CRATERS of the MOON General Management Plan

In this general management plan, the resource management program is emphasized as the primary means of preserving the significant resources of Craters of the Moon while permitting acceptable levels of use by visitors. Management zoning would be used to classify lands as to types of use. The concept of "limits of acceptable change" could be used for further land classification; this would help managers to monitor and manage the resources and establish carrying capacities.

This plan primarily addresses redevelopment to improve the quality of monument visitors' experience by enhancing the entrance experience with a transition from the main highway to park resources and roads, reducing traffic congestion at the visitor center and campground, relieving crowded parking at the visitor center, eliminating visual intrusions, and remodeling or replacing outdated visitor facilities. Redevelopment also will improve operations by providing better maintenance facilities, expanding work space in management offices, and reducing the intrusion of visitor traffic into the employee residential area. Most of these objectives will be accomplished by separating management and employee housing areas from the visitor circulation pattern through development of a new visitor center and an associated road/parking system that will bypass the existing developed area.

MANAGEMENT ZONING

Craters of the Moon National Monument consists of 53,545 acres in fee simple title. Of this area, 43,243 acres have been designated wilderness. The remaining 10,302 acres surround and include the most dramatic volcanic features along the Great Rift and encompass the foothills and flanks of the Pioneer Mountains to the northwest. Park development, visitor services and facilities, and the major interpretive motor route are in this area.

About 4 miles of U.S. Highway 20-26-93 crosses the northwest corner of the monument. The 94.2 acres in the highway's 200-foot corridor were removed from the monument by presidential proclamation and are under the jurisdiction of the state of Idaho. The area is managed as a special use zone because it is within the exterior boundaries of the monument. Park visitors assume the area is within the jurisdiction of the Park Service; therefore, Craters of the Moon works cooperatively with the state to ensure that the corridor is maintained to NPS standards.

Management zones reflect authorizing legislation, NPS policies, the nature of the monument's resources, desired visitor experiences, and established uses. The monument has three general zones: natural and development zones and the special use zone already described. Within the natural zone are four subzones: wilderness, natural environment, outstanding natural features, and watershed protection. There are two subzones in the development zone: park development and interpretive development (see Management Zoning map). Zone acreages are shown in table 1.

If boundaries in the northwest corner of the monument are redrawn as described on page 23, the change will result in a net removal of 105 acres and exclusion of approximately 220 acres proposed for national natural landmark status. Lands that will be affected by this proposed change are in the watershed protection subzone of the natural zone.

TABLE 1: MANAGEMENT ZONING

Natural Zone

The natural zone comprises a total of 53,309 acres. Natural zones are dominated by landscapes and resources that are not disturbed by development or facilities. Preservation of resources is the guiding philosophy behind all zoning in this category. The subzones account for important resources and processes identified by special legislation and through staff analysis. Uses allowed in the natural zone are those that will maintain the integrity of the ecosystems.

Wilderness Subzone. The Craters of the Moon Wilderness Area makes up the 43,243-acre wilderness subzone. The purpose of this subzone is to protect lands set aside in 1970 by P.L. 91-504.

The resource values in the wilderness subzone are primarily pristine and roadless areas. The subzone contains scientifically significant features and offers outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation. It contains approximately 9 miles of the Great Rift system, including special features such as lava trees, tree molds, the highest cinder cone, and various fissure systems (see appendix C).

Wilderness lands are subject to the strictest preservation management possible; uses allowed must comply with those specified in the 1964 Wilderness Act. Typical activities in wilderness areas are nonmotorized, nonwheeled, dispersed camping and hiking.

The Great Rift is the most heavily used backcountry area in the monument. An abandoned fire road that extends approximately 5 miles south of the Tree Molds parking area is the main access route into the wilderness. Overnight use of the wilderness area is minimal. Camping is prohibited within 1 mile of the Tree Molds trailhead. The wilderness area contains no developed campsites; instead, random, low-impact camping is encouraged. Most camping occurs at four places in the Echo Crater that have been established as campsites through use rather than through formal designation.

Natural Environment Subzone. The natural environment subzone encompasses 6,907 acres. Its purposes are to provide a definable, visually comprehensible buffer between the wilderness and the development zones and to protect lands where resources are in nearly pristine condition.

