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Increased Visitor Opportunities in Glacier Bay National Park and
Preserve in 2006 and 2007 Superintendent Tomie Lee announced that
more visitors would be able to experience Glacier Bay thanks to
the utilization of larger ships in 2006 and an increase of 14 cruise
ship entries in 2007. This will potentially increase the numbers
of passengers on ships by 23% over the course of the next two years.
"We look forward to having more guests enjoy the incredible beauty
of Glacier Bay," stated Lee. "This decision is based on the best
available science and on the outstanding work of the Glacier Bay
Science Advisory Board." Visitors to the park on cruise ships numbered
341,356 in 2005, an increase of about 1 percent from 2004. In October
2005, the Glacier Bay Science Advisory Board provided Superintendent
Lee with a review of completed studies, on-going research and monitoring
regarding the effects of vessel traffic on the environment and visitor
experience. The board worked over the past year to conduct literature
reviews, consult with peer scientists on selected topics, and contributed
their professional knowledge to analyze research findings. "I feel
confident continuing to work with the board this coming year so
that we can have a sound focused framework for future research and
monitoring," stated Superintendent Lee. "Our guidance in cases where
there may be uncertainty of the impacts of certain activities on
park resources is to work to reduce that uncertainty by using a
science-based approach to decision making," she added. In the coming
year, the park will further define the decision criteria and implement
studies to establish the specific indicators and benchmark levels
by which these criteria will be evaluated. The board will review
historic datasets; collect new baseline data; evaluate other air,
water, and sound level standards; and investigate use of paired
comparisons with unaffected control sites. Park staff will use this
data to begin an adaptive management program. Adaptive management
treats management decisions as experiments to be implemented, monitored,
evaluated, and adjusted for continuous improvement. A lengthy legal
history surrounds the potential revision of cruise ship numbers
in Glacier Bay. The National Park Service was sued in 1997 by the
National Parks Conservation Association, which asserted that allowing
an increased number of ships based on a 1996 environmental assessment
and finding of no significant impact was improper. The federal courts
agreed and a new environmental impact statement was conducted. A
final EIS was completed in October 2003, followed by a Record of
Decision (ROD). The ROD called for park managers to seek the assistance
of a Science Advisory Board and a research framework to assess whether
sufficient information exists to provide an informed decision as
to whether an increase in seasonal day use would impact physical,
biological and socio-cultural resource values of the park. To comply
with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, invitations to serve on
the board were sent only to recognized tribal, state or federal
government entities. However, the board could also solicit expert
opinions or advice from others to aid in the board's recommendations.
The board is comprised of state and federal employees from the National
Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Navy, Alaska Department
of Fish and Game, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation,
N.O.A.A. Fisheries, and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. "The effort
the Science Advisory Board put forth in their work is outstanding
and essential to better understanding the resource management concerns
associated with increased cruise ship traffic," stated Superintendent
Lee. The additional allocations of cruise ships in 2007 will be
selected through an existing concessions contract process. The Record
of Decision from 2003 is available on the web at: http://www.nps.gov/glba/InDepth/learn/preserve/issues/vessels/VQOR/rod.html
The Science Advisory Report will be made available to the public
on the park's website at http://www.nps.gov/glba in a few days.
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Privacy
& Disclaimer
Author:Jane
Ahern
www.nps.gov/akso
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