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Abstract
Yosemite Valley is a narrow, steep-walled canyon with fantastic natural areas, and its scenic and ecological wonders inspired the National Park concept and preservation ethic. But the Merced River through Yosemite Valley is one of the most heavily used non-urban riparian areas in the world. Over 4 million people visit each year, and 90 percent go to the box canyon where towering granite summits rise over 4,000 feet above the meandering river. About 8 miles long and less than one mile wide, the valley has a mix of riparian vegetation, open meadows, and forests. There are also roads, bridges, trails, acres of parking lots, campgrounds, four hotels or lodges, gift shops, and restaurants concentrated in the valley’s eastern end. With over 600 campsites and 1,000 hotel units, and 7,000 vehicles and 20,000 people on busy days, the Valley’s iconic resources are challenged by overuse and development.
Parent Publication
Keywords
riparian,
ecosystem,
ecology,
riparian processes,
riparian losses,
restoration,
aquatic,
arid,
semiarid,
upland,
freshwater,
groundwater,
hydrology,
watershed,
tamarisk,
tamarisk leaf beetles (Diorhabda spp)
Citation
Shelby, Bo; Whittaker, Doug. 2020. Recreation habitat versus ecological habitat in riparian areas: Can we manage for both? [Chapter 9]. In: Carothers, Steven W.; Johnson, R. Roy; Finch, Deborah M.; Kingsley, Kenneth J.; Hamre, Robert H., tech. eds. Riparian research and management: Past, present, future. Volume 2. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-411. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 233-249.
