to the causes of the Park Service's and to those of the concessioners. Bill is a member of the National Parks Advisory Board and, at its recent meeting in Yosemite, presented YNHA with an original Chris Jorgenson drawing used as a Sunset cover on the

May 1904 issue. Along with the illustration was a small plaque engraved as shown. We accept the recognition - with pride and thanks. OSTRANDER LAKE SKI HUT TOUR We have provisioned the Ostrander Lake Ski Hut in anticipation of our Winter Environmental Ski Tours. Warren White will lead the parties again and the trips are scheduled for March 25, 26, 27 and April 16, 17, 18. The winter environment of the Sierra between 6,500' and 9,100' (1,900 - 2,750 meters) will be studied. This will include the red fir and lodgepole forests, subalpine plant and animal life, adaptabilities and survival capabilities. Evidences of glaciation and cirque-building will be discussed on side trips from the hut. The ski hut, an attractive stone building on the bank of Ostrander Lake and near the base of broad, barren Horse Ridge, provides comfortable shelter. It is about 7'/A miles (13 km) from the trailhead on the Glacier Point road. As there are elevation gains/losses of about 1,600' (488 m) participants must be accustomed to rather severe touring conditions. In order to assure ourselves of participants' capabilities we will inquire about their former touring experience. No touring instruction will be provided. While all meals are provided, tourers will carry their sleeping bags and personal necessities. No college credit is offered. The fee is $35. 1977 will mark the sixth year for the Ostrander Trips with Warren White. Each has been popular, so we advise early reservations. SEMINARS 1976 - The summer seminar program ended in late August with David Gaines' 3-day bird-banding class at Crane Flat. Qualitatively, we feel that it was the best of seasons. Aside from our own enthusiasm for the program and our positive feelings about the staff and the course content, we rely for our conclusion on the evaluation information provided by the participants. We have received 225 responses to our course evaluation requests. On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), the instructors averaged 8.7. There were but 7 reporting "disappointment" in the course content. Of the total response, 220 answered affirmatively to "Did you enjoy the course?" There was a potential enrollment of 580 in all the 1976 classes; we had an actual of 517, which is about 89% of maximum. Plans for Seminar-1977 are coming together; we should be able to mail your catalog by mid-January. BIRD STUDY GRANT - At its January meeting, the YNHA Board of Trustees voted to provide a $1,500 research grant to Ted Beedy and Steve Granholm, doctoral candidates in zoology at U.C. Davis. The center of interest for each dissertation is Yosemite's bird populations and, while the thrusts are different, they will be complementary. Beedy's, "An Analysis of Avifaunal Succession in Yosemite National Park", will update the 1915-1917 surveys of Storer and Grinnell; he will collect his data from the same park areas studied earlier. The vegetation of the park during the sixty intervening years has changed dramatically; so, too, no doubt have the bird communities. Granholm's project, "The Response of Bird Populations to Recent Wildfires in Coniferous Forests in Yosemite National Park", will provide data for assessing the impact of the N.P.S. natural fire policy on the birdlife in mid-elevation fir and pine forests. The two researchers have said that they will be able to provide YNHA with a simplified, narrative-type recap of their findings, should we wish to publish it.

NEW SEQUOIAS BOOK - The National Park Service recently published The Giant Sequoias of the Sierra Nevada. This new book brings up to date the popular literature about these great trees with great accuracy and feeling. It was written by Richard Hartesveldt, H. Thomas Harvey, Howard Shellhammer and Ronald Stecker, all of the San Jose State University faculty. Hartesveldt died in 1975, so never saw his work in print. The 180-page book appears to cover every aspect of the fascinating story of Sequoiadendron giganteum within the chapter headings: "Introduction", "The Trees as Individuals", "Sequoia Community Interrelationships", "Man, Fire and the Future" - plus appendixes,. references and index. We found the book to be both readable and enjoyable. Of particular interest to us was the section on the human interest expressed in the great trees when they were discovered in 1852. "There are several early reports that the tallest sequoias approached 600' and one Londoner predicted that the specimen trees, if undisturbed, would eventually reach 50' in diameter and 1000' in height". And, in the section on nomenclature, we find that "No less than thirteen scientific names have been proffered for the species" and "Mammoth tree" is still preserved as 'Mammutbaum' with German-speaking Europeans: There's a fine section on the origin of the name "sequoia" which discusses the likelihood or otherwise - of the tree's name having been associated with the noted Cherokee Indian,