Features and lava flows in the natural environment subzone are mostly undisturbed, but they are not unique, nor are they as sensitive to impacts as those in the other subzones of the natural zone. However, developments on nearly level parts of lava flows are visually intrusive because they are difficult to screen and not harmonious in design, color, and texture.

Uses that would not visually degrade the area are allowed in the natural environment subzone, as are environmentally compatible recreation and interpretive activities. Examples of allowable uses are trails, unpaved roads for administrative use, low-profile interpretive displays, primitive camping in designated areas, and buried utilities.

Outstanding Natural Features Subzone. Included in the 779-acre outstanding natural features subzone are Devils Orchard, Inferno Cone, several spatter cones, the caves area, Big Sink, and Big Crater. The purpose of this subzone is to preserve areas that have unusual intrinsic value or uniqueness or to protect features having the inherently "weird and scenic" characteristics mentioned in the authorizing legislation; it is from these characteristics that the area derives its character.

Although visitors apparently perceive the volcanic features mentioned above as the most significant resource values, those features may or may not be as ecologically significant or as sensitive to impacts as other areas of the monument. Inferno Cone is the youngest and one of the tallest cinder cones along the Great Rift. Its composition of ball-bearing sized cinders has been altered and compacted by continued use of the trail. Devils Orchard is a flow area made up of horizontal plains of cinders with "rafted" pieces of crater throughout (see appendix C). Big Crater is not as vulnerable as Inferno Cone or as unique as Devils Orchard, but it is the largest and most dramatic crater in the area, and its fragile qualities require sensitive design solutions.

Allowable uses in the outstanding natural features subzone are those that make use of such facilities as trails, interpretive displays, and photo turnouts. These types of activities enhance visitors' experience and help them to appreciate the area.

Watershed Protection Subzone. The 2,380 acres in the watershed protection subzone encompass the foothills of the Pioneer Mountains at the north end of the monument. The purpose of this subzone is to protect rare and sensitive water resources in the north end, adjoining arid lava fields to the south. The importance of this area's resource values was first detailed in the expansion proclamation of 1928, when lands containing springs and surface water were added to provide for development needs.

Uses allowed in the watershed protection subzone are those that are unlikely to disrupt the balance of riparian ecosystems or threaten the purity and safety of water sources. Facilities for such uses include trails, temporary research stations, and administrative access roads. The current boundary does not protect this subzone adequately; a proposed boundary modification (discussed on page 23) would offer full protection even though the acreage in this zone would be reduced.

Development Zone

The 142-acre development zone contains lands and facilities that serve the functional needs of visitors and monument staff. In areas where development predominates, resources sometimes have been disturbed to meet these needs. Managing to minimize this loss requires thorough consideration in the form of development concept plans.

Park Development Subzone. The park development subzone encompasses 91 acres. The purpose of this subzone is to provide areas where visitor facilities may be placed, where monument operations can be conducted, and where recreational activities may take place.

Sunset Ridge, an arm of an old cinder cone where secondary vegetative succession is taking place, is one feature in the park development subzone. The ridge is a mixture of cinder gardens and sagebrush hillsides with occasional limber pine, surrounded by both young aa and pahoehoe flows. The ridge is neither one of a kind nor rare; it has been included in the development subzone because of its proximity to U.S. Highway 20-26-93 and existing developed areas.

Allowable uses in this subzone are the activities and facilities needed to support visitor experiences and monument administration. The subzone contains a visitor center/administrative headquarters building, a campground/picnic area, and an entrance station, as well as maintenance facilities, a boneyard (storage area for miscellaneous maintenance materials), storage buildings, and employee housing and recreation areas. Also included are areas for proposed expansion of visitor facilities.

Interpretive Development Subzone. The purposes of the 51-acre interpretive development subzone are to provide for needed development and to set criteria for development along the main route through the monument. The 5.6-mile loop road, which is in a well-designed 24-foot corridor, passes many outstanding natural features and crosses fairly sensitive lava flows. Resource values adjacent to this corridor are correspondingly high.

Allowable uses in this subzone are those related to interpretation of the monument for visitors: waysides, self-guiding trails, media displays, trailheads and picnic areas. Because of the large number of travelers drawn to these areas, restrooms and trash receptacles also are included.

