Ruling faults Yosemite growth
A federal court sided Thursday with environmentalists in their fight to ease human effects on Yosemite Valley and the river that runs through it.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling that National Park Service officials need to redraft a management plan for the Merced River, which cuts through the heart of the heavily visited valley.
“We hope this means the Valley and Merced River will be protected the way they should be,” said Sharon Duggan, attorney for Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for Environmentally Responsible Growth.
The 28-page opinion supports a 2006 ruling faulting the park service for insufficiently addressing user capacity in the valley, which is packed with tourists much of the year.
Scott Gediman, a Yosemite spokesman, expressed disappointment but noted the park has already started drafting a new management plan to be completed by September 2009.
The long-running court case has blocked several construction projects, including work at Yosemite Lodge.
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-- Eric Bailey
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