Yosemite Concessionaire Receives 2012 Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award

Representatives of DNC accepted the 2012 Business of the Year Award

On January 24, a group of Delaware North Companies (DNC) Parks & Resorts at Yosemite employees traveled to the Mariposa County Fairgrounds to accept the 2012 “Business of the Year” Award from the Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce. The western-themed awards dinner recognized individuals and organizations that made a big impact on the community of Mariposa in the past year.

DNC was specially recognized for the following efforts:

• Offering employment opportunities to those who lost their jobs due to the fire at the Pizza Factory in May 2012
• Dedication to local, sustainable and healthy food options in Yosemite
• Recycling program: In the past 10 years, DNC has recycled 6,946 tons of material and another 8,517 tons of material has been diverted from landfills through composting and reuse. In 2010, DNC collected 250 tons of organic waste and over 300 tons in 2011
• GreenPath® – DNC’s award-winning environmental management system that was ISO certified in 2001
• Professional and caring way DNC reacted to difficult situations

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce as Business of the Year,” said DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite President Dan Jensen. “Part of our core mission is to provide stewardship and hospitality in special places, and this award is an honor and tribute to our dedicated associates for providing memorable Yosemite experiences for millions of visitors each year.”

The Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce also recognized Ron Iudice from the California Mining and Mineral Museum as Businessman of the Year. Karen Cutter of Ladybug Embroidery was named Businesswoman of the Year and the organization, SCOPE (Sheriff’s Community-Organized Policing Effort) was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for all of their service, from managing parade-day traffic to family safety programs.

Yosemite Youth Program Leads to Prestigious Award for Yosemite Park Ranger

Shauna Potocky, a Park Ranger at Yosemite National Park was recently awarded the Pacific West Region 2012 Freeman Tilden Award for her work in creating the Gateway Expressions Student Art and Poetry Contest. This new program, is one of several youth programs being offered in direct partnership with NPS.

Each year the Freeman Tilden Award recognizes a National Park Service (NPS) ranger for developing, revitalizing or delivering a particularly effective and creative interpretive or education program. The Gateway Expressions Student Art and Poetry Contest not only provides a program for youth from the local gateway communities surrounding the park to develop and express their own personal connections to the park, but also strengthens the partnership between the many park partners that were involved in the program. She will represent the Pacific West Region of the NPS in the National Freeman Tilden Award competition. The overall winner will be announced during the National Association of Interpretation Conference to be held in mid-November in Hampton, Virginia.

“Gateway Expressions gives people an opportunity to see the remarkable nature of Yosemite through the eyes of today’s youth. We see what they value, what they connect to and how important it is to them. It is the perfect reminder for us to continue to work towards protecting nature in Yosemite and in the communities we call home,” Potocky remarked.

Looking for some activities so that your children will have fun engaging with and exploring Yosemite? You might be interested in some of the kid-friendly Yosemite programs listed on our website, like Wee Wild Ones, Junior Ranger Programs, or Storytime.