Sequoyah. "Whatever the origin, the name of this remarkable tree has remained generally associated with that remarkable Indian, Sequoyah. Perplexity and doubt notwithstanding, let it so remain." The book was printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office for the N.P.S. while neither the cover nor the design of the book measure up to its content, it is nonetheless a major contribution to the knowledge of the giants of the Sierra Nevada. YNHA will carry the book; it will be available to members in late October for $2.80, including tax and shipping. YNHA was fortunate to have had Dick Hartesveldt on its seminar staff in 1974 directing "Ecology of the Giant Sequoias". Dr. Harvey took over the course after Hartesveldt's death. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION SEMINAR - Our E.E. Seminar for elementary school teachers now is history - and a bit of YNHA history we're proud of. During August, we sponsored and funded two 5-day field programs for 40 teachers. This was an experimental project and we solicited enrollment from Mariposa and Fresno teachers as we felt them to be closest at hand. We hope to provide a similar course next summer for which the appropriate YNHA members will be eligible for enrollment. Margaret (Blue) Tierney directed the program and the responses from the participants make us very sure we will try to sponsor a repeat next year. We visited the group in camp on a number of occasions — drawn somewhat we suspect by the excellent meals turned out by Phil Tierney, who served as camp cook, as well as an occasional "guest instructor." Funds for the meals and for Chef Tierney's services were provided through a grant from the McClatchy Newspapers. Blue Tierney has a fine grasp on the techniques of teaching environmental education. These were presented lucidly and covered : Concepts, Methods, Human Impact, Environmental Experiences Within the School, Ecology in the Home and Community. Her class ranged the Valley, using its resources for her demonstrations. By day's end, the group was ready for a little campfire-time and dinner. But the discussions went on into the night. We just might have stimulated teachers to stimulate who-knows-how-many youngsters to think about the world they live in.

PUBLICATIONS COMPETITION. We have sent a number of our more recent publications to the competition sponsored by the National Park Service among all the cooperating associations with the Park System. Dana Morgenson's Yosemite Wildflower Trails and Harold Basey's Discovering Sierra Reptiles and Amphibians were entered in the 'four-color' category. Also in the running are the Trail Guide to the Tuolumne Grove; Domes, Cliffs and Waterfalls and the Yosemite Guide. The reptiles book was received from the printer just before the closing deadline. Jean Saulsbury of the YNHA staff designed the book. B. Weiss of the National Park Service designed Domes,-Cliffs, etc. The Jane Gyer/Steve Arno Discovering Sierra Trees won the overall award in the 1974-75 competition. We're hoping for a repeat. NATURE NOTES, THE REVIVAL OF - Some members, those more mature, will remember the "old NATURE NOTES." These were first published in 1922 and continued monthly until 1961, when they dropped for a combination of reasons. We are delighted to report that YNHA is reviving NATURE NOTES, though in a fashion somewhat different than earlier. Len McKenzie, Chief Park Interpreter and YNHA Director, had an outstanding crew during the summer season. Each of these interpreters has written a short piece - 300-1200 words - on some aspect of the park's natural history; some are lyrical, some philosophical, others recap serious research. We found each to be enjoyable and to reflect the writers' deep interest in their trade and the park. All these will be gathered and published - a sort of anthology. At the present, we have neither a publication date nor price. But association members may purchase the volume at slightly above our costs. We'll announce its availability soon. INDIAN CULTURAL MUSEUM - You may recall that in the August 1974 issue of the Bulletin, we wrote about our moving - or being moved - from one office to another to make way for an Indian Museum. The museum now is a fact, having opened about six weeks ago. According to Craig Bates, supervisor of the Park's Indian Cultural Programs, "It is the only museum to depict the cultural history of Miwok and Paiute people from pre-Caucasian times to the present." Bates directed the construction of the museum and collected the artifacts on display. Many rare and unique artifacts are on loan from major museums throughout the United States, including the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the San Diego Museum of Man. Also on view are baskets from the collection of the late James Schwabacher; it is the only comprehensive representation of basketry of this region. Several baskets of a type so rare that only one or two other specimens exist were woven for the exhibit by Mrs. Julia Parker. Mrs. Parker, a cultural demonstrator in Yosemite for the past 16 years, wove the baskets to be identical with those used in the 1840's. We moaned and whimpered when we were uprooted but we have a good, snug office.and the new museum is the best thing to happen to the park in a long while. Be sure to see it when you're in. LET US KNOW - Jean Saulsbury, YNHA membership secretary, spends a good deal of time tracking down members who move. Her mailing records are kept in the YPCC's computer which continues to spew out wrong addresses until it's told to make a change. And we can't tell it your new address until you tell us. So, if you move, would you please let us know. Thanks!

