Friday, April 12, 2019

Photographic Trip Report

Our Mineral King friend and top-notch photographer, Steven Bakos, and his wife made the trek up to Mineral King last week, and posted these wonderful wintery photos for us to enjoy!  Photos are here.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Mineral King Preservation Society Needs Help


Here is a great opportunity for a Mineral King lover: The Mineral King Preservation Society needs a new webmaster for their MKPS website (http://www.mineralking.org). This opens a fun, productive and very important opportunity for a computer savvy person with a desire to help get the word out about the Society's extensively visited Mineral King Room museum in Three Rivers, upcoming museum and Mineral King events, and the public sharing of the fast-growing collection of Mineral King and Southern Sierra Nevada history.

For more information or to volunteer, contact MKPS President Stuart Hendricks, stujan@aol.com.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

New Web Site!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we proudly present our newly designed web site, "The Cabins of Mineral King!" https://www.mineralking.net
Take a look, browse around, and we will continue to tweak it and add more photos and documents. All comments, suggestions, and yes, even complaints will be gratefully received and considered.
Thank you!

Sequoia Parks Conservancy newsletter

Here is a link to the March, 2019 issue of the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.  Please consider getting involved in this worthwhile organization!

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Next Location: Sawtooth?

The National Park Service Approves the Wuksachi Village Wireless Telecommunications Facility Within Sequoia National Park

March 25, 2019

Dear Interested Party:

Thank you for your comments on the Wuksachi Village Wireless Telecommunications System Environmental Assessment. To provide an update, the National Park Service has approved the plan and corresponding environmental assessment (EA) for the issuance of a right-of-way permit to Verizon Wireless to construct, operate, and maintain a wireless telecommunications facility providing cellular service near the Wuksachi Village within Sequoia National Park. On February 13, 2019, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was signed by the NPS Pacific West Regional Director, Stan Austin. 

The FONSI and EA constitute the record of the environmental impact analysis and decision-making process for this project. If you would like a copy of the FONSI, and/or a copy of the EA, electronic copies are available at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/WuksachiCellTower.

The EA was available for a 32-day public review and comment period from October 24, 2018, through November 26, 2018. A total of 42 comments were received during public review of the EA. Public comments received during the review revealed that those opposed to the proposal were primarily concerned about visitors' experience of solitude, self-reliance, natural soundscapes, and the ability to disconnect from technology, particularly in wilderness. Comments in support cited benefits to visitor health, safety, and convenience resulting from enhanced communication. Potential effects on visitor experience and other resources were identified and evaluated in the EA. Specific responses to substantive comments were addressed in Attachment C—Errata (Part II) of the EA. 

Sequoia National Park's position is that improved cellular service will provide opportunities to more easily and quickly communicate park conditions to visitors, including real­time information on parking, traffic, weather, and hazardous conditions. Cellular service will also assist the park in providing educational and interpretive materials to park visitors, information about events and activities, maps, and other services, which could enhance the visitor experience and help protect park resources. Many visitors and park staff will view the service as a welcome benefit for purposes of accessibility, coordination, communication, and safety. While other visitors may view cell phone service as an unwelcome intrusion, the NPS is committed to a public education program to promote considerate use of cell phones in shared public facilities and spaces.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are currently working with the permittee to design the tower and develop a right-of-way permit. Construction will likely begin in 2020.

Thank you for your continued interest in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Sincerely,

Woody Smeck                                                
Superintendent
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271 

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

The Wildflowers of Mineral King


One of our Artist-in-Residence, Jana Botkin, just published a book about the wildflowers we find at Mineral King.  It's a great book to keep at your cabin to identify the common names of all the flora we find in our Valley.

More details about the book on Jana's blog entry, here:

https://www.cabinart.net/mineral-king-wildflowers-book