Yosemite to Get a Controversial Facelift

"The $441 million Yosemite Valley Plan aims to 'reduce the human footprint,' pruning parking spaces, moving campsites and roads, rebuilding housing destroyed by a 1997 flood and improving a shuttle bus system....Protective wooden walkways are being installed over wetland meadows, buildings are being moved from the flood plain and an 85-year-old dam that once provided electricity for valley homes is being demolished, allowing 81 miles of the scenic Merced River to flow freely through the park." While officials claim that they are striking a balance between preservation and public access, critics are charging that the the remodeling of the 153-year old national park is an attempt to make the park less public and more open for future development.