ELKardetum 1955 Buffor boreoz April 12 Stoneman mdw., 4000 ft., Yosemite Valley, Calif. Arrived here 3:15 P.M. The entire valley is considerably drier than it was at the same time last year. The falls are full, patches of snow cover the higher rocks and peaks and extend down the draws but the amount of snow is 1/2 of what it was one year ago. Here in Stoneman meadow the absence of water was surprising. There is no snow on the valley floor at all, even up here at the cooler SE end. There are patches at the base of the N-facing slopes down to Camp Curry in the dense forest. Parks A and B, all the ditches on the south side are devoid of standing water. The soil at the bottom of the depressions is moist, but no water can be forced from it when its pressed between the fingers. The annual meadow grasses and sedges are brown, dry and matted down. Fresh green growth is sparse but the blades extend to 4-5 inches above the matted grass surface. The western azalea has closed buds. The black cohns have the tiniest buds on the lower twigs. Stella gaza, red-winged blackbirds are active in the meadow margins. Flocks of robins were working the bottoms of the ditches on the north side of the road, probably for worms and insects in the moist soil. Some standing water is present along the base of the ditch on the north side of the