Yosemite National Park officials are trying again to come up with a suitable, and legal, development plan for the Yosemite Valley. NPS photo of the Merced River.
After a series of legal setbacks, Yosemite National Park officials once again are setting out on the path to develop an acceptable development plan for the Yosemite Valley, one that is expected to fully take into consideration impacts to the wild and scenic Merced River.
Through August 29 the park will take public scoping comments for the planning and environmental impact analysis for a new Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan. Scoping comments submitted when the National Park Service (NPS) first initiated public scoping on March 28, 2007 are still valid and do not need to be resubmitted.
Here's an abbreviated background of this planning endeavor, courtesy of the National Park Service:
The NPS completed the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan (MRP) in August 2000. Soon after, two lawsuits were filed and several years of litigation ensued. A supplemental EIS was prepared in 2005. Subsequent court proceedings culminated in a 2006 U.S. District Court decision that invalidated the park’s MRP and ordered the NPS to prepare a new comprehensive management plan. The NPS appealed the U.S. District Court’s decision that the 2005 MRP was invalid. However, on March 27, 2008 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion affirming the judgment of the District Court and expanding the scope of what the NPS had previously understood must be included in a legally valid Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan.
Consequently, the NPS is reopening public scoping for the MRP to provide additional opportunity for public involvement in developing a new plan. The purpose of reopening scoping is to receive any new public comments about issues and concerns that should be addressed in the new MRP.
The gist of the lawsuits that challenged the previous plans was that they would allow inappropriate development to intrude upon the wild and scenic river corridor.
This topic has been around a long time. It was spawned by the 1997 Merced River floods that scrubbed clean parts of the Yosemite Valley floor and got park officials thinking about a better layout for lodgings, campgrounds, and trails.
As for the renewed scoping period, a series of public scoping meetings will be held in and around Yosemite throughout July and August. Each of these meetings will occur from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Yosemite National Park staff will be at each meeting to answer questions and discuss the new MRP.
Written comments should be addressed to the Superintendent, Attn: Merced River Plan, Yosemite National Park, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389, or faxed to (209) 379-1294.
Here's a list of the public meetings:
Monday July 13, Fresno, REI 7810 N. Blackstone Ave. Fresno, CA 93720
Thursday July 16, Oakhurst, Community Center 39800 Road 425 B, Oakhurst, CA 93644
Wednesday July 22, Mariposa, Government Center 5100 Bullion St., Mariposa, CA 95338 (2nd Floor)
Tuesday July 28, Mono Basin Visitor Center, Highway 395, Lee Vining, CA 93541
Wednesday July 29, Yosemite Valley East Auditorium – Open House Yosemite National Park, CA 95389
Thursday July 30, Groveland Community Hall Groveland, CA 95321
Monday August 3, Pasadena Senior Center, 85 East Holy Street, Pasadena, CA 91103
Thursday August 13, Foster City Recreation Wind Room – 2nd flr above the library Foster City Community Center 100 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404
Tuesday August 18, Sacramento, Southside Clubhouse 2051 6th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
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Comments
Let's hope the NPS can get there act together this time. A good start would be to just rebuild what is already in Yosemite Valley rather than try to urbanize more land that was reclaimed by mother nature when the Merced River flooded. With the exception of the Ahwahnee Hotel and some employee lodging, just about everything in the valley is in a sorry state of disrepair.
I hope these meetings will be well announced in advance and that they will be well attended. Yosemite is a very special place. I wish there was another viable option for reducing traffic during peak periods and encouraging tent camping.
Owen Hoffman
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Inexpensive coin-op showers at campground locations would be a nice start. Right now the situation with the showers only from the concessionaire is unworkable and expensive ($5 a pop).
I agree with Sierra Mark. This is more time and money wasted on "planning to plan." If only park managers had stuck to repairing what was damaged from the 1997 flood, they wouldn't be in this mess.
y p w: $5 for a shower? Yikes. But after five days it seems worth it. No? With California's water problems, we may soon be paying that all across the state.
I was in Yosemite over the holiday weekend. I didn't go to the valley because it is so crowded, it's just not enjoyable at all. Tuolumne is the place. (Don't tell anyone). The reason it is so nice is because there is almost no lodging there. There's the small tent lodge at Tuolumne Meadows and the Tuolumne campground. There's one small store and hamburger stand. As a result, it's much nicer. No souvenir stands, no movie theater, no hospital, courthouse, art gallery, none of the strip mall mentality of the valley services. The less 'stuff' the better. I hope the new Merced Plan strips Yosemite Valley to the bare essentials.
The only intrusion on the pleasantness were the large groups of motorcycles that roar through en masse.. Why does the park allow this? It's a park, not a speedway.
There's likely nothing they can do about the motorcycles. For the most part I've found most bikers going through national parks to be pleasant and friendly, but the sound of Harleys just sort of ruins the experience for me.
Yep - $5 for a shower at either Curry Village or Housekeeping Camp. A couple years back I backpacked in Yosemite and took a shower before and after my trip. The first time I paid $3 at the Curry Village main desk, wasn't given a receipt (or a towel) and went to take the shower at the men's guest shower room. The second time the desk clerk refused to take my money and offered a towel. As is stands now, there are reports that there are employees stationed at the showers to check for guest keys/receipts. Otherwise they collect $5.
Last year I was camping in Mt Rainier, and they had 7 minute showers that operated on one quarter at the old Jackson Visitor Center. Since that site has been decommissioned, there apparently aren't any public showers in Mt Rainier National Park.