Yosemite National Park Announces the Public Scoping for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan

Yosemite National Park Announces the Public Scoping for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan
Date: August 30, 2011

Plan Calls for Extensive Improvements in Yosemite's Largest Giant Sequoia Grove

Yosemite National Park announces the opening of public scoping for the Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The scoping period will begin Wednesday, August 31, 2001 and extend through Saturday, October 15, 2011. Comments will be used to assist the park in a plan that will meet the purpose and need of the project.

The Mariposa Grove is the largest of the three giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) groves in Yosemite National Park and was part of the original Yosemite Grant signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 (the rest of the grant included Yosemite Valley). The giant sequoias are the largest living things and can measure up to 35 feet in diameter and up to 300 feet in height. There are approximately 500 mature sequoia trees in the grove.

The proposed plan aims to restore the Giant Sequoia habitat in the Mariposa Grove. This would be accomplished through a range of actions including:

• Restoring the natural hydrology within the grove
• Removing unnecessary infrastructure
• Realigning roads and trails in sensitive sequoia habitat
• Relocating the existing visitor parking
• Reducing visitor trampling of soils and vegetation around the giant sequoias

The project also seeks to improve the visitor experience within the Mariposa Grove by assessing visitor facilities and transportation.

A public Open House will take place tomorrow, August 31, 2011, and again on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Yosemite Valley at the Visitor Center Auditorium. Park staff will be available to discuss the project, answer questions, and accept comments.

Comments can be submitted either in person at public meetings, by mail, fax, or online.

Online comments can be submitted through the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yose/mariposagrove.

Written comments can be mailed to:
Yosemite National Park, Superintendent
Attn: Mariposa Grove Restoration Plan
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

Comments can also be faxed to 209/379-1294

For more information about this project: http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mgrove.htm

Now that we all live in the 21st century and Yosemite Valley is connected via the internet to the rest of the world, it would be REALLY nice if the Park Service could have the presentations shown in these types of Open Houses online via video conferencing. Or at least have the presentations available for viewing via YouTube after the fact.

These Open Houses being open to the public is pretty meaningless considering the time and effort it takes to attend these open houses for anyone who lives outside of the Yosemite region. It's really meant just for insiders of Yosemite, otherwise the Park Service would hold them in more accessible location like Fresno, Los Angeles, or the Bay Area, or at the VERY LEAST hold these Open Houses during a WEEKEND!

But if they insist on holding them inside Yosemite National Park on weekdays, they might as well use the latest (and commonplace) technology and videoconference them so others who are interested in the topics but can't attend in person, could at least participate via the internet.

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plawrence
Now that we all live in the 21st century and Yosemite Valley is connected via the internet to the rest of the world, it would be REALLY nice if the Park Service could have the presentations shown in these types of Open Houses online via video conferencing. Or at least have the presentations available for viewing via YouTube after the fact.

These Open Houses being open to the public is pretty meaningless considering the time and effort it takes to attend these open houses for anyone who lives outside of the Yosemite region. It's really meant just for insiders of Yosemite, otherwise the Park Service would hold them in more accessible location like Fresno, Los Angeles, or the Bay Area, or at the VERY LEAST hold these Open Houses during a WEEKEND!

But if they insist on holding them inside Yosemite National Park on weekdays, they might as well use the latest (and commonplace) technology and videoconference them so others who are interested in the topics but can't attend in person, could at least participate via the internet.

I understand your frustration since I feel the same way. This spring when they had public meetings in the park for the Merced River Plan, they did have what they called "webinars" where you could watch the meetings on the internet. Unfortunately, I could never get them to work on my Macbook but that could be due to the fact that I am not that computer literate. I have never seen the Webinars offered for any of the other plans. They have held an occasional meeting in Fresno. As for meetings in Los Angeles, the few times that they have had ones here, they have been during the week so you would have to take a day off work and also would require driving during rush hour. They also hold them near downtown Los Angeles which is an issue for those of us who live on the westside and have kids to pick up from school. Of course, they then say that no one in the area is interested in attending, not understanding that working people and parents can not go to meetings during the week and no one wants to drive down town during rush hour unless they work or live there.

Setting up webinars for most of them would be a start. And how about at least holding them on a Saturday afternoon in Yosemite? That way people who are truly interested in attending could at least in theory make it a day-trip to Yosemite from many parts of California.

In regards to Los Angeles, any location would be somewhat problematic due to the heavy traffic congestion throughout the L.A. region. Usually when the Park Service holds a meeting "off-site," it is often at a federal building. For you it would be handy if they held it at the Federal Building near Westwood by the 405 freeway.

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plawrence
Setting up webinars for most of them would be a start. And how about at least holding them on a Saturday afternoon in Yosemite? That way people who are truly interested in attending could at least in theory make it a day-trip to Yosemite from many parts of California.

In regards to Los Angeles, any location would be somewhat problematic due to the heavy traffic congestion throughout the L.A. region. Usually when the Park Service holds a meeting "off-site," it is often at a federal building. For you it would be handy if they held it at the Federal Building near Westwood by the 405 freeway.

It would be great to have them in Yosemite on a Saturday. I am not sure if I would consider a 5 hour drive one way a day trip and something I would want to do, but if one could find lodging, an overnight would work.

Traffic is certainly an issue in LA during the week but it is feasible to get around on a weekend. Not having to take work and school into consideration, meetings on weekends would certainly increase the amount of people who would be able to go. Those who live on the west side would find the Federal Building to be the best location. The two meetings that were held in LA, one was at the Autry Museum and the other at the Los Angeles River Center both of which are great locations for people that live close to the 5/110 freeways but mean acting like a salmon trying to swim up stream for people that live on the west side, Santa Monica and areas around them.

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parklover

The two meetings that were held in LA, one was at the Autry Museum and the other at the Los Angeles River Center both of which are great locations for people that live close to the 5/110 freeways but mean acting like a salmon trying to swim up stream for people that live on the west side, Santa Monica and areas around them.

Have you ever considered taking Olympic Blvd from West L.A. to downtown during weekdays? When I lived in L.A., I found that traveling up and down Olympic was faster than sitting in the parking lot that is the Santa Monica Freeway during rush hour.

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plawrence

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parklover

The two meetings that were held in LA, one was at the Autry Museum and the other at the Los Angeles River Center both of which are great locations for people that live close to the 5/110 freeways but mean acting like a salmon trying to swim up stream for people that live on the west side, Santa Monica and areas around them.

Have you ever considered taking Olympic Blvd from West L.A. to downtown during weekdays? When I lived in L.A., I found that traveling up and down Olympic was faster than sitting in the parking lot that is the Santa Monica Freeway during rush hour.

Going on Olympic to downtown is now worse than using the 10. The whole west side is a challenge since they are widening the 405 from the 10 to the 101. Sepulveda is down to one lane in each direction in places and many off and on ramps on the 405 are not opened all of the time. I have to use the Sunset bridge over the 405 multiple times during the day and they had demolished 1/2 of the bridge around December so there are only 2 lanes each way. Periodically during the day with no warnings they will close on and off ramps in that area for a short time. Depending on the time of the day, Sunset going west can be backed up to near the running track at UCLA and east bound past Bundy. I am not even going to talk about how the Ventura Fwy is at rush hour.

How long ago did you live in LA?