Special Use Zone

The purpose of the 94.2-acre special use zone is to set off the area in the monument that is affected by regular activity on U.S. Highway 20-26-93. Concerns about resource values in a special use zone are secondary to the goals of an outside managing agency, in this case the Idaho highway department. Allowable uses in this zone are those deemed necessary to carry out the goals of the managing entity. The necessary action here is the movement of large volumes of traffic across southern Idaho.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The existing approved resource management plan for the monument (February 1992) adequately addresses resource management issues. That plan, which is continually being updated, provides ways to resolve deficiencies in knowledge and contains recommendations for actions to solve resource management problems. Major components of the resource management plan are discussed below.

Boundary Modification

A proposal was prepared in 1987 in cooperation with the BLM and a private landowner to exchange lands so that the border of the north unit of the monument would follow the hydrographic divide of the Little Cottonwood Creek drainage basin (see Boundary Modification map). This change would protect the monument water supply. It also would simplify enforcement of hunting and grazing regulations because the boundary would follow topographic features and therefore be more readily identifiable. This proposal would involve transfer of 315 acres now in the monument to the BLM and transfer to the National Park Service of 170 acres now managed by the BLM. The privately owned 40-acre parcel would be added to the monument either through purchase or through exchange for BLM lands. These adjustments would reduce the monument's area by 105 acres.

The proposed boundary modification would affect one private landowner, two grazing allotments, and potentially 8 to 10 mineral leases. Exchange of grazing privileges and/or mining leases would be negotiated with the permittees.

Other Resource Management Actions

Projects included in the approved resource management plan for the monument are being implemented as funds become available. The following actions are especially important.

Develop an air quality management plan that will allow the monument to protect its air quality related values.

Continue baseline resource inventories that have been started, and begin inventories of natural resources that have not been surveyed (caves, rare plants, water resources). Develop a monitoring program for these resources after they have been inventoried. Installation of a seismic monitoring net work for the Great Rift is recommended.

Increase emphasis on awareness, management, and protection of cultural resources. Initiate a detailed survey of archeological resources and a comprehensive study of historic resources. Maintain existing and expanding museum collection to NPS standards. Evaluate and interpret Goodale's Cutoff for the Oregon Trail Celebration in 1993. Compile oral histories from local pioneer families. Establish communication with the Shoshone-Bannock tribal communities to assist in interpretation of Native American use of the lava areas and the Snake River Plain.

Develop a cave management plan to identify significant cave resources, a monitoring program, and a process for evaluation of cave exploration permits.

Continue negotiations toward securing the federal reserve water right for the monument in the state of Idaho Snake River adjudication.

Continue to cooperate with the BLM for compatible management on adjacent lands to ensure continued preservation of monument resources and significant related resources on lands administered by the BLM. Grazing and mining are the most significant practices on adjacent land that require cooperation and coordination in management. A coordinated fire management plan also is needed. Information from the rare plant survey can be used to identify rare plant locations that should be protected from fire, and fire management planning can be carried out accordingly.

Until the recommended boundary changes can be made, try to control trespass grazing through continued coordination with the BLM and through law enforcement action.

Continued research is needed to determine methods of permitting visitors to use the monument with minimal damage to resources. Inferno Cone is probably the major problem area, with continual erosion of the trail. The visitor experience is so significant that it should be continued as long as the damage can be mitigated.

Continue to manage the north unit under the existing backcountry/wilderness management plan. Current use is so low that the existing permit system offers adequate resource protection. The most critical resource is the riparian area, which should be monitored to ensure that visitor use is not creating any adverse impacts.

Craters of the Moon National Monument will continue to accommodate researchers by providing housing (when available) or allowing use of the primitive camping area at Cottonwood Canyon. Use of this area should be kept to a minimum, however. Larger groups should use the group campground.

Carrying Capacity

Visitation at Craters of the Moon National Monument has not reached the point where unacceptable levels of resource damage are caused by visitors; the monument could accommodate more visitors. Although some facilities become congested, it is not because the monument is overcrowded; rather, the congestion results from obsolete design. Wilderness and backcountry areas are used relatively little because the harsh terrain causes most visitors to stay on established roads and trails. Visitation is not expected to increase during the life of this plan to a point where restrictions on visitation would be necessitated by unacceptable levels of impacts.

