[CMCEmail] High Sierra Hikers Association - Action Alert

[CMCEmail@Californiamountaineer.com]

Action Alert !!!  

 

Yosemite National Park to host public meetings & accept written comments on
new plan for Merced River

Please attend one of the public meetings (November 2 through December 2)
and/or send written comments ASAP



 

The National Park Service at Yosemite is holding seven public meetings over
the next month to accept comments on its plan for protecting the Merced
River. The HSHA's volunteer directors may not be able to attend any of these
meetings, so it's important for our members to stand up and be heard. If you
cannot attend, please send written comments urging the NPS to adopt a strong
plan that stops the ongoing abuse by commercial businesses and that protects
the Merced River corridor from harmful and excessive uses. 

 

Background:  Several years ago, the Park Service adopted a weak plan for the
Merced River corridor that allowed commercial exploitation and other harmful
uses to continue. The agency was sued by the Friends of Yosemite Valley
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8OQJjpTAEPN4rb6e
nmhOe7BZ-nXKW0_I1NX08ZERW5rgUrYpVwJMhMw1MIuKfWXfz43ejXBZD_g4VFnIH1ey6VJkbl6U
P8y8BQQgAWgeD5HtA==> , a small but dedicated citizens' group, and the courts
threw out that plan. The Park Service must now start over, and is beginning
the process anew. The first step is called "scoping," whereby the agency
solicits public comments about the issues and concerns that need to be
addressed. 

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

 

1) Attend one of the public meetings: 

 

Public meetings will be held as follows: 

November 2 (Monday), Mariposa

Mariposa Government Center, 5100 Bullion St., 2nd Floor, Mariposa

 

November 3 (Tuesday), Fresno

REI store, 7810 North Blackstone Ave., Fresno

 

November 4 (Wednesday), Groveland

Groveland Community Hall, Groveland

 

November 9 (Monday), Sacramento

Sacramento Southside Clubhouse, 2051 Sixth Street, Sacramento

 

November 10 (Tuesday), Berkeley

Doubletree Hotel & Meeting Center, 200 Marina Blvd., Berkeley

 

November 16 (Monday), Los Angeles

LA River Center, 570 West Avenue 26, #100, Los Angeles

 

December 2 (Wednesday), Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Valley Auditorium

 

All six of the November meetings will follow this agenda: 

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Open house/Welcome

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Presentation on scope of plan/Comment period

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.: Open forum

 

The meeting on December 2 will be from 1-4 p.m.  (Note: The Park Service
generally waives park entrance fees for persons attending public meetings in
Yosemite. So if you are attending the meeting in Yosemite Valley on Dec 2,
be sure to mention at the entrance station that that is the purpose of your
visit, and you should be allowed to enter the park without charge.)

 

Preparing for the meeting:

If you have time to prepare for the meeting, it would be very helpful to
view the HSHA's comments
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8Pxnf27wrBgPIjzU
1x1WKQnySZPAfO8-5kV-WX-SUI0bLgTk76R9Y6qYwuN5kyE453Tjni7Xi9AIpVxu80AOBWzXjJ65
EGDD0Qo0i2n0Ifp-bewPeJWFsijSh5oExt1PVRIBtNfbjgJ9HtbD9PvraaZ>  on the Merced
River Plan and the Park Service's website
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8M3F-E44T2qP9kA0
gxevTLwqOMRtka5DhEnXnb84mdbENMusq5IHSHCYMozJEX1CqvzJrNDpoFRFJAmNEzgdHM6qLfqQ
wZnKYoaDS196qmLRrsZJ0Z-_NPGFHDALCRoeaMwjcRgyPINyQ==> . This will give you
ideas about the issues and concerns that you might want to raise. In short,
the HSHA advocates: 1) removal of the polluting "High Sierra Camps," and 2)
strict limits and controls on the use of stock animals to reduce the ongoing
harm to the Merced River and its surrounding corridor.

