Stuart Bates (1925-2021)

Hello, all. I hope the holidays are treating you well. I just wanted to let you know that my dad passed away on Friday, November 17. He was playing tennis three weeks ago, broke a few ribs, and things went downhill from there. He was 96. 

He loved Mineral King! In 1925 his father, Dr. Bell, and a few others from CalTech and the Pasadena area, grabbed the opportunity to lease land in Mineral King and Faculty Flats was born. When my dad was little it took three days from their home in Pasadena to get to Mineral King: one day to Bakersfield, one day to the bottom of the hill, and the last long day up the winding 25 miles stopping at the radiator basins all the way.

There are just too many stories to tell all in one place, but cabin 15 meant it was summer, It meant time with my dad swimming in the stream, taking a hike, and yes fixing a thing or two around the house. I am so glad that we were able to get him up there the past few years. These are precious memories.

Best,

Ellen

News Release- KNP Complex Fire Declared 100% Contained

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks News Release For Immediate Release                                Contact: Rebecca Paterson, Public Affairs Specialist Phone: (559) 702-3400 Email: seki_public_affairs@nps.gov   Reference Number: 8550-2146 KNP Complex Fire Declared 100% Contained  SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. December 17, 2021 – Fire management staff at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks declared the KNP Complex Fire 100% contained on the afternoon of December 16, 2021. The KNP Complex is currently measured at 88,307 acres, most of which fall within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. While the fire has not grown in recent weeks, it has continued to show activity in remote areas. Significant precipitation events across the Sierra Nevada have prompted fire managers to declare the fire fully contained at this time.   The KNP Complex was ignited by a large lightning event on the night of September 9, 2021. Despite immediate and aggressive suppression efforts, the two fires that initially comprised the complex merged in the coming days and burned rapidly through a large area of Sequoia National Park, and into Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Forest, Bureau of Land Management lands, and lands under tribal, state, county, and private jurisdiction. This fire evacuated many communities, closed public lands, and ultimately killed approximately 3-5% of the world's population of mature giant sequoias.   Total containment means that the fire's perimeter is considered secure, and no further growth is expected. This differs from the fire being declared "out." Fire can become established in heavy fuels, such as large, downed trees, and may smolder there through multiple heavy snow and rain events, or even all winter, and become active again after the area dries out. Therefore, it may be a matter of months or longer before the KNP Complex is officially declared out.   "We hope that total containment on the KNP Complex is a comfort not only to local communities, but to people everywhere who care about the parks," said Leif Mathiesen, Assistant Fire Management Officer for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. "While the onset of winter weather was the push we needed to reach full containment, it's thanks to the incredible work of literally thousands of firefighting personnel that we were able to protect and save what we did. We're very grateful to a lot of people."   Significant hazards from the KNP Complex remain in many areas of the parks, some of which will not be fully assessed or mitigated until at least the spring of 2022. National Park Service employees are working hard to reopen areas to public access as it is possible and responsible to do so. For regularly updated information on what areas and services are accessible, visit go.nps.gov/sekiconditions.   The KNP Complex Fire has been declared 100% contained as of December 16, 2021.  - NPS - About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks These two parks, which lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, preserve prime examples of nature's size, beauty, and diversity. Nearly 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks to see the world's largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki. - ### - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks  47050 Generals Highway Three Rivers, CA 93271 559-565-3341 | www.nps.gov/seki STAY CONNECTED ‌ ‌ ‌

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271

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