TRAVEL - SUMMER '76 - Park travel for the period January 1 through August 1976 is somewhat heavier than for a like period in 1975. 1976: 2,047,697; 1975 : 1,992,354, for a gain of 55,343. There is nothing unusual in itself about this gain; we've come to expect higher visitation each year. But the increase took place not in the summer months, June, July and August but in March, April and May. June, July and August of this year were in fact down by 238,588 visitors whereas March, April and May were up 215,507. The reasons for this shift aren't really known, one can only speculate. And, those who speculate, come up with the following: Foremost was the "dry weather," which was heralded throughout the West. During the spring months, visitors came because they could get here comfortably and enjoy the mild weather. But during summer, they appeared to stay home or go elsewhere, because they were apprehensive about getting involved in a fire situation or concerned that Yosemite's waterfalls had dwindled. Then, too, various Bicentennial hoop-to-doos probably caused some to stay home and witness the local commemorations or to travel to eastern areas where the Bicentennial had more historic significance. Bicentennial aside, there is a comparison with 1972, when a short, mild winter seemed to have spurred spring travel and depressed it in the summer. The use of the Yosemite "backcountry, " as evidenced by the number of Wilderness Permits issued, too was down, probably for the same reasons as overall travel. Looking.at the park entrance stations for the eight months period; each recorded more passers-through except at Big Oak Flat which was down 100,000, influenced by the drop in travel from the Bay Area. There are no conclusions to be drawn or predictions to be made on the basis of the figures. But, as the population of California increases it is safe to postulate that interest in and travel to Yosemite will grow unless an arbitrary Park capacity figure is proclaimed. FAREWELL - Marie Duncan, who kept YNHA right side up for the past 12 years left on October 8 when her husband Irvin — or "Dunc" as he is more usually known — retired from the National Park Service. Marie worked with five Chief Park Naturalists over the years — they come and go, but she outlasted them all. Working with a federal bureau, and within its somewhat complex framework, often can be taxing. Marie kept her cool through the vexing moments, somehow creating order out of what a lesser person would view as chaos. Her devotion to the association was boundless — she often took home homework, rose on an otherwise pleasant Sunday morning to help a salesperson with a balky cash register, placated with equal finesse an annoyed member or an impatient park service official. Marie displayed great skill in the execution of her responsibilities as office manager. Perhaps greater is her kindly and thoughtful attitude toward all the people she dealt with. The Duncans are moving to a home in Paradise, in Butte County. It's 275 miles to (that) Paradise, but Marie says she'll keep her phone line open and will help us over the inevitable rough moments. Farewell and thanks Sustaining Advertisers who contribute toward the publication of this bulletin:

ANSEL ADAMS GALLERY, P O. Box 455, Yosemite National Park, Ca. 93709/PINE TREE MARKET, Wawona, Ca. 95389 / Yosemite PARK & CURRY CO., Yosemite National Park, Ca. 95389 / 49'er SUPER MARKET, Highway 140 and 49, Mariposa, California! 5 ASSOCIATES, Publishers - Ansel Adams notes & postcards, 1021 Fdgewood Road, Redwood City, Ca. 94062 / DUMONT PRINTING, Color Lithography & Printing, 1420 E St, Fresno, Ca 93779! THE MOORE'S REDWOODS, Fireplace Cottages - Dining Room, Coffee Shop, Wawona, Ca 95389 FRESNO OFFICE SUPPLIERS, INC., 752 North Abby, Fresno, CA 93701 Yosemite Natural History Association Box 545 Yosemite National Park, CA. 95389

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