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by Associated
Press
San Francisco Chronicle - May 20, 2002
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Two groups that have criticized development in Yosemite
National Park want to halt the park's plan to protect the scenic Merced River.
Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for Environmentally Responsible Growth said they filed a notice of appeal Monday with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
U.S. District Judge Anthony Ishii in Fresno approved most of the park's blueprint for the river in March. The Merced River Plan sets guidelines for recreation, restoration and development along an 81-mile stretch of the pristine river, one of 160 nationwide protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The two groups claim the park relied on improper data that resulted in a plan promoting development instead of wilderness protection.
"Yosemite's river plan is a blank check allowing more development and asphalt," said Joyce Eden, co-director of Friends of Yosemite Valley.
During a one-day trial in November, park officials contended they were was balancing recreation with preservation. The park is beginning the first phase of a $441 million plan to restore Yosemite Valley, replacing employee housing, lodging and campsites destroyed when the Merced River crested its banks in 1997.
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