Construction was supposed to begin sometime this summer. The climbers, who call themselves Friends of Yosemite Valley, met with officials many times about the changes after the flood. As a result, officials decided to delay the new employee housing or dormitories, but the lodge units were supposed to go as planned. We have listened to the climbers. But we have to consider an experience for everybody, not just climbers.
Climbers claim the Yosemite Valley experience is unmatched anywhere in the world.
Scores of international visitors each year challenge some of the world's largest exposed granite monoliths, such as El Capitan. But the climbers' suit seems shortsighted, said Jay Watson, California-Nevada regional director of the Wilderness Society, an environmental group. The lodge plan strikes a good balance for all interests without building in the floodplain, he said. Also, the park already has removed the gas station next to the campground and eventually would turn the nearby roadway into a pedestrian walkway, he said, adding that the noise and crowding would be reduced, not increased. The Yosemite Restoration Trust, a park watchdog group, doesn't agree with the Wilderness Society.