The Merced River Plan is designed to address the special characteristics of these areas within the overall context of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The specific purpose of the Merced River Plan is to provide direction and guidance on how best to manage visitor use, development of lands and facilities, and resource protection within the river corridor. The National Park Service developed a series of planning goals to guide management decision-making in these areas. The Merced River Plan is a template against which project implementation plans will be judged to determine whether such projects will protect and enhance the values for which the Merced River was designated Wild and Scenic. Free-flowing rivers disperse valuable nutrients in adjacent meadows and stream habitats during flood events.
Aquatic species require varied habitat created by a dynamic river system.
Constriction and hardening of river channels, as caused by levees, riprap, and bridges, can alter the river s energy and natural course, causing it to erode its banks and damage valuable habitat, particularly during flood events. By designating the Merced a Wild and Scenic River, Congress directed the National Park Service, as well as the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, to develop comprehensive management plans for the river segments under their jurisdictions. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have completed plans for their river segments. The alternative selected by the National Park Service in the revised Record of Decision meets important resource protection goals while also allowing for appropriate levels and types of visitor use within the river corridor. In reaching its decision on the final Merced River Plan , the National Park Service considered the multiple laws and policies that apply to lands within the river corridor, such as the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Park Service Organic Act, the Wilderness Act, the legislation establishing the El Portal Administrative Site, and the park s General Management Plan .