This spring the National Park Service (NPS) will begin to develop a General Management Plan (GMP) and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to replace the 1978 San Juan Island National Historical Park Master Plan. Many conditions on San Juan Island and in the park have changed since the last plan was produced. According to the 2001 population census, San Juan County is now the fastest growing county in the state. More than 150,000 annual park visitors have been recorded at American and English camps. This growth in local population and visitation has implications for management of the park’s resources.

The new GMP will set the basic management philosophy for San Juan Island National Historical Park for the next 15 years. It will provide strategies for addressing issues and achieving management objectives for the park to guide protection and management of cultural and natural resources, visitor use and services, educational and interpretive programs, administration and operations, and Native American activities and traditional use. Preparation of this plan will be consistent with legislation creating the park and the National Park Service’s Organic Act of 1916, providing for protection of the park’s natural and cultural resources while inviting appropriate visitor use and enjoyment of the park.

Planning Team

The development of the GMP will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team of planning professionals from the NPS support office in Seattle, park staff, and the park superintendent. In addition, consultants possessing specialized knowledge or expertise of the park may serve as advisors to the planning team. Numerous agencies and organizations at the state and local level will also be contacted for their input and expertise.

Environmental Impact Statement

The GMP will also contain an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental consequences of implementing the plan. As required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a range of alternatives will be developed, with the help of public involvement, to evaluate distinct management approaches for dealing with park issues. Through newsletters such as this one and public workshops, we will seek the public’s help in identifying issues and commenting on the draft GMP/EIS.

Relationship of the GMP to the Cattle Point Road EIS

In response to coastal erosion and undercutting of a portion of Cattle Point Road, the NPS and San Juan County Public Works have been working together to prepare an environmental impact statement for a proposed road realignment. The portion of the road that is affected is a 1,750 foot stretch along the eastern boundary of the park. The road is critical in providing access between Cattle Point and the remainder of San Juan Island affecting approximately 270 residents.

Public scoping meetings took place in August 2001 and comments were solicited. Since that time, a new acting Public Works Director and a new superintendent at San Juan National Historical Park have been chosen and are now diligently working together on the project.

It is important to note that the park’s general management plan and the Cattle Point Road EIS will continue to be separate and independent planning processes. The general management plan would confirm the need for general access through the park to the San Juan community. The Cattle Point Road EIS would assess and analyze in detail how the road is realigned and restored. However, it is the intention of the NPS to keep the public informed on important milestones of this project though this web page, press releases an a peridodic newsletter that can be obtained at park visitors centers or by writing:

San Juan Island NHP
PO Box 429
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

em-mail: peter_dederich@nps.gov

Telephone: (360) 378-22240
FAX: (360) 378-2996