ALTERNATIVES
Alternative plans use different approaches and different levels of staffing and financial resource commitments to achieve the legislated objectives of the unit and to deal with the various issues. These plans incorporate the range of feasible and acceptable proposals and suggestions surfaced during the scoping process. The plans discussed below were developed by an interdisciplinary team of landscape architects, planners, historians, park managers, and interpretive specialists.
Assistance in planning for Manzanar was provided by an eight-member volunteer team of Japanese American landscape architects. The team, consisting of some of the country's foremost landscape architects, was organized under the auspices of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA and was chaired by Dennis Otsuji. The team participated extensively in scoping and plan formulation activies, and provided follow-up review on planning documents.
The Proposed General Management Plan
The plan would provide long-term protection of resources and the provision of a range of facilities and services to provide a more meaningful and educational experience for visitors.
Map 4 displays the major features of the plan.
Cultural Resource Management
As further discussed and outlined below, the site would be managed as a cultural landscape relating to the internment camp era. To achieve this, the existing features remaining from the camp period such as the road system, structural remains, and landscape planting would be preserved. To the extent that reconstruction occurs on the site, it would be limited to camp-era structures which can be accurately reconstructed based on historic data. No structures from earlier eras would be placed or reconstructed on the site, and any modern structures required would be located and designed to be compatible with the character of the cultural landscape.
Historic Structures- The three intact buildings on the side, the auditorium and rock sentry posts, would be preserved through regular scheduled maintenance after initial historic preservation and eventual restoration work projects are completed. Historic Structure Reports would be prepared to guide these activities.
As discussed further below, the auditorium would be adaptively used as an interpretive center. This in general terms would entail the restoration of the exterior of the structure to its camp era appearance, including replacement of the missing south wing, and the restoration of the interior to the greatest extent practicable. Sensitive and non-destructive adaptive use would be made of the original portions of the interior for visitor service and administrative functions. An adaptive use study of the structure would be completed to plan for the careful integration of preservation, restoration, and adaptation for contemporary uses.
There are a number of other intact structures on the site, including stone barbecues, stone planters, rock garden structures, etc., and many structural remnants such as walls, steps, etc. A number of these structures and structural remnants, especially those located at interpretive sites throughout the camp area, would be preserved through regular maintenance. Other structural remnants would be protected from theft and vandalism but would not be actively maintained.
A listing of structures entered on the List of Classified Structures along with the recommended level of treatment is included in the appendix.
One or more barracks would be placed in a demonstration block as further discussed below under interpretation. The barracks would either be original structures relocated to the site, or reconstructions based on the original construction drawings. Support structures such as a latrine, mess hall, and laundry building might also be added.
A single watchtower would be reconstructed based on original construction drawings (or other data as available), and placed at the historic location for such a structure at the midpoint of the camp's south boundary, or at another historic watchtower site on the camp perimeter easily seen by visitors.
Landscape Features- Historic plant specimens at interpretive sites and major extant orchards, dating from pre-camp days, would be preserved and perpetuated through cuttings or seed propagation. Irrigation would be provided as needed. The orchards are recognized as major landscape features linking two principal stages in the site's history. One or more rock gardens identified as interpretive sites would be rehabilitated. Selection of gardens for rehabilitation would be based on the availability of accurate historic documentation and the recommendations of a committee to include former Manzanar internees, landscape design professionals, and cultural resource specialists.
The camp area would be fenced in its entirety, employing the fence design used during the camp period.
The camp's road system, still apparent throughout much of the area, would be rehabilitated to the extent required to retain this network as a visual element of the cultural landscape, and to allow for foot and emergency vehicle traffic. Roads, except as noted below, would not be paved and rehabilitation would not extend to making all the roads usable for motor vehicles.
Selective thinning or clearing of plant growth and tree cover would be undertaken for the purpose of revealing the defining road gridwork, and the conspicuous "firebreaks" strategically located in the camp. A low native vegetation cover would be maintained in the firebreak areas to hold the soil and prevent blowing dust.
Existing facilities and structures incompatible with the historic scene, including non-historic outbuildings located near the auditorium and non-historic fences, would be removed. The historic status of the powerline crossing the site from north to south would be researched and, if the line is found to be non-historic, options for relocation, undergrounding, or identification as non-historic would be considered.
A Cultural Landscape Management Plan would be prepared to provide detailed guidance for the preservation and maintenance of the historic scene, including management of representative gardens, orchards, and other vegetation.
Historic Objects- The NPS would provide substantial support to the Eastern California Museum (ECM) in the collection of historic objects related to Manzanar. Legislative authority and appropriated funds would be sought to assist in the development of additional space and facilities at the ECM to house a Manzanar collection. Only a small collection of artifacts would be in NPS ownership to provide for permanent exhibits in the interpretive center. The NPS would accept only limited donation of artifacts, but would instead encourage donations to the Eastern California Museum (ECM). A cooperative agreement between NPS and ECM would provide for the display of Museum-owned artifacts in rotating exhibits in the interpretive center.
A Scope of Collections Statement would be prepared to guide curatorial activities at the site.
NPS would retain ownership of all archeological objects recovered from the site. However, these objects would be retained onsite only if needed for interpretive purposed; otherwise they would be stored in an off-site NPS repository or under agreement with a non-NPS repository.
