Camps Share Views on Valley Plan

Radanovich holds field hearing at the park to discuss campgrounds.

by Mark Grossi
The Fresno Bee - April 23, 2003

This was definitely not the land of the happy camper Tuesday.

Dozens of campers and outdoor enthusiasts gathered in Yosemite Valley to tell U.S. Rep. George Radanovich that park plans won't give the public enough campsites. The Mariposa Republican was holding a field hearing at the park to discuss campgrounds in the valley.

At issue are the 361 campsites wiped out in the 1997 flood. The National Park Service doesn't plan to bring them back, and Radanovich, who wants to restore many, wanted to hear more discussion.

Radanovich got his wish even before testimony began as he paused to spend a moment speaking with Yosemite Valley children outside the hearing room. About three dozen residents from surrounding communities and others chanted against the backdrop of the snow-dusted granite cliffs surrounding the valley.

"What do you want?" yelled Chuck Cushman, executive director of the American Land Rights Association and spokesman of a new coalition called Visitors and Communities for an Open Yosemite.

"More camping!" the marchers cried.

With Yosemite National Park in his congressional district, Radanovich is willing to oblige. But an approved valley plan -- a $441 million management blueprint signed in 2000 after two decades -- excludes the 361 campsites.

A potentially long and difficult rewriting process would begin again if too many campsites are restored.

At the same time, Radanovich said he wants the valley to serve everyone, including people who can't afford to spend the night at existing hotels and planned park motels. He would like to see "no net loss" of campsites.

National Park Service Director Fran Mainella, who attended the hearing, said officials could add 25 campsites without rewriting the plan. She said the park could place other camping spots in locations such as Crane Flat or Tuolumne Meadows, outside of the valley.

"We could add 204 campsites outside the valley," she said. "We need to emphasize the day-use visitor. We see greater day-use here and around the country -- people biking, hiking and picnicking for the day."

Quiet groans rippled through the crowd of about 200.

Millions of people pass through Yosemite Valley each year. The 7-square-mile glacial valley, known for its views of Half Dome, El Capitan and Yosemite Falls, attracts campers, rock climbers, hikers, backpackers and many others who feel passionate about using the park.

Officials have worked since 1980 on various plans to manage visitors and revive nature in the valley.

Lawsuits and lack of money continually delayed the process until a massive 1997 flood crippled the valley.

With millions of dollars in flood repair ready and waiting, officials pulled together the Yosemite Valley Plan, which was approved at the end of the Clinton administration. The plan, which deals with everything from motel construction to habitat restoration, will take many years to complete.

Transportation is another sticking point. Officials would reduce parking spaces from about 1,600 to about 550 in years to come. The park would provide parking outside the valley and buses would shuttle visitors in.

Many critics believe a bus ride would ruin their experience, cost them more and limit their freedom.

"We're concerned about the ultimate removal of the automobile," said Stephen Welch, executive vice president of the Pines Resort in Bass Lake, which is near the Highway 41 corridor outside Yosemite.

"Access and affordability are issues for our customers."

Some environmentalists like the idea of reducing the number of vehicles in the valley as well as re-establishing natural conditions -- instead of campgrounds -- next to the Merced River.

Wilderness Society regional director Jay Watson, a vocal supporter of the Park Service plan, said the riverside restoration would help an area rich in biological diversity. He added that the plan provides 1,461 overnight accommodations in the valley.

"Out of this total, 1,179 are campsites, rustic tent cabins and economy-scale cabins," he said. "Only 282 beds, so to speak, or 19 percent, would be at the upper levels in cost."

Another supporter, Michelle Jesperson, associate regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association, said it's time to move on with the plan.

But critics said the plan falls far short in camping accommodations.

Paul Minault, regional coordinator of The Access Fund, representing rock climbers, said the 1980 Yosemite General Management Plan called for almost 1,000 more campsites in the park, including almost 300 more in the valley.

The Park Service should promote camping as a way to bring together people from all walks of life, he said.

"The nation's great parks present an opportunity to be a force for social equality," Minault said. "Unfortunately, the lodging picture in Yosemite preserves the social distinctions."

Photos by Eric Paul Zamora, courtesy of the Fresno Bee.