Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/Tuolumne Meadows Plan EIS

July 2007
Kristina Rylands
NPS Project Manager for Tuolumne Planning

TUOLUMNE PLANNING WORKBOOK & UPCOMING EVENTS
Throughout the summer, the NPS will continue discussions with the public, park visitors, staff, stakeholders, and volunteers regarding planning for both the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River and Tuolumne Meadows. To further these conversations, the NPS is releasing the TUOLUMNE PLANNING WORKBOOK, a compilation of all work completed on this planning process to date.

We are at an exciting point in the process where no decisions have been made, but a tremendous number of ideas have been shared. But we're looking for more. Last summer, we received hundreds of comments during public scoping for these two plans, which continue to inform the planning process. However, if information contained in the Workbook prompts new thoughts on how to plan for Tuolumne Meadows, we are also accepting additional "scoping" comments.

I hope that you will take some time to review and comment on this document during its public review period through September 15.

To learn more about where we are in the process, the NPS will host the following events:

• I will be opening--and closing--the Parsons Lodge lecture series on July 15 and August 26 with an informational presentation and discussion on Planning for Tuolumne's Future. Both events will take place at 2pm in Tuolumne Meadows. Allow 30 minutes to walk out to Parsons Lodge.
• The planning team will conduct a dedicated public workshop on August 11 from 8:30am to 12:30pm up in Tuolumne Meadows at Parsons Lodge. Everyone is invited!

The workbook can be viewed online at www.nps.gov/yose/planning/trp. To receive a printed version, send an email to YOSE_Planning@nps.gov, fax a request to 209-379-1294, or mail your request to Tuolumne Planning, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA 95389.

June 2007
Kristina Rylands
NPS Project Manager for Tuolumne Planning

COMING SOON: TUOLUMNE PLANNING WORKBOOK
(formerly advertised as the Tuolumne Alternatives Newsletter)

For the past two years, a group of dedicated NPS staff made up of representatives of each division have been hard at work on the Tuolumne River Plan and Tuolumne Meadows Plan. In July, the NPS team will release the TUOLUMNE PLANNING WORKBOOK, a compilation of all work completed during this time. It will include a summary of the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River values, management strategies prescribed for the river corridor, and a set of color-coded preliminary alternative concepts. Based on public comments received during last summer's scoping period, as well as a series of public workshops, these concepts present different scenarios for how the river corridor--and most specifically, Tuolumne Meadows--could be managed in the future.

THE TEAM NEEDS YOUR HELP. Before sitting down next fall to develop the alternatives that will be analyzed in the Tuolumne River Plan's draft environmental impact statement, we are looking to park staff, the public, stakeholders, tribal groups, and other agencies to weigh in on the preliminary work completed so far. The TUOLUMNE PLANNING WORKBOOK will be available to the public for review in mid-July. Comments on the document--including the preliminary concepts--will be accepted through September. ( All comments received during last summer's public scoping process are being considered; there is no need to re-submit comments.)

To receive a copy of this publication, send an email with your name and address to YOSE_Planning@nps.gov, or leave a phone message with your mailing information at 209/379-1365.

The Tuolumne planning team is dedicated to providing regular opportunities for the public to not only get information about the plan's development, but provide input at key points in the process. Stay tuned to this blog for announcements regarding an upcoming public workshop in Tuolumne Meadows as well as other information-sharing events that will take place this summer---and throughout the coming months.

May 2007
Kristina Rylands
NPS Project Manager for Tuolumne Planning

Thanks to the hard work of the Tuolumne planning core team, NPS staff, and our public workshop participants, we are moving ever closer to drafting a set of preliminary alternative concepts (to be presented for public review in early July).

As part of our alternatives development process, I have presented the team, park staff--and, today, those members of the public who wish to participate--the following assignment:

WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR THE TUOLUMNE RIVER’S FUTURE? CREATE YOUR OWN ALTERNATIVE
Using the materials provided--and your own colored markers/pencils/crayons--create at least one well-considered alternative.
Alternatives considered should be in accord with the purpose and significance of the park, WSRA & other legal mandates, and public concerns (refer to Public Scoping Report, if necessary, available online).
Using the latest draft of the management prescriptions, "paint" the various segments of the river corridor using broad brush strokes, rather than the scalpel approach. The colors for each management prescription (zone) are indicated in the matrix.
Give your alternative a title or name that captures the essence of what it is trying to achieve.

This exercise is as much about drafting alternatives as it is continuing to fine-tune the management prescriptions. As you become familiar with the zones, feel free to send me questions, comments, or edits that I can present to the team.

