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Chapter 6
Consultation and Coordination
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Compliance History

The National Park Service recently developed and approved the Yosemite Valley Plan (NPS 2000b) to implement the goals of the 1980 General Management Plan in Yosemite Valley. The approved Yosemite Valley Plan is designed to meet the resource preservation and visitor experience goals in Yosemite Valley and calls out specific actions to meet these goals. Among the actions approved in the Yosemite Valley Plan was the restoration of the Lower Yosemite Fall area, including restoration of the area to a more natural state, improved trails and bridges to facilitate visitor access and circulation, and replacement of the existing restroom with a new restroom at a different location. Subsequent to approval of the Yosemite Valley Plan, continuing National Park Service consultation with the local American Indian community (see the Consultation section, below) revealed important unresolved concerns about potential impacts to ethnographic resources in the Lower Yosemite Fall area associated with the site proposed for relocating the restroom. These concerns prompted the National Park Service to reconsider specific elements of the Lower Yosemite Fall Project.

Consultation

The current planning process for the Lower Yosemite Fall Project is being conducted in consultation with affected federal agencies, state and local governments, tribal groups, and interested organizations and individuals. The park’s 1999 Programmatic Agreement for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act provides for the inclusion of culturally associated American Indian tribes in the park’s planning process (NPS 1999a). This agreement stipulates that the park and associated American Indian tribes will develop an agreement for government-to-government relations, protocols for official consultations regarding issues of concern and park actions that may affect traditional resources, and park-specific guidelines for implementing provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

The National Park Service is engaged in ongoing consultations with American Indian groups claiming association with the land and resources in Yosemite Valley and El Portal. These are primarily the Southern Sierra Miwok (American Indian Council of Mariposa County, Inc.), North Fork Mono, Mono Lake Paiute (Mono Lake Indian Community), and Central Sierra Miwok (Tuolumne Rancheria). Chukchansi Yokuts and other Western Mono groups may have cultural ties to Yosemite Valley, while many Tuolumne Rancheria individuals have some family ties.

Since 1998, several tribal consultations have been conducted relating to the Lower Yosemite Fall Project as part of the planning process culminating in the Yosemite Valley Plan. Project-specific consultations occurred on August 6, 1998; August 24, 1998; November 5, 1998; June/July 2000; March 15, 2001; April 4, 2001; May 9, 2001; June 4, 2001; June 11, 2001; and August 23, 2001. The most recent consultation meeting occurred with representatives of the American Indian Council of Mariposa County, Inc. on November 5, 2001. Tribal consultations on the Lower Yosemite Fall Project will continue throughout the project.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 USC 1531 et seq.) requires all federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out by the agency does not jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or critical habitat. The National Park Service requested a list of federally endangered and threatened species that may be present in the Lower Yosemite Fall area from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This list was used as a basis for the special-status species analysis in this environmental assessment.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review the special-status species analysis in this environmental assessment as part of an ongoing consultation process. All consultation requirements will be fulfilled, as defined by section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, before a Finding of No Significant Impact can be signed.

Scoping and Public Comment History

The purpose of the scoping period is to identify issues and concerns related to the planning process and to identify the range of issues that will be addressed in the environmental analysis. After a draft document is prepared and the range of issues described, a public comment period is held to solicit comments on a draft plan and its environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. A Federal Register notice and media announcement initiate the beginning of a formal public comment period. The Lower Yosemite Fall Project has been considered in previous National Park Service planning efforts, specifically the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and the Yosemite Valley Plan. Scoping and public comment periods were a part of both of these planning efforts. Therefore, public comments received during these efforts have also been considered in the context of the Lower Yosemite Fall Project and development of this environmental assessment.

Public scoping for the Merced River Plan was initiated with a comment invitation letter mailed the week of June 7, 1999. The Merced River Plan scoping period was formally published in the Federal Register on June 11, 1999, and public comments were accepted through July 30, 1999. The public comment period for the Draft Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/EIS was officially closed on March 24, 2000.

During the scoping period, the National Park Service held six public meetings, one in each of the following locales: San Francisco, Modesto, Mariposa, Yosemite Valley, Wawona, and El Portal. During the public comment period, 12 public hearings were held throughout the state.

