|
|
Environmental Planning and Compliance Internship Yosemite National Park
The Environmental Planning and Compliance (EPC) Branch of the Project Management Division of the National Park Service is responsible for activities associated with the environmental review and formal park decision making processes required by the National Environmental Policy Act. For more than a decade, the EPC Program has been involved in an unprecedented period of planning in Yosemite National Park. Principally, the program has played a central roll in facilitating and documenting the decision making process for the Yosemite Valley Plan (YVP), which was approved in January 2000, and its related projects. The YVP was the first major approved implementation plan for Yosemite Valley since the completion of the park’s General Management Plan in 1980. The YVP planning and public involvement process occurred over many years and included public involvement from more than 10,000 individuals and groups. It included literally dozens of actions, many of which had subsequent tiered, detailed decision making processes and plans prepared. Many aspects of the plan were and still are controversial. An Administrative Record is a collection of documentation and research which is compiled by the park as a result of litigation proceedings. The Administrative Records for the YVP and other EPC documents record for future generations the process, debate and rationale for decision making that occurred in this important National Park. These records are expected to become increasingly valuable to policy makers, researchers and other academics over time. EPC administrative records are extensive and consist of thousands of documents, photographs, maps, and graphics and they constitute a large and important part of the park's collection of historic material. They provide an invaluable documentary record of the natural, cultural, and social resources and activities of the park. This internship consisted of working with Environmental Planning and Compliance specialists to organize and develop EPC Administrative Records. The intern’s responsibilities included researching and organizing project documentation; surveying and inventorying project files to gain intellectual control; compiling results into a database; and maintaining a project log. The intern focused much of his time on compiling a Microsoft Access database of the documents arranged in the Yosemite Valley Plan administrative record, a task which provided insight into the legal requirements of environmental planning. More specifically, the intern gained insights into the requirements mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. Dates |