did and unique." Their ideals were defined by the Organic Act of 1916. This statute created the National Park Service. Moreover, with regard to the nation's parks, the Organic Act delineated the Service's mission: i.e., to "conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Given their diversity though, Congress has never been able to precisely define the means by which the national parks should be enjoyed, while preserving their natural resources. In many parks, this policy vacuum has created complex dilemmas.
The conflict between preservation and public use has overshadowed much of Yosemite's history. In 1956, Congress approved a 10-year, $725 million improvement program termed "Mission 66." The project built new roads and parking lots. Moreover, it succeeded in luring an increasing number of automobiles to the park. At the time, most conservationists felt that Mission 66 encouraged mass use at the expense of Yosemite's natural attributes. The environmentalist agenda did not get much attention until about the early 1960s. In 1963, a study directed by zoologist, A. Starker Leopold, recommended that the national parks be managed with "as little interference with natural systems as possible;" Leopold asserted that the parks should represent a "vignette of primitive America." The report eventually led to renewed ecological awareness. Moreover, it initiated numerous environmentally oriented policies. Some of these include the following: (1) the termination of pesticide use; (2) the elimination of exotic plants and animals; and (3) the restoration of wild predator populations.
In Yosemite Valley, preservationists began to rethink park policy. As they struggled to define the park's primary purpose, it became apparent that perhaps unlimited ...