Scoping on the Yosemite Valley Plan began in 1991 as part of previous planning efforts for the 1992 Draft Yosemite Valley Housing Plan/SEIS and its 1996 Addendum, the 1997 Draft Yosemite Valley Implementation Plan/SEIS, and the 1997 Yosemite Lodge Development Concept Plan/Environmental Assessment, the associated Finding of No Significant Impact, and its 1998 modified version. The formal public scoping period for the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS began with a Federal Register notice on December 16, 1998, that described the intent of the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS and solicited comments from the public through January 15, 1999. Based on requests from the public, the formal scoping period was extended through February 1, 1999. In a press release dated March 27, 2000, the National Park Service announced the availability of the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS for public review. The official notice of the National Park Service’s public release of the document was published in the Federal Register on April 13, 2000. The public comment period ran from April 7 through July 5, 2000; however, public comments were accepted through July 14, 2000.

During the public comment period, the National Park Service held 14 public meetings throughout California. These meetings consisted of an open house where the public could view displays, interact with park staff, and attend a formal public hearing. Approximately 1,500 people attended these public meetings. Written comments were formally received at these meetings, and the statements of 365 people who testified during the public hearings were recorded by a court reporter. The National Park Service also held public meetings in Seattle, Washington; Denver, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; and Washington, D.C. Over 100 individuals attended these meetings.

In 1997, the Yosemite Falls Corridor Workshops sponsored by The Yosemite Fund and the National Park Service were convened to exchange ideas and gain consensus on concepts for improvements of the Lower Yosemite Fall area (NPS 1998b). The workshops, held on June 23-30, 1997 and August 7-8, 1997, brought together community organizations, private interests, and public agencies. A "Take Part" Workshop, developed and conducted by the Office of Lawrence Halprin, was also part of project development. This process engaged participants in identifying key issues and priorities and responding to conceptual designs of the Lower Yosemite Fall Project. During the workshops, participants were able to identify goals and issues of concern for the park, and develop a consensus for the project. Public comments on the project were also solicited as part of the scoping period on the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS.

On July 20, 2001, the Yosemite National Park Superintendent mailed a comment invitation letter announcing a public scoping period to identify issues related to relocation of the Lower Yosemite Fall area restroom. This letter was sent to over 6,200 individuals and organizations on the park’s planning mailing list and was posted on the park’s web site. Public comments on the project were accepted through August 21, 2001.

A summary of the results of the scoping and public comment periods on the planning efforts that apply to or are associated with the Lower Yosemite Fall Project is provided below.

During the formal scoping period for the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS, 598 scoping comment letters were received. Initially, a team of park staff evaluated the scoping comments and prepared a summary report (NPS 1999b). Later, these comments were included in the comprehensive reanalysis, which included all previous comments from associated planning efforts. Because the comments from previous plans were originally analyzed in diverse contexts using different methods, they were reanalyzed using a common methodology developed by the U.S. Forest Service’s Content Analysis Enterprise Team. The Content Analysis Enterprise Team used the same methodology to read and analyze all letters, emails, and faxes received during the formal scoping period for the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS. In the reanalysis of previous comments, the team read and analyzed 6,468 letters, emails, and faxes. These responses contained 23,768 individual comments that were coded, categorized, and entered into the content analysis database. This analysis, Summary of Public Comment, Yosemite Valley Planning, 1992-1999 (USFS 1999), was a key tool used to ensure that public comments were addressed in the Final Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS. Concern statements raised through the public comment process and the park’s response to those concern statements were included as Volume III of the Final Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS.

During the public comment period, approximately 10,200 comment letters, postcards, emails, faxes, comment forms, and public hearing testimonies were received on the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS. These comments were read and analyzed by a joint U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service team, and were then distilled into 871 distinct public concern statements. The results were forwarded to National Park Service in a series of interim reports throughout the comment period and in the Content Analysis Enterprise Team’s final report, Summary of Public Comment, Yosemite Valley Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement (USFS 2000).

During the Draft Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/EIS scoping effort, 300 responses were received. A summary and full report on the analysis of the public scoping comments are available to the public (NPS 2000a). Over 2,500 comments were received during the public comment period on the Draft Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/EIS by mail, email, fax, and at the 12 public hearings. These comments were reviewed and incorporated into the Merced River Plan/FEIS with the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service Content Analysis Enterprise Team.

Of the 871 concerns identified (the 693 from the Yosemite Valley Plan and the 178 from the Merced River Plan), 10 related to the Lower Yosemite Fall area. For this environmental assessment, these 10 concerns were reviewed and carried forward into the public involvement process for the Lower Yosemite Fall Project.

During the scoping period for the relocation of the restroom at the Lower Yosemite Fall area, a total of 261 responses were elicited in the form of U.S. mail, emails, faxes, and comment forms. All comments received in response to the scoping letter were reviewed, entered into the Comment Analysis and Response System database developed by Yosemite National Park staff, and analyzed to determine public concerns and issues. The comments have been duly considered and will remain in the administrative record throughout this planning process.

