Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLANNING PROCESS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What is a General Management Plan and a Development Concept Plan?
• How is the General Management Plan conducted?
• Will the plan include an Environmental Impact Statement?
• Will the public and other government agencies be consulted during the planning process?
• Will the plan consider potential impacts resulting from its recommendations on areