Planner's Reading Room

Planning and compliance efforts are guided by a variety of official National Park Service documents as well as scientific research, design guidelines and supporting legislation.

National Park Service Policies

• National Park Service Organic Act of 1916
• Management Policies 2006[2.49 MB PDF] includes chapters on natural, cultural and Wilderness resources. Chapter 2 on Park System Planning is especially useful.
• NPS Policy Website
• Freedom of Information Act: Department of the Interior

National Park Service Directives

• Director's Orders 1996
• Director's Orders #2: Park Planning; Note this Order regarding Park Planning is now superseded by Chapter 2 of Management Policies 2006 listed above
• Director's Orders #12: Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision-making
• Handbook for Environmental Impact Analysis[567 kb PDF]
• Director's Order #28 and Reference Manual #28: Cultural Resources
• NPS 28: Cultural Resources Management Guideline
• Director's Order #41 [193 kb PDF]: Wilderness Management
• Reference Manual #41: Wilderness Management
• Director's Orders #75A [828 kb PDF]: Civic Engagement and Public Involvement
• NPS 75 [167 kb PDF]: Natural Resources Inventory and Monitoring
• Director's Order #77 and Reference Manual #77: Natural Resources

National Environmental Policy Act and Other Environmental Policies

The following documents provide overviews of both the National Environmental Policy Act and other types of environmental compliance used in park planning:

• NEPA Fact Sheet [54 kb PDF]
• Understanding NEPA and NEPA Abbreviations Fact Sheet [18 kb PDF]
• NEPA policy
• NEPA website for Region 9
• Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
• Executive Order 12898 [19.7 kb PDF]: Environmental Justice 1994

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and Wilderness Act Information

The following websites and acts regard the designation of rivers as wild and scenic and lands as wilderness, providing them with special protections:

• Wild and Scenic Rivers
• Wild and Scenic River Act 1968 [107 kb PDF]
• California Wilderness Act of 1984 [417 kb PDF]

Historic Preservation Information

These programs, acts and guidelines inform park planners when preserving historic buildings and grounds:

• Heritage Documentation Programs (HABS/HAER/HALS/CRGIS)
• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA)
• Preservation Standards and Guidelines
• Historic Sites Act of 1935
• Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties

Public Comments Information

• Guide to Making Public Comments [3.05 MB PDF]

Transportation Studies

• Yosemite National Park Transportation Improvement Strategies Report [2.7 MB PDF]

Design Guides

• A Sense of Place; Design Guidelines for Yosemite Valley (2005) [31.7 MB PDF]
• A Sense of Place; Design Guidelines for Yosemite National Park (2012) [25.8 MB]

Accessibility

• Self Evaluation and Transition Plan; Yosemite National Park Accessibility Program, May 2010 [9.8 MB PDF]

Federal Codes and Policies

• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 36: Parks, Forests, and Public Property
• U.S. Code
• Code of Federal Regulations
• Federal Register