LECONTE MEMORIAL LODGE FINAL REPORT 2015 SUBMITTED BY BONNIE J. GISEL, CURATOR TOTAL DAY VISITATION

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1 LECONTE MEMORIAL LODGE FINAL REPORT 2015 SUBMITTED BY BONNIE J. GISEL, CURATOR TOTAL DAY VISITATION May June July August ` September 2937 * (*10 days) TOTAL 11, , TOTAL DAY VISITATION May June July August *1728 (*20 days) 2363 September 2495 * *1988 (*19 days) 2680 (*17 days) TOTAL 13,076 10,545 12,661 11,054 12,816 DAY VISITATION BY CHILDREN (COUNTED IN TOTAL ABOVE) 2015 May 485 June 537 July 754 August 507 September 428 TOTAL 2711!1

2 TOTAL YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK VISITORS WITH WHOM THE LML VOLUNTEERS AND CURATOR ENGAGED IN CONVERSATION OUTSIDE OF LECONTE MEMORIAL LODGE IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 2015 Curator Volunteers TOTAL EVENING AND DAY PROGRAM VISITATION May June July August September 421 * (*6 programs) TOTAL May (8 programs) June (14 programs) July (8 programs) August (9 programs) (1 cancelled) September 553 *474 (2 programs cancelled) 260 (6 programs) TOTAL May 375 (9 programs) 384 (9 programs) June 271 (7 programs) 341 (8 programs) July 366 (7 programs) 216 (6 programs) August 169 (5 programs (2 cancelled: El Portal fire) 342 (9 programs) September 549 (11 programs) 296 (7 programs) TOTAL (39 programs)!2

3 TOTAL DAY VISITATION & PROGRAM ATTENDANCE ,691 11,159 11,697 11,235 10,149 12,438 14,420 13,435 11, ,264 12,879 14,178 12,784 14,395 TOTAL PROGRAMS AND WORKSHOPS May June July August September TOTAL May June July Augusts (1 program cancelled) September (2 programs cancelled) 6 TOTAL May 9 9 June 7 8 July 7 6 August 5 (2 cancelled due to El Portal fire) 9 September 11 (including 3 hikes) 7!3

4 TOTAL TOTAL PROGRAM HOURS: May/June/July/August/September: 65 TOTAL VOLUNTEERS May June July August September October 4 TOTAL May June July August September (7 clean-up) TOTAL TOTAL NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS 2002` May June July August September October 92 TOTAL !4

5 May June July August September (Muir Tribute) 556 October 96 TOTAL NEW PROGRAMS MAY Jeremy Evans, Range of Light, After Dark: Landscapes from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney Ken Yager, Director, Yosemite Climbing Association, Yosemite Climbing: Meeting Heroes and Giving Back JULY Doug Robinson, Yosemite Climber, 50 Years of Yosemite Climbing AUGUST Burleigh Lockwood, Wildlife Biologist, Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Bio-Mimicry: How Humans Copy Nature Burleigh Lockwood, Wildlife Biologist, Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Going Batty: All About Bats NEW VOLUNTEERS May 1 June 1 July 8 August 2 September 1 TOTAL 13 NEW VOLUNTEERS MAY!5

6 Ron Harris, Carlsbad, CA JUNE Murray Aronson, West Hollywood, CA JULY James Vincent, Encinitas, CA John Filosa, San Diego, CA Williamson Strum, San Diego, CA Faye Strum, San Diego, CA Martha Castruita, Leona Valley, CA Marcia Abbate, Palmdale, CA Andrew Doolittle, Freemont, CA Houria Hall, Fullerton, CA AUGUST Cindy Hare, San Diego, CA Robin DeNegri, Nevada City, CA SEPTEMBER Cheryl Erickson, Boulder City, NV RETURNING VOLUNTEERS May 17 June 18 July 13 August 15 September 15 TOTAL 78 MAY John Fankhauser, San Diego, CA (2 weeks) Bob Fullerton, San Diego, CA (2 weeks) Cass Devlin, Oakhurst, CA Elaine Gorman, Twain Harte, CA Jeff Peiffer, Lake Forest, CA Laurel Gaiser, Lafayette, CA Don Green, Lafayette, CA Martia Glass, Farmington, NM Gordon Glass, Farmington, NM Richard Haratani, Columbia, CA!6

7 Bill Boosinger, Willets, CA Reuben Jimenez, Sacramento, CA Bill Holman, Oakland, CA Dave Fleming, Vacaville, CA Buff Fleming, Vacaville, CA Dorrit Ahbel, Sacramento, CA Jim Fleming, Simi Valley, CA JUNE Barbara Rosen, Healdsburg, CA Scott Stellar, Atascadero, CA Kathleen Keller, El Cerrito, CA Judy Richardson, San Diego, CA Mark Larson, Arcata, CA Asher Waxman, West Hollywood, CA Sue Palmer, Westlake Village, CA Richard Fuller, Lincoln, CA Marcia Harris, Santa Monica, CA Anne Mullins, Los Angeles, CA Martha Drain, Thousand Oaks, CA Robin Pliskin, Santa Rosa, CA Michael Bryant, Santa Rosa, CA Carol Fischer, Woodland Hills, CA Herman Fischer, Woodland Hills, CA Sandra Zalusky, Cobb, CA Bruce Langedyke, Altadena, CA Mary Lou Langedyke, Altadena, CA JULY Steve Leathers, Concord, CA Jen degroat, San Francisco, CA MaryAnn Hight, Turlock, CA Steve Page, Livermore, CA Annette Pirrone, San Anselmo, CA Maryann Hight, Turlock, CA Stan Johnson, Palo Alto, CA Karen Johnson, Palo Alto, CA Paul McKown, Mill Valley, CA Ruby Domino, Santa Cruz, CA Marilyn Boosinger, Willets, CA Bill Boosinger, Willets, CA Margee Hills, Brea, CA!7

