Electronic Newsletter, August 25, 2011

Open House August 31
Join park staff on August 31, 2011, for Yosemite National Park's monthly open house. The open house will feature informational posters, fact sheets, an opportunity to interact with park staff, and an update on current plans and projects. In addition to the plans featured in presentations, park staff will be on hand to discuss the Tioga Road Rehabilitation Plan, and other ongoing planning efforts.

Presentations will begin at 2 pm and will last approximately 45 minutes. The presentations will feature:

• The Mariposa Grove Restoration Project
• The Curry Village Rockfall Hazard Zone Structures Project
• White Wolf Lodge & Duplex Cabins Rehabilitation Plan

In addition to presentations there will be an opportunity to ask questions. The presentations will be available online via webinar at yose.webex.com.

The open house is from 1 to 4 pm in the Valley Visitor Center. Park Entrance fees are waived for attendees.

Don't Forget to Give Us Your Two-Cents!
The Ansel Adams Gallery Rehabilitation Plan is open for public scoping through September 9, 2011. Find out more about the plan and let us know what you think at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/AnselAdamsEA.

The Curry Village Rockfall Hazard Zone Structures Project Environmental Assessment is open for public review and comment through September 9, 2011. Download the document and comment online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/CurryRockfall.

The Tioga Road Rehabilitation Plan Environmental Assessment is open for public review and comment through September 8, 2011. Download the document and comment online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/tiogaroad.

The White Wolf Lodge & Duplex Cabins Rehabilitation Plan is open for public scoping through September 4, 2011. Find out more about the plan and let us know what you think at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/whitewolflodge.

Finding of No Significant Impact for the Scenic Vista Management Plan
The Scenic Vista Management Plan Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is now available at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/YOSESVMP. This document records the decision of the National Park Service to restore and protect scenic resources as described in the Selected Action of the FONSI. The purpose of the plan is to develop a systematic program to document, protect, and reestablish Yosemite's important viewpoints and vistas, consistent with the natural processes and human influences that created them. This plan considers which vistas the park will treat, how the park will prioritize treatments, and the extent and intensity of treatments.

The Preferred Alternative, Alternative 3 (Use Ecological Conditions to Determine Intensity of Vista Clearing) is determined not to have a significant effect on the human environment and is adopted by the National Park Service. Alterations at vista points within the Wild and Scenic River Corridors, of the Merced River and the Tuolumne River, will be addressed under each river plan. Within the first year of the plan, plans for work at approximately 24 sites will be posted and available for public review on the National Park Service's Planning, Environment and Public Comment in the spring of 2012. Work at the vista locations are expected to begin in the fall of 2012.

Happy Founder's Day!
On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved an act of Congress creating the National Park Service and directing it "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life [in the national parks] and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

For more National Park Service history check out www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPSHistory/parkdate.htm.

To see how the National Park Service is preparing for its 100th anniversary visit www.nps.gov/calltoaction/.