Carrying capacity for the Craters of the Moon Wilderness is based on "limits of acceptable change," but at current levels of use and resource condition, it is impractical to fully implement the limits-of-acceptable-change system. The park resource management staff continually monitors effects on use areas and when necessary executes measures to reduce resource impacts. Monitoring also will alert the staff to the need to implement a complete limits-of-acceptable-change program.

Backcountry/Wilderness Management

With the exception of the main visitor use areas, the monument is managed as backcountry and wilderness in accordance with the approved backcountry/wilderness management plan (NPS 1989a). Most of the wilderness is virtually pristine; signs of human impact are almost nonexistent. Management objectives are intended to ensure that the area will retain a primeval character while allowing maximum freedom for visitors. Restrictions on use of the wilderness area are the minimum necessary to protect and preserve the wilderness resource and wilderness experience for all visitors.

A backcountry permit is required for any party planning to backpack into the wilderness overnight or to camp at the caves area during winter. A limit of 12 people per party has been established, and low-impact camping is emphasized to limit the amount of resource damage. Backcountry areas not designated wilderness or development zones are considered primarily day-use areas, except that camping with permit is allowed in the group campground and the research camp.

A permit is required for day use in the north unit and for day use by horse parties in any area. Hiking and biking are not permitted in the north unit during the hunting season. In winter, the interpretive development subzone is managed as backcountry, and camping is permitted at the caves parking area.

SERVICES AND FACILITIES FOR VISITORS

Appendix F contains detailed information on planned developments and remodeling of existing facilities.

Access and Circulation

Entrance Road. A new entrance road will be developed on the north side of Sunset Ridge, roughly following the alignment of a much earlier road that is now obliterated. The road will skirt lava flows, pass through the present boneyard (to be removed), and connect with the loop road east of the campground. The new intersection will be designed for through traffic on the main road with campground access on a side road (see Development Concept map). Additional studies are needed to determine the precise alignment. Road improvements will be limited to the minimum corridor necessary for a safe driving experience. Any base course or fill material required for the roads will be obtained from sources outside the monument.

Aboveground telephone and power lines at the monument pass through the vicinity of the planned entrance road and visitor center en route to the existing developed area. Lines to new structures will be placed underground along the alignment of the new entrance road. (A long-range goal is placement of all the monument's utility lines underground.)

The existing entrance road will be retained for administrative use after redesign of the high way intersection to reduce its prominence. Visitor parking at the old visitor center can be significantly reduced after completion of the new visitor center facilities.

Loop Drive. The new approach to the loop drive will bypass the congested administrative, employee housing, and campground areas. The loop drive, which was carefully designed to fit the land, provides access to major features of the monument with minimal intrusion. The design encourages a leisurely pace, and the road becomes an important part of a visitor's experience. A way to eliminate cracking in the road system is being sought to improve the driving experience. Then the road will be rebuilt as necessary within the following guidelines:

Improve the loop drive and parking areas so that they will accommodate larger RVs and buses while retaining the low-speed, land-conforming character of the loop drive. Continue the use of curbs to discourage visitors from driving vehicles off the road.

Limit fill slopes through the use of lava rock retaining walls.

Provide additional turnouts for photography or wildflower viewing. These turnouts also will permit passing on one-way sections of road.

If feasible with minimal expansion of the road into the resource, include a bicycle lane along the entire length of monument road as part of the road improvements.

Through redesign, increase the capacity of the parking area at the caves with minimal expansion into the resource.

Provide parking for the Big Sink interpretive wayside through either expansion of the existing pullout or development of a new parking area. (Location of the access point for a trail to Big Sink requires further study.)

The two-way sections of the scenic loop drive generally will need to be widened by 3 to 4 feet to accommodate projected traffic levels. The one-way road sections generally are sufficiently wide, but some widening of curves may be necessary to accommodate larger vehicles.