8 AUGUST Carole Badt, Cardiff, CA Keith Pellemier, San Luis Obispo, CA Annette Carey, Paradise, CA Gaylord Grams, Oroville, CA Jim Lynch, King Georges, VA Stacey Brown, Fullerton, CA James Fitch, San Jose, CA Lelani Jensen, Fresno, CA Deanne Shulman, Kernville, VA Cicely Brookover, Grass Valley, CA Karen Ebadi, Berkeley, CA Richard Haratani, Columbia, CA Nancy Lee, Los Altos, CA Chilton Lee, Los Altos, CA Steve Dillow, Torrence, CA SEPTEMBER Winnette Butler, John Phillips, Stockton, CA Elaine Gorman, Twain Harte, CA Frank Welsh, Bryn Mawr, PA Barbara Welsh, Bryn Mawr, PA Cass Devlin, Oakhurst, CA Charles O Malley, Boulder City, NV Thomas Russell, Clovis, CA Nancy Wright, Concord, CA Brian Wright, Concord, CA John Phillips, Stockton, CA Dean Cohen, Sylmar, CA Beth Martin, Pasadena, CA Keith Martin, Pasadena, CA Peter Mason, Nevada City, CA Mark McLouglin, San Francisco, CA OPERATIONS PROJECTS IN, AROUND, AND ABOUT LML 1.During 2015, LML continued to come under compliance for the Rock Fall Mitigation and the Hantavirus. This year we added an additional level of compliance with the introduction of the Plague at the Crane Flat Campground and the Tuolumne Meadows Campground. This mostly involved additional levels of protection in the Lower Pines Campground.!8

9 A.To continue to reach the compliance standard for the Rock Fall Mitigation, LML limits the number of programs presented during the season. B.To continue to reach the compliance standard for the Hantavirus, the Sierra Club hires Best Bet Cleaning Service (El Portal), to open and clean LML in mid-april. In addition, to minimize LML volunteer contact with any potential hazards, presented by mouse fecal matter or by contact with cleaning solutions, the curator continues to undertake the cleaning of LML throughout the season. 2.The curator attended the NPS monthly IMT (Interpretive Management Team Meetings). The June IMT meeting was hosted by LeConte Memorial Lodge, under the direction of the Curator. 3.There were no building issues that needed to be dealt with this season, however, an incense cedar tree on the East side of the building has been designated to be cut down in Fall The center table project during 2015 focused on a thematic project designed by Bonnie Gisel in 2004, entitled [one hour, once each week, fifty-two weeks of the year, Remember Nature]. Backpack Tags with stamped on them, along with LeConte Memorial Lodge and Got Wilderness, were distributed to visitors. This season 1,000 tags were distributed. WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS & FIRE Though the High Sierra received a limited snow-pack of approximately 3%, visitation to LML showed an increase as did visitation toyosemite National Park. Fires around the Park in the Kings Canyon Park area and north of YNP as well as a fire in Indian Canyon here in YNP did not deter visitation or curtail the operation of LML. MEMORIAL LODGE VOLUNTEERS During 2015, the LML volunteers made full-use of the Park to better serve visitors to LML. The Yosemite Conservancy continued to provide free access to the evening programs scheduled in the Yosemite Theatre and LML volunteers were encouraged to attend these programs. Particular attention was directed to attending a Search and Rescue Program. The curator was once again able to procure a 50% discount at the Curry Village Cafeteria for breakfast and dinner for volunteers. The discount provides opportunities to free-up time by limiting the need to bring, store, and cook meals. Due to the DNC leaving YNP at the end of February 2016, it is not known at this time if a discount for meals will be available for the LML volunteers in The LML volunteers did an excellent job representing the Sierra Club during the 2015 season. The information provided for them to review and study was concise and appeared to make the challenges that the volunteers met easier to manage and questions easier to answer. At this time information that is provided for volunteers after arriving in!9

10 the Park, is now available online thanks to Harold Wood who has posted the basic volunteer material. A special thanks to George Pettit for provided volunteer name tags as well as for creating the monthly program flyers that are distributed throughout the Park. LECONTE MEMORIAL LODGE 2016 LML will need the following: 1.The opening of LML in April 2016 will once again require hiring the Best Bet Cleaning Service from El Portal to take down the LML shutters, wash the floor, shelves, and all other surfaces before LML volunteers will be permitted to enter the building to prepare for the season. 2.Purchase of 40 chairs for evening programs. 3.T-shirts for volunteers. LECONTE MEMORIAL LODGE 2016 PROJECT To be determined. [In closing, the LeConte Memorial Lodge volunteers put a great deal of effort into introducing visitors to the Sierra Club building during the 2015 season--new friends were made, new members welcomed, and former members reunited. The LML Library remains one of its greatest assets it has always been a part of the initial Sierra Club Reading Room and the early days of the current building when it was located in Curry Village. The opportunity to welcome and share with families the environmental brand that is the Sierra Club is remarkable, rewarding, and some days overwhelming. The Sierra Club remains most fortunate in having LML in which to instill the values and purpose of enjoying, exploring, and protecting the Planet.] END OF REPORT Bonnie J. Gisel, Ph.D., Curator, For LeConte Memorial Lodge and the Sierra Club October 5, 2015!10