As a result of the scoping process, new information and issues were identified that prompted the National Park Service to address additional elements of the Lower Yosemite Fall Project and produce this environmental assessment.

Future Information

Updated information about various aspects of the Lower Yosemite Fall Project will be periodically distributed via newsletters, mailings, the Yosemite National Park web site (www.nps.gov/yose/planning), and regional and local news media. To request placement on the mailing list, leave a name and address on the voice mail at 209/372-0261. You may request a copy of the scoping analysis or comment analysis report, or respond to this environmental assessment using the address below.

Superintendent, Yosemite National Park
ATTN.: Lower Yosemite Fall Project
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, California 95389

or email comments to: 
YOSE_Planning@nps.gov
or fax comments to:
209/379-1294

List of Agencies, Organizations, and Businesses that Received this Environmental Assessment

The Access Fund
Acton - Agua Dulce Trails Council
ADA Compliance Service
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
AIA California Council
Alameda County Public Library
Alameda Free Library
All Seasons Groveland Inn
American Alpine Club
American Hiking Society
American Indian Council of Mariposa County
American River Club
American Whitewater
Ansel Adams Gallery
Antelope Valley Press
Associated Press
Automobile Club of Southern California
Backcountry Horsemen of California
Bakersfield Californian
Bassett Memorial Library
Biophilia Society
Bishop Chamber of Commerce
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Reclamation
California Bicycle Coalition
California Department of Boating & Waterways
California Department of Fish & Game
California Department of Justice/Attorney General
California Department of Parks and Recreation
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
Caltrans Central Regional Environmental Analysis Office
Caltrans District 6
Caltrans District 9
Caltrans Division of Transportation Planning, MS32
Caltrans Environmental Planning
Caltrans New Technology & Research
Caltrans Planning
Caltrans Transportation Planning Branch
California Native American Heritage Commission
California Native Plant Society Sequoia Chapter
California Office of Historic Preservation
California Preservation Foundation
California State Automobile Association, Government
California State Clearinghouse
California State Department of Justice
California State Mining & Mineral Museum
California State Resources Agency
California State Senate
California State University Fresno, Henry Madden Library
California State University Stanislaus
California Trade & Commerce Agency
California Trout Inc., Sierra Nevada Office
California Wilderness Coalition
Central Sierra Environmental Research Center
Coldwell Banker – Dan Blough & Associates
Columbia College Library
Comfort Inn
Congressman George Miller
Conservation Study Institute
Contra Costa Times
Council of Fresno County Governments
Cycle California! Magazine
Delaware North Corporation
Department of Defense U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Earth First!/Santa Cruz
Earth Island Institute
Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund
East Bay Bicycle Coalition
Eastern Madera County Chamber of Commerce
ECO News
Economic Development Council
El Portal Chevron
El Portal Homeowners Association
El Portal Market
El Portal Town Planning Advisory Committee
Environment & Natural Resources
Environment Now
Environmental Defense Fund
Fish Camp Advisory Council
Fish Camp Property Owners Association
Foothill Resources
Foresta Preservation Association
The Fresno Bee
Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Fresno County Board of Supervisors
Fresno County Planning & Resource Management
Fresno County City Planning Department
Fresno Flats Historical Library, SHSA
Fresno Visitors Bureau
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the River
Friends of the River/American Rivers
Friends of Yosemite Valley
George Radanovich, Representative
Groveland Branch Library
Groveland Community Services District
Groveland Ranger District
Groveland Rotary
Heritage Trails
Hetch Hetchy Water & Power
Highway 120 Association
Highways Magazine
Host Communications
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Inyo County Planning Department
Inyo National Forest
John T. Doolittle, Representative
KCBS-AM Radio
KCRA TV
KFBK Radio
KFIV Radio
KGO Radio
KMJ Radio
KMPH Radio
KOVR TV
KQED Radio
KTVU TV
KUHL/KZSQ Radio
KVML, KZSQ, & KKBN Radio
KXTV
Los Angeles City Public Library
Los Angeles Times
Madera County
Madera County Board of Supervisors
Madera County Chuckchansi Tribal Government
Madera County North Fork Mono Indian Museum
Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce
Marin County Public Library
Mariposa County
Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District
Mariposa County Board of Supervisors
Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce
Mariposa County Department of Public Works
Mariposa County High School
Mariposa County Planning Department
Mariposa County Public Library
