Everything Photographic: J. T. Boysen and his ... - Yosemite Online

SUPERINTENDENT TOLLEFSON TO LEADYOSEMITE FUNDA11 good things must come to an end, and that wascertainly the case on August 22, when YosemiteNational Park Superintendent Mike Tollefsonannounced his retirement from the National Park Serviceafter 36 years of service . Though he will leave the NPSat the end of the year, Mike will remain a part of theYosemite family when he takes over as President of theYosemite Fund in January 2009."It has been a pleasure and a highlight of my life to besuperintendent of Yosemite National Park and to workwith all of the dedicated employees and partners pullingtogether to make Yosemite a unique and special place thatso many love," he said . " I am proud of all that we haveaccomplished together. Yosemite is a better place for thevisitor and the resource is more protected ."Tollefson has been the superintendent of YosemiteNational Park since December 2002 . His long career with:he NPS has included serving as superintendent of Sequoiaand Kings Canyon National Parks in California, GlacierBay National Park in Alaska and Great Smoky MountainsNational Park in North Carolina and Tennessee . He alsoaas been in policy leadership positions in the NationalPark Service's Pacific Northwest regional office.As Superintendent of Yosemite National Park,Tollefson has guided a major construction program torepair old infrastructure, improve visitor services andincrease resource protection. Under his tenure,the shuttle bus fleethas been replaced withhybrid electric buses andsister park relationshipshave been establishedwith parks in both Chileand China.The YosemiteAssociation is extremelyexcited to work withMike in his new roleat the Fund. Departing Yosemite Fund President BobHansen notes that " Mike is the perfect choice to lead TheYosemite Fund and work with the National Park Service,donors and many others to improve the park in the yearsahead ." We couldn 't agree more.While announcing his new position, Mike said, "I amexcited to help those who care about Yosemite to preserveand protect the park ' s future. My overarching goal willbe to build on The Yosemite Fund ' s successes of the lasttwenty years . I feel uniquely positioned to continue tosupport Yosemite 's special projects and initiatives throughprivate funding and resources ."Congratulations Mike!FIRE MENACES YOSEMITE COMMUNITIESire is a natural part of life here in the SierrafNevada . Just as they need rain, wind, sun and snowto thrive, the flora and fauna in this mountainouslandscape require the heat of a burn to maintain a healthye .osystem . But for many of us at the Yosemite Association_nd throughout Mariposa County, the flames came too_lose for comfort this summer.On the afternoon of July 25, a spark from target_1-tooting ignited the Telegraph Fire in the community_ _ \lidpines outside of the Yosemite gateway town of1 . ariposa . The blaze spread fast . By July 27, thousands ofresidents had been evacuated and fire crews were working-_rd to contain the spread . Several times over the next- days, crews closed a section of Highway 140 for safety,and power in El Portal and Yosemite Valley was intermittentat best.But thanks to the over 4,000 firefighters who foughtto rein in the blaze, the Telegraph Fire was fully containedby August 6 . It burned 34,091 acres, destroyed30 residences and caused 38 minor injuries . In themeantime, life for most of us has returned to normal.We ' re all grateful for the efforts of all those involvedin containing the fire, restoring power and keepingour communities safe: The California Department ofForestry and Fire Protection, the Mariposa CountyFire and Sheriff Departments, the U.S . Forest Service,the National Park Service and especially the menand women of the crews who came to our aid .