Yosemite unveils plans for new education center

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
January 25, 2010 7:55am

The Yosemite Institute’s environmental education campus at Crane Flat would be torn down and the site returned to nature under a plan that would see the educational center moved to a new facility at Henness Ridge in Yosemite National Park.

The campus at Crane Flat has served as an educational facility since 1971. The classes are housed in older buildings and structures that have been assembled over time and were not originally designed for educational purposes, the National Park Service says.

The relocation of the center has been in the planning stages since 2002. The environmental impact report, released this month, calls for the use of the Henness Ridge site, with the nonprofit Yosemite Institute continuing to run the programs.

A final decision by the NPS is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register within the next 30 days.

The goals of the relocation include an environmental education campus facility that is sustainable in design; programs that complement California State Standards and offer opportunities for research and study of the natural world; high quality, immersive, and safe educational experiences for students; and, promote development of future stewards of the environment and the National Park system.

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