Sunday, Jan. 04, 2009

Cabins lost to slide should be replaced

People visiting Yosemite Valley this year -- or next, or for the foreseeable future -- are going to find it more difficult to find overnight lodging.

The National Park Service permanently closed 233 cabins at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park late in the fall because of the danger from falling rocks. The cabins had been off limits since early October, when the equivalent of hundreds of dump-truck loads of rock hit 17 cabins.

Fortunately, no one was injured, but there were about 150 youngsters in the area at the time. There have been enough rock slides in the park in the last decade that park officials have to take the threat seriously. We agree with the closure decision.

The bigger issue is that with these cabins eliminated, Yosemite has lost a third of its visitor lodging units in the last 12 years. In 1996, there were more than 2,300 motel rooms, campsites and cabins available. Today, there are only 1,500.

Park officials wanted to restore some of the lodging, but were foiled by a lawsuit pursued by two environmental groups and upheld last spring by a panel of federal judges.

At this point, because the park service does not have an approved plan for protecting the Merced River -- specifically crowd management along the banks -- it cannot do anything to increase overnight lodging.

Two significant projects were ready to go: One to return some of the 200-plus rooms at Yosemite Lodge that were destroyed by the 1997 flood and another to add back 89 of the 400 campsites wiped out by the same flood. In all, the appellate court decision stalled $100 million worth of Yosemite projects.

Now, with the economy's strain on the federal budget, park officials are worried the money won't be available once a park plan is in place.

The park service faces a September deadline to redo its river plan. Inevitably, it will be challenged. It's worth noting that some mainline environmental groups -- The Wilderness Society and the National Resource Defense Council, for example -- had supported the most recent revision of the river plan. The legal battle was carried forward by two smaller, lesser-known groups -- Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for Environmentally Responsible Government.

With fewer units available in the valley, many visitors in the popular spring and summer months will have to stay at motels and campgrounds in El Portal and elsewhere, and visit the valley on day trips.

In 1997, right after the flooding, there were fears that reservations might be required even for day visitors. That situation never materialized.

The elimination of Curry Village cabins degrades the outdoor experience of many student groups. Instead of going to bed and waking to the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors, the students are staying in motels in El Portal and being bused in during the day.

It's not the same, for these young people who have the potential to become park advocates in the future.

Over the years, we've pushed for a balanced approach -- a reduction in permanent housing inside Yosemite without a significant reduction in public access to one of the nation's most popular and beautiful parks.

Today, the situation is out of balance. The park service needs to be able to restore some of the lodging in Yosemite by putting rooms and campsites in locations that are not dangerous and that won't damage the sensitive environment.

There's room for a sensible solution -- and for more people to be able to have an overnight experience in Yosemite Valley.