Electronic Newsletter, August 2004 V.2

August 2004

Yosemite National Park Extends Public Scoping Period for Revised Merced River Plan

The National Park Service announces the extension of the public scoping period for the Merced Wild and Scenic River Revised Comprehensive Management Plan and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). Through September 10, 2004, the park welcomes all written ideas and concerns regarding this planning effort.

As directed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the revised plan and SEIS will address user capacities in the Merced River corridor and reassess the river boundary in the El Portal Administrative Site. The revised plan will also amend the park’s 1980 General Management Plan.

The Court’s April 20, 2004 decision upheld the other elements of the plan, including boundaries for other segments of the river; classifications for all river segments; Outstandingly Remarkable Values in all segments (except the boundary reassessment in El Portal); the River Protection Overlay; the Section 7 determination process, and the plan’s management zoning program. As a result, these elements (except as noted) are not being revisited in the SEIS.

The National Park Service manages 81 miles of the Merced Wild and Scenic River, encompassing both the main stem and the South Fork in Yosemite National Park and the El Portal Administrative Site.

Pursuant to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act requirements, the National Park Service prepared and issued the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan in 2000. The plan provides direction and guidance on how best to manage visitor use, development of lands and facilities, and resource protection within the river corridor. It serves as the template against which future implementation plans and projects in the river corridor must be judged to protect and enhance the values for which the Merced River was designated Wild and Scenic.
Send scoping comments to the park via fax [phone]), (e-mail us), or U.S. Mail (Yosemite National Park Superintendent, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA 95389). All comments must be postmarked by the new closing date.

For more information regarding this and other projects occurring in Yosemite National Park, visit www.nps.gov/yose/planning.