New policies for U.S. parks

WASHINGTON -- Yosemite's neighbors may speak louder under new management policies signed Thursday.

But after wading through 45,000 often-angry public comments, park service officials backed off earlier plans that could have opened up parks to more motorized vehicles. It's a retreat that environmentalists score as a victory.

"Enjoyment is a part of our mission," National Park Service Director Fran Mainella said, "but where there is a conflict, conservation is predominant."

Several years in the making, the new management policies will guide park superintendents like Yosemite's Mike Tollefson and Sequoia's Craig Axtell. While lacking the force of law, the policies point in clear directions.

So-called "gateway communities" like El Portal, Lee Vining and Mariposa, for instance, are supposed to get more of a say when parks consider new fees or other changes. In the past, nearby towns have complained their commercial concerns go unheeded.

"The gateway communities will probably see more of an outreach effort," Mainella said.

Derrick Crandall of the American Recreation Coalition called the enhanced gateway community outreach "praiseworthy." It's likewise long been a priority for conservative lawmakers who represent towns bordering California's mountainous national parks.

"These gateway communities are impacted by decisions made by managers of our public lands," Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, noted late last year.

It wasn't the gateway community question, though, that incited controversy and a mass outpouring that included some 6,000 postcards submitted on behalf of the National Parks and Conservation Association. An early draft of the policies, drafted by a Bush administration political appointee who since has been sidelined, would have made it harder for park managers to ban snowmobiles and off-road vehicles.

This earlier proposal would have allowed a ban only if officials could show the recreation activity would "permanently and irreversibly adversely affect a resource or value." That had been welcomed by the American Recreation Coalition, whose financial backers have included the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association and the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

The park service backpedaled under intense political fire, and officials took pains Thursday to distance themselves from the earlier effort.

"We needed to take this back to our employees," said Mainella, who surrounded herself with more than dozen uniformed park service officials for the signing ceremony. "We're standing strongly behind our mission."

Mainella is in the final weeks of her park service tenure, having previously announced her resignation. Within Interior Department headquarters, speculation centers on Mary Bomar as Mainella's potential successor.

A British native, Bomar currently serves as director of the park service's 13-state Northeast Region. She previously managed Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, where she oversaw the opening of the National Constitution Center.

The park service's current deputy director, Donald Murphy, is a former California parks chief who also has his arms full. He's now hoping to persuade prominent Central Valley agribusinessman John Kautz and others to contribute to a new National Parks Institute at the University of California, Merced.

Murphy chairs the park institute's advisory board, which is just now gearing up. Legislation supporting the institute has been introduced by Radanovich and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, though it hasn't gone far.

"I don't expect there to be immediate federal funding," Murphy said, "and we're not asking for any."

About the writer:

• The Bee's Michael Doyle can be reached at (202) 383-0006 or mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com.