Yosemite National Park employee perishes in climbing accident

Jeff Maurer, a biologist who worked for Yosemite National Park, died Sunday as a result of a climbing accident, the park announced Tuesday. He was 47.

Maurer fell while attempting to climb the Third Pillar, a difficult rock-climbing route on Mount Dana. He had worked at Yosemite for three years and before that was an employee at the Yosemite Institute. He also taught at UC Davis and was involved in numerous research projects.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident," Dave Uberuaga, acting park superintendent, said in a news release. "This is a huge loss to  the Yosemite National Park and National Park Service family.  Our deepest condolences go out to Jeff’s loved ones."

Funeral arrangements are pending. Condolences to the family can be sent to:

The Maurer Family, c/o Peter Maurer, 3460 Coon Hollow Rd., Placerville, Calif., 95667

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Jeff Maurer sits atop Stately Pleasure Dome in Tuolumne Meadows within Yosemite National Park. Credit: Colleen Kamoroff

Comments

[Justin Jack]

Jeff was an excellent biologist and a great person. I had the opportunity to work for him and be mentored by him while working for the Park Service. I will never forget the times we spent together in Yosemite. He will be greatly missed by all who knew. Thank you for everything you taught me Jeff.

[Michelle]

It's hard to sum up in a short blurb what a unique and incredible person Jeff was, how motivated and passionate he was about conservation, hiking, and living a conscientious and good life. He perfected living outdoors and many, many people are deeply saddened and effected by this sudden loss. We miss you Jeff.

[Pete Devine]

This is a significant loss for the park and the Yosemite community that Jeff cultivated for 20 years. As an NPS biologist he knew things about Yosemite's birds of prey that no one else knows, he was a ridiculously hard worker in the field and office. He was cherished by his YI tribe for his positive energy and by people who signed up for his always-full Yosemite Association field seminars on raptors.
Soar in peace, Jeff.

[Colleen Balch]

Jeff's productivity and passion for learning and educating about birds of prey, ecosystems, and how people's actions impact them, never flagged. Neither did his enthusiasm for friends, music, gardens, good food, and getting out and having an adventure. From the first time he popped into the Mather Bunk House way back in 88, his gifts to the land and the people of Yosemite (and beyond), have enriched and filled our lives with rhythem & laughter, helped us understand the ecosystems we work and live within, made us smile through tears and lonliness, joined us to celebrate our triumphs, happily demostrated how to empty a 1/2 gallon of ice cream or an entire larder, inspired many comical attemps at raptor calls, and made and art out of keeping quirky geriatric cars running and useful. My gratitude for having shared his life runs deep and my loss, profound. Walk in beauty, Jeff, you always have.

[Susan Stansbury]

Jeff was a friend for 30+ years. He was there on my first backpacking trip to the Trinity Alps and we hung out together off and on through the years since. I learned so much from him about birds, trees, and ecosystems. Being in the woods with him was like being a kid in a candy store...but better. He was an amazing example of how to live simply, while living fully. May your spirit continue to live in the beauty of creation. I love you and miss you, my friend!

[Deneb]

Why am I so lucky to have known Jung E Fung Fung? His big crinkly smile, his perfect hugs, his gentle way of teaching. He saw the good in everyone, his heart was always open, he appreciated the beauty of the bristlecones and the birds and the sky and the weather. Thank God for migrating raptors. Thank you Steve Hoffman, for finding the migration path that put Jeff and I together one fall. Lucky me. His visits to our home in SLC are memories I cherish: how he played the theme from Snoopy on our piano, wrestled and played soccer with the little kids, climbed in Little Cottonwood Canyon with Art when it was so cold they couldn't tell their fingers from the rocks. I want to know his parents and his siblings. To tell them thanks for sharing him with the world. The world is better because of him. I will carry him in my heart forever. mmmmm.

[Jim Brown]

I was tracking the fire and then the public comment on the new YI campus when I found this article. I was fortunate to have shared and benefited from Jeff's knowledge and energy. The face of death tests the limits of human forebearance, yet beyond lies the spirit and energy of a person who lived and shared a chosen way that touched many.
I know he is on a good wing.

[Marcus Melander]

Jeff - these days we were talking maybe every six months or so. I'm sitting here crying because I stumbled over the news of your accident three months since we last talked and two months since your death. Mein Bruder, Mein Freund I will miss you, but I know you were doing what you loved in the place that you loved. You are exceptional, beautiful, and I am blessed to have known you. There was always a sparkle in your eye and a deep curiosity for life. I felt good by just being around you. Much love.