Yosemite National Park - User Capacity Management Program (U.S. National Park Service)

NPS Photo

Merced River and visitors in rafts.

User Capacity Management Program for the Merced Wild and Scenic River Corridor

These documents describe the management tools employed by the National Park Service to address visitor use throughout Yosemite National Park. This program has expanded in recent years from monitoring efforts in the Merced River Corridor to further reaching visitor use monitoring parkwide. The documents introduce guiding legislation, management systems that have been in place for decades, and the latest park efforts in establishing standards, indicators, and monitoring programs for visitor experience and resource protection.

2008 Annual Report (6.12 MB PDF) (6/09)
2008 Field Monitoring Guide (7.9 MB PDF) (6/09)
2007 Monitoring Annual Report (11.1 MB PDF)
2007 VERP Field Guide (4.7 MB PDF)
User Capacity Symposium
2007 VERP Indicators (72 kb PDF)
2006 VERP Annual Report (3.53 MB PDF)
2006 VERP Field Guide (4.4 MB PDF)
2006 VERP Indicators (63 kb PDF)
2005 Annual Report fact sheet (280 kb PDF)
2005 Annual Report (1.3 MB PDF)
2005 VERP Indicators (30 kb PDF)
2005 VERP Field Guide (2.5 MB PDF)
2004 Annual Report fact sheet (280 kb PDF)
2004 Annual Report (2.5 MB PDF)
VERP Diagram (200 kb PDF)
User Capacity Management Program (600 kb PDF)

Learn more about how scientists monitor the Yosemite visitor-use experience. Social science research influences visitor-use management, impact monitoring and planning-related projects.