I’ve been grappling with what I see unfolding at Yosemite National Park and it is making my head spin.
What I do believe is the park is not being operated by the folks at Yosemite, rather, by the people who are at the Department of the Interior in Washington. I say this because it seems that what limited information that comes out of Yosemite is nothing more than toeing the line of Washington.
Which I find ironic in so many ways. Most everyone in this independent place we call Mariposa County (and the surrounding region) believes we have a good handle on what’s best for the park, our region and the area in general.
But it doesn’t seem everyone thinks that way if you listen to some in local power who seem to bow at the boots of Yosemite Superintendent Ray McPadden. In my estimation, McPadden is nothing more than a mouthpiece for Doug Burgum, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and a member of the president’s cabinet.
It may seem a stretch to think the orders for Yosemite are coming from the top, but I don’t believe that is the case. I think Yosemite is a prime example of how Interior wants to control the narrative and the park itself.
If you think about it, there are just a few of these parks that are considered the crown jewels. Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, the Everglades, Acadia in Maine and that’s about it. Maybe Rocky Mountain in Colorado and Glacier in Montana.
I believe the Department of the Interior has made the decision to basically take over these crown jewels and send a message to the public. They operate under the guise of public access and making sure the people have access, but that’s bogus.
This has always been the case. In fact, when everything seemed to be running as smoothly as possible, the decisions about Yosemite issues were being spearheaded by the people at Yosemite. Though it is true everything has to run up the food chain, the appearance at least was the weight of the people who live and work in the park was given high consideration.
Not now.
I don’t believe that it was McPadden who made the decision of not having a reservation system. That came from on high. I’m not saying it was good or bad; I’m just saying it didn’t come from within Yosemite. It is also true that years of studies and input were involved with considering a reservation system.
Those years resulted in the overwhelming public sentiment that one should be instituted to keep the resource from being torn apart. Again, I’m not saying that is right or wrong, but all you have to do is look at the volumes of available public information to see what the public said about the proposed system.
Maybe the most disturbing thing that is coming from on high is the concept that no information can be released by anyone at Yosemite. It has been widely reported and confirmed that Interior has made the decision that if anything bad happens, like someone falling to their death, that the public need not know.
Even though it is we, the public, who owns the place.
What I want to know is why the local people in positions of power concerning tourism are mum on this issue. Do they think it’s okay to paint a rosy picture when someone falls to their death? Why are they not outraged about Yosemite officials not releasing vital information to the public?
These same people get on a pedestal and scream to the world how wonderful it is there is no reservation system and how McPadden is making such a great difference at Yosemite. Does that include suppressing public information?
It must.
Again, I’m not saying they are right or wrong about a reservation system, what I am saying is you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can’t gloat about one thing and then completely ignore another. If tourism officials or local elected officials think it is good policy to keep the public in the dark, say that out loud.
But that’s not going to happen. Like everyone, they have an agenda and if it means waffling or ignoring critical issues, so be it. This is the problem.
It is a pretty common belief that many people who live in this area take Yosemite for granted. That’s probably true. We also sometimes get annoyed with wayward tourists, even though they fund our way of life.
First, we should never take Yosemite for granted because it is our bread and butter. But further, we should also keep at front of mind that Yosemite belongs to everyone. The American people.
It is not out of the question to think we, as the people who live near Yosemite, should have our input and it should be taken seriously. But it is also true someone who lives in a small apartment in Tallahassee owns just as much of Yosemite as we do. Just like we own just as much of the Everglades.
There is no question all of this makes for a complicated system of managing parks across the country. But it’s even more complicated when one of the parks is a crown jewel and you live right next door — or maybe even in the park.
I will be the first to point out that some of this information blackout was happening under the Biden administration. No question. Yet in the past couple of years, it has grown to an entirely new level.
For me, McPadden rubbed this newspaper wrong right after he was appointed. He didn’t want us, the local news media that essentially serves as the newspaper of record for Yosemite, at a simple meet and greet organized by the Yosemite Gateway Partners group.
What was he afraid of? Were the orders from on high already coming down?
To his credit, he did agree to an interview in what I considered a kiss and make up session, but that still did not make up for banning the news media from an event conducted on public lands, hosted by many people on the public dole and about as controversial as watching a towel dry.
Yet they were adamant about “no press.”
Bunk. Bunk. And bunk.
It’s really about controlling the message and that has played out ever since. Only now, it’s getting more ridiculous. Can’t tell anyone someone fell over a waterfall and died. That might look bad. Even though doing so probably has saved lives in the past.
I’m shocked we were invited to a recent event involving the climbing of the Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Probably was a mistake and we slipped through the cracks.
I am sure there are some who are growing tired of me being a broken record concerning this issue. If so, I’m not sure what to tell you. The issue of Yosemite is paramount in the survival of this region, both economically and in general.
As a writer, this is my way to get out what I see as a great injustice being done concerning Yosemite — and more importantly, the people of this area and Americans in general.
We just celebrated 250 years of this nation and there’s little question national pride was on display. But if you think about it, Yosemite is national pride on display every day of the year. Every year. Every decade. Every century.
That pride should be translating into the wonders of Yosemite and how all of us can better keep the place pristine as well as preserved for generations to come.
Instead, we get orders from on high, namely Washington, telling us what we need to know, not what we should be learning.
It’s a sad commentary about the current state of affairs. We should all be alarmed.
Greg Little is editor of the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at greg@mariposagazette.com
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