 

  

2) Send a letter, e-mail, or fax:

Send a letter, email or fax (postmarked by December 4, 2009) to: 

 

Superintendent

Attn: Merced River Plan

P.O. Box 577

Yosemite National Park, CA 95389

 

E-mail address:  Yose_Planning at nps.gov
Fax number:  (209) 379-1294

If you are pressed for time, you may simply cut-and-paste the Sample Letter
(below) into an e-mail message -- but if you can spare just a few minutes
more, it would be much more effective if you personalize your comments by
rearranging the points, rewriting some or all of the Sample Letter in your
own words, and/or including personal experiences about the effects of stock
use on your hiking experience.

Please Note:  As always, we encourage all hikers to state their own true
opinions, rather than simply parroting the positions of the HSHA. All
members are urged to edit the Sample Letter below to reflect their own true
opinions. 

 

 

Sample Letter (in blue):

 

(date) 

 

Superintendent  

Attn: Merced River Plan

P.O. Box 577

Yosemite, CA 95389

 

Dear Superintendent, 

 

I am writing to provide scoping comments on Yosemite's Merced River Plan. I
am very concerned about the harmful effects of commercial activities and
other high-impact uses, such as the use of stock animals in and near the
Merced River corridor. My specific comments are as follows:

 

The Park Service should close the polluting High Sierra Camps at Merced
Lake, Vogelsang, May Lake, and Sunrise. These aged and ugly commercial
enterprises have many significant adverse impacts on the Merced River and
its corridor. 

 

Park Service staff must stop attempting to rationalize the polluting High
Sierra Camps as being "historic" or part of our "heritage." The Glacier
Point "firefall," feeding bears at garbage dumps, allowing recreation stock
to travel off trails, and logging of giant Sequoias are also part of our
heritage -- but they were discontinued long ago when it became obvious that
they are harmful to the park and to the experience of visitors. It is long
past time to similarly stop the pollution and degradation of the Merced
River and its corridor by removing the damaging High Sierra Camps.

 

Because domestic livestock (i.e., horses, mules, etc.) are known to pollute
water, spread weeds, erode trails, and cause significant conflicts with foot
travelers, your plan for the Merced River should adopt strict limits and
controls on this harmful activity. 

Specifically: 1) all commercial horse rides should be banned within the Wild
& Scenic river corridor; 2) when stock must be used, stock parties should be
kept as small as possible (i.e., limited to no more than 12 "heartbeats" per
group); 3) all stock animals should be strictly required to wear manure
catchers to prevent pollution of trails, campsites and water from animal
manure. Such products are now widely available and inexpensive. (See, for
example, the websites: Bunbag.com
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8OJbQiMIsjpWsLrS
YUZXz-tn1bBpsTEF8I983_Km7n02K6x7-M40NOtWxqWysHOA0OOx_5QSe03Mce7W2Ds5I1lA9hIv
2ku_sM=>  and Equisan.com.au
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8OjaD28Y8vruedIb
gIWOeypFirVIGxWSoLswGTn76palaqtC3l7zEn_YnL_N4ltel6GR_iRzehp1STwdNcXeg0wHf49w
AQvJHHHSqLSKo3I5A==> ); and 4) to prevent the spread of harmful invasive
weeds, all stock animals must be sufficiently quarantined before entering
the park, and must be tied up and supplied weed-free feed
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8MSP3yXGSX3fpcPn
3DFJXZFv8wizJEPvodSLGJay1RHwlrnCKVJ8KhBPGnogGp-ucXhUuR8PcRk1YwH4xe8BqkRXzePR
h_RJWC6pIV39QM2wearDFrAebWbAQrtZ7mjRdI=> , with no open grazing or roaming
on park lands. Because livestock are known to spread invasive weeds by
importing weed seeds on their coats and in their manure, all stock animals
should be strictly required to be properly washed and quarantined before
they are allowed to enter Yosemite, all grazing within the Merced River
corridor should be prohibited, and only weed-free feed should be allowed.

Thank you for this opportunity to provide comments. Please craft a plan that
will truly protect the Merced River and its corridor from ongoing harm.

 

Sincerely,

 

your name

your address  

 

	


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Quick Links... 

