CURRENT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS RELEASES
COMMENTS ARE DUE BY MARCH 14, 2000
National Park Service:
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Comprehensive Management Plan
for the Merced Wild and Scenic River, Yosemite National Park,
Madera and Mariposa Counties, California; Notice of Availability
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub L.91-190, as amended), and the Council of
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Part 1500), the National Park
Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement identifying and evaluating five alternatives for a
Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan for segments
of the river within Yosemite National Park, California. Potential
impacts, and appropriate mitigations, are assessed for each
alternative. When approved, the plan will guide management actions
during the next 15-20 years which will be necessary to preserve the
free-flowing condition of the Merced Wild and Scenic River and to
protect and enhance the ``Outstandingly Remarkable Values'' (ORVs) for
which the river was designated, pursuant to the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1271).
Proposal
The proposed Merced River Plan (Alternative 2--Preferred) would
manage the Merced River corridor by modifying the ORVs and boundaries
from the present situation to reflect current information. No change is
proposed in the present classifications of the river segments. This
alternative also proposes implementing criteria to guide future
decision-making and management actions. These measures include
establishing management zones to appropriately constrain use and
development, and creation of a river protection overlay along the river
and its banks with the intent that natural processes will prevail.
Alternatives
In addition to the proposal, four other alternatives are identified
and analyzed. Alternative 1 (``no action'') is a continuation of the
existing situation, based on the ORVs, boundaries, and classifications
as published in the 1996 Draft Yosemite Valley Housing Plan/
Supplemental EIS. If approved, Alternative 1 will not impose decision-
making criteria, and would establish neither management zoning nor a
river protection overlay.
Alternative 3 differs from the actions propopsed (Alternative 2)
with regard to boundaries, in that limits would be generally one-
quarter mile from the river--except that in El Portal, all of Yosemite
Valley, and Wawona, the 100-year floodplain and adjacent meadows and
wetlands would define the extent of the boundary. In addition,
management zones are differently allocated, the effect of which would
be to promote more resource protection within the river corridor than
would Alternative 2.
Alternative 4 is the same as Alternatives 2 and 3, except that: (i)
The boundary would extend a continuous one-quarter mile from the river
throughout the park; (ii) a change in classification from ``Scenic'' to
``Recreational'' is proposed in the east end of Yosemite Valley and in
Wawona; and (iii) the allocation of management zoning promotes the most
resource protection overall. Alternative 5 is the same as Alternative
4, except that no river protection overlay is proposed, and the
allocation of management zoning promotes the greatest diversity of
visitor experience opportunities.
Planning Background
The draft Merced River Plan/EIS was prepared pursuant to the Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act and National Environmental Policy Act. A Scoping
Notice was published in the Federal Register on June 11, 1999; and the
Notice of Intent was published on August 23, 1999. An intensive scoping
phase was undertaken during June and July, 1999, which included a
series of six public meetings. The invitation letter requesting input
into the development of the draft Merced River Plan/EIS was sent to the
park's general mailing list. In addition, the scoping effort was
publicized via regional and local media and on the park's Webpage. As a
result of this outreach, over 330 responses were received and used in
the development of issues upon which preparation of the draft Merced
River Plan/EIS was based. A summary of the scoping process is available
on the park's Webpage (address noted below).
Public Meetings
In order to facilitate public review and comment on the draft
Merced River Plan/EIS, the Superintendent has scheduled public meetings
in the following California cities: January 31, Mammoth Lakes; February
1, Bakersfield; February 2, San Diego; February 3, Los Angeles;
February 5, Palo Alto; February 6, Berkeley; February 8, Sacramento;
February 9, Merced; February 10, Mariposa; February 11, El Portal;
February 14, Yosemite Valley; February 15, Fish Camp. Meetings on
February 5 and 6 begin at 11:30 am; all other sessions begin between 4
and 5:30 pm and end at 9 or 9:30 pm.
Participants are encouraged to review the document prior to
attending a meeting. Detailed information on location and times for
each of the public meetings will be published in local and regional
newspapers several weeks in advance, broadcast via radio and television
stations, and listed on the park's Webpage. Yosemite National Park
management and planning officials will attend all sessions to present
the draft Merced River Plan/EIS, to receive oral and written comments,
and to answer questions.
Comments
The draft Merced River Plan/EIS will be direct mailed to the park's
general mailing list. Copies will be available at park headquarters in
Yosemite Valley, the Warehouse Building in El Portal, and at local and
regional libraries (i.e., San Francisco and Los Angeles). Also, the
complete document will be posted on the Yosemite National Park Webpage
(http://www.nps.gov/yose/planning).
Written comments must be postmarked (or transmitted by e-mail) not
later than 60 days after the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
the notice of filing of the draft Merced River Plan/EIS in the Federal
Register (anticipated to occur on January 7, 2000). All comments should
be addressed to the Superintendent, Attn: Merced River Plan, P.O. Box
577, Yosemite National Park, California 95389 (or e-mailed to:
Yose__Planning@nps.gov). All comments received will be available for
public review in the park's research library.
Decision Process
Depending upon the degree of public interest and response from
other agencies and organizations, at this time it is anticipated that
the Final Merced River Plan/EIS will be completed during June, 2000;
availability of the document will be duly noticed in the Federal
Register. Subsequently, notice of an approved Record of Decision would
be published in the Federal Register not sooner than thirty (30) days
after the final document is distributed. This is expected to occur by
mid-July, 2000. The official responsible for the decision is the
Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National Park Service; the
official responsible for implementation is the Superintendent,
Yosemite National Park.
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