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The following article from alt.org.sierra-club may also be relevant to
ca.environment.

The following is a copy of an alert I received from the Sierra Club
Yosemite Committee.  Posted with author's permission.
=====================================================
July 20, 1995

TO:     Sierra Club Activists and Friends of Yosemite National Park 
FROM:   Linda Wallace, Chair, Sierra Club Yosemite Committee

RE:     URGENT NEED FOR PUBLIC INPUT ON YOSEMITE TRANSPORTATION STUDY

                        By September 1, please write to:
			B.J. Griffin, Superintendent, 
			Yosemite National Park, 
			P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA 95389
        .
The National Park Service (NPS) recently released the 1994 Alternative
Transportation Modes Feasibility Study  for Yosemite National Park.
NPS is encouraging our comments on the important issue of future
transportation plans for Yosemite.  They intend to use public input in
developing a final transportation plan for the Park.

One of the alternatives included in the study proposes the
construction of a parking structure for 1844 cars and 20 buses in the
west end of Yosemite Valley, opposite El Capitan.  This alternative is
in total conflict with the 1980 General Management Plan (GMP) for
Yosemite which states that "the ultimate goal of the National Park
Service is to remove all private vehicles from Yosemite Valley." The
Yosemite Committee and other environmental groups support the GMP
goal.  It's time to leave cars outside of Yosemite!  When you write,
thank the  superintendent for the opportunity to comment and urge her
to:

1.  Abandon consideration of  building parking structures anywhere
inside Yosemite.

2.  Support the alternative which promotes working with the gateway
communities to develop�solutions that provide parking and shuttle
facilities outside the Park entrances.

3.  Promote increased accessibility to Yosemite through a regional
transportation system as�outlined in the study.

This study was undertaken with flawed criteria for development of
alternatives to solve the problems of traffic congestion. As stated on
page 113 of the study, the criteria include allowing  "current
visitor-use patterns to continue, including the ability to
conveniently visit more than one area of the park in a one-day visit,
allow trips through the park to be made by entering and exiting
through different stations..."   NPS should focus on enhancing the
visitor experience and enjoyment of Yosemite's natural values and on
protectng the Park from air and noise pollution associated with
private automobiles and tour buses.

We owe it to our own and to future generations of visitors to Yosemite
to participate in the dialogue which will result in a final
transportation plan for the Park.  This is extremely important to the
future of Yosemite. Please encourage your friends, family and
colleagues to write also.  We need to generate a lot of public input
on this issue.

The1994 Alternative Transportation Modes Feasibility Study  for
Yosemite contains alternative transportation plans for Yosemite
Valley, Mariposa Grove, and Tuolumne Meadows.  You may request a copy
from the Superintendent at the address listed above.  If you would
like to join the Committee and work on transportation and other issues
impacting Yosemite, please contact Linda Wallace by email to:
pswallace@ucdavis.edu

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