Access for Visitors With Disabilities. Although facilities at the monument were not originally designed to be accessible for the disabled, the monument staff has tried to make many of the facilities accessible. The visitor center and amphitheater are accessible, and the campground has accessible campsites and partially accessible restrooms, although the restrooms do not totally comply with accessibility standards. Many of the waysides are accessible, and some visitors with disabilities can use some of the trails with caution.

It is recognized that extremely rugged terrain makes it impracticable to make all the monument's features fully accessible to all visitors with disabilities. New facilities will be designed to be accessible to the extent feasible. The park staff is working on plans to make the trail to Devil's Orchard accessible through minor modifications with minimal resource impacts.

Interpretation

Craters of the Moon National Monument is primarily significant for its relatively young lava flows and for the great diversity of volcanic features in a small geographic area. The present interpretive program is effective in communicating the significance of the monument. The formidable, hostile, seemingly barren land may appear unsuitable for recreational activities, but by spending some time in the monument visitors can learn about and understand its features. Through an understanding of the landforms in the monument, visitors can come away with a greater awareness of how the land was shaped and apply that awareness to what they see elsewhere.

The following actions are part of the monument's current plans or are already in progress.

Rehabilitate existing visitor center exhibits and lobby. Rehabilitation of the visitor center exhibits will correct exhibit-related deficiencies in museum environment, security, and fire protection that were identified in a checklist completed in 1990. Even though a new visitor center is planned, this action is needed because the new facility cannot be completed for some time.

Develop additional interpretive opportunities for special populations.

Provide environmental education to schools in the southern Idaho area on the management of resources at Craters of the Moon. Provide material to teachers and conduct teacher workshops in cooperation with local universities.

Work with the natural history association to provide additional interpretive publications, media, and programs that meet visitor needs.

Weave interpretation of resource management and research concerns into the entire interpretive program.

Complete installation of wayside exhibits with careful attention to reducing visual clutter.

Planned Actions. In addition to continuation of ongoing interpretation programs detailed in the 1990 Statement for Interpretation, the following new actions are planned.

Redesign the Devils Orchard self-guided trail to include interpretation of resource management concerns and to be free of barriers, including steep grades.

Develop the Big Sink area for interpretation. Additional study is needed to determine appropriate facilities and media. There are several approaches to the Big Sink area; more study is needed to determine the location of parking and trails. An archeological survey will be required early in the design phase to ensure avoidance of any cultural resources.

Develop interpretation of area history. Consideration will be given to developing interpretation in conjunction with a mountain bike/ski trail that is proposed for Goodale's Cutoff.

Because the interpretive story of the Snake River Plain is not confined within artificial boundaries such as those created by management of adjacent lands by different agencies, cooperate with the BLM to develop interpretive messages on adjacent lands.

Prepare an interpretive prospectus. Topics to be covered include planning for the proposed visitor center and reviewing the need for additional trails and wayside exhibits.

Recent fluctuations in funding and staffing levels have resulted in a cutback of important programs, particularly off-site and outreach programs, personal services, environmental education programs, and the number of hours that the visitor center can remain open. These programs are essential; every effort will be made to ensure sufficient funding and staffing to continue them.

Themes. The following themes are listed in the 1990 Statement for Interpretation and remain valid for this plan.

The geological processes represented at Craters of the Moon and the Snake River Plain.

The biological and ecological processes represented within this volcanic landscape.

The roles of visitors and the National Park Service in the continued preservation and management of the monument and related natural communities.

The significance of the Shoshone Indians, early explorers, pioneers, settlers, and researchers associated with the monument and adjacent areas.

State, national, and worldwide concerns related to the goals and objectives of Craters of the Moon National Monument.

Safety awareness.

Location and Development of Facilities

Roads, Trails, and Structures. Visitor information, orientation, and fee collection functions will be relocated to facilities along the new entrance route. Facilities for administration, maintenance, and employee housing will remain in their present locations, but the rerouting of traffic will remove them from the visitor circulation pattern. The campground will be on a spur off the main road.

New facilities planned are a visitor center, an entrance station, a winter parking area, and group gathering spaces and shelters. There are several possible locations along the proposed entrance road for these facilities; the location and combination of facilities will be determined during the comprehensive design phase. Observations by park staff indicate that drifting snow will cause fewer problems in the new location than at the existing facilities, which are exposed to prevailing winds.

