Re: Yosemite’s visitors’ center may be located outside of park

Of course he'd like it in Mariposa.

If they were serious about doing this, wouldn't El Portal make more sense? That location in Mariposa would be about a good 35 miles from the Arch Rock Entrance, and not "just outside" like the article claims. Isn't there already an NPS presence in El Portal?

I've heard of some NPS administrative headquarters or other administration well outside of park boundaries, but I don't get this one. Cedar Breaks NM has its HQ in Cedar City about a 24 mile drive. Lassen Volcanic NP has its HQ in a place called Mineral which has almost no population. Mt Rainier NP HQ is just outside the entrance in Ashford.

Strangely enough, Mariposa (his hometown) is a speck when it comes to his constituency. The vast majority of his constituents live in the Central Valley.

From what I can see, there is not much room in El Portal for a visitor center. For traffic flow and safety reasons, it would be best to put it on the south side of Hwy 140. Too close to the river. I know the site they are thinking about and it is perfect. Right side of the road, on the way to the park, and lots of room with not much of an impact on the environment. The land is already cleared and disturbed.

I've also told my boss that I want to work there if it comes to be.

Radanovich has not sponsored many other bills of any kind. He was a do nothing Congressman. He's on his way out and for some reason is doing something nice.

Isn't he the guy that wanted to tear down the LeConte memorial because the Sierra Club was using it as an info center?

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Old Dude

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mrcondron
Isn't he the guy that wanted to tear down the LeConte memorial because the Sierra Club was using it as an info center?

Yes.

The ignorance of this has me The idiot apparantly does not know that LeConte was co-founder of the Sierra Club. D'uh!!!!

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The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2010 10:06PM by Bee.

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Bee
The ignorance of this has me The idiot apparantly does not know that LeConte was co-founder of the Sierra Club. D'uh!!!!

I don't think he cares. Radanovich isn't exactly known for making big stands on environmental issues unless it's beneficial to industry. He's a classic small government fiscal and social conservative. He's got a very low rating from the League of Conservation Voters, although I guess some might have issues with that particular organization. His big thing is probably that he was actually born and raised in Mariposa, and even if he is leaving Congress, he might want to leave this as his legacy.

Joseph LeConte and his brother John were pioneering professors at UC Berkeley. I took physics classes/labs at LeConte Hall and have driven on LeConte Avenue in Berkeley. I remember playing around with a particle detector (it might have been a Geiger counter) in our radioactive decay lab in LeConte Hall, which was named after John. The lab assistant running the lab said I didn't need to worry about the plutonium (I kid you not) and beryllium source used to charge our silver ingots with neutrons. It was reading little near the door, but when I got near the source (a steel trash can filled with paraffin and with holes to the plutonium) the detector started going off like crazy. For the rest of the day I avoided that trash can.

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y_p_w
He's a classic small government fiscal and social conservative

You mean a cut-taxes-and-spend-big Republican?

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y_p_w

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Bee
The ignorance of this has me The idiot apparantly does not know that LeConte was co-founder of the Sierra Club. D'uh!!!!

Joseph LeConte and his brother John were pioneering professors at UC Berkeley.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/about/history/lipps2.php

[Aside to y_p_w: Thanks for the info. re. the naming of LeConte Hall. I had assumed that it was named after Joseph rather than John, even though it is part of the Physics Dept. complex (since Joseph's field was also considered a branch of physics at the time). I wasn't aware that John had served as University President.]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2010 06:10AM by szalkowski.