VISITOR USE

Appropriate activities will be encouraged, traditional and special programs will be maintained, access will be improved, and adequate facilities will be provided to help ensure a fulfilling experience for visitors to Yosemite.

Appropriate Activities
Visitors to Yosemite enjoy a great variety of traditional uses, and this variety must be retained to preserve the vitality of the park. Activities such as picnicking, hiking, and camping, which take advantage of the park's natural features rather than man-made facilities or mechanized equipment, are the most appropriate uses of the park. Downhill skiing is a traditional activity that will be allowed to continue. Space in the Valley will not be allocated for resort activities, since they are not directly related to the significant resources.

Visitor Use Levels
Appropriate overnight and day use levels for the various developed areas of the park will be achieved by limiting the number of overnight accommodations, campsites, and day parking spaces available to visitors. Access will be restricted when these capacities are reached. At the present time, it is not proposed to limit day use by controlling entry into the park, but this may be necessary sometime in the future.

The maximum overnight and day use levels for each developed area are listed in the following table. The overnight use level for the developed areas of the park will be 15,713 people, based on the combined capacities of overnight accommodations and campsites. The day use level is based on the amount of day parking that will be available (both at visitor destinations and at outlying parking areas with public transportation to those destinations) and also the number of day visitors who currently enter the park on tour buses. The day use level for Yosemite Valley will be lower than the level of use that is currently provided for because the significant amount of parking that will be removed from the Valley will more than offset the new parking with bus service at El Portal, Crane Flat, and Wawona.

The day use level for the park backcountry has not been established, but overnight use of the backcountry will continue to be limited by a permit system based on changing environment conditions in the individual backcountry travel zones.

Visitor Facilities and Services

Campgrounds. Yosemite will continue to provide for a wide range of camping opportunities. The number of campsites within the park will increase to 2,504 sites. Some sites will be relocated to zones more suitable for man's activities in order to protect sensitive resources and increase manageability. Consistent with this policy, campgrounds will be dispersed more evenly throughout the park and redesigned to allow for adequate revegetation.

Overnight Accommodations. A full range of overnight accommodations will continue to be provided; however, no attempt will be made to meet all the demands for accommodations inside the park because it would require an unacceptable level of development. The number of accommodations will be reduced parkwide by 180 units, for a total of 1,552 units. The number of accommodations in the Valley will be decreased by 268 units.

Concessions. The National Park Service will continue to rely on private business to provide commercial visitor services. Concession operations will be managed in a manner consistent with related legislation and NPS policy. The use of facilities for conventions or group meetings will be allowed subject to guidelines designed to prevent interference with the rights of the general visiting public.

Regional Cooperation. Lodges, restaurants, campgrounds, and other facilities on lands outside the park directly affect use of the park, its resources, and its facilities. Planning and development of complementary overnight facilities and services on adjacent land is underway in some areas, and opportunities for further development of visitor facilities and services outside the park will be thoroughly explored. It will be especially important to pursue cooperative planning with private interests in El Portal, Fish Camp, Big Oak Flat entrance area, and Lee Vining when this plan is implemented. There will be increased cooperative planning efforts with private, local, state, and federal agencies to control use of diminishing resources in the region and to develop sites where visitor facilities and services will be developed to remove impact on the park.

Transportation
The National Park Service is committed to reduce the effects of private vehicles on the park experience and resources. Private vehicles will ultimately be excluded from Yosemite Valley. The immediate steps to be taken include the removal of more than 1,000 parking spaces from the Valley and enforcement of an automobile carrying capacity. This will be accomplished through an information system at park entrance stations, with traffic controls at the Pohono and El Capitan crossovers to restrict access to the east end of the Valley when daily capacities are reached. The shuttle bus system will be improved to provide optimum service, including service to the Valley from parking areas at El Portal, Crane Flat, and Wawona. Traffic within Mariposa Grove will be restricted, and the shuttle will be extended.

A study will be undertaken to find a method to totally eliminate cars and other obtrusive vehicles from Yosemite Valley. As additional bus service from outlying areas on the periphery of the park and in gateway communities becomes feasible, all day visitors and ultimately all overnight visitors will be able to enjoy the Valley without their cars. Each phase of the transportation system will be adequately planned to minimize environmental impact, solve operational problems, and promote public acceptance.

Heretofore, transportation studies have been park specific. The ultimate solution to resolving the impact of the automobile in parks generally and in Yosemite Valley specifically rests upon integration with regional transportation systems. The need to develop quiet, nonpolluting, and energy efficient transit systems on a nationwide basis is a priority of the Department of Transportation, and this should accelerate development of appropriate technology for park applications. The National Park Service now plans to tie the planning and development of transportation systems for Yosemite and other parks into this nationwide effort by the Department of Transportation.

For the life of this plan, Routes 41, 120, and 140 will continue to function as auto touring through-routes and summertime trans-Sierra connectors.

Interpretation
The interpretive program is essential to the fulfillment of the Yosemite experience. The following goals for interpretation are intended to assist visitors in understanding, enjoying, and contributing to the preservation of the scenic, natural, and cultural resources of the park.

