Yosemite Update: Camp 4 and Swan Slabs still threatened
(published in Climbing Magazine, May, 1998)
Camp 4 and Swan Slabs are in great need of public support for their
survival. In February 1997 the Park Service proposed to expand Yosemite
Lodge north over Northside Drive to Swan Slab and the Columbia Boulder.
Although climbers have been active lobbying to preserve the historic nature
of the Camp 4 area, much work remains to be done.
Here is the basis of ongoing protests: The proposed Yosemite Lodge would
expand dramatically over Northside Drive. A new multi-unit, three-story
employee housing complex would cover the campground parking lot and gas
station, and, sprawling south of the road, would spill well into the east
end of Camp 4. In addition, eight acres of forest around Swan Slab and the
Columbia Boulder would be felled and replaced with luxury-scale hotel
suites and a four-acre parking lot. The new Lodge would expand in every
way: larger parking and roads, vastly enlarged rooms, lodging area, and
employee housing.
During an interim period (yet to be determined) Camp 4 would be
"temporarily" closed. The SAR sites would be moved or eliminated. Northside
Drive would be temporarily re-routed to the very base of Swan Slabs. When
the dust settles after several years of construction, Camp 4 would, at
best, become the back lot of the most dense and urban part of the Valley,
and the remaining campground would be 20 percent smaller.
Climbers and conservationists have argued consistently through the year
that any expansion over Northside Drive is unacceptable, and is a violation
of the Park's General Management Plan (GMP). (The Yosemite GMP is a
forward-looking document calling for the progressive restoration of the
Valley and a reduction of development.) A natural alliance has formed
between climbers and environmental groups in opposing the Lodge plan.
The Park Service fielded public comments on the proposed development until
February 23 of this year. But aside from moving a few planned buildings and
parking lots a few feet, the original plan remains essentially unchanged
and still greatly compromises Camp 4 and the surrounding bouldering and
climbing. Although organized opposition has grown steadily, public support
for the area is still necessary.
In late summer The Friends of Yosemite Valley (FOYV) was formed by climbers
and environmental activists, and has since gained hundreds of supporters.
The Access Fund has also been active in petitioning the plan. In addition,
members of the American Alpine Club have submitted a proposal to place Camp
4 on the National Register of Historic Places. (This follows the discovery
of the Park's own National Register "proposal," which characterizes
climbers as bums, thieves, and declared the campground devoid of historic
significance.)
Yosemite needs the support of resolute, principled voices, and FOYV is
organizing a Congressional letter-writing campaign. For more information,
contact Friends of Yosemite Valley, 1439 44th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112, 415-566-4050.
-- Greg Adair, John Middendorf, and Tom Frost (The Friends of Yosemite Valley)