Yosemite Valley: Cultural Landscape Report, Volume I and II, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service

Land and Community Associates; Jones and Jones Architects

The CLR is intended to provide cultural resource data for the Yosemite Valley. The information will be integral to evaluating the effects of proposals that will be considered as part of the on-going Valley Implementation Planning Process (VIPP). In conjunction with the existing Yosemite General Management Plan (GMP) of 1980, the 1992 Housing Plan, the 1992 Concessions Services Plan, the 1993 Alternative Transportation Modes Feasibility Study, and the draft DCP, this CLR contributes to the Yosemite Valley multi-year re-development program currently being refined. The purpose of this CLR is to enhance the VIPP planning team’s understanding of relative resource values and of the potential consequences of future improvements. The CLR documents, evaluates, and analyzes the Yosemite Valley landscape from a number of perspectives, with the ultimate goal of providing planning guidance that addresses the significance of cultural, historic, and natural resources. NPS is using the cultural landscape report process for Yosemite Valley because its holistic evaluation process identifies important interrelationships between landscape characteristics, as well as identifying individual contributing features, and establishes the integrity and significance of the valley landscape. Prior to the 1980s there was little guidance concerning the treatment of cultural landscapes associated with national parks. Beginning in the 1980s, however, NPS initiated a process that considers cultural landscapes as a distinct type of cultural resource requiring specific guidelines for documentation, evaluation, and treatment. This process has resulted in greater attention within NPS to landscape resource protection and concern about visitor access issues associated with such resources. The Yosemite Valley CLR represents part of this on-going effort. At Yosemite, there has been a conscious effort to consider the interrelationship between natural and cultural resources, and the role of their interaction in the valley landscape. This report, which is intended to be used in future planning programs, not only affirms the intrinsic value of the park’s cultural landscape but also acknowledges the need for improved visitor services, interpretation, and enjoyment. The scope of this Cultural Landscape Report includes identification and evaluation of cultural landscape resources in Yosemite Valley at both valley-wide and developed-area scales; determination of the significance of existing landscapes; and guidance regarding their preservation and/or appropriate redevelopment.

Yosemite Valley: Cultural Landscape Report, Volume I and II, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service

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