Should the Yosemite Lodge Be Dislodged?

I was dismayed to see the July 17 editorial “Petty Politics in Yosemite” discussing Rep. George P. Radanovich’s attempt to dismantle the LeConte Memorial Lodge.

Radanovich has said that the Yosemite Valley lodge is a “private special use.” He is simply wrong.

The lodge is publicly owned, and all activities there are open to the public. All uses must have approval and oversight of the National Park Service.

He has also stated that the Sierra Club is against more campsites in Yosemite Park. What the Sierra Club opposes is restoration of 300 campsites in a flood plain that were destroyed in the 1997 flood and would be destroyed again. Why would a fiscal conservative want to throw away money like this?

Eleanor Schermerhorn

Ahwahnee, Calif.

In response to the editorial about Radanovich’s desire to relocate the LeConte Memorial Lodge, despite the Sierra Club’s humble beginnings, I’m sure that you would agree that the group has become the nation’s largest environmental lobby group in Washington.

Why would your newspaper feel that it should be allowed a permanent soapbox inside a national park?

If you were on the other side of the Sierra Club’s views, you would be seeking the building’s removal for the same reasons that separating church and state is a logical argument.

Mark Sutherlin

Truckee, Calif.