A new year-round visitor center will be built on the north side of Sunset Ridge, adjoining the new entrance road. It will contain exhibits, an area for sale of items by the Craters of the Moon Natural History Association, restrooms, and a separate multipurpose room with audio visual facilities, as well as offices and storage areas for use by the interpretive staff and the cooperating association.

With the multipurpose room and audiovisual facilities in the new visitor center, organized groups such as school groups will be accommodated more easily. In addition, some shelters will be needed for groups to gather under during inclement weather. These shelters will serve two purposes, sheltering winter visitors as well as summer groups. They may be designed as a part of the new visitor center or in conjunction with the winter parking area.

The visitor center will be located ahead of the entrance station to allow visitors to stop for information before paying to enter the park road system. The new entrance station could be placed along the entrance road in the vicinity of the new visitor center or in the area of the present boneyard.

Winter parking spaces for crosscountry skiers will be made available in conjunction with the new visitor center or the new entrance station. A shelter near the parking area will offer some protection from the elements.

A trail will be developed from the new visitor center to the top of Sunset Ridge and from there to the campground. This will provide an overview of the monument and connect the visitor center and the campground. Campers already use existing informal trails on the ridge.

Xeriscaping with native desert plants will be used around all facilities and houses to con serve water and reduce visual intrusion. Small lawns in the back of housing units will be retained with minimum water use.

ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS

Management Facilities

In cooperation with the BLM, a designated trail for mountain biking and skiing will be developed along existing dirt roads. The trail will approximately follow the route of Goodale's Cutoff. Directional signs and wayside exhibits may be added, but there will be no other development.

Camping and Picnicking. Camping in the monument offers an expanded experience that many visitors miss. The evening interpretive programs enhance understanding of the monument's resources, as does the opportunity to explore the monument in the morning and evening, when temperatures are cooler, wild life is more abundant, and light is more favorable for photography.

The present campground will be retained with minor improvements. Existing RV sites will be leveled, and more tent sites may be added. These changes will eliminate major congestion due to the presence of the entrance station and the information wayside. Some administrative traffic still will travel through the north loop, but in the new arrangement, the campground will be on a side road. The group campsite will be retained in its present location. Primitive winter camping will be allowed either at its present location in the campground or in the vicinity of the relocated winter parking area. Restrooms may have to be added, depending on the location chosen. Crosscountry skiers can continue to camp by permit in the caves parking area.

Picnic tables will continue to be available at several locations along the loop road. Since most sites in the campground are usually empty during the day, those sites also are available for picnicking. When not being used by groups, the planned group gathering area can serve as a picnic area.

After construction of the new visitor center, the existing administration building/visitor center will be remodeled and probably expanded. Improvements will include a conference room; offices for administrative, resource management, and protection employees; work space for seasonal employees; and storage space for evidence. (Work space for most interpretive personnel and storage space for collections will be in the new visitor center.) The new storage space will correct deficiencies in storage for museum collections, museum environment, security, and fire protection identified in a checklist completed by the monument staff in 1990.

New and remodeled facilities will be designed for energy efficiency and water conservation, and they will meet all applicable codes and regulations, including federal accessibility codes. The new and remodeled facilities will be linked by a computer network.

The existing maintenance building will be remodeled to be more suitable for winter use. It also will be expanded: two more bays will be added for larger vehicles, and a storage area for flammable materials will be added to comply with codes. Nonmaintenance functions now housed in that building will be relocated to the expanded administration building.

Building colors will be chosen to reduce visual impact. Additional plantings will be planned to screen the remodeled facilities from the highway, the campground, and the North Crater flow trail. Placement of facilities on ridgelines will be avoided so as not to detract from natural aesthetics.

All new utilities will be placed underground; a long-range objective will be undergrounding of all utilities in the monument.

The boneyard will be eliminated; instead, there will be limited outdoor storage in the maintenance area. Additional warehouse space will be available after expansion and remodeling of the existing structures.

The telephone system is outdated. Computer communications to NPS networks are limited by this voice-only system. An upgrade to a data-capable system is recommended.

