Yosemiter

October 1, 2009 | 0 Comments

photo credit: kennymiller

Fresno Bee:

Ending a lengthy legal battle with environmentalists, the federal government agreed Wednesday to halt all commercial development in Yosemite National Park’s most popular stretch and to consider limiting access to its wilderness.

The settlement was reached by the National Park Service and two small environmental groups that sued the federal government in 2000.

The groups claimed the park’s $442 million plan to move campgrounds and upgrade hotel rooms in Yosemite Valley would jeopardize the Merced River, a federally protected waterway that flows beside famous granite monoliths and dramatic waterfalls.

Under the agreement, the park service will hold off on all planned construction until at least December 2012, when officials are expected to finish a far-reaching plan to manage and protect the river.

In Park News | 0 Comments