• View of Half Dome and Washington Column in Yosemite Valley

    Yosemite

    National Park California

Yosemite National Park Announces the Public Scoping for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan

Subscribe RSS Icon | What is RSS
Date: August 30, 2011

Plan Calls for Extensive Improvements in Yosemite's Largest Giant Sequoia Grove

Yosemite National Park announces the opening of public scoping for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The scoping period will begin Wednesday, August 31, 2001 and extend through Saturday, October 15, 2011. Comments will be used to assist the park in a plan that will meet the purpose and need of the project.  

The Mariposa Grove is the largest of the three giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) groves in Yosemite National Park and was part of the original Yosemite Grant signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 (the rest of the grant included Yosemite Valley). The giant sequoias are the largest living things and can measure up to 35 feet in diameter and up to 300 feet in height. There are approximately 500 mature sequoia trees in the grove.  

The proposed plan aims to restore the Giant Sequoia habitat in the Mariposa Grove. This would be accomplished through a range of actions including:

  • Restoring the natural hydrology within the grove
  • Removing unnecessary infrastructure 
  • Realigning roads and trails in sensitive sequoia habitat
  • Relocating the existing visitor parking 
  • Reducing visitor trampling of soils and vegetation around the giant sequoias
The project also seeks to improve the visitor experience within the Mariposa Grove by assessing visitor facilities and transportation.

A public Open House will take place tomorrow, August 31, 2011, and again on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Yosemite Valley at the Visitor Center Auditorium. Park staff will be available to discuss the project, answer questions, and accept comments.

Comments can be submitted either in person at public meetings, by mail, fax, or online.

Online comments can be submitted through the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yose/mariposagrove.

Written comments can be mailed to:
Yosemite National Park, Superintendent
Attn: Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

Comments can also be faxed to 209/379-1294

For more information about this project: http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mgrove.htm

Did You Know?

Granite Peaks and Clear Lakes in Torres Del Paine NP

That Yosemite National Park has a sister park in Chile? Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is located among the breath taking scenery of Patagonian Chile. Both parks feature remarkable geology, hydrology, flora and fauna--together the staff of both parks work together to share best practices and care for these landscapes so generations of visitors can revel in their stunning beauty.