Orient visitors, provide personal assistance, and inform them about opportunities available in the park. Visitor information and orientation are critical. These services are proposed to be decentralized and provided where they can best serve visitor needs - through the public media, at urban and regional information/reservation centers, and at park entrances and developed areas. Informing people prior to their visit will allow them more time to enjoy the park and free park space for the other uses. Emphasis will be given to informing special populations, such as the physically disabled, foreign visitors, the young, and senior citizens, of the activities available to them.

Provide interpretive services that relate the natural and cultural significance of Yosemite to visitors with a broad diversity of interests. The natural and cultural significance of the park is reflected in the following park interpretive themes.

Scenery - the unique and spectacular visual attributes of Yosemite

Biotic Systems and Geology - the natural processes that modify the land, the life forms that occupy it, and the processes and interrelationships that govern it

Wilderness/Conservation - the intangible and tangible values

Men and Yosemite - different times, cultures, values, and impacts

Park Experience - Enjoying the special attributes of Yosemite

Interpretive programs will be provided to satisfy the mental, emotional, and physical needs of a variety of visitors who have different socioeconomic backgrounds, physical skills, and social and recreational interests. Facilities and media that provide interpretation for people with different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds simultaneously (such as personal services and museums) will be emphasized to reach a wider spectrum of interest levels and to stimulate growth and understanding. Language, sight, hearing, and understanding barriers will be minimized through a variety of interpretive media and specialized personal services. Certain groups such as the blind may require special interpretive programs. Special facilities will be provided for students.

Provide only for those types and levels of programs and activities that enhance visitor understanding and enjoyment of park resources. All interpretive facilities and activities will relate only to the park's interpretive themes and its resources. The visitor experience will consist of opportunities for educational and park-related recreational pursuits such as walking and hiking, backpacking, and Merced River floating.

Provide the opportunity for a superior wilderness experience. The wilderness experience will be enhanced by a more efficient permit system and by interpretive programs that encourage good wilderness practices. The value of Yosemite's wilderness and the history of its conservation will be interpreted for visitors as an introduction to the backcountry. Nonprofit wilderness-related interpretive experiences will be provided for visitors on the High Sierra camp loop trails. Roving backcountry rangers will provide interpretation, information, and visitor assistance.

Provide interpretive services on public transportation systems. Information will be provided aboard all in-park systems, along with unobtrusive interpretive messages relating good park use and enjoyment of resources. Some transportation systems will provide general introductory interpretive programs or tours. Tour programs for special groups, such as park geology tours for senior visitors, may be provided.

Provisions for Special Populations
Provisions will be made to ensure an enjoyable park experience by special populations, such as the physically disabled, the young, foreign visitors, and senior citizens. Developed facilities, the interpretive program, and the transportation system will be designed or modified to meet the requirements of all park visitors. An access plan for the disabled has been prepared and will be amended as needed to conform to applicable regulations. Special population groups will continue to be consulted in the development of park programs.

INDIAN CULTURAL PROGRAMS

Because Indian people have inhabited the park for at least 2,000 years (and Indian tradition maintains that they were created here), their continued use of the park is as important as preserving the wildlife and natural surroundings. The culture and traditions of the Miwok Indians and their ancestors enhance the meaning sacred nature of Yosemite. Through an understanding of local Indian culture and traditions, the public will have an opportunity to gain a greater respect for the natural wonders of the park and their significance to a different culture. Consequently, it is the policy of the National Park Service to recognize the culture and the religious tradition of the Miwok and their ancestors in the park's plans and programs, as long as this policy is consistent with the values for which Yosemite was made a national park. The Park Service will continue to work with the American Indian Council of Mariposa County to implement this plan.

The Yosemite Indian people, through the American Indian Council of Mariposa County, will be encouraged to practice their traditional ceremonies in the park and to share their traditions, culture, and history with other park visitors. An Indian cultural center will be constructed and operated in Yosemite Valley at the former Indian village site west of Sunnyside campground by the American Indian Council of Mariposa under a special use permit. The site for the center was identified by the Indian council. The special use permit will provide for the conduct of bona fide traditional Indian ceremonies and activities. The center will be available to the public, and there will be no permanent private or residential use. The center will provide a unique opportunity for visitors to become aware of the local Indian culture and will also help the Indian culture of Yosemite to remain a living culture.

The center will be accessible to all visitors and will be operated in a manner that will minimize conflict with other interpretive and commerical activities. The atmosphere must be proper for traditional ceremonies and private enough to conduct sacred ceremonies in a dignified and traditional manner. It will consist of a traditional roundhouse, a sweat lodge, and several umachas (bark tepees). Sanitary facilities will be the only nontraditional structures.

The Indian museum in Yosemite Valley is an appropriate beginning for recognizing the Indian culture. It will be expanded in the future as part of the museum of Man in Yosemite, and the existing Indian Garden will be retained.