Those of you who have participated in previous public workshops will notice that--AGAIN--our work has taken a tremendous leap forward. We've added some summary bullets to characterize each of the zones, and pulled together a MANAGEMENT TOOLBOX table that lists facilities/uses that would be allowed and NOT allowed in the different zones. NOTE: The matrix and the narrative contain essentially the same information; they are just different tools for you to use as you work through this exercise.

You can send your "painted" zoning map, along with a written description of what your alternative is about to me, as follows:
Kristina Rylands
P.O. Box 700
El Portal, CA 95338

Fax: 209-379-1294
email: yose_planning@nps.gov

To be considered, assignments must be turned in no later than May 30th.

Management Zoning Map (325 kb PDF)
May 8 Prescription Matrix (262 kb PDF)
May 3 Consolidated Prescriptions (367 kb PDF)

PUBLIC WORKSHOP SUCCESS
Our first-ever Tuolumne public planning workshops were a success! A dedicated group of interested members of the public, as well as representatives from various organizations turned out to help us tackle some of the foundational work in the Tuolumne River Plan. The purpose of these public workshops is to walk participants through the very process undertaken by the Yosemite NPS planning team (see WHAT IS THE PLANNING TEAM, October 2006).

FEBRUARY 10
On February 10, a hardy group braved the gloomy weather and participated in an activity intended to immerse participants in the extraordinary range of public comments received during last summer’s public scoping period. Over 900 general CONCERN STATEMENTS were generated from 457 individual letters, faxes, emails, and comments received at public meetings. These statements were posted around the room on over 2 dozen posters. The group was assigned portions of the PUBLIC SCOPING REPORT (1 MB PDF) and asked to share with others the range of issues expressed in each interest area. This allowed participants to get a sense of the broad range of issues and concerns expressed by the public—which help drive and shape aspects of the plan’s development. Our planning team participated in this same exercise earlier this winter.

FEBRUARY 24
Two weeks later, nearly every participant from the February 21 event returned for more! Along with the perfect spring-like weather came an additional crowd that made for an invigorating afternoon. This session was devoted to establishing what are known as DESIRED CONDITIONS. These are the management goals we establish for the Tuolumne River, the conditions we aim to achieve through the protective elements of the Tuolumne River Plan. By this time, the planning team had already taken a crack at drafting desired conditions and the public team was asked to help us sort them along a continuum—from those that might be characteristics found in wilderness to those more in keeping with higher use areas. It was a tough assignment, not only for the public team but the park team, as well. Afterwards, one participant said, “This is hard work. Is this what planners go through on every plan?”

SATURDAY, APRIL 21
The purpose of this workshop was to take the desired conditions and management prescriptions drafted by the planning team and apply them to maps of the river corridor. Unlike the first two workshops, which were largely patterned after exercises already completed by the planning team, at this session, public participants got the FIRST crack at assigning management zones to the river. The results of this workshop were then used by the planning team when they took on the same exercise in-house on April 23 and 24.

WORKSHOP COMMENTS
One workshop participant asked, “Are these workshops intended to show us what it’s like to be planners, or will this information actually be used somehow in the plan?” The answer is BOTH. For some time, members of the public has been asking NPS planners to open the doors to the process and be allowed to have access to a plan’s development, not just at the end when a draft document is released for public review. The work produced at these public workshops has been taken back to the NPS planning team and used to inform the next steps in the plan’s development. The results of these workshops have been used to help establish a set of draft MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS—as well as early alternatives development for the Tuolumne River Plan.

FUTURE WORKSHOPS
Another public planning workshop will be scheduled after the Preliminary Alternative Concepts newsletter is released in early July. The date and location of the workshop will be announced.

January 2007
Kristina Rylands
NPS Project Manager for Tuolumne Planning

Tuolumne Planning Schedule UPDATE
As a result of circumstances stemming from Merced River Plan litigation, the schedule for the Tuolumne River Plan/Tuolumne Meadows Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been adjusted. With summer 2007 originally slated for the release of the draft plans and EIS, that target has shifted. But the Tuolumne planning team will NOT be sitting on our collective hands until then. Instead this summer, our NPS team will publish and release for public comment a newsletter containing Preliminary Draft Alternatives for the Tuolumne River Plan. These preliminary concepts will focus on the 54 miles of the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River corridor within Yosemite and will include such river planning elements as:

• Definition of river boundaries and classifications
• Descriptions of river values
• Desired conditions/management prescriptions for the river
• Management zoning configurations

This document will NOT contain environmental analysis, nor will it propose a “preferred alternative.” Instead, it will contain reader-friendly explanations of the preliminary concepts for establishing river protections in accordance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, with full-color photographs, maps, graphics. The goal is to allow the public to respond to initial concepts before coming out with a full-blown EIS.

