Yosemite MRP Headline
MRP Background
MRP Introduction
MRP Purpose and Need
MRP Planning Contex
MRP Management Goals
MRP Management Plan
MRP Management Elements
MRP Boundaries
MRP Classifications
MRP Outstandingly Remarkable Values
MRP Section 7 Determination Process
MRP River Protection Overlay
MRP Management Zoning
MRP Management Zoning Application
MRP Visitor Experience and Resource Protection
MRP Bibliography
MRP Management Plan Appendices
MRP Appendix A
MRP Appendix B
MRP Appendix C
MRP Appendix D
MRP Management Plan Maps

Purpose of and Need for the Project

Purpose of the Merced River Plan

The 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act establishes that a comprehensive management plan must be developed to protect and enhance the Outstandingly Remarkable Values for those rivers that have been designated as wild and scenic (16 USC 1274[d]). The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act specifies the issues to be addressed by a comprehensive management plan, including resource protection, development of lands and facilities, and user capacities. The Merced River Plan provides direction on these issues for the 81 miles of the Merced Wild and Scenic River under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

The 1987 federal legislation that designated the Merced River as a Wild and Scenic River states that a management plan "shall assure that no development or use of park lands shall be undertaken that is inconsistent with the designation of such river segments" (16 USC 1274[a]). Furthermore, the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act states, "Management plans for any such component may establish varying degrees of intensity for its protection and development, based on the special attributes of the area" (16 USC 1281[a]). The segments of the river managed by the National Park Service include designated Wilderness and the El Portal Administrative Site. The Merced River Plan is designed to address the special characteristics of these areas within the overall context of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

The specific purpose of the Merced River Plan is to provide direction and guidance on how best to manage visitor use, development of lands and facilities, and resource protection within the river corridor. The National Park Service developed a series of planning goals to guide management decision-making in these areas. The Merced River Plan is a template against which project implementation plans will be judged to determine whether such projects will protect and enhance the values for which the Merced River was designated Wild and Scenic. As a result, the Merced River Plan provides general direction and guidance for future management decisions; it does not address the specific details of future projects.

Free Flow
WHY IS FREE FLOW IMPORTANT TO A RIVER SYSTEM?

  • Free-flowing rivers disperse valuable nutrients in adjacent meadows and stream habitats during flood events.

  • Aquatic species require varied habitat created by a dynamic river system.

  • Constriction and hardening of river channels, as caused by levees, riprap, and bridges, can alter the river’s energy and natural course, causing it to erode its banks and damage valuable habitat, particularly during flood events.

Need for the Merced River Plan

By designating the Merced a Wild and Scenic River, Congress directed the National Park Service, as well as the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, to develop comprehensive management plans for the river segments under their jurisdictions. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have completed plans for their river segments. The National Park Service fulfilled its requirement to prepare a comprehensive management plan for the Merced River corridor when the Record of Decision on the final plan was signed by the National Park Service Pacific West Regional Director on August 9, 2000, and revised in November 2000.

The alternative selected by the National Park Service in the revised Record of Decision meets important resource protection goals while also allowing for appropriate levels and types of visitor use within the river corridor. In reaching its decision on the final Merced River Plan, the National Park Service considered the multiple laws and policies that apply to lands within the river corridor, such as the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Park Service Organic Act, the Wilderness Act, the legislation establishing the El Portal Administrative Site, and the park’s General Management Plan. The National Park Service also carefully considered the substantial body of public comments received during the planning process.

 
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