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In 1997 Yosemite National Park, without public input, closed 40% of the campsites in Yosemite Valley and they remain closed today. Yet the Park Service plans to increase the number of employees park-wide to serve more upscale lodging and concession "opportunities."
Successful litigation on the part of Friends of Yosemite Valley (FoYV) resulted in a court-mandated rewrite of an unprotective Merced River Plan and injunctions on many development projects. As we write this, the Record of Decision on that still unprotective rewritten plan is probably being signed. Chainsaws and bulldozers are poised to resume court-halted destructive development projects. FoYV and a variety of "stakeholders" have recently come together to save the well-loved environment and equitable access to Yosemite. An unprecedented joint letter was issued and we are continuing to proceed on various avenues to preserve this precious place for present and future generations, not to serve it up as a cash cow for the concessionaire or for Park administrators who support more development.
To help out, sign up for the FoYV alert list by emailing yojo@batnet.com.
For more information: 408/973-1085,
www.yosemitevalley.org
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TOC for Forest & River News, Summer 2005