He comes with directions from Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to get the planning done, beginning with a study of the Merced River ordered by the courts. The river is protected under federal laws, but the park service neglected to form a plan for management of that resource. That has delayed work on plans for the park itself, which has in turn created all manner of unwelcome consequences. Funding and politics have played a role in the delays. Yosemite has problems, most of which have to do with its popularity.
Automobiles are part of the equation.
The park service has made it clear that it wishes to reduce the number of cars moving in and out of Yosemite Valley. That's one reason the park service became involved with the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation Strategy, a three-county experiment to see if some of those visitors can be moved out of cars and into buses. But even that minor tempest is evidence of he need for the park service to get its Yosemite act together. Yosemite is a grand treasure, the jewel of American public places. Balancing the need for environmental soundness against the need to keep the park open to all is a tough act, even with a good plan in hand.