Tuolumne Meadows Scoping to Re-open Summer 2007
In addition to accepting comments on these preliminary river concepts, the NPS will re-open public scoping on the Tuolumne Meadows Plan. This is in response to comments heard during last summer’s public scoping process. In particular, some felt that they could not adequately comment on actions that could possibly take place in Tuolumne Meadows until there was a sense of what the Tuolumne River Plan might propose.

February Public Workshops
In the meantime, this February a series of public planning workshops will take place in Yosemite Valley in the Visitor Center Auditorium, giving the public the opportunity to join the Tuolumne team at the table. The goal is to not only share the planning process with the public, but to give participants an opportunity to inform alternatives development.

SAVE THESE DATES
February 10 Become a “Planner-for-a-Day" and a discussion of river values
February 24 Establishing desired conditions and management zoning
Spring 2007 Applying management zoning to the river corridor (Date to be determined)

All workshops will take place at the Yosemite Valley, with specific times to be announced. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by email to me at Kristina_Rylands@nps.gov, or leave a message at the Yosemite Planning Hotline at 209/379-1365. The agenda for each meeting will be posted online at www.nps.gov/archive/yose/planning/meetings.htm.

October 30, 2006
Kristina Rylands
NPS Project Manager for Tuolumne Planning

WHAT IS THE PLANNING TEAM?
In previous entries, you have no doubt noticed that I continue to mention our PLANNING TEAM. You may be wondering, who are these people and what does the team do?

To undertake a planning process like this, it takes teamwork to ensure its success and keep it moving forward. For this project, we have assembled an interdisciplinary team, composed of representatives from various NPS divisions within Yosemite:

• Interpretation & Education
• Resources Management & Science
• Facilities Management
• Business & Revenue Management
• Project Management
• Visitor Protection

Our "Core Team" members work in Yosemite National Park and participate in this project as a collateral duty to their regular jobs. We gather for regular core team meetings, site visits in the field, public open houses, and workshops to ultimately develop the plan. Most team members also have extensive experience working and/or living in Tuolumne. But what beats at the heart of the team is that they are all remarkable individuals and experienced professionals who love Tuolumne and are dedicated to its continued protection. In the months ahead, the draft plan will grow from the work of this vital group of NPS staff.

Keep watching. In the future, I will introduce you to each of our team members!

October 27, 2006
Kristina Rylands
NPS Project Manager for Tuolumne Planning

Team Site Visit Held Oct. 17 & 18
During our public scoping process, we heard from some that when it comes to Tuolumne, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” With skies so blue it made your eyes hurt, our planning team took to Tuolumne Meadows last week to continue tackling these questions: What works? What’s “broke”? And what can we do to better protect the meadow and provide for a better Tuolumne experience?

We wanted to concentrate two days examining Tuolumne Meadows before the weather turned wintery and closed down the area until next summer. Believe it or not, the skies clouded up and by the end of our first day’s meeting, snow was swirling around us, transforming the golden grasses to a sparkling blanket. But although we were chased away by the snow, we spent a productive day engaged in issues that will need to be addressed in this planning process. We also spent much of the time ground-truthing draft maps which document existing conditions. These maps include inventories of natural and cultural resources, sensitive riparian and wetland features, as well as facilities, structures, and utilities. We will continue to build on this baseline as the planning process progresses.

During our site visit, we were treated to presentations from several of the researchers and NPS resource specialists who have been conducting studies for the plan throughout the summer. They provided updates on what we are learning about rare plants in the river corridor, hydrologic conditions in Tuolumne Meadows, mapping of the 100-year floodplain, archeological site analyses, the effects of trampling in portions of Tuolumne Meadows, soundscape studies, trail condition assessments, and more. These are just some of the many activities that have taken place to provide greater baseline information for the Tuolumne River Plan and Tuolumne Meadows Plan. The success of this summer’s data gathering can be largely attributed to the tremendous collaborative effort between Yosemite’s Division of Planning and the Division of Resources Management & Science. The more we learn about Yosemite, the better we can protect it for future generations!

This winter, we hope to present a TUOLUMNE FORUM where the public will be invited to learn more about these exciting studies, as well as hear what we learned as a result of our public scoping process this summer. We’re in the beginning stages of planning this event. Stay tuned to future postings for an announcement of a date.

Also, all of the public comments received during our summer scoping period can be viewed online at www.nps.gov/archive/yose/planning/trp/scoping.htm.

October 6, 2006
Kristina Rylands
NPS Project Manager for Tuolumne Planning

SCOPING SUCCESS
It has been a busy summer, which is (no surprise) transitioning into a busy fall. Now that public scoping on the Tuolumne project has closed, our in-park team is processing the 465 individual letters, faxes, emails, comment forms, and public meeting notes received during the 70+ days of the scoping period. In the days to come, all of those comments will be posted to the park's website and you can get a sense of the immense interest that has been generated in this planning effort. An overall scoping report will also be prepared and posted. We are very excited about the passionate ideas and targeted suggestions folks have shared with us. We heard from you that Tuolumne is a very special place, a portal to wilderness, an experience far different from that of Yosemite Valley. It is our goal to protect these amazing qualities by preparing a plan that lays out a vision for Tuolumne's preservation well into the future. We hope you will continue to stay engaged with us as we move through the planning process.

As the summer temperatures have steadily dropped, interest in the plan has not. We conducted a series of meetings with staff up in Tuolumne, including folks from the NPS, some concessioner employees, and volunteers from the Yosemite Association. Gathered around a campfire, we heard comments about employee housing, protecting the wilderness character in Tuolumne, the need for improved parking, and steps to consider to protect the Tuolumne River. These comments--known as "internal scoping comments"--are all considered alongside those of the public when we sit down at the planning table.

CONTINUING DIALOGUE
The momentum keeps moving, even though the Tuolumne area has received its first major snow of the year. Informational data gathering efforts will continue until the Tioga Road closes. In the next couple of weeks, we will be meeting in Lee Vining with American Indian tribal representatives. As part of this ongoing government-to-government consultation process with tribes associated with Yosemite, we will continue making trips to the east side throughout the winter and spring. Also in mid-October we will hold a Socioeconomic Planning workshop with interested gateway partners to examine how the socioeconomic nature of our local communities is affected through our planning efforts. During the week of October 16, our planning Core Team and other members of NPS staff will meet in Tuolumne Meadows to further verify information gathered through the course of the summer as we work toward identifying baseline conditions. (More WITH photos in my next blog.)

NEXT STEPS
Many folks have asked me, "When will your team sit down to actually WRITE the plan?" We intend to move forward with alternatives development very soon. In the meantime, on October 16, the NPS enters U.S. Federal District Court in Fresno regarding the continuing litigation over the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan (Merced River Plan). With the incredible amount of public support behind preparing the Tuolumne River Plan, the NPS is stalwart in its desire to see it proceed...and succeed! Planning for the Tuolumne River is not directly tied to actions in the Merced River Plan. But the NPS awaits a decision from the court to better gauge the effect of the judge's decision on Yosemite operations. We remain committed to seeing the Tuolumne plans move forward, and I will keep you posted of the next steps in the weeks ahead.

If you get a chance, come up to Tuolumne in these dwindling days before winter sets in!

September 5, 2006

Summer in Yosemite is an especially busy time of year. But this year, with the public scoping process in full swing for the Tuolumne River Plan and Tuolumne Meadows Plan Environmental Impact Statement, it has been even more so. Since June 27, 2006, we have been engaged in the earliest stages of the public process for this planning effort, known as public scoping.

This is when we ask members of the public--and our own staff--to brainstorm with us and share ideas, concerns, suggestions, and comments about the kind of Tuolumne experience you would like to see preserved for the future. We've been asking questions like, What do you love about the Tuolumne River and Tuolumne Meadows areas? What do you do when you are there? What do you want to see protected? What kinds of facilities and services are appropriate or not appropriate?

Our planning team has spoken with legions of people at over 13 public open houses (3 of which were in Tuolumne Meadows), and last week's public walk-about in Tuolumne Meadows was a huge success. Soon, literally hundreds of pages of flip-chart comments will be posted to our website, along with the letters, faxes, and emails sent to us from all over the country.

After the scoping period closes on September 7, 2006, the planning team will begin analyzing and considering all of these comments. But your involvement doesn't end with your written letter. We will be back on the road later this fall and invite you to attend a planning workshop to begin laying out the possible Tuolumne scenarios. Look for a schedule of meeting dates in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you have some time, come up to Tuolumne and enjoy the river's slow meander and the feeling of fall in the air!

Introduction

Welcome to Yosemite's newest public involvement tool---the Tuolumne Planning News Blog! My name is Kristina Rylands and I am the NPS Project Manager for the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan and Tuolumne Meadows Plan Environmental Impact Statement. This is the first in a continuing series of updates on the Tuolumne planning process.

In the weeks and months to come, I will post the latest information about the status of the Tuolumne plans. Over the course of the last year, many of you have given us feedback on our communication process. Lots of people commented that Yosemite planners seem to disappear into a BLACK HOLE, only to emerge some months later with a multi-volume document fit for a door-stop. The purpose of this site is to give you up-to-date information on where we are in the process, as well as share with you some of what we are hearing from the public and experiencing around the planning table.

I hope you will stay tuned as we make our way through this very exciting opportunity to help shape Tuolumne's future!