Halt construction by Claudia Sonea

Bad news for Yosemite officials who were thinking to remodel Yosemite National Park in their personal interest: the federal court postponed all construction until 2009. They invested more than $100 million into this construction project, but on Thursday everything crumbled. You probably remember that in 1997 Merced flooded and destroyed campgrounds and roads. In consequence park officials planned to move campgrounds, reconstruct a new route for the key access road and the hotel rooms on Yosemite Valley's floor would have been improved. However, a panel made by three judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for the reparations to be postponed until September next year, when will also be released a plan to protect the Merced River that would be affected by the blast planned by the park officials. Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Government sued the park in 2000 arguing that the commercial expansion would endanger the California black oaks, delicate wetlands and bat species near the river and the entire ecosystem. By contrast with park spokesman Scott Gediman who tried to stir concerns that the number of visitors will be reduced in the attempt to protect Yosemite's natural resources, Bridget Kerr, a member of Friends of Yosemite Valley said that it will only assure access rather than deny it. One of the judges Kim Wardlaw revealed that the project was rejected due to the fact that only after the environmental degradation they thought about doing something. What will happen next, you will find out next year. Don't go away, more to come!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080328/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_yosemite_gridlock;_ylt=ApaoTVUDFbPfCOeGQnWrOKOs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Edited by: Katarina Bosanska