Protesters of a new plan designed to protect Yosemite National Park were doing a disservice not only to the park but to the legacy of the naturalists who love it.
After Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt detailed the $441 million plan earlier this week, there was no denying it takes huge steps toward protecting the Yosemite Valley from its biggest threat - the automobile.
- More than 1,000 parking spaces were eliminated, in favor of shuttle-bus service.
- Roads and buildings will be removed so that 176 acres may return to their natural state.
- Fewer rooms will be available in the valley for both employees and tourists.
Do these changes mean that fewer people may be able to enjoy the splendor of Yosemite? Probably yes, but mainly the people who can't be bothered to get out of their own cars and ride a shuttle into the park.
For those who do, the experience will be a bit more genuine, a bit more natural. And the intent - the only legitimate intent - is to try to preserve Yosemite for many more generations to enjoy.
The strictest environmentalists - the ones holding "John Muir Would Be Crying" signs, for example - don't think the plan goes far enough. Of course it doesn't, in their minds, because they would like to see Yosemite Valley returned to some long-gone state of perfect nature.
That's not going to happen. Yosemite Valley is a tiny part - the tourist part, if you will - of Yosemite National Park, most of which does, in fact, remain in as natural a state as Muir might want.
Rather than protesting, they should have been applauding Babbitt for a comprehensive plan that clearly favors protection and preservation over commercialism.