This document includes a proposed general management plan and a final environmental impact statement. Two alternatives, including No Actioon, Minimum Requirements, are evaluated as well.

The proposed action would provide staffing and resource management to protect the site's historic and prehistoric features in perpetuity. Features of significance include those associated with the World War II relocation center, centuries of occupation by American Indian cultures, and pioneer ranching and farming activities.

The site would be managed as a cultural landscape based on the World War II relocation center period. Management as such would require rehabilitation of the gridwork of the camp road system, thinning and clearing of some areas of dense tree growth, reconstruction of the camp's perimeter fence, and rehabilitation of some of the rack gardens and ponds constructed by the internees. Historically significant orchards and ornamental plants from both the farming and relocation eras would be retained and managed as landscape features.

Reconstruction of sample barracks and a watchtower would be undertaken to enhance interpretation and visitor understanding of the camp experience.

The plan calls for expanding the current authorized boundary to include approximately 800 acres. Legislation is currently pending. The expanded boundary would encompass additional historic resources associated with the relocation center and with other historic eras at the site.

Visitors would be served by converting the historic auditorium into an interpretive center, providing an initial point of contact to inform the visitor about the site through a series of displays and presentations. Barracks blocks and significant structures throughout the camp would be marked to demonstrate the camp layout to the visitor.

Outlying areas of the camp would be available to visitors through the improvement of historic roadway alignments to accommodate one-way auto traffic. Interior portions of the camp would be accessible only by foot. A shuttle system would provide visitor access and interpretive tours during periods of substantial use. All visitor use planning would be done to meet current mandates for handicapped access and multilingual interpretation.

NPS support would be provided for the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, which would continue to occur in the vicinity of the cemetery. The parking and circulation plan for the site would minimize the impacts of this major annual (late April) event on the site's resources.

No significant adverse environmental impacts would be expected as a result of the proposal. Major beneficial impacts would accrue in the area of cultural resource protection and visitor use. Minor adverse impacts would result from the added structure' visual disruption of the scene, and to wildlife through the thinning and clearing or existing vegetation.

The no-action alternative would continue the existing minimal Park Service capability at the site, consisting of one staff person working with the landowner and other groups to promote resource protection and visitor service on a voluntary basis. Cultural resource quality would continue to decline through natural forces of erosion and weathering and through vandalism. Visitors to the site would continue to stop at the site out of curiosity but would not be provided much information on the site and its prehistory and significant national history.

The minimum requirements alternative would be similar to the proposed action in providing resource management and protection, and in steps aimed at restoring the essentials of the cultural landscape. The auditorium would be converted to an interpretive center and a network of wayside exhibits would be provided at outlying areas. This alternative would not include boundary expansion, there would be no shuttle system, and there would be no reconstruction of the barracks and watchtower structures.

As in the case of the proposed action, minor adverse environmental impacts would accrue to visual quality and wildlife and beneficial impacts in the area of cultural resource protection would be significant.