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What is the mission of the National Park Service?
The mission of the National Park Service is to "conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of same in such manner...as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
What are the challenges to the National Park Service mission faced by Yosemite National Park?
Soon after Yosemite Valley was first encountered by non-Indians in 1851, tourists started coming to see the Valley's "scenic wonders." There were 147 visitors in 1864, 623 in 1868, 1,735 in 1870, and over 4,000 in 1886. Visitation has continued to climb, and by the late 1990s, nearly four million people (and their cars) visited Yosemite each year. To meet the needs of the increasing visitation, development also increased in the park over the years. By 1980, it was recognized that Yosemite Valley had become congested with more than a thousand buildings, that the Valley floor was bisected by approximately 30 miles of roads, and that the Yosemite Valley experience of many visitors had become one of crowds and traffic jams.
What is a general management plan?
General management plans are long-range plans for specific national park areas. Along with related analytical studies and amendments, they are the tools that the National Park Service uses to guide management of various park units. These documents, based on the mission of the National Park Service to protect resources and to provide for visitor enjoyment, guide park managers in making decisions.
When was Yosemite’s General Management Plan prepared?
What did the process involve?
Yosemite’s General Management Plan was finalized in 1980 after extensive public and National Park Service involvement. Leading up to the plan’s completion, 55 public workshops were held—34 in California, 14 in major cities throughout the country, and 7 in the park—to answer questions and invite comments. Nearly 60,000 individuals, organizations, and government agencies received planning information during plan development, and 20,000 actively participated in the planning process. After careful analysis, the final General Management Plan was released with strong public endorsement for the goals it embodied.
What are the goals of the General Management Plan?
The five broad goals of the General Management Plan are to:
- • Reclaim priceless natural beauty
- • Reduce traffic congestion
- • Allow natural processes to prevail
- • Reduce crowding
- • Promote visitor understanding and enjoyment.
It has been 20 years since the General Management Plan was completed. Why isn’t the park revising/revisiting it?
Although the General Management Plan (GMP) was written 20 years ago, the five goals of that plan are more relevant today than ever. When the GMP was written, visitation to Yosemite was around 2 million people. Today, that visitation figure has nearly doubled and efforts to pursue the goals of the GMP are even more focused. The Merced River Plan and the Yosemite Valley Plan will amend the GMP with specific actions in alternatives that attempt to present the literal implementation of the GMP.
OTHER MAJOR PARK PROJECTS
What is the El Portal Road Reconstruction Project?
A flood in January 1997 caused extensive damage to human-made structures in the Merced River's floodplain in Yosemite Valley. The force of floodwaters intensified as the river flowed downhill from Yosemite Valley to El Portal, severely eroding sections of the El Portal Road. After the flood, temporary repairs were made to the road, but more extensive repairs were needed. Reconstruction is currently underway from the park’s western boundary in El Portal to the intersection of the El Portal and Big Oak Flat Roads.
When will El Portal Road reconstruction be completed?
The El Portal Road reconstruction project is scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2000. Crews are working nearly around-the-clock to ensure that the project remains on schedule.
What specific construction activities are taking place and why?
Severe erosion occurred along several sections of the road in the January 1997 flood. While emergency road repairs were completed and the road was temporarily reopened to the public five months later, the road remained unstable and vulnerable to additional erosion. The decision was made to reconstruct rather than continually repair the road, and a two-year construction contract began in October 1998. The engineering complexity of the project, environmental constraints, and the fact that road access must be provided year-round to the public all contributed to the length of time needed to complete the project.
Several objectives will be met:
- • The road will be slightly widened and realigned to enhance safety.
- • The drainage will be improved
- • The guard wall will be replaced by a safety-tested, reinforced wall. Forms, molded from the original guardwall, will be used in casting the replacement wall.
- • The deteriorated sewer line located beneath the road will be repaired.
What actions will the NPS take to restore natural conditions along the El Portal Road?
As construction began, several measures were implemented to safeguard the resources of the area. Sensitive natural and cultural resources along the road corridor have been surveyed, fenced, and will not be disturbed.
$1.5 million has been set aside to restore and revegetate the road corridor. Revegetation of the affected hillslopes and riverbanks adjacent to the road will be a multi-year project continuing for several years after the road construction is completed. Revegetation of the hillslopes occurred during the fall of 1999, when over 18,000 shrub and tree seedlings were planted to stabilize the newly constructed slopes. These plants were nursery-grown from native seeds collected in the Merced River corridor prior to construction. Native grasses were also seeded.
Erosion control measures are currently in place to prevent sediment from entering the Merced River. Ongoing water quality monitoring of the Merced River has produced samples well within permit requirements.
What types of safety improvements are being made?
Prior to reconstruction, the accident rate on the El Portal Road was 2 to 4 times that of any other park road. The narrow travel lanes, constructed for the smaller size vehicles of the 1920s-30s, were largely to blame for these accidents. To enhance road safety, each travel lane is being widened by 18 inches and sharp curves are being slightly realigned.
What has been accomplished with flood recovery money?
After the January 1997 flood, approximately $13 million was spent immediately on temporary emergency repairs to roads, trails, buildings, grounds, utility systems, and restoring/protecting the park’s natural and cultural resources. In June 1997, Congress approved an additional $176 million specifically for flood-recovery projects. Many of these projects are underway. The reconstruction of the El Portal Road (Highway 140 within the park) and the removal of flood-damaged lodging and housing units from the Merced River floodplain are among the most obvious. Many less-visible projects are in various stages of completion:
• Trail bridges have been repaired or reconstructed throughout the park
• Dozens of miles of trails have been replaced or repaired, including the trail from the top of Vernal Fall to Merced Lake, the Mirror Lake Loop trail, the Pate Valley trail, and bike paths in the Valley
• Repair of essential water, electrical, and wastewater systems, including pumps and computer systems
• Flood-damaged campgrounds in Wawona and Crane Flat were rehabilitated
• Road repairs completed throughout the park
• Natural and cultural resources have been protected: sensitive cultural sites have been stabilized and riparian areas and critical habitat have been fenced for protection
• Yosemite Chapel repaired
• Interpretive roadside and trailside signs replaced parkwide
What other work will be accomplished with flood recovery money?
Several flood recovery projects are multi-year efforts. These include road, trail, and bridge repair or replacement, prehistoric site stabilization, riverbank restoration, and the upgrading of park utility (power, water, and sewer) systems.
Approximately $110 million in projects, such as the reconstruction of visitor accommodations, employee housing, and campgrounds, and the further removal of buildings from the floodplain are on hold pending Records of Decision on the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement and the Yosemite Valley Plan/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
Why can't the National Park Service spend flood recovery money on other projects?
Congress approved the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (Public Law 105-18) in June 1997 to provide Yosemite with $176 million specifically for flood recovery projects. Unless authorized by Congress, these funds cannot be used for other projects. As of February 2000, $70 million of the flood recovery appropriation has been spent.
The Planning Process The Merced River Plan Changes from the Draft
