Merced River Plan - Public Planning Workshop

Please join the National Park Service on Saturday, May 10, 2008, from 9:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. in the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center Auditorium for the next Public Planning Workshop for the new Merced River Plan. (NOTE: The Saturday, April 5, 2008, Public Planning Workshop has been COMBINED with this workshop to accommodate those who must travel long distances to attend; Therefore, no workshop will be held on April 5).

During the March 7, 2008, Public Planning Workshop, participants began to create desired condition statements for the river's Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs). Desired conditions lay the groundwork for developing management prescriptions, which are combinations of ORV desired conditions. Management prescriptions prescribe what future natural and cultural resources conditions, and visitor experiences are to be achieved. Additionally, management prescriptions articulate the types and extent of management activities and/or facilities that would be required to achieve the desired resource and visitor experience conditions.

On May 10, 2008, draft management prescriptions will be presented. Participants will review and revise those as necessary, and then apply the different management prescriptions to the river corridor on maps, thereby creating different management zoning concepts. These management zoning concepts will then be circulated for public review and comment. Once refined, they will form the basis for the alternatives to be analyzed in the draft plan/environmental impact statement for the new Merced River Plan.

For more information about these planning elements and how to get involved in Public Planning Workshops, please visit our web site at http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/newmrp.htm.

Please RSVP to Elexis Mayer by phone at 209/379-1377, or by email: elexis_mayer@nps.gov, no later than Wednesday, May 7, 2008.