Help Plan Yosemite's Future (Hardwear Sessions)

This weekend, we drove up to Yosemite National Park to meet some friends from out of town. We spent the day in Tuolumne Meadows, then met our friends at Curry Village for dinner. The high-summer crowds were out in full force. Curry Village felt like an amusement park, festive and a little claustrophobic. As we stood in line for our buffet dinner, I picked up a flyer with an intriguing headline.

"Park Planning Underway Now!" read the flyer. "Get involved."

Upon closer inspection, I realized that the flyer was an invitation to participate in the planning process for the Tuolumne and Merced River Plans, the management plans that guide the National Park Service's day-to-day operations along the Tuolumne and Merced River corridors. Both the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers are protected under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, and the Park Service is required to preserve the rivers' Wild & Scenic character, while providing park visitors with adequate services and amenities.

The NPS is currently creating comprehensive management plans for the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers, which both run through Yosemite National Park. As part of the process, the NPS must solicit public comment on its proposed management plans.

The flyer invited park visitors to read planning documents on the NPS website, and then submit comments for the public record.

Producing these management plans is no cakewalk. Planners must balance multiple agencies (from federal agencies, like the Bureau of Land Management, to local agencies), often with conflicting interests, and comply with federal legislation. The planning documents are arcane and difficult to understand, and the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) are even worse.

This may all seem like a tedious bureaucratic exercise, but the resulting Tuolumne River Plan/Tuolume Meadow Plan and New Merced River Plan will both have a significant impact upon our experience of Yosemite National Park. These plans will guide future development within Yosemite, and may change or even limit visitor access to certain areas of the park.

Both the Tuolumne River Plan/Tuolumne Meadows Plan and the New Merced River Plan propose significant changes to park access and amenities. The Tuolumne Meadows Plan, in particular, outlines four separate planning concepts that may radically transform our experience of the Meadows. All seek to maintain the bulk of the Tuolumne Meadows/Glen Aulin area as wilderness (provide few amenities, encourage low-impact activities). But each concept follows a different philosophy, and deserves careful examination.

The Tuolumne River Plan workbook (PDF) includes brief overviews of each concept, with maps illustrating potential transformations to the Meadows' landscape. Concept 1 would restore most developed areas to wilderness, providing visitors with the bare minimum of amenities and concessions. Concept 2 combines wilderness restoration/preservation with human recreation, allowing for the development of recreational and educational facilities. Concept 3 seeks to preserve the area's historical landscape, in addition to maintaining Tuolumne Meadows' wilderness character, and would retain all buildings and facilities with historical significance. Concept 4 emphasizes scientific research and wilderness restoration and preservation over recreational use. Under Concept 4, NPS would limit universal access and day use, and retool the Meadows' infrastructure to serve as research facilities. Each concept will create different long-term consequences for Tuolumne Meadows.

Climbers, hikers, backpackers, and other outdoors folk who enjoy Yosemite National Park should hop over to the NPS website and participate in the planning process. The new management plans may change your experience of Yosemite National Park for the better--or the worse.

Don't be passive. Wade through the planning documents, understand the options on the table, and give your feedback.