Road Into Yosemite

* Driving the El Portal Road along the beautiful and previously untouched Merced River Canyon into Yosemite National Park has been an uplifting, special and enjoyable part of the experience of entering the park from Highway 140. However, a current road-widening project of Highway 140 into the park is significantly destructive to the natural environment of Yosemite. A completely inadequate environmental assessment was done that excludes a full study on the impacts of this project on the many federally listed species relying on this previously undisturbed habitat. Instead, this canyon habitat has been sacrificed to accommodate large tour buses and recreational vehicles.

The point of this project is to make the road safer. Does straightening a road so that vehicles can travel through faster actually make it safer? And how does this enhance the purpose of protecting national park resources for future generations? How does this enhance the visitor experience? How does this encourage visitors to become enmeshed within the natural environment?

ANDREA LEIGH

Van Nuys