From The Washington Post:
A federal appeals court has ordered the National Park Service to halt its ambitious plans to reshape public access in Yosemite Valley after concluding that some construction projects underway could harm the Merced River.
The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which was issued late Tuesday, has thrown a long-delayed $441 million blueprint designed to transform the visitor experience in Yosemite National Park into turmoil, again.
After decades of contentious debate, park officials had just embarked on the new master plan, which they a call a back-to-nature campaign to limit or change human activity in ways that better protect Yosemite’s many natural wonders.
But some environmental groups contend that the proposed renovations would imperil, not enhance the natural splendor of, Yosemite and the Merced River, which runs through the park. The groups filed a lawsuit to stop the valley plan but were rebuffed last month in federal court. Their appeal of that decision led to Tuesday’s ruling.