Ethnography- Groups traditionally associated with the Manzanar site include Japanese Americans and Native Americans, including Shoshone and Paiute people. Both Japanese American and Native American persons participated in scoping activities at the initiation of the planning process, were further consulted during review of the draft general management plan, and will remain active in overseeing the site's operation through Manzanar Advisory Commission membership and other avenues.
Formal Native American consultations have been undertaken, with the completion of a substantial number of completed interviews. An Ethnographic Assessment and Ethnohistory for the site has been completed. No specific information about sacred sites at Manzanar was revealed in the interviews or literature search. The area apparently was a traditional-use area with permanent camps or villages located in the vicinity. An oral history tradition indicates the presence of human burials, and one was found in the fall of 1993 in the course of an archeological survey.
Natural Resource Management
The riparian area along Bairs Creek, which flows through the southwest corner of the site, and adjacent desert areas between the creek and the road would be retained as a natural area. These areas offer an opportunity for interpretation of high desert natural resources phenomena and processes related to the desert's reclamation of the camp area. No construction or development would occur in this area.
As discussed above, selective thinning of natural vegetation at other sites within the boundary would be undertaken as needed to reveal the historic landscape. Such clearing would be preceded by biological surveys to ensure that neither sensitive plant nor animal species would be affected by such work. In general, low native vegetative cover would be retained throughout the camp to minimize blowing dust.
Surface runoff would be managed in accordance with an overall water resource management plan to be prepared for the site in cooperation with LADWP. Runoff through the site in years of above-normal precipitation causes widespread erosion in the camp area and extensive damage to cultural resources. Some grading and diversion both onsite and off may be necessary to correct the past channeling and diversion activities which were aimed at increasing groundwater recharge in the camp area. Additional environmental and cultural resource compliance, evaluating impacts on threatened and endangered species, wetland and riparian habitat, and historic and archeological resources, would be required to complete and implement this plan.
Interpretation
Manzanar National Historic Site was established based on the significance of the area in World War II history, and consequently the main focus of interpretation will be on the relocation center and program. However, the interpretive program would also be aimed at providing visitors with an understanding and appreciation of the broad range of human history at Manzanar over tie, including Native American habitation and uses and early Anglo-American settlement and use as well the World War II period. The specific themes to be addressed at the site would be further refined during the Interpretive planning, but would be expected to include the following:
I. War Relocation Center
· The background, scale, and broad outlines of the relocation program, including reference to the other camps and assembly areas.
· Japanese American history prior to World War II.
· The political, constitutional, and legal issues of relocation, and resolution over time, including legal decisions and political actions.
· The relocation experience
· Personal impacts
· Social issues
· Loyalty Issues
· Day-to-day camp life, including work, recreation, and schools.
· Adaptations to life at Manzanar, barracks improvements, landscaping, etc.
· Significant persons in the camp history of Manzanar, e.g. Toyo Miyatake, Ralph Merritt, Ansel Adams, Sadao Munemori.II. Native American Habitation and Use
· The role of the site in Native American life.
· Disruption and dislocation from Anglo-American settlement.
· Owens Valley Native Americans today.III. Early Anglo-American Settlement and Use
· The Homestead Era & the Shepherd Ranch.
· The Town of Manzanar.
· The town as a planned farming community.
· Day-to-day life at Manzanar-stores, farms, schools.
· Valley Water Wars and the Demise of the Town.Interpretive Center- The auditorium would be adaptively used as an interpretive center, designed in such a way that the integrity of the building's original configuration and historic fabric would not be compromised. A staffed information desk would provide visitors with answers to questions regarding the site and the relocation program. Books relating to Manzanar and internment would be available. (Information supplied at this center would focus on Manzanar and the other relocation camps. The information function would complement the Eastern California Museum in Independence, and the Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine in providing visitor information for the region.)
Exhibits would include photos, documents, artifacts, videos, and interactive media relating to the identified themes. Consideration would be given to restoring some suitable interior spaces in the auditorium to camp era appearance as interpretive niches.
The interpretive center is extremely important to the visitor experience. Except for returning internees, few visitors would be able to grasp the impact of Manzanar without a good orientation to this historic chapter and the site. To quickly orient visitors to the many complex elements of this story would require a major A/V production to tell the broad story of early Japanese immigration, restrictive immigration policy, Pearl Harbor, the relocation orders, the camp experience, Japanese American military contributions during the war, and finally the aftermath of the camp experience.
With this grounding in the basics of the story, the visitor would be ready to learn about the Manzanar experience from the internees themselves. For maximum appreciation of the internment camp experience, the communication needs to be personal, involving one-on-one communication with shared experience between those who lived in the camps and the park visitors. This can be accomplished by extensive use of oral history and personal photographs. Whenever an image, quote, or voice is used in an exhibit, the person in the image making the quote or speaking would be identified. The experience then becomes not one of a certain group- Japanese Americans- but one of individuals whose names you know and what they experienced and how they felt about the evacuation and internment.
Wayside Exhibits- An interpretive publication, containing a camp map, would explain the overall layout and mechanics of the camp. Wayside exhibits would be provided at points of interest in the camp, accessible by trails or one-way roads. Their overall purpose would be to expand on the themes presented in the visitor center, and make them more vivid and more specific to the Manzanar site itself. These exhibits would be unobtrusive and, where feasible, make use of historic photographs of the particular point of interest on the actual site.
