Yosemite

In response to "Yosemite Pact Given by U.S. to Stadium Firm," Dec. 18: I need to express my outrage at what appears to be a blatant political deal on the part of the environmentally antagonistic Bush Administration. After years of careful study and surveys on the part of those who deeply care about Yosemite, to evaluate "50,000 pages worth of bids in just two weeks" smells of the lame ducks having their last feast . . . or perhaps there was a fear that the Clinton Administration would make a more thoughtful choice.

Officials at Yosemite National Park say snow plows will begin clearing Tioga Road next week and hope to reopen the highway by May 11. The road across Tioga Pass is a crucial one for tourists crossing the Sierra Nevada range. Park officials said a dry winter should speed the work. Plowing on the road to Glacier Point began this week, according to Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb, with a projected opening of May 3. Mariposa Grove road is already open Cobb cautioned that the opening dates are subject to late spring storms, road damage and other  safety concerns.

When you think about it, Yosemite is one big birthing room. As such, rangers are cautioning summer visitors to look but not touch, and to give any young wildlife - baby birds, fawns, etc. - plenty of space. “They may appear to be in distress, but are not sick, injured, or abandoned,” the park notes of young wildlife. “If moved from their location, the parents cannot care for their offspring and many of the young animals do not survive.” If spotted on the ground, these animals should not be moved or handled, rangers say. In fact, visitors who happen across newborn wildlife are asked to immediately leave the area so the parents can continue to care for their young.  “When people are present, a mother deer or bird may become aggressive or stay away for longer periods of time, which will prevent the offspring from feeding on a regular basis,” the park says in cautioning visitors.

SACRAMENTO -- State lawmakers are supporting a proposal to expand Yosemite National Park by 1,600 acres, restoring land stripped of its protection by Congress in 1906. The state Senate approved a resolution this week that asks the federal government to approve the expansion. “This is a great day for Yosemite,” said Nathan Weaver, a spokesman for Environment California, which supported the resolution. “We applaud work by California's leaders to preserve and strengthen Yosemite, one of the world's most beautiful” parks.

In response to the recent outbreak, Yosemite is distributing hantavirus information to every visitor. Since HPS was first identified in 1993, there have been approximately 60 cases in California and 602 cases nationally, the park says. Nationwide, approximately 20% of mice carry hantavirus.. . . . Bermuda is on a tropical storm watch as Hurricane Leslie hovers to the south-southeast. Little motion or change in strength is expected until sometime Friday . . . . A hoax tip called in to airport police was being blamed Thursday when a Dallas-bound flight out of Philadelphia was recalled by authorities and a passenger removed.

Your article on Yosemite ("Yosemite, the Picture of Peace," Dec. 23) was wonderful; the pictures added to my memory of a place I call heaven. We just returned from a Bracebridge Dinner, and I highly recommend the experience. When we arrived the park was blanketed with snow, a real picture postcard. We stayed at the Ahwahnee, which made the event all the better since we didn't have to take a shuttle bus to the hotel. In addition, we enjoyed meeting the other guests who gathered around the grand piano for caroling.

"Honk if You Love Yosemite" by Peter H. King (March 5) was wonderful! I'm a geology instructor, and it was so great to see someone give voice to the need to have the "common" people be able to view Yosemite. Each year I try to open the eyes of students to these natural wonders. It is heartbreaking to me to have so many areas closed off except for the "few" that are extremely physically fit. This is happening all over the West right now and we have to give voice to these closings! There needs to be balance between are right to use and the right to abuse our natural wonders.

I remember the first time I ever saw Yosemite. It was 1967 and I was 6 years old. There were still some fish in the Merced River. The meadows were not wiped out from the hordes of tourists that Jones claims infest the valley "only 3 or 4 weekends each summer." Over the last 22 years I have visited Yosemite many times, spent summers working there. Make no mistake about it, Yosemite has changed. It has changed in a thousand little ways; less flora, more trash, more cars, more people.

The charter tour bus that crashed Saturday evening outside Yosemite National Park, injuring more than a dozen people, was traveling at an unsafe speed when the driver lost control, according to the California Highway Patrol. The bus was leaving Yosemite on California 41, or Wawona Road, about 6 p.m., when it veered off the roadway and angled up a dirt embankment, according to a CHP report. As the driver attempted to regain control of the vehicle, the bus crossed both lanes of traffic and struck a tree.

The California Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation of a charter tour bus that crashed Saturday evening outside Yosemite National Park. Seventeen people were aboard the vehicle; 15 passengers and a tour guide sustained minor to moderate injuries in the crash, authorities said. The driver was uninjured. The bus was operated by Seven Happiness Tour and Charter Inc. in Burlingame, Calif., according to Scott Jobinger, a CHP spokesman. Adam Wang, manager with Seven Happiness, said that the tour began Saturday morning in the Bay Area, and after a tour of the park, the bus was headed to Fresno for the night.

A Yosemite National Park tour bus crashed Saturday evening after it went off the road and over an embankment, leaving 16 people hurt. None of the injuries are life-threatening. The victims were recovering at local hospitals, the Fresno Bee said. According to Associated Press, the bus was about 40 miles south of the park when it went off Highway 41 and over an embankment about 6 p.m. Saturday. The patrol's Merced dispatch office described it as a minor injury crash, and said the 16 people were taken to local hospitals.

The majestic landscape of Yosemite National Park - carved out of granite and shaped by powerful natural forces over the eons - is timeless and untouchable. Other attractions in the park … not so much. Some of Yosemite's much-loved amenities, including swimming pools, bike, horse and raft rentals, and an ice skating rink, would be jettisoned under a plan to restore the Merced River corridor to a more natural state. The Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan would reconfigure much of the Yosemite Valley by removing or relocating familiar concessions.

The historic Evergreen Lodge , with comfortable cabins just outside Yosemite National Park near the serene Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, maintains a year-round program of activities. With its two-night summer “Bike & Hike to Waterfalls” package for families with children, you can take the whole gang on one of two full-day guided trips; the choice depends on the weather and how the water is flowing. One trip goes to the Rainbow Pools; the other to Granite Gorge. Date: The package is available May 24 through Sept.

The Teddy Bear Museum of the Sierra opens Friday with more than 250 antique and modern-day bears on display in Oakhurst, Calif., at the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park , where the real bears live. The museum's bear count comes from private collectors who also are card-carrying members of the Mountain Bear Fan Club . "Four of us became radical collectors," museum founder and club creator Toni Lagunoff said Wednesday. She said the group often talked about opening a museum for the 5,000 bears they have between them, but it wasn't until Jean Eaton, one of their own, died in December that they made it a reality to honor her. The current display features English-made bears, miniature bears, patriotic bears and an explanation of how teddy bears got started (yes, you'll learn about the Teddy Roosevelt link)

TECHNOLOGY Presentation Angel Castellanos will look at traveling with today's electronic devices. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. YOSEMITE Presentation Jared Vagy will share his experience climbing the Nose of El Capitan and other big walls in Yosemite. The presentation will include an introduction to styles of climbing, a review of equipment and a slide show of the climb.

The lottery for summer permits to hike up Yosemite 's Half Dome via the cables begins online Friday and continues through March 31. Permits are required daily during the summer for each person who wants to hike to the top of Yosemite National Park 's popular granite rock face at 8,842 feet above sea level. The cables with wooden slats that form a kind of ladder on the last 400 feet to the top are scheduled to be up May 24 to Oct. 14 this year, according to the National Park Service . Those who apply may choose up to six date preferences when entering the lottery at recreation.gov , (877)