NPS

Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs were once the most abundant amphibian in Yosemite's high country. Populations have declined by over 95%.

Yosemite National Park is preparing a High Elevation Aquatic Ecosystem Recovery & Stewardship Plan and environmental assessment (Aquatic Plan EA) to guide management actions by the National Park Service to protect Yosemite’s diverse high-elevation aquatic ecosystems and to restore natural composition, structure and function to systems that have been disturbed by past or ongoing human activities.

Click here to view a printable fact sheet with more information about the plan.

The plan is needed to:

• provide a framework for restoring and maintaining high elevation aquatic ecosystems in the park;
• halt the decline of native amphibian populations and to restore species within their natural range;
• prepare for new challenges that may threaten these systems; and
• assess other components of these systems to determine if new management actions may be required.

The plan will include the lakes, ponds, wet meadows and streams located above 6,000 feet in elevation and the diverse plants and animals that inhabit these environments.

The Aquatic Plan EA will consider:

• Removal of non-native fish from selected areas of the park to restore natural biodiversity in critical basins. Chemical removal of non-native fish is not currently being considered in this plan. Click here to learn more about experimental fish removal that is being done to help inform this planning effort.
• High-quality recreational fishing opportunities would continue to be available in diverse habitats throughout the park.  
• Restoration of Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs, Yosemite toads, and other species to suitable and strategic locations within their historic range to ensure survival of these species.
• The development of Best Management Practices for recreational and administrative activities within high elevation aquatic ecosystems to ensure that park resources and values remain unimpaired. This includes:
• • preventative measures to avoid the introduction or spread of non-native species or pathogens that may threaten native species or their habitats.
  • evaluation of human use within aquatic environments in order to ensure that human use does not result in the loss of ecological function.

A draft document is expected to be available for public review in summer 2009.

To request a hard copy or CD ROM version of the EA and to submit written comments:

Superintendent
Attn: High Elevation Aquatic Ecosystem Recovery & Stewardship Plan
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

Phone: 209/379-1365; Fax: 209/379-1294