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"The five goals -- to reclaim priceless natural beauty, reduce traffic congestion, allow natural processes to prevail, reduce crowding, and promote visitor understanding and enjoyment -- are still valid, and making progress toward achieving them is even more critical now than it was in 1980."
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Dear Friends of Yosemite:
YOSEMITE VALLEY is an active place this spring. Not only are the waterfalls reaching their peak and bears becoming more active, but also many members of the park staff are working long hours to develop the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. When we decided in the fall of 1998 to consolidate four Yosemite Valley planning efforts into one comprehensive  plan,
we knew it would be a challenge, but we believed it a valuable effort.
Combining the four plans into one requires us to take a fresh approach
to the entire process. The basis for the development of this draft
plan is a strong considration for the preservation of the Valley's resources,
both natural and cultural, and the quality of visitors' experiences here.
We have read and analyzed comments received during the scoping period (see article summarizing those comments inside), and are working with all the best information available to present a range of actions that fulfill the spirit of the five broad goals presented in the Yosemite General Management Plan (GMP). The five goals -- to reclaim priceless natural beauty, reduce traffic congestion, allow natural processes to prevail, reduce crowding, and promote visitor understanding and enjoyment -- are still valid, and making progress toward achieving them is even more critical now than it was in 1980. The challenge remains as to how to translate these goals into specific actions. no one goal takes preeminence, and to achieve them all, we must balance sometimes-conflicting values, objectives, and uses. For example, moving campsites and lodging away from the riverbanks will allow riverside habitat to return to a healthy state, but would change the experience of staying overnight right along the Merced. Consolidating parking into fewer areas will allow for restoration of highly valued resource areas and provide more places for walking and biking without the intrustion of cars, but will mean that there will still be areas of concentrated activity. Visitation to the park in 1980 was about 2 million people; in recent years, Yosemite has experienced about 4 million visitors a year. Many members of the public have commented that the National Park Service should limit not just the number of vehicles that enter Yosemite Valley at one time, but also the number of people. This has many implications for the future management of Yosemite Valley, which we are carefully considering while we analyze potential impacts and seek to provide a balance of resource stewardship and quality visitor experience. In the next months we will be completing the Draft Yosemite Valley Plan/ Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. It is our target to have it for public comment this summer. We appreciate your support and encourage your participation in our continued planning efforts for Yosemite. Sincerely,
 The
Planning Update is an occassional publication of the National Park Service,
Office of the Superintendent, Yosemite National Park, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite,
CA 95389.
Martha Lee edited this issue with contributions from Chip Jenkins, Kristina Rylands, Valerie Pillsbury, Gary Colliver, Linda Eade, Peter Keller, Karen Sorensen, The Yosemite Fund, Fire Management Office, and Mitzi Thornley. |
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