Mineral King Road Closed Due to Wildfire

Note: Cabin owners are allowed access to their personal property.  If you drive up, be sure and bring BOTH the old (last year) and new lock codes, as the locks may not have been changed yet.

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Fire Information Office Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks News Release For Immediate Release Contact: Perri Spreiser Fire Information Officer Phone Number: 559-565-3129 E-mail: perri_spreiser@nps.gov   Reference Number: 8550-2026 Sequoia National Park Implements Closure of Generals Highway  Tall tree with red bark reaches far into the clouded sky. NPS/Soto SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. September 13, 2020 – Sequoia National Park implements an immediate road closure of the Generals Highway from Highway 198 in Three Rivers to the Giant Forest Museum starting at 6 am on Monday, September 14, 2020. The immediate partial park closure is in direct relation to the SQF Complex currently burning south and west of the park. Generals Highway beginning in the gateway community of Three Rivers, through the Ash Mountain Entrance Station to the Giant Forest Museum will be closed through the duration of fire activity in this region. Visitors will still be able to access Sequoia National Park through the Big Stump Entrance Station, on Highway 180 from Fresno, to view the sequoia trees at this time. “Our number one priority is public and employee safety. It is crucial to take care of our staff and our gateway community of Three Rivers.” Acting Superintendent Lee Taylor, “With this partial park closure, it is our intention to reduce possible evacuation complexity of the Three Rivers community by reducing the amount of visitors in the area.” We understand this is a stressful situation and Sequoia National Park is a major attraction in the region. Park managers are being mindful to the welfare to our staff, community and partners as well as our commitment to the public to provide a safe environment. The decision to close Generals Highway will reduce complexity if an evacuation is ordered for Three Rivers. In the closure of this section of Generals Highway, Potwisha Campground will also be closed and all reservations will be cancelled and refunded. The Giant Forest, including General Sherman Tree will remain open at this time but expect the Crescent Meadow Road, which includes Tunnel Log, Tharp’s Log and Moro Rock, to be closed. Public access to Mineral King Road is also closed. Park managers will reassess daily and additional closures may be implemented. For additional information on the SQF Complex, please visit inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7048 For air quality information, please visit fire.airnow.gov   - NPS - About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks' Fire Management Program For over fifty years, our mission has been to use the full range of options and strategies available to manage fire in the parks. This includes protecting park resources, employees, and the public from unwanted fire; building and maintaining fire resilient ecosystems; reducing the threat to local communities from wildfires emanating from the parks or adjacent lands; and recruiting, training, and retaining a professional fire management workforce. - ### - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks  47050 Generals Highway Three Rivers, CA 93271 FAX: 559 565-3730 | Phone: 559-565-3341 | www.nps.gov/seki STAY CONNECTED

Critical Fire Danger!

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Fire Information Office
Phone Number: 559-565-3704
E-mail: seki_fire_info@nps.gov
Reference Number: 8550-2023
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park Enact Parks-wide Campfire Ban

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. September 7, 2020 – Due to extreme fire danger, record setting temperatures, commitment of firefighting resources across the area and state, and national and geographical preparedness levels at PL-5, their highest levels, the parks are increasing fire restrictions.

Effective at 6:00 a.m. on September 8, 2020, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are enacting a parks-wide campfire and smoking ban. This includes all campgrounds, picnic and day-use areas, and wilderness locations inside the parks. There are no exceptions to this change.

"We need the public and our visitors help in preventing any new wildfires at this critical time," said John Ziegler, parks' fire management officer. "One less spark means one less fire."

The increased fire restrictions can be summed up to be:

Wood and charcoal fires (including wood-burning stoves) are illegal at all elevations and locations.

Employee housing and private property throughout the parks are included.
Gas, propane, alcohol (with and without a shutoff valve), and tablet/cube stoves are permitted in all areas.

No smoking at any elevation except within an enclosed vehicle, a building in which smoking is allowed, or a designated smoking area.

These restrictions will remain in effect until conditions in the area have progressed to a point where minimal public hazard remains, as determined by the Parks' Superintendent.

For information on the other fire restriction stage levels, please visit https://go.nps.gov/sekifirerestrictions

Alles Cabin Undergoes Restoration

I'm glad to see the historic Alles Cabin (located across the road from the Atwell Mill Ranger Station) being repaired and restored.  Read all about it here:

https://3riversnews.com/historic-alles-cabin-undergoing-nps-restoration/

Air Quality in the Mineral King Valley

We have been gifted with an air quality monitor at the Mineral King Ranger Station. Simply go to https://fire.airnow.gov/?lat=36.44310412654107&lng=-118.59157562255861&zoom=12.

The triangle color reflects the measured air quality index (AQI) and you can zoom out to see current flame locations as detected by satellite, as well as smoke coverage (when that feature is working). Although the monitor provides useful information, it is important to note that the monitor measures only fine particulates (PM2.5) which do not increase significantly with wildfires compared to other inhalable particulates and toxins. If you see and smell smoke, assume the air quality is unhealthy and take reasonable precautions.

Closing Dates for Water/Gate

I know it's hard to think about the end of the season so soon after it began, but here is the 2020 closing schedule for the Park Service:

Water systems:

   Silver City water (10/9/2020)
   Cold Springs Water (10/14/2020)
   Atwell Mill Water (10/16/2020)

Conifer Gate (mile 17.64): 10/28/2020

Important Note: There will be a new lock code this winter. If you are a cabin owner and require access to your cabin, please call an MKDA Board member for the new combination.  Codes will not be provided by email.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

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