Yosemite National Park

The alpine Yosemite Valley is situated within California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. Carved by glacial ice, the valley's towering granite walls and cascading waterfalls provide for some spectacular scenery. Such natural beauty has long been recognized as worthy of preservation. The exact form that this protection should take, however, has also been a source of ongoing controversy. The National Park Service's mission is to conserve the parks' natural and historic resources. In addition though, the service must allow for public use. This bifold agenda has often been a source of conflict. Yosemite National Park, in particular, has begun to suffer from overuse. Environmental degradation caused by overcrowding and pollution inspired the 1980 Yosemite General Management Plan. However, the Plan's recommendations have been largely ignored. Only in recent years have the problems of America's national parks begun to receive renewed attention.

Located at an elevation of 4,000 feet, Yosemite Valley is approximately 7 miles in length and 1 mile wide. It is, in fact, the nation's seventh largest federal park outside of Alaska. In 1864, an act of Congress ceded the valley--and also the nearby Mariposa Grove of Big Trees--to the State of California. Congress' original intent was that California "have and hold [the park] for all time as a public trust." That same year, Frederick Law Olmstead delineat

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ng Camp, 13 retail stores and gift shops, 5 hamburger-pizza-deli counters, 4 restaurants, 4 bars, 2 cafeterias, and 2 ice cream parlors. Obviously, Yosemite's continued commercial development has always been in the company's interests. With over development, Yosemite Valley has also been plagued by numerous social ills. Rangers must patrol the park's highways looking for speeders and drunk drivers. In addition, such crimes as rape and robbery have become more common. In 1987, the park had to renovated its jail. The total number of beds had to be increased from 16 to 22. As the park's overuse continues, pollution has begun to increase. Air pollution sampling stations scattered around Yosemite are beginning to detect high levels of particulates, ozone, and acid deposition. Furthermore, these levels are sometimes in excess of state and federal standards. According to Leonard McKenzie, the chief of park interpretation, ponderosa pine trees in some areas are already beginning to show the effects of ozone poisoning. Unfortunately, despite the damage being inflicted on Yosemite, there are many obstacles to park reform. Perhaps a major one, for instance, is lack of consensus. There is powerful disagreement among the
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Yosemite Valley, Management Plan, Organic Act, Furthermore Albright, Valley GMP, Grove Instead, Los Angeles, Christopher Swan, Park Service, Starker Leopold, national park, yosemite valley, national parks, management plan, yosemite national park, yosemite national, park service, national park service, park management plan, park management, public transportation, public access, national park management, organic act, 3 28 1993,
Approximate Word count = 2767
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)