A More Natural Yosemite

As a rule, Congress should keep its nose out of the inner workings of federal agencies. An exception is at hand. The National Park Service needs to get on with the job of making Yosemite Valley natural again--more of a national park and less of an amusement park.

After 20 years of false starts, the Park Service adopted in 2000 an excellent plan to begin restoring the one-by-seven-mile valley to a more natural state, as it was before it was overrun by cars and suburbanized with unnecessary buildings. The soaring rock faces of El Capitan and Half Dome aren’t quite so noble when viewed through the veil of auto exhaust with cotton candy in hand.

The Park Service has the money, approved by Congress after the 1997 flood that devastated parts of the valley. But the projects, including the relocation and reconstruction of campgrounds, have lagged. In approving an annual Park Service money bill this fall, the House Interior Committee directed the Park Service to begin implementation of the valley plan and restoration in the wake of the flood damage. The committee asked for a report on construction plans within 60 days.

It’s rare for Congress to meddle in the affairs of an individual park, but in this case the prodding was appropriate. More delay would only give critics of the plan--including nearby businesses and some local government officials--a chance to argue for retreat from the strong commitment to a more natural Yosemite.

The valley plan calls for the removal of several bridges and dams on the Merced, the transfer of nonessential park buildings to points outside the valley and improvement of the valley shuttle system. People walking to the base of Yosemite Falls will no longer have to dodge traffic on Northside Drive and hike through a parking lot full of smoke-belching buses. Major campgrounds will be moved away from the Merced, allowing the banks to recover. Several stretches of road and hundreds of parking spaces will be eliminated. Meadows will be restored. Shuttle buses will run more frequently and be less polluting.

Naturalist John Muir, who did so much to popularize the place, wrote, “No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite.” With the planned work, the valley will be even more natural than in Muir’s day, when livestock grazed the valley floor not far from a sawmill. Once again, it will be a place of awesome beauty for recharging the spirit, for repose, for wonder, for humility.