SAVE NORTH PINES CAMPGROUND

North Pines Campground has 86 auto-based campsites and has been used for camping for decades. National Park Service Plans legally authorize park administrators to shut down North Pines Campground to be replaced by construction of 30 new RV sites and 59 new walk-in sites across the street at Upper Pines Campground. Your help is needed to assist in stopping this action. Please consider signing and commenting on this act via our e-petition that will go to the U.S. Congress.

The following are excerpts from Park documents:

•  "North Pines Campground, which was…affected by flooding in January 1997, would be removed to preserve and restore highly valued resource areas."  (Source: 2000 Final Yosemite Valley Plan/SEIS, Volume 1A, page 2-68)

•  "As called for in the Yosemite Valley Plan, North Pines Campground will be removed and the area restored to natural conditions. The existing water and wastewater lines throughout the North Pines Campground would be excavated and removed where the lines are within 3 feet of the ground surface." "The existing North Pines Lift Station would be abandoned by removing equipment... The existing transformer at North Pines Campground would also be abandoned by removing the electrical equipment from the top of the existing lift station."  (Source: 2003 East Yosemite Valley Utilities Improvement Plan EA, page II-9)

March 22, 2007:  The United States District Court modified its injunction enabling the Park to proceed with phases 2 and 3 of the Utility Plan—including construction of the new Lower Pines Lift Station and removal of the utility line river crossing between Lower Pines and North Pines Campgrounds.  (NOTE: Construction of the Lower Pines Lift Station and removal of the existing river crossing is the prerequisite step to abandoning the North Pines Lift Station leaving the campground without utility infrastructure.)

July 2, 2008.  Yosemite National Park issues pre-solicitation notice for upcoming Request for Proposal for Phase 2 of the Utility Plan—specifically construction of the new Lower Pines Lift Station with force main and gravity sewer to Curry Village and construction of a water main, primary and secondary power and communication lines between Curry Village and the campground. Once connections to the new utilities are completed existing utilities will be removed or abandoned under this contract.

• "The addition of 89 sites at Upper Pines Campground would allow for the removal of 86 sites in North Pines..." (Declaration of Superintendent Michael J. Tollefson to the U.S. District Court in Support of National Park Service Motion to Modify Injunction, 5/21/04; pages 16, lines 13-14)

• In order to convert access to Yosemite Valley from private vehicle to urban mass transit, “the east end of the valley shuttle route…assumes the relocation of camping and the stables from the north side of the Merced River.” “The implementation of this transportation system…would be accomplished in three stages…”  “Stage III:  Relocate group camp and North Pines campground and restore area to natural conditions.”  (Alternative Transportation Modes Feasibility Study, Volume IV—Yosemite National Park, June 1994; pages 138-139; 162-163)

The following are phone numbers that you can call to voice your concerns:   Michael Tollefson, Yosemite National Park Superintendant: 209-372-0201 / Michael_Tollefson@nps.gov, Shelly Abajian, Office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein: 559-485-5242 / shelly_abajian@feinstein.senate.gov , Ameen Khan, Office of Barbara Boxer: 559-497-1290 / ameen_khan@boxer.senate.gov www.YosemiteValleyCampers.org

 Please go to the above site, click on the petition, and please sign & comment today.