Joe Eaton, Faultline Magazine , writes a great overview of vernal pool conservation issues. United States Army Corps of Engineers and its implications for vernal pool protection. Interactive web-based GIS viewer with various overlays for the eastern Merced County region including vernal pools, campus plan, geology, topography, etc. You can see exactly where the campus and community plan impacts pools.
Site has lots of useful information on urban sprawl, etc.
A very brief primer on the permitting process which must be undertaken before UC Merced can fill any vernal pools. A.R. Fane reports on the Sierra Club's formal position opposing the Lake Yosemite site and on The Wildlife Society's letter opposing the site. An HTML version of the petition text is also available. There is also a PDF version which you can print out as a fact sheet about UC Merced. The current double-edition of the California Native Plant Society's journal Fremontia is devoted to vernal pools.