Important Note from Mineral King Subdistrict Ranger

My trailhead rangers have stated that several cabin owners have come by the Mineral King Ranger Station today (8/23) to inquire about if there was a fire in or near Mineral King. There are smaller fires within the park boundary, but the one that is causing the ash in Mineral King and prompted concern in the community is the Castle Fire in the Golden Trout Wilderness.

Over the next several days, I am requesting that the cabin community please not interrupt the staff at the Mineral King Ranger Station unless there is an emergency. My trailhead rangers will be working non-stop on the phone over the next several days to notify permit holders planning to hike near the fires of the conditions and forest service closures. I have asked them to post updates on the front door of the ranger station as they are received to facilitate information flow of what we currently know to you all.

For those that have access to the Silver City Resort wifi, they can look at the fire information updates here. This will be the best place to receive information on the fires: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7048/

Information on air quality near Mineral King can be found here: https://aqicn.org/city/california/tulare/sequoia-national-park-ash-mountain and https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/airqualityinfo.htm

We will do our best to facilitate information flow to you all as it is received.

Also, unfortunately both campgrounds at Mineral King (Atwell Mill, Cold Springs) will not open this summer.

Respectfully,

Elizabeth K. Dietzen

Mineral King Subdistrict Ranger (Protection)

A Warm Welcome to Acting Superintendent, Lee Taylor

If there is one thing I have learned about Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, it is that it has

magic that people just can’t get enough of! These parks are so habit-forming that when an employee leaves for a new job, I’ve stopped saying goodbye because I know that they’ll be back.

Such was the case with former Superintendent Woody Smeck, and now Acting Superintendent Lee Taylor, both of whom spent time early in their careers in these two parks. Superintendent Taylor began her National Park Service career as a seasonal interpretation ranger right here in Sequoia National Park in 1985.

Since then, she has gone on to serve as superintendent at the San Juan Islands National Historical Park and deputy superintendent at Olympic National Park, both in the Pacific Northwest. Former Superintendent Woody Smeck explains the selection of Ms. Taylor this way, “Lee brings strong skills and experience in communications, partnerships, business acumen, and leading people during periods of change. Along with the superintendent, she has been leading the planning for COVID response at Olympic and is well-versed in guidance for disease prevention and management of parks and access."

Everyone at Sequoia Park Conservancy is excited about this new chapter and looks forward to building upon the already robust partnership with Sequoia and Kings Canyon under Lee's leadership.

Savannah Boiano

Executive Director of Sequoia Parks Conservancy

Documentary of Mineral King Project

During this pandemic I have turned to a passion project: a documentary on Mineral King. Since I am unable to get up there this year I would love it if you would share some footage with me. I have an account set up at mineralkingfilm@gmail.com and can give you access to a google drive folder for uploads.

My request would be to film a few minutes of your favorite place in Mineral King, or your favorite hike, favorite view, etc. You can use camera or cell phone; my only request is you keep the camera steady when filming, by placing it on a rock or something sturdy.

Anyone who send me footage will get film credit and maybe a slice of pie at Silver City next year.

I do plan on requesting your possible participation in interviews and the like if you have the mind to do so too.. This starter footage would be for a teaser trailer and to start a gofundme for the project I plan to film in 2021.

If you don't have video footage but you have fantastic photos I will accept those too.

And spurred by a comment: I am also looking for stories. You can be interview about it, it can be recreated, or we can simply mention it.. Thank you for the suggestion! (may/ may not be part of the initial teaser trailer)

And any inquiries into this project will be welcome.

Thank you,

Sophia Badeaux

of Cabin #9 West MK

mineralkingfilm@gmail.com

505-699-9548

(also available for FaceTime or zoom chats)

Website and social media pages come soon!

Photos of Mineral King

Brett Harvey, professional photographer and frequent Mineral King visitor, has a collection of beautiful photos available for purchase in various formats.  Feel free to peruse his collection, here:

https://brett-harvey.pixels.com

The Mineral King section of his website may be found here:

https://brett-harvey.pixels.com/collections/mineral+king

"Summer in Mineral King - 2020"

Tyson Baker wrote a short blog post about his visit to Mineral King this summer (including photos) for the Mineral King Preservation Society.  Please give it a read!

https://mineralking.org/summer-in-mineral-king-2020

Various Mineral King Updates

I just returned from 9 wonderful days at Mineral King!  And yes, I felt the Lone Pine earthquake on

June 24, a 5.8 shallow quake centered about 30 miles due east.  It was quite a bumpy ride--like driving on the MK Road in the "washboard" sections!  I did not hear about any damage in the Mineral King Valley.

I noticed that there were flags flying on several cabins that obviously were unoccupied, and a couple of occupied cabins had no flag out.  Please remind your cabin users to fly the American flag when they are staying at the cabin.

Our summer, 2020 MKDA newsletter was mailed on June 22.  If you did not receive a copy, let me know and I will email you a .pdf version.  Even though our annual meeting is cancelled officially, please remember to send in your MKDA dues.  We still have ongoing expenses, and your contribution will help.

For those of you who need to charge your Apple Watch, FitBit, and/or portable camera (aka cell phone) while at Mineral King, I found this solar charger to work quite well:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084VFKZ4B/ref=dp_prsubs_1

Lastly, according to the SEKI campground information site here:

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/cg-opening2020.htm 

Cold Springs and Atwell Mill campgrounds are still closed.  As soon as I hear of any opening date, I will pass it along.

Sharon Devol, E-list Coordinator

Mineral King District Association

P.O. Box 1004

Three Rivers, CA  93271-1004

https://www.mineralking.net 

https://mineralkingca.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MineralKing

MKPS Announcements