Yosemite National Park - Merced River Plan (U.S. National Park Service)

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Join us at our Fall Workshops to help shape the future of the Merced Wild and Scenic River. The workbook is now available online.

The Merced River Plan will provide overarching guidance for river protection within the Merced Wild and Scenic River corridor inside Yosemite National Park and the El Portal Administrative Site. The National Park Service is committed to a collaborative, interdisciplinary planning approach, rooted in public comment. Our planning process is leveraging the best available science and technology to create an implementable comprehensive management plan.

In 1987 the U.S. Congress designated the Merced a Wild and Scenic River to preserve its free-flowing condition and to protect and enhance the unique values that made it worthy of special protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Both the Merced River above, through, and below Yosemite Valley, and the South Fork of the Merced above, through, and below Wawona have this special status.

In accordance with the law, the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Merced River Plan/EIS) for the 81 miles of the river within Yosemite National Park. When completed, the plan will guide future management of activities in the river corridor, including site-specific actions needed to protect the river in Yosemite Valley, El Portal, and Wawona.

The overall goal of the Merced River Plan is to:

Protect and enhance the values for which the river was designated wild and scenic, leaving the river unimpaired for future generations.

More specifically, the goals of this plan are to:

Ecological and Natural Resource Values
Promote the river's ability to shape the landscape by reducing impediments to free-flow, improving geologic/hydrologic processes, restoring floodplains and meadows, and protecting water quality

Opportunities for Direct Connection to River Values
Support opportunities for people to experience and develop direct connections to the Merced River and its unique values as a place of cultural association, education, reflection, and inspiration.

Visitor-Use Management Program
Institute a visitor-use management program that balances the provision of high-quality, resource-related recreational opportunities in the river corridor with the protection and enhancement of natural and cultural river values today and into the future.

Land Uses and Associated Developments
Provide clear direction on land uses and associated developments in the river corridor, allowing for the infrastructure necessary to support the protection and enhancement of river values.

Yosemite National Park has put together a dynamic team of professionals to develop this plan. The team brings an enthusiasm and commitment to developing a Merced River Plan that protects the river's values for present and future generations. Assisting the team is a large group of subject matter experts on the Yosemite Staff; park managers will be utilizing the skills of other experts as well. To help you understand when and how to get involved, the team created a roadmap [PDF 4.9 MB] of the planning process. All of us look forward to working with you in this exciting process.

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