Yosemite: Sequoia grove could get facelift

Yosemite National Park’s largest giant-sequoia grove will see some scaling back if recommendations in a new plan are approved.

Park officials said the public has a chance to comment on the proposal for managing the Mariposa Grove in the southern end of the park. The plan calls for removing parking lots at the popular grove to help restore the area to a more natural state. 

The plan also calls for removing the current tram ride, as well as getting rid of a gift shop on the site.

According to park officials, the proposal calls for a shuttle that will allow visitors to access the grove from Yosemite’s south entrance. The hope is that the changes will improve the health of about 500 giant sequoias in the grove, further preserving the world’s largest living things that are only found in the Sierra Nevada range. The Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, based in Twain Harte, publicly supported the proposal, with Director John Buckley stating the plan will return the grove to a healthier, more natural condition.

“These are well-thought-out and visionary steps that make sense for park management as well as for the ecological health of this wonderful giant sequoia grove,” Buckley stated.

The current plan is open to comment through May 7, and it can be viewed online at http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mgrove.htm.