Mariposa County Unified School District
Mariposa Gazette
Mariposa Horsemen’s Association
Mariposa Superintendent of Public Schools
Mariposa Tribune
Mariposans for Environmentally Responsible Growth
Merced Conference & Visitor Center
Merced County Association of Governments
Merced County Planning Commission
Merced County Planning Department
Merced Irrigation District
Merced Sun Star
Minarets Ranger District
The Modesto Bee
Modesto County City Planning Department
Modesto County Planning Department
Mono County
Mono County Board of Supervisors
Mono County Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony (not affiliated with Mono County and not Paiute)
Mono County Community Development Department
Mono County Mono Lake Indian Community (not affiliated with Mono County)
Mono County Planning Department
Monograph Acquisition Services
The Mountain Democrat Newspaper
Mountain Light Photography
National Audubon Society/Yosemite
National Park Service (NPS)
NPS – Air Resources Division
NPS – Columbia Cascades Seattle Office
NPS – Denver Service Center
NPS – Pacific West Region
NPS – Pacific Great Basin Support Office
NPS – Water Resources Division
NPS – Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs
National Parks and Conservation Association, National Office
National Tour Association
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Native Habitats
Natural Resources Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
NBC News
NBC TV
Newsweek
North Fork Mono Rancheria
Northcoast Environmental Center
Oakhurst Public Library
Oakland Tribune
Office of Assemblyman Dave Cogdill
Office of Planning and Research
Pacific Bell
Pacific Gas & Electric Public Affairs
Pacific Legal Foundation
Planning & Conservation League
Pacific Southwest Region Forest & Range Experimental Station
Public Interest Lawyers Group
Ramada Limited/Oakhurst
The Redwoods in Yosemite
Robert Crown Law Library
Royal Robbins Inc.
The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento County Public Library
Salazar Library, Sonoma State University
San Bernardino County Public Library
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco City Public Library
San Francisco Examiner
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
San Jose City Public Library
San Jose Mercury News
Santa Cruz County Library
Save-the-Redwoods League
Saving Yosemite
Scotty's B&B/Cabin Rentals
Service Employees International Union Local 535
Sequoia Alliance
Sierra Club
Sierra Club Condor Group
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter/Friends of Yosemite Valley
Sierra Club Merced Group
Sierra Club National Office
Sierra Club Range of Light – Toiyabe Chapter
Sierra Club Tuolumne Group
Sierra Club Yosemite Committee
Sierra Communications
Sierra National Forest
Sierra Railroad Company
Sierra Star
Sierra Telephone
Sonoma County Library
Sonora Union Democrat
Soroptomist International of Groveland
Stanford University Green Library
Stanislaus County Environmental Review Committee
Stanislaus Council of Government
Stanislaus County Library
Stanislaus National Forest
State Water Resources Control Board
Stockton Record
Teamsters 386
|Theroux Environmental
Tioga Lodge
The Trust for Public Land
Tuolumne County
Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors
Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce
Tuolumne County Community Development
Tuolumne County Department of Public Works
Tuolumne County Planning Commission
Tuolumne County Tuolumne Mewuk Tribal Council
Tuolumne County Visitor Bureau
United States Attorney's Office
U.S. Congress
U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service
U.S. Department of the Interior/Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Department of the Interior Library
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/ Region IX
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
USGS Publications Department
USGS Water Resources Division, Western Region
USA Media
University of California Berkeley Bancroft Library
University of California Berkeley Library Technical Services
University of California Davis Shields Library
University of California Los Angeles Maps & Government Information Library
University of California Los Angeles Young Research Library University of California Water Resources Center Archives
VIA Adventures
Wawona Area Property Owners Association
Wawona Town Planning Advisory Committee
Wild Wilderness
The Wilderness Society
Wilderness Watch
Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads
Yosemite Association Board of Trustees
Yosemite Area Audubon
Yosemite Association
Yosemite Bug Hostel
Yosemite Campers Association
Yosemite Campers Coalition
Yosemite Concession Services
Yosemite Freedom Fighters
The Yosemite Fund
Yosemite Guides
Yosemite Institute
Yosemite Mobilization Committee
Yosemite Motels
Yosemite Mountaineering School
Yosemite Pines
Yosemite Research Center
Yosemite Research Library
Yosemite Restoration Trust
Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau
Yosemite Sightseeing Tours
Yosemite Valley Railroad Company
Yosemite Valley School
Yosemite West Group
Yosemite West Home Owners
Yosemite West Real Estate

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