Date: October 4, 2007
Contact: Paul Henderson, (435) 719-2140
An environmental assessment (EA) on the proposed expansion and rehabilitation of the Island in the Sky visitor center in Canyonlands National Park is available for public review and comment.
The National Park Service is proposing to remodel the existing facility and build a 2000 square foot addition. The completed facility would more than double the available visitor space, and would enlarge the auditorium, exhibit areas, bookstore, and visitor information areas. It would also address accessibility and safety code issues.
The Island in the Sky District receives over a quarter-million visitors per year and the visitor center is the sole public-contact facility in the district. The current structure, a double wide trailer, was installed in the 1980s as a temporary building when visitation to the district was less than a third of what it is today. This has led to frequent crowding and the inability to accommodate even moderate sized groups.
The National Park Service has developed an environmental assessment to analyze the impacts of two alternatives, the proposed action and no action (continued use of the existing building).
Canyonlands National Park welcomes public review and comments during the public comment period from October 4, 2007 through November 3, 2007. The park will make a final decision on how to proceed after reviewing comments from the public on the EA.
The document is available in electronic format on the internet at . Hard copies are available by request from the park at 435-719-2313 or via e-mail at Dave_Wood@nps.gov. If you wish to comment on the EA, you may post comments online at the above internet address, or mail comments to Canyonlands National Park, Attn: ISKY Visitor Center EA, 2282 SW Resource Blvd, Moab, UT 84532.
