Yosemite National Park announced the public scoping period for the Parkwide Data Communication Network Environmental Assessment (EA) in November 2008. Public scoping comments are used to assist the park in developing a range of reasonable and feasible project alternatives that meet the purpose and need, including a no action alternative, and analyze the environmental effects of each. A 45 day public scoping period for this EA opened on November 12, 2008, and ran until December 26, 2008. Written comments had to be postmarked no later than December 26, 2008.

Effective communications are critical to Yosemite National Park’s success in protecting park resources and delivering a range of services to park visitors. Currently, Yosemite relies on an outdated and unreliable communication system that performs poorly or fails in bad weather and does not share a single “backbone” to transmit telephone, radio, computer, or other information. Many developed areas of the park—Wawona, Crane Flat, Hodgdon Meadows, Hetch-Hetchy, and Tuolumne Meadows—are serviced by old telephone wires; employees therefore rely on time-consuming dial-up modems for computer network and internet access, and many types of data cannot be transferred. Only El Portal and Yosemite Valley have an upgraded system that provides shared network access, private branch exchange telephones (that use extensions), and high speed internet.  

The purpose of the proposed project is to upgrade Yosemite’s internal communications system with more reliable, efficient technology and create a communications backbone that can support all the park’s communication needs. The new communication network would employ modern technology to provide a platform for computer LAN data, radio communications, security and safety video systems, telephony, burglar/intrusion and fire alarm systems, traffic collection data, and telemetry. This communication would be handled on one shared system rather than multiple independent systems.

A public open house took place during the Public Scoping Period:

December 3, 2008, 1pm to 4pm in the Valley Visitor Center Auditorium, Yosemite Valley 

        Park admission fee was waived for those attending

Comments were accepted at public meetings, by mail, fax, email, and through the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) commenting system. A link to project information is posted on the park's website at www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/cdn.htm. Written comments were accepted:

In person at the public open house,

Via Fax: (209) 379-1294, 

Email: e-mail us,

Mail: Yosemite National Park Superintendent

             Attn: Parkwide Communication Data Network

             P.O. Box 577

             Yosemite, CA 95389