PARK OPERATIONS/VISITOR PROTECTION

Administration, Maintenance, Visitor Protection, and Employee Housing
The park headquarters will be moved from the Valley to El Portal, along with the majority of the administrative and maintenance support facilities for government and concession operations. Only those facilities essential to daily operations in the Valley will remain, and these facilities will be redesigned and consolidated to minimize their physical intrusion. Nonessential facilities for Valley district functions will be moved to El Portal. Facilities related to operations in the Wawona and Mather districts will be centralized at Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow. A new field office will be developed at Tuolumne Meadows.

Facilities to support law enforcement, fire protection, search and rescue operations, and other critical ranger activities will be located and designed to provide rapid response.

Housing will be provided for employees whose jobs require them to live near their worksites. Housing for other employees will be provided only when there is no viable alternative for securing housing outside the park. The National Park Service will conduct a housing study to assess the potential availability of employee housing outside the park, to determine the exact need for employee housing in the Valley and other locations, and to assess the environmental impacts of each alternative. Pending completion of this study, preliminary estimates indicate that a maximum of 480 NPS and YP&CC (concessioner) employees will reside in the Valley, 170 on a permanent basis and an additional 310 during the peak visitor season only. It appears that about a thousand employees will be relocated to Wawona and El Portal, or they will find housing outside the park, as indicated in the following table.

Conservation of Energy, Water, and Materials
Design techniques and application of new technology to reduce energy and water consumption will be emphasized in the design of new facilities, and present recycling programs for waste materials will be increased.

A parkwide evaluation of water quality in lakes and streams is underway. This evaluation and a plan to protect water quality should be completed by 1981. A program to upgrade all public water systems in the park will be completed as soon as funds can be programmed.

BOUNDARY ALTERATION, LAND ACQUISITION, AND WILDERNESS ADDITIONS

Boundary Alteration
The 253-acre Crocker Ridge addition will bring that section of Big Oak Flat Road presently within the Stanislaus National Forest inside the park boundary. The 1963 Memorandum of Understanding between the National Park Service and the Forest Service, which presently provides the Park Service with administration of 691 acres, will be changed to recognize the boundary change and to provide for necessary scenic controls for the national forest lands (438 acres) adjacent to the revised boundary. All land is federally owned, so this boundary change will require congressional authorization.

The 160-acre Raymond Mountain deletion will transfer land outside the park's legislative boundary which has been administered by the Forest Service under the 1963 Memorandum of Understanding. The land was acquired by the Park Service to provide water to Mariposa Grove, and the water transmission line crosses the area. It is proposed to transfer the land to Sierra National Forest with provision for continued use by the Park Service. This transfer will also require congressional authorization.

Land Acquisition
The National Park Service will continue to purchase lands within the boundaries of the park as they are offered for sale by willing sellers. No new development will be permitted at Foresta and Aspen Valley, but private owners may continue to use their lands in a manner compatible with park values without the National Park Service initiating acquisition action. Limited residential development of the Wawona community will be permitted. Owners of private land in Section 35 may construct housing on presently platted tracts under land use regulations that will be developed to ensure that park and community objectives are met.

Underlying fee title will be sought for all city of San Francisco lands except those directly associated with primary day-to-day water and power operations. This will allow detached backcountry parcels to be reclassified as wilderness. The city now holds substantial lands in the northern half of the park. The city's use of lands at Hetch Hetchy and Lake Eleanor for water supply and power will continue under terms of the Raker Act.

When land is purchased, applicable provisions of Public Law 91-646, the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, will be employed, and affected county governments will be compensated with payments in lieu of taxes in accordance with Public Law 94-565.

Additions to Wilderness
The National Park Service has recommended to Congress that certain lands (see following table) be reclassified as wilderness or potential wilderness, changing the management policies for these areas. Potential wilderness classification will prevent any further development of facilities or services; should existing developments be removed, there will be no reconstruction of facilities. Wilderness classification will require the eventual elimination of all improvements that do not conform with wilderness activities. Use of wilderness areas will be restricted to activities that are compatible with the definition of wilderness as cited in the Wilderness Recommendation for Yosemite National Park (National Park Service, 1972).

All additional lands proposed for potential and actual wilderness classification will be protected from further development. The Ostrander ski hut and the High Sierra camps will be reclassified as potential additions to wilderness. They will continue to be available for public use; if, however, they are eliminated, the areas proposed for potential wilderness additions will be managed as wilderness. Other areas that are proposed for reclassification as either wilderness or potential wilderness are the lands south of Tamarack Flat, Little Yosemite Valley, the lower Illilouette Valley, the Hetch Hetchy roadless area, the city of San Francisco parcels, and the enclaves on the north rim of Yosemite Valley; these areas are currently undeveloped.

Four road segments will be abandoned and restored to a natural condition after they are no longer needed: Six miles of the western portion of Old Tioga Road will be closed when private development in Aspen Valley has been removed. North Mountain Road and the road from Miguel Meadow to Lake Eleanor will be restored after 1985 when the Forest Service will no longer need to use the roads. The road to the baseline camp east of Mather will be removed when the need to maintain the Mather water supply ceases.

This proposal will not affect management or maintenance of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir or O'Shaughnessy Dam.