Two years ago, Restore Hetch Hetchy published Keeping Promises: Providing Public Access to Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite National Park. The report explains how Congress expected far greater access and recreational opportunities at Hetch Hetchy than are available today.
Today’s petition, in the form of a letter to Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, Interior Solicitor Robert Anderson, National Park Service Director Chuck Sams III and Yosemite Superintendent Cicely Muldoon, sharpens the focus of the Keeping Promises report by applying a legal lens. Simply put, the petition identifies how current policy is in violation of the Raker Act – the statute that allowed a dam to be built at Hetch Hetchy.
It is Restore Hetch Hetchy’s fervent hope that, by explaining these violations to officials in Yosemite and Washington DC, administrative solutions can be found and implemented in a timely manner. We are prepared, however, to take additional steps, if necessary, to assure that promises made to improve the visitor experience made when the Raker Act was passed are kept.
Improved access will be a godsend for visitors to Hetch Hetchy, including families, hikers, fishermen, climbers, birdwatchers et al. Improved access will also encourage visitors to learn Hetch Hetchy’s story and support the ultimate goal of restoring the valley to its natural splendor.
The petition and supporting documents are available online. Take a look and let us know what you think. Today’s press release is copied below.
Petition Seeks Improved Public Access to Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park
BERKELEY, CA- September 26, 2023 – Restore Hetch Hetchy (RHH) today petitioned Department of Interior and National Park Service officials regarding public access and recreational opportunities to the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park.
Restore Hetch Hetchy’s petition provides legal and historical rationale for changing current policies at Hetch Hetchy, including eliminating daily closure of the area, allowing camping and permitting non-polluting boats on Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
“When Congress passed the Raker Act allowing San Francisco to build a dam in Yosemite National Park, it fully expected that Hetch Hetchy would be used for ‘water supply purposes and for park purposes,’” said Spreck Rosekrans, Executive Director for Restore Hetch Hetchy. “But camping, lodging and boating are unavailable and hiking trails are few. Public access is so limited that barely 1% of all park visitors visit Hetch Hetchy.”
The Petition also questions the validity of San Francisco’s use of cabins at Hetch Hetchy as well as the City’s failure to provide potable water to the backpackers’ campground.
“The Park Service has imposed restrictions on use in the Hetch Hetchy watershed that are outside of its legal authority and in direct violation of the Raker Act. These restrictions prevent park visitors from exercising their rights at Hetch Hetchy and must be eliminated,” added Michael Lozeau, an attorney with Lozeau Drury LLP and author of supporting documentation for the petition.