Employee Housing

The monument staff has been rehabilitating the permanent employee housing to bring it up to standards specified in the NPS "Design and Rehabilitation Guideline." Reroofing materials will be chosen to reduce the visibility of housing from the loop drive and to improve snow control.

The four efficiency apartments do not meet NPS housing standards because of their size and because there is no separation between living, dining, and sleeping areas. The double bunks in the single-room units are unsuitable for singles or for married couples. However, the units do fill a need for temporary housing. Their design is being evaluated for improvements such as addition of a bedroom and insulation for winter occupancy. Additional permanent housing is not needed now. If more seasonal or permanent housing is needed in the future, a location study will be initiated to determine the best location.

Employees' privacy will be improved by the planting of trees or other plants to screen the residential area from view and by changes in the entrance road. However, employee housing will still be visible from the campground, so some intrusions can be expected.

Historically, lawns have been maintained around employee housing areas, ostensibly to reduce the entry of cinders into the buildings. However, lawns are incongruous with the surrounding desert landscape, require extensive watering, attract deer, and require fertilizers and pesticides to maintain the monoculture of grass. Because of the high visibility of the housing area to visitors and campers, work will begin to reduce the lawns to only the backyards. Vegetation in front of the houses will be converted to blend with the surrounding landscape. The use of native plantings, walkways, patios and paved paths will be considered to reduce cinders while still providing a compatible landscape and a comfortable living area for employees. Irrigation will be reduced to the absolute minimum necessary.

Staff

The monument now has a permanent staff of 11. The optimal staff would be 16 or 17 full time employees. This includes an increase of two full-time positions to operate the new visitor center and maintain the added facilities. Other actions will not directly require more personnel, but some resource management actions may require short-term increases in seasonal staff to accomplish specific objectives.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN

Sequence

Until major redevelopment proposals are funded, loop road improvements and interim improvements to visitor center parking areas will have priority. Improvements to exhibits and waysides are ongoing projects. A comprehensive design program will include preliminary site plans and architectural concepts, specific needs for proposed and remodeled facilities, and cost estimates.

Maintenance facilities could be remodeled and expanded separately from the other projects, but the design of these facilities must be coordinated with other planned improvements. Projects such as housing improvements and development of the Big Sink wayside also could be done separately when funding becomes available.

The major development proposals cannot conveniently be implemented in phases; to function in the best interest of visitors, the new entrance road, visitor center, and entrance station should become operational at the same time. The existing administration building could be remodeled later.

Cultural resource inventories will be conducted at the monument in fiscal years 1992-1993 to meet responsibilities under section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Consultations required by section 106 of that act will be pursued for any actions that could affect resources identified by those inventories. Section 106 compliance is required for all projects, including archeological surveys of any area that could be directly or indirectly affected by a proposed action. Should it be determined that there is potential for adverse effects on cultural resources, mitigating measures will be determined in consultation with the state historic preservation officer (see appendix G).

Project Packages

There are several ways in which construction projects can be packaged; all are subject to the appropriations process. In the packages described below, projects are grouped together in a logical sequence: infrastructure for the new development, followed by construction of major new facilities, then remodeling of existing facilities. However, some components of the packages could be switched to earlier or later phases.

Package 1: Roads/utilities for new development (approximate cost, $1,400,000). New north side entrance road; visitor center parking; winter parking; removal of boneyard and old access road scars;¹ extend utilities and place existing utilities underground.

Package 2: Major building phase (approximate cost, $3,800,000). New year-round visitor center and group orientation facility; new entrance station; restrooms at winter parking area (if needed).

Package 3: Road/parking changes in existing developed area following completion of new facilities — coordinate with package 4 (approximate cost, $89,000). Remodel existing highway intersection, removing turn lanes; remodel existing headquarters parking areas; rehabilitate old entrance station area.

Package 4: Major remodeling phase (approximate cost, $1,100,000). Remodel/ expand headquarters for administration and operations; expand maintenance building and outside storage;¹ remodel apartments for offices or tear down, depending on final design concept.²

Independent projects (can be started any time funding is available): Rehabilitate campground: level RV sites and add tent sites; construct Sunset Ridge trail and overlook; develop Big Sink interpretive wayside; plant vegetative buffers at housing and headquarters areas; improve main park road, turnouts, and parking areas.³

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