All residential block areas and the location of significant structures would be identified by suitable low profile signage to facilitate location of specific buildings and areas by visitors and staff.
Blocks 8 and 14, located immediately to the west of the auditorium, would be designated as "demonstration" blocks. The corners of all structures in these blocks would be marked, and waysides would explain the design, function, and family-living implications of each of the structures, including barracks, mess halls, latrines, laundry rooms, etc. One or more barracks would be relocated or reconstructed in this area. The intervening "firebreak", or dead space, would also be interpreted and its function explained. Uses made of the firebreak, e.g. for sports activities, would be interpreted.
The location of each watchtower would be identified with a marker visible to visitors within the camp area.
Cooperative agreements would be negotiated with both BLM and LADWP to provide for wayside exhibits and interpretive tours of the reservoir area and other adjacent historic features in order to restore the historic scene at the entrance, and provide for their improved protection, all memorial plaques now placed at the historic camp entrance, including the National Landmark Plaque, the State historical marker, and the Blue Star Memorial Highway marker, would be relocated to the vicinity of the interpretive center. Consultation with the state Office of Historic Preservation would be required prior to the relocation of the state historical marker.
Personal Services- Guided walks of the site by NPS interpreters would be provided as staffing permits. A Volunteer-In-Parks (VIP) program, enlisting former internees and others as available, would be instituted as an important part of the interpretive program. These personal services programs would be directed both toward the general visitor, and also provide special assistance to former internees in locating features such as specific barracks within the camp.
A shuttle system would be instituted to provide interpretive tours of the site on a regular basis. This service could be provided by the NPS and/or contracted depending on cost efficiencies and the level of visitor demand.
Interpretive Prospectus- An interpretive prospectus would be completed to provide more detailed guidance in exhibits and programs.
Circulation and Parking
Site Entrance- The primary entrance to the site would be via the existing non-historic road leading from Highway 395 to the auditorium.
An auxiliary entrance, for park staff administrative use and to provide access during the annual pilgrimage, would be established in the vicinity of the camp cemetery. The existing unpaved road adjacent to the west boundary would be gated at the site boundary, and the limited traffic using this road outside the park would be rerouted on existing unpaved roads to the west of the site.
Highway 395 Improvement- CALTRANS plans to improve Highway 395 to a 4-land divided road, as funds become available. While the current plan involves addition of two northbound lanes to the east, and continued use of the existing roadway for southbound traffic, the realignment of the entire 4-land system further to the east would better serve resource protection, safety, and visitor use objectives at the site. With this arrangement, the existing highway could serve as a frontage road. NPS will explore this concept further with CALTRANS as the highway planning and design process continues.
Internal Circulation- A paved two-lane road would be provided from Highway 395 to the auditorium. All other vehicle roads, as indicated on Map 4, would follow historic routes, and would conform to the historic width of approximately 15'. These one-way roads would either be paved or would be treated with a dust palliative. Due to the narrowness of the historic roadways, and the limited turning radii, busses, large RV's, vehicles towing trailers, and other oversized vehicles would not be permitted on the one-way road system.
Parking areas would be located in five locations as indicated on Map 4. The primary visitor parking area would be located immediately east of the auditorium. This area would necessarily be large enough to accommodate a variety of vehicles (autos, RV's, buses) for periods of one to two hours. The four parking areas in the camp area are intended to accommodate a smaller number of vehicles for a shorter period of time, and can accordingly be considerably smaller. Final location of these parking areas would be made based on natural and cultural resource protection needs, and the need to limit intrusion on the historic scene. Unpaved pullouts for vehicles at various points along the primary tour route may also be needed for safety and access.
The parking area located at the cemetery area would be designed with an overflow area to accommodate the large number of cars and buses ant the annual pilgrimage. Only the main parking area at the auditorium would be paved; other areas would be compacted earth, treated with a dust palliative. Layout, design, and location of the parking areas would recognize the potential need for current overflow parking, as well as the possible need for future permanent expansion.
A shuttle system would be instituted to serve not only interpretive purposes as discussed above, but to provide visitor transportation to the various points of attraction on the site. During heavy use periods, the one-way road system would be closed to private vehicles, and visitors would be required to either use the shuttle or walk to access the camp. The shuttle would roughly circle the outer perimeter of the camp, directly access a number of interpretive sites, and take visitors to within easy walking distance of most of the camp.
Visitor UsePark Uses- The primary visitor use at the site would be historic appreciation. Only those visitor amenities essential to an interpretive visit to the site would be provided. No overnight camping facilities would be provided nor would recreational picnicking be encouraged or facilitated. The site is not intended to serve as a highway rest stop or general information facility,
The park staff, in cooperation with interested individuals and organizations, would also explore the potential for additional annual events or festivals to celebrate and explore the Native American, pioneer settlement, and Town of Manzanar history at the site. These annual festivals could include special displays, arts and crafts, thematic guided tours, and food.Facilities- All visitor facilities would be designed to be accessible to people with physical disabilities.
Public restrooms would be provided in the interpretive center and at the parking lot near the cemetery. The restrooms at the cemetery area would be supplemented by chemical toilets during the annual pilgrimage.
Benches would be provided at strategic locations along the interpretive routes.
Carrying Capacity- No formal studies of either physical or sociological carrying capacity for the Manzanar site have been completed. However, the levels of visitor use anticipated at the site would not result in resource degradation because visitor use pressures will be matched by management activity as needed to provide resource protection. Visitor management strategies for protecting resources would be periodically evaluated for effectiveness, and periodic visitor satisfaction surveys would ensure that the quality of the visitor experience remains high.
Staffing
Staffing would be generally as follows:
Park Superintendent
Clerk-Typist
Administrative Technician
Supervisory Park Ranger
Park Rangers-PFT-2
Park Ranger-Seasonal-4
Maintenance Mechanic Supervisor
Maintenance Worker/Motor Vehicle Operator-2
Laborers-PFT-2
Laborers-Seasonal-4The park would seek to supplement its work force with an active volunteer recruitment program in both interpretive and resource management activities. Cooperative agreements would be negotiated as feasible with Inyo County and other government agencies to supplement staff capability in law enforcement, curation, and maintenance.
Specialized assistance in natural and cultural resource management, environmental compliance, and museum collection management would be provided by Death Valley National Park, and other park cluster resources as available.
Administrative Facilities
Office space for the park staff would be provided in the reconstructed south wing of the auditorium.
NPS would acquire maintenance services by contract to the extent possible. Most major maintenance projects, e.g. road and utility work, and those requiring skilled labor such as plumbers and electricians, would be contracted.
Provision would be made in the reconstructed south wing of the auditorium for minimal maintenance storage and workspace to support routine onsite maintenance activities. No flammable materials or gasoline-powered tools would be stored in this space.
Rental space would be obtained in local communities as needed to provide a modest workspace for shop activities, storage for supplies and materials, and storage for park vehicles. A "shop" vehicle, e.g. a van, truck, or trailer, would be acquired if needed and outfitted with tools to perform a wide range of routine maintenance functions throughout the site. This vehicle would be parked at the offsite maintenance facility.
No park housing would be provided on site.
Utilities
Water rights to the Manzanar site would e retained by the City of Los Angeles and water for the park would be provided pursuant to an agreement with LADWP.
Water supply for the interpretive center would be provided by groundwater, with sufficient storage capacity developed to meet peak load demands and emergency fire-fighting needs. Water tanks would be located so as to minimize adverse impacts on the scene. Water conservation practices would be followed at the site with use of low flow devices as feasible. Options for water supply for camp area irrigation would be investigated in conjunction with LADWP.
Sewage treatment requirements would continue to be provided by septic tanks and leach fields. The existing system would be expanded as required, and improvements would be designed to meet all applicable state and local requirements. Additional NEPA and cultural resource compliance would be completed for any proposed new ground disturbance.
Commercial electrical and telephone services are available at the site.
Boundary
The boundary would be expanded from the area identified in the legislation to include the approximately 800 acres as shown in Map 4. Legislation to authorize this expanded boundary is pending. A sufficient real property interest would be acquired to allow surface management and protection of the site.
This boundary change would be consistent with NPS Criteria for Boundary Adjustments, December 1991. It meets Criterion 1, "Significant resources or opportunities for public enjoyment related to purpose of the park" because it adds features not available elsewhere within the authorized boundary which were a part of the camp operation and which can and would be interpreted for the public. The boundary proposal also satisfies Criterion 4, "The added lands would be feasible to administer considering size, configuration, ownerships, costs, and other factors" because the addition would be managed integrally with the remainder of the unit at little additional cost, ownership is the same, costs would be relatively low, and configuration would simplify marking and fencing of the boundary. Finally, it meets Criterion 5, "Other alternatives for management and resource protection are not adequate" in that the plan would call for an active NPS involvement in management of the site and investment in resource protection activity and placement of interpretive media.
The park would work cooperatively with LADWP, CALTRANS, and BLM toward continued protection of the historic scene and continued data collection, protection, and interpretation of historic resources on the several thousand acres of adjacent lands that were part of the Manzanar Relocation Area. Attention in this effort would be particularly focused on resources of known interest and significance such as the camp reservoir and water distribution system, hog ranch, and other prehistoric and historic resources in areas adjacent to the boundary.
The effectiveness of these cooperative efforts in protecting important resources would be monitored over time and, if found not to be successful, consideration would be given to further expansion of the authorized boundary either though administrative action or legislation.
Partnerships
Partnerships with other government agencies and with private organizations can contribute significantly to providing successful resources protection and quality visitor experiences at Manzanar NHS. Some of the potential partners with whom NPS would seek cooperative relationships include the following:
Eastern California Museum
American Society of Landscape Architects
Manzanar Committee
California Department of Transportation
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Independence Fire District
Bureau of Land Management
Inyo National Forest
Inyo County
Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center
Independence Civic Club
Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce
California Department of Forestry
Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center
Laws Railroad Museum
California Department of Fish and Game
California Highway Patrol
Death Valley Natural History Association
Boy Scouts of America
Owens Valley Interagency Committee on Lands and WildlifeManagement Zoning
Management zoning prescribes the primary management emphasis for given areas and limits the actions that can by taken in that area. All of the lands within the boundary would be zoned as historic with the exception of minor areas for parking, which would be classified as development zone, and the riparian corridor of Bairs Creek, including any adjacent areas which may subsequently be identified as wetlands, which would be placed in the natural zone with emphasis on preservation of natural processes.