 

HSHA's website (home page)
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8O658XM5LEF84RyL
76_boMf9ngNMugBAA9ZSfWO1dZ7FvAoV_nvqneyF22BBKhP8PM5QOfyJUud-DKVNMFig7F7zpxdl
Q8bxIE5UDEBiInh30FPt2ygqZK6>  

 

HSHA's comments on the Merced River Plan (HSHA website)
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8Pxnf27wrBgPIjzU
1x1WKQnySZPAfO8-5kV-WX-SUI0bLgTk76R9Y6qYwuN5kyE453Tjni7Xi9AIpVxu80AOBWzXjJ65
EGDD0Qo0i2n0Ifp-bewPeJWFsijSh5oExt1PVRIBtNfbjgJ9HtbD9PvraaZ>  

 
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8PiUVKhvllIm7zE1
8HAXF4KGWhtBytDnchhsg9jXggMYBBO4II8rofKq2DBCmyQRYHagU7NDL-gHzGisItrm1IoNXvRO
kTv422-mY61PdnJI5Qah10X_jpQytvsE_j_Yf5jFLUXVX7OcrP34jMWK2Qh> 

 
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8PiUVKhvllIm7zE1
8HAXF4KGWhtBytDnchhsg9jXggMYBBO4II8rofKq2DBCmyQRYHagU7NDL-gHzGisItrm1IoNXvRO
kTv422-mY61PdnJI5Qah10X_jpQytvsE_j_Yf5jFLUXVX7OcrP34jMWK2Qh>  

More info about water pollution caused by stock animals
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8PiUVKhvllIm7zE1
8HAXF4KGWhtBytDnchhsg9jXggMYBBO4II8rofKq2DBCmyQRYHagU7NDL-gHzGisItrm1IoNXvRO
kTv422-mY61PdnJI5Qah10X_jpQytvsE_j_Yf5jFLUXVX7OcrP34jMWK2Qh>  (HSHA website)

 

More info about manure catchers for stock animals:

   Bunbag.com website
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8OJbQiMIsjpWsLrS
YUZXz-tn1bBpsTEF8I983_Km7n02K6x7-M40NOtWxqWysHOA0OOx_5QSe03Mce7W2Ds5I1lA9hIv
2ku_sM=>      Equisan.com.au website
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8OjaD28Y8vruedIb
gIWOeypFirVIGxWSoLswGTn76palaqtC3l7zEn_YnL_N4ltel6GR_iRzehp1STwdNcXeg0wHf49w
AQvJHHHSqLSKo3I5A==>  

 
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8MSP3yXGSX3fpcPn
3DFJXZFv8wizJEPvodSLGJay1RHwlrnCKVJ8KhBPGnogGp-ucXhUuR8PcRk1YwH4xe8BqkRXzePR
h_RJWC6pIV39QM2wearDFrAebWbAQrtZ7mjRdI=> 

 
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8MSP3yXGSX3fpcPn
3DFJXZFv8wizJEPvodSLGJay1RHwlrnCKVJ8KhBPGnogGp-ucXhUuR8PcRk1YwH4xe8BqkRXzePR
h_RJWC6pIV39QM2wearDFrAebWbAQrtZ7mjRdI=>  

More info about weed-free feed for stock animals (BAEN
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8MSP3yXGSX3fpcPn
3DFJXZFv8wizJEPvodSLGJay1RHwlrnCKVJ8KhBPGnogGp-ucXhUuR8PcRk1YwH4xe8BqkRXzePR
h_RJWC6pIV39QM2wearDFrAebWbAQrtZ7mjRdI=>  website) 

 

 
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8Oj3e8qbXSBUM4Kx
dbOF6BAT0PZhmFfil1VhsqvLGEqiHdnLCwFA3R4IexPJcISankCebKmcdQcBT3cidQ5hLCoLinEv
YdXfvQqR9M__lnZfKqcmRcT0b-atweBcrfgPW8=> 

More info about Merced River planning process (NPS website)
<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102798779706&s=274&e=001APnUTNC4o8M3F-E44T2qP9kA0
gxevTLwqOMRtka5DhEnXnb84mdbENMusq5IHSHCYMozJEX1CqvzJrNDpoFRFJAmNEzgdHM6qLfqQ
wZnKYoaDS196qmLRrsZJ0Z-_NPGFHDALCRoeaMwjcRgyPINyQ==>  

 

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