Ww Boating Yosemite National Park

[Theresa L. Simsiman]

Below is a blurb that went out to local paddling clubs - anyone with a flair for words or just plain expressing an opinion - PLEASE WRITE IN!!

Bob & Jean Hackamack <jdmack@jps.net> wrote:

I’d be honored to have my request posted to these boaters. A flurry of brief inputs from these folks would help prove to the park that white water boating is among the important recreational activities in this great national park. Bob H



Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 12:04:33 PM
Subject: Help boating in Yosemite Nat Park

Friends: Some of you have boated the Tuolumne in YNP and know that boating is presently forbidden. However, a planning process is underway that can change that with your help. Presently, the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan (TR CMP) is underway for the river in the park, for the main stem, Dana and Lyell forks. The TR CMP is open for comments, but has not yet addressed ww boating on the T.

I urge you each to write a short statement telling why ww boating on the T should be allowed and encouraged. Motor vehicles and bicycles are allowed on designated roads and paths, rock climbing is allowed throughout the park, rubber rafts are allowed in Y Valley, but no ww boating. This is our opportunity to crack that prohibition—since it is happening anyway and an important planning process is underway. This plan is so important that it amends the General Management Plan of 1980. If registration or a permit is acceptable to boat, say so. Wilderness permits are required to control crowding at popular back country campsites, not access. Camping in the back country requires a wilderness permit, would a wilderness permit be tolerable for boating?


Input for the present round closes Sept 15. Send comments to Kristina Rylands, Yosemite Planning, Yosemite National Park , PO Box 577, Yosemite CA 95389-9905 or yose_planning@nps.gov (that is: yose_planning) or fax 209-379-1294. I have written and will write again.


YNP is also doing a Tuolumne Meadows Plan at the same time. Scoping is open for that plan and you can say present things and facilities should be continued, be decreased, increased, eliminated or something added, like boating. You can include both plans in the same letter by using the words TM Plan scoping and TR CMP.


The Planning and Conservation League, TRT, FOR and Restore Hetch Hetchy included ww boating in their joint scoping input for the TR CMP last year, part of which were written by Dave Steindorf. Bob H

[Greg in Reno]

When I kayaked Yosemite Valley ten years ago, they wanted me to get a permit for the whitewater section. I had no problem with that. Then they would not give me one, as only one person was authorized to hand them out and he wasn’t there for many days in a row. I ran it anyway and thoroughly enjoyed the river.

When I’ve told my story to YNP rangers since then, they are astounded at how I was treated and agree that I should have been given a permit on the spot. They also say that permits are easy to get now (for the valley). I don’t know if that’s true, but I noticed and enjoyed the ranger’s recent positive attitude towards WW boating in the park (ok, the Valley).

I'm suggesting that the YNP rangers might be on our side. The people who run the park may not be because they "will be required to rescue WW swimmers." I’ve always taken offense to that comment because of all the climber rescues they do every year (I’m not disrespecting climbers!). River rescues seem to be a result of drivers and hikers getting into the Merced River. I’ve never read of a boater being rescued in YNP.

So… perhaps somebody who has access to the river rescue stats can write up something showing how few boater rescues occur vs. climber rescues or motor vehicle rescues? Don’t the people making the decisions like facts and figures? Would that help get us on the T in YNP?

My 2 cents.


Greg

[holden debeers]

Okay, I'll write an email but I also suggest that someone at NPS repair the link to public comment from this page:

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectH...rojectId=14043

thanks