Cost Estimates
Annual operation and maintenance costs for this alternative would be approximately $850,000. Cost estimates for major plan features are shown in Appendix 4.
Alternative A: No-ActionThe no-action plan would continue the current very limited range of activities at Manzanar provided by NPS. One full-time staff person is assigned to the site, who is responsible for working with the landowner and various organizations to protect resources and provide a minimal level of visitor information and service at the site. Since the Park Service has no legal authority on the site, law enforcement is limited to that provided by the Inyo County Sheriff and all resource management and visitor service functions are subject to agreement with the landowner.
Vandalism, theft of artifacts, and resource damage due to uncontrolled natural processes would continue, and visitors would be left to their own resources in visiting the site.
This alternative does not achieve the purpose of the legislation, but it does provide a baseline against which other alternatives can be compared.
Map 3 shows the legislatively authorized boundary and extant features.
Alternative B: Minimum RequirementsThe Minimum Requirements Alternative is intended to provide for protection of park resources and provide the visitor with opportunities to experience the primary interpretive themes relevant to the unit. The emphasis in this alternative is on low cost development and operations, the protection of those areas specifically identified by the legislation, and very basic visitor services.
Map 5 displays major features of this alternative.
Cultural Resource Management
The site would be managed primarily as a cultural landscape relating to the internment camp era.
Historic Structures- The three intact buildings on the site, the auditorium and rock sentry posts, would be preserved through regular scheduled maintenance after initial historic preservation and rehabilitation work projects are completed. Historic Structure Reports would be prepared to guide these activities.
As discussed further below, the auditorium would be adaptively used as an interpretive center. This in general terms would entail the restoration of the exterior of the structure to its camp era appearance, including replacement of the missing south wing, and the restoration of the interior to the great extent practicable. Sensitive and non-destructive adaptive use would be made of the original portions of the interior for visitor service and administrative functions. An adaptive use study of the structure would be completed to plan for the careful integration of preservation, restoration, and adaptation for contemporary uses.
There are a number of other intact structures on the site, including stone barbecues, stone planters, rock garden structures, etc., and many structural remnants such as walls, steps, etc. A number of these structures and structural remnants, especially those located at interpretive sites throughout the camp area, would be preserved through regular maintenance. Other structural remnants would be protected from theft and vandalism but would be allowed to weather and deteriorate.
A complete listing of structures entered on the List of Classified Structures along with the recommended level of treatment is included in the appendix.
There would be no reconstruction of camp structures such as barracks or watchtowers.
Landscape Features- Historic plant specimens at interpretive sites and major extant orchards, dating from pre-camp days, would be preserved and perpetuated through cuttings or seed propagation. Irrigation would be provided as needed. The orchards are recognized as major landscape features linking two principal stages in the site's history. One or more rock gardens identified as interpretive sites would be rehabilitated. Selection of gardens for rehabilitation would be based on the availability of accurate historic documentation and the recommendations of a committee to include former Manzanar internees, landscape design professionals, and cultural resource specialists.
The camp area would be fenced in its entirety, employing the fence design used during the camp period.
The camp's road system, still apparent throughout much of the area, would be rehabilitated to the extent required to retain this network as a visual element of the cultural landscape, and to allow for foot and emergency vehicle traffic. Roads, except as noted below, would not be paved and rehabilitation would not extend to making all the roads usable for motor vehicles.
Selective thinning or clearing of plant growth and tree cover would be undertaken for the purpose of revealing the defining road gridwork, and the conspicuous "firebreaks" strategically located in the camp.
Existing facilities and structures incompatible with the historic scene, including non-historic outbuildings located near the auditorium and non-historic fences, would be removed. The historic status of the powerline crossing the site from north to south would be researched and, if the line is found to be non-historic, options for relocation, undergrounding, or identification as non-historic would be considered.
A Cultural Landscape Management Plan would be prepared to provide detailed guidance for the preservation and maintenance of the historic scene, including management of representative gardens, orchards, and other vegetation.
Historic Objects- Collection of historic objects would be minimized as a function of the unit. Only a small collection of artifacts would be in NPS ownership to provide for permanent exhibits in the interpretive center. The NPS would accept only limited donation of artifacts, but would instead encourage donations to the Eastern California Museum (ECM). A cooperative agreement between NPS and ECM would provide for the display of Museum-owned artifacts in rotating exhibits in the interpretive center. A Scope of Collections Statement would be prepared to guide curatorial activities at the site.
NPS would retain ownership of all archeological objects recovered from the site. However, these objects would be retained onsite only if needed for interpretive purposed; otherwise they would be stored in an off-site NPS repository or under agreement with a non-NPS repository.
Ethnography- Groups traditionally associated with the Manzanar site include Japanese Americans and Native Americans, including Shoshone and Paiute people. Both Japanese American and Native American persons participated in scoping activities at the initiation of the planning process, were further consulted during review of the draft general management plan, and will remain active in overseeing the site's operation through Manzanar Advisory Commission membership and other avenues.
Formal Native American consultations have been undertaken, with the completion of a substantial number of completed interviews. An Ethnographic Assessment and Ethnohistory for the site has been completed. No specific information about sacred sites at Manzanar was revealed in the interviews or literature search. The area apparently was a traditional-use area with permanent camps or villages located in the vicinity. An oral history tradition indicates the presence of human burials, and one was found in the fall of 1993 in the course of an archeological survey.
Natural Resource Management
The riparian area along Bairs Creek, which flows through the southwest corner of the site and adjacent desert areas between the creek and the road would be retained as a natural area. These areas offer an opportunity for interpretation of high desert natural resources phenomena and processes related to the desert's reclamation of the camp area. No construction or development would occur in this area.
As discussed above, selective thinning of natural vegetation at other sites within the boundary would be undertaken as needed to reveal the historic landscape. Such clearing would be preceded by biological surveys to ensure that neither sensitive plant nor animal species would be affected by such work. In general, low native vegetative cover would be retained throughout the camp to minimize blowing dust.
Surface runoff would be directed to natural channels in accordance with an overall water resource management plan to be prepared for the site in cooperation with LADWP. Runoff through the site in years of above-normal precipitation causes widespread erosion in the camp area and extensive damage to cultural resources. Some grading and diversion both onsite and off may be necessary to correct the past channeling and diversion activities which were aimed at increasing groundwater recharge in the camp area. Additional environmental and cultural resource compliance would be required to complete and implement this plan.
Interpretation
The interpretive program would be aimed at providing visitors with an understanding and appreciation of the broad range of human history at Manzanar over time, including the War Relocation Center period, Native American habitation and used, and early Anglo-
American settlement and use. The specific themes to be addressed at the site would be further refined during interpretive planning, but would be expected to include the following:IV. War Relocation Center
· The background, scale, and broad outlines of the relocation program, including reference to the other camps and assembly areas.
· Japanese American history prior to World War II.
· The political, constitutional, and legal issues of relocation, and resolution over time, including legal decisions and political actions.
· The relocation experience
· Personal impacts
· Social issues
· Loyalty Issues
· Day-to-day camp life, including work, recreation, and schools.
· Adaptations to life at Manzanar, barracks improvements, landscaping, etc.
· Significant persons in the camp history of Manzanar, e.g. Toyo Miyatake, Ralph Merritt, Ansel Adams, Sadao Munemori.V. Native American Habitation and Use
· The role of the site in Native American life.
· Disruption and dislocation from Anglo-American settlement.
· Owens Valley Native Americans today.VI. Early Anglo-American Settlement and Use
· The Homestead Era & the Shepherd Ranch.
· The Town of Manzanar.
· The town as a planned farming community.
· Day-to-day life at Manzanar-stores, farms, schools.
· Valley Water Wars and the Demise of the Town.
Interpretive Center- The auditorium would be adaptively used as an interpretive center, designed in such a way that the integrity of the building's original configuration and historic fabric would not be compromised. A staffed information desk would provide visitors with answers to questions regarding the site and the relocation program. Books relating to Manzanar and internment would be available. (Information supplied at this center would focus on Manzanar and the other relocation camps. The information function would complement the Eastern California Museum in Independence, and the Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine in providing visitor information for the region.)Exhibits would include photos, documents, artifacts, videos, and interactive media relating to the identified themes. Consideration would be given to restoring some suitable interior spaces in the auditorium to camp era appearance as interpretive niches.
The interpretive center is extremely important to the visitor experience. Except for returning internees, few visitors would be able to grasp the impact of Manzanar without a good orientation to this historic chapter and the site. To quickly orient visitors to the many complex elements of this story would require a major A/V production to tell the broad story of early Japanese immigration, restrictive immigration policy, Pearl Harbor, the relocation orders, the camp experience, Japanese American military contributions during the war, and finally the aftermath of the camp experience.
With this grounding in the basics of the story, the visitor would be ready to learn about the Manzanar experience from the internees themselves. For maximum appreciation of the internment camp experience, the communication needs to be personal, involving one-on-one communication with shared experience between those who lived in the camps and the park visitors. This can be accomplished by extensive use of oral history and personal photographs. Whenever an image, quote, or voice is used in an exhibit, the person in the image making the quote or speaking would be identified. The experience then becomes not one of a certain group- Japanese Americans- but one of individuals whose names you know and what they experienced and how they felt about the evacuation and internment.
Wayside Exhibits- An interpretive publication, containing a camp map, would explain the overall layout and mechanics of the camp. Wayside exhibits would be provided at points of interest in the camp, accessible by trails or one-way roads. Their overall purpose would be to expand on the themes presented in the visitor center, and make them more vivid and more specific to the Manzanar site itself. These exhibits would be unobtrusive and, where feasible, make use of historic photographs of the particular point of interest on the actual site.
All residential block areas and the location of significant structures would be identified by suitable low profile signage to facilitate location of specific buildings and areas by visitors and staff.
Block 13, located immediately north of the auditorium would be designated as a "demonstration" block. The corners of all structures in this block would be marked, and waysides would explain the design, function, and family-living implications of each of the structures, including barracks, mess halls, latrines, laundry rooms, etc. The location of each watchtower would be identified with a marker visible to visitors within the camp area.
All memorial plaques placed at the historic camp entrance, including the National Landmark Plaque, the State historical marker, and the Blue Star Memorial Highway marker, would be relocated for better display and protection to the vicinity of the interpretive center.
Personal Services- Guided walks of the site by NPS interpreters would be provided as staffing permits. A Volunteer-In-Parks (VIP) program, enlisting former internees and others as available would be instituted as an important part of the interpretive program. These personal services programs would be directed both toward the general visitor, and also provide special assistance to former internees in locating features such as specific barracks within the camp.
Interpretive Prospectus- An interpretive prospectus would be completed to provide more detailed guidance in exhibits and programs.
Circulation and Parking
Site Entrance- The entrance to the site would, at lest initially, continue to be located at the stone sentry posts, which is the historic entrance. Low barriers would be placed in the area to prevent vehicles coming in contact with historic fabric, which includes the sentry post and related rock alignments in the area. Experience with future park operations may indicate the need for personnel to control vehicle flow in this area during peak use periods.
As discussed above, the memorial plaques currently located in this area would be relocated to the vicinity of the interpretive center. This relocation is necessary to restore the historic scene and to assist in limiting vehicle parking duration in the area and reducing the consequent congestion.
While the historic entrance provides by far the best entrance option from the standpoint of interpretation, the planning analysis revealed some potentially significant visitor and resource protection problems associated with its use. These include the potential for vehicles colliding with and damaging the stone sentry posts and other rock alignments in the area. The potential volume and concentration of vehicles and foot traffic in the area is also a matter of concern, both from a safety and traffic control standpoint and also in terms of impact on the historic scene. The unusual structures, combine with the scenic backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, make this a natural stopping and photography point for many visitors. While CALTRANS has completed new turn lanes on U.S. 395 at the historic entrance, the very high traffic volume (more than 2 million vehicles passing the site annually), presents significant traffic safety problems.
The workability of this entrance would be reviewed during the first five years of park operation. The feasibility of retaining it as the primary park visitor entrance would depend on the volume of traffic at the site, the success in protecting extant historic resources from damage, and whether visitor use at this location can be accommodated in a safe and orderly manner providing for a quality visitor experience. If these goals cannot be achieved, an alternate entrance would need to be provided. The NPS will work cooperatively with CALTRANS to develop such an alternative prior to the planned four-lane upgrading of U.S.395.
In view of its possible future need as a primary park entrance, the existing non-historic road connecting Highway 395 and the auditorium would be retained during this five-year trial period, but access would be blocked. This road would be removed at such time as a decision is made to continue the use of the historic entrance permanently.
An auxiliary entrance, for park staff administrative use and to provide access during the annual pilgrimage, would be established in the vicinity of the camp cemetery. The existing unpaved road adjacent to the west boundary would be gated at the site boundary, and the limited traffic using this road outside the park would be rerouted on existing unpaved roads to the west of the site.Highway 395 Widening- CALTRANS plans to improve Highway 395 to a 4-land divided road, as funds become available. While the current plan involves addition of two northbound lanes to the east, and continued use of the existing roadway for southbound traffic, the realignment of the entire 4-land system further to the east would better serve resource protection, safety, and visitor use objectives at the site. With this arrangement, the existing highway could serve as a frontage road. NPS will explore this concept further with CALTRANS as the highway planning and design process continues.
Internal Circulation- A paved two-lane road would be provided from Highway 395 to the auditorium. All other vehicle roads, as indicated on Map 4, would follow historic routes, and would conform to the historic width of approximately 15'. These one-way roads would either be paved or would be treated with a dust palliative. Due to the narrowness of the historic roadways, and the limited turning radii, busses, large RV's, vehicles towing trailers, and other oversized vehicles would not be permitted on the one-way road system.
Parking areas would be located in five locations as indicated on Map 4. The primary visitor parking area would be located immediately east of the auditorium. This area would necessarily be large enough to accommodate a variety of vehicles (autos, RV's, buses) for periods of one to two hours. The four parking areas in the camp area are intended to accommodate a smaller number of vehicles for a shorter period of time, and can accordingly be considerably smaller. Final location of these parking areas would be made based on natural and cultural resource protection needs, and the need to limit intrusion on the historic scene. The parking area located at the cemetery area would be designed with an overflow area to accommodate the large number of cars and buses at the annual pilgrimage. Only the main parking area at the auditorium would be paved; other areas would be compacted earth, treated with a dust palliative. Layout, design, and location of the parking areas would recognize the potential need for current overflow parking, as well as the possible need for future expansion.
Visitor Use
Park Uses- The primary visitor use at the site would be historic appreciation. Only those visitor amenities essential to an interpretive visit to the site would be provided. No overnight camping facilities would be provided nor would recreational picnicking be encouraged or facilitated. The site is not intended to serve as a highway rest stop or general information facility.
The annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, or similar annual event, would continue at Manzanar, and would continue to be conducted in the cemetery vicinity. NPS would cooperate with the event organizers in conducting this event.
Facilities- All visitor facilities would be designed to be accessible to people with physical disabilities.
Public restrooms would be provided in the interpretive center. Potable water would not be provided in outlying areas. The restrooms at the cemetery area would be supplemented by portable chemical toilets during the annual pilgrimage.
Benches would be provided at strategic locations along the interpretive routes.
Carrying Capacity- No formal studies of either physical or sociological carrying capacity for the Manzanar site have been completed. However, the levels of visitor use anticipated at the site would not result in resource degradation because visitor use pressures will be matched by management activity as needed to provide resource protection. Visitor management strategies for protecting resources would be periodically evaluated for effectiveness, and periodic visitor satisfaction surveys would ensure that the quality of the visitor experience remains high.
Staffing
The site would be operated as a subunit of Death Valley National Park. Death Valley NP would provide most administrative and personnel services for the site. Staffing would be as follows:
Park Superintendent
Administrative Technician
Supervisory Park Ranger
Park Rangers-PFT-2
Park Ranger-Seasonal-2
Maintenance Mechanic Supervisor
Maintenance Worker/Motor Vehicle Operator-2
Laborers-PFT-2
Laborers-Seasonal-4The park would seek to supplement its work force with an active volunteer recruitment program in both interpretive and resource management activities. Cooperative agreements would be negotiated as feasible with Inyo County and other government agencies to supplement staff capability in law enforcement, curation, and maintenance.
Administrative FacilitiesOffice space for the park staff would be provided in the reconstructed south wing of the auditorium.
NPS would acquire maintenance services by contract to the extent possible. Most major maintenance projects, e.g. road and utility work, and those requiring skilled labor such as plumbers and electricians, would be contracted.
Provision would be made in the reconstructed south wing of the auditorium for minimal maintenance storage and workspace to support routine onsite maintenance activities. No flammable materials or gasoline-powered tools would be stored in this space.
Rental space would be obtained in local communities as needed to provide a modest workspace for shop activities, storage for supplies and materials, and storage for park vehicles. A "shop" vehicle, e.g. a van, truck, or trailer, would be acquired if needed and outfitted with tools to perform a wide range of routine maintenance functions throughout the site. This vehicle would be parked at the offsite maintenance facility.
No park housing would be provided on site.
Utilities
Water rights to the Manzanar site would e retained by the City of Los Angeles and water for the park would be provided pursuant to an agreement with LADWP.
Water supply for the interpretive center would be provided by groundwater, with sufficient storage capacity developed to meet peak load demands and emergency fire-fighting needs. Water tanks would be located so as to minimize adverse impacts on the scene. Water conservation practices would be followed at the site with use of low flow devices as feasible. Options for water supply for camp area irrigation would be investigated in conjunction with LADWP.
Sewage treatment requirements would continue to be provided by septic tanks and leach fields. The existing system would be expanded as required.
Commercial electrical and telephone services are available at the site.
Boundary
The boundary would consist of the area identified in the legislation. No boundary changes would be made. A sufficient real property interest would be acquired to allow surface management and protection of the site. Surveys of hazardous wastes and dumpsites within the boundary would be completed and action taken as provided in Interior Department guidelines.
The park would work cooperatively with LADWP and BLM toward continued protection of the historic scene and continued data collection, protection, and interpretation of historic resources on the several thousand acres of adjacent lands that were part of the Manzanar Relocation Area. Attention in this effort would be particularly focused on resources of known interest and significance such as the camp reservoir and water distribution system, hog ranch, chicken ranch, Military Police compound, the historic camp dumps, and other prehistoric and historic resources know to be located in adjacent areas.
The effectiveness of these cooperative efforts in protecting important resources would be monitored over time and, if found not to be successful, consideration would be given to further expansion of the authorized boundary either though administrative action or legislation.
Partnerships
Partnerships with other government agencies and with private organizations can contribute significantly to providing successful resources protection and quality visitor experiences at Manzanar NHS. Some of the potential partners with whom NPS would seek cooperative relationships include the following:
Eastern California Museum
American Society of Landscape Architects
Manzanar Committee
California Department of Transportation
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Independence Fire District
Bureau of Land Management
Inyo National Forest
Inyo County
Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center
Independence Civic Club
Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce
California Department of Forestry
Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center
Laws Railroad Museum
California Department of Fish and Game
California Highway Patrol
Death Valley Natural History Association
Boy Scouts of America
Owens Valley Interagency Committee on Lands and WildlifeManagement Zoning
Management zoning prescribes the primary management emphasis for given areas and limits the actions that can by taken in that area. All of the lands within the boundary would be zoned as historic with the exception of minor areas for parking, which would be classified as development zone, and the riparian corridor of Bairs Creek, which would be zoned as natural
Cost EstimatesAnnual operation and maintenance costs for this alternative are estimated $780,000. Cost estimates for major plan features are shown in Appendix 4.
Alternatives Considered but RejectedSeveral alternative concepts were discussed during the scoping process and during planning team deliberations. These are briefly outlined below along with the rationale for not evaluating them in detail.
The concept of making major boundary additions to encompass substantial portions of the several thousand acre reservation was considered but rejected because this would be beyond the scope of legislative intent and because public ownership of the surrounding lands may make it feasible to protect the historic scene and key extant resources through cooperative efforts.
Extensive reconstruction of camp structures was suggested during scoping but was rejected because of adverse visual impact, high costs, and conflicts with established NPS policy on historic structures.
The use of portions of the site for recreational areas or campgrounds was suggested but such use was found to conflict with the primary purpose of the site, which is historic preservation and appreciation.
A proposal for construction of a large-scale ceramic mural, memorializing the broad sweep of Japanese American history, was suggested during scoping but was rejected because of conflicts with the site purpose and impacts on visual quality. Much of the subject matter of the mural would, or course, be covered by exhibits in the visitor center.
