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What plans are currently being prepared for Yosemite National Park? The Merced River Plan will work side-by-side as a companion document to the General Management Plan. As such, it will guide decisions and on-the-ground actions in all future implementation plans that propose actions in the Merced River corridor, such as the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
The most useful types of comments are those that address the factual content and environmental analysis of the plan. Thoughtful written comments on how to improve the alternatives is the best way to provide input. There may be alternatives or specific issues that the park did not consider. Regardless, all comments should take into consideration the overall legal mandates and legislation that guide the National Park Service mission. How many and what types of comments were received on the Draft Merced River Plan/EIS? Some comments addressed concerns regarding the proposed boundaries, classifications, Outstandingly Remarkable Values, and proposed River Protection Overlay. Other public comments included suggestions for changes to the management zoning to respond to camping, parking, and other river management-related issues. Respondents also requested that the National Park Service provide more specific research and monitoring guidelines in the Merced River Plan/FEIS. How were public comments analyzed and incorporated into the Merced River Plan/FEIS? The CAET process is comprised of three main components: a comment database, a coding structure, and a report of public concern statements. The comment database is developed by identifying discrete comments within individual letters (e.g., a single comment letter often contains multiple discrete comments), and entering verbatim quotes into the comment database. The coding structure then allows single comments to be sorted by topics addressed in the Merced River Plan, such as management zones or the River Protection Overlay. Similar discrete comments are distilled into public concern statements that characterize the essence of the grouped comments. These public concern statements are supported by verbatim text from comment letters, as compiled in the comment database. Finally, the Merced River Plan team considered these public concern statements which helped direct revision to the Merced River Plan/FEIS. Is it possible to see a report of all of the public comments received on the Draft Merced River Plan/EIS? While it is not a consensus process, one comment can make a difference. For example, perhaps 300 comments are received on a given topic. If the comments do not fall within the scope of the plan, they cannot have a bearing on it. However, if even a single comment raises a significant issue not previously considered, it may prompt a re-evaluation of an element of the plan.
Guided by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a broad management plan for the Merced Wild and Scenic River and an implementation plan for Yosemite Valley are currently being developed. The Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement was released in mid-June. It represents a revision based on information gathered during the 70-day public involvement period for the Draft Merced River Plan/EIS. The Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was released for public comment in early April and will continue to receive comments until early July.
What is NEPA and how does it affect the planning process?
NEPA is the National Environmental Policy Act that was authorized by Congress in 1969 to insure that environmental information is available to public officials and citizens before decisions are made and before actions are taken. NEPA provides a procedure for preparing environmental documents and opportunities for public involvement. NEPA requires informed decision making but otherwise does not prescribe outcomes of planning efforts.
How are the different Yosemite plans related?
The Yosemite General Management Plan, adopted in 1980, provides overall direction for park planning. It is a guidance document that aims to achieve five broad goals: reclaim priceless natural beauty, allow natural processes to prevail, promote visitor understanding and enjoyment, reduce traffic congestion, and reduce crowding.
How is the public involved in the planning process?
Each planning process provides at least two opportunities for the public to become involved in the development of park plans. First, public "scoping" takes place at the beginning of the process when the planning effort is announced. At that time, the public is asked to raise questions and concerns to help park planners identify the major issues to be addressed in the plan. The second opportunity to get involved comes once the draft plan is released. The public is provided the opportunity to examine the proposals (known as "alternatives") and present comments. The comments are then analyzed and may be used to revise portions of the draft plan.
Public review of the Draft Merced River Plan/EIS took place from January 14 to March 24, 2000. A series of informational meetings and public hearings were held throughout California in 12 locations. During that time, over 2,300 comments were received, representing a broad range of issues. The public’s comments were used to help create the Merced River Plan/FEIS.
After the comment period closed for the Draft Merced River Plan/EIS, the Merced River planning team set to the task of reviewing and incorporating comments into the Merced River Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement. Assisting in the sorting and analysis of comments was the Content Analysis Enterprise Team (CAET), a division of the U.S. Forest Service.
Appendix I of the Merced River Plan/FEIS contains the report from the U.S. Forest Service’s Content Analysis Enterprise Team (CAET). It contains the full list of public concern statements along with responses to those public concern statements from Yosemite National Park subject-matter experts. All individual letters submitted as part of the public involvement process for the Draft Merced River Plan/EIS are available for review in the Yosemite National Park Research Library.
Public involvement is a vital element in park planning. Once a plan is released for review, the public is asked to scrutinize the plan's factual content and environmental analysis while considering the legislative mandates that constitute the National Park Service mission. All responses are carefully reviewed and sorted based on issues and concerns. Those issues then form the basis for any revision to the plan.
YNP/General The Merced River Plan Changes from the Draft
