Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment to Enhance Visitor Services and Rehabilitate the Cultural Landscape at Rancho de las Cabras.

Date: December 5, 2013
Contact: Daniel Hollifield, [phone]

November 22, 2013
For Immediate Release
Daniel Hollifield [phone]

Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment to Enhance Visitor Services and Rehabilitate the Cultural Landscape at Rancho de las Cabras.  

The National Park Service (NPS) has released an Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzing a proposal to rehabilitate the cultural landscape and further develop visitor services at the Rancho de las Cabras near Floresville, Texas.This EA has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide the decision-making framework that 1) analyzes a reasonable range of alternatives to meet objectives of the proposal, 2) evaluates potential issues and impacts to the Rancho's resources and values, and 3) identifies mitigation measures to lessen the degree or extent of these impacts.

The EA analyzes two alternatives and the no-action alternative. The action alternatives were identified based on program goals and objectives, internal and external scoping, guidance from existing park plans, and policy guidance from the NPS. Each action alternative involves modifying the cultural landscape to better reflect the mission period; creating more visitor services such as trails and a contact station; and improving parking and access. The moderate and maximum alternatives represent a progression in the size and scope of the modifications and improvements that would be made.

This environmental assessment is available for public review and comment for 30 days, from November 22, 2013 to December 24, 2013. If you wish to view and comment on the document, you may access the document and post comments online at:  https://parkplanning.nps.gov/rancho_ea or mail comments to:

Greg Mitchell
2202 Roosevelt Avenue,
San Antonio, Texas 78210-4919

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established in 1978 to preserve, restore, and interpret the Spanish colonial missions of San Antonio, which represent the largest concentration of cultural resources from the Spanish colonial period in the United States. For more information about the National Park Service and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park please visit our web site at www.nps.gov/saan. For more information about our friends group, Los Compadres de San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, visit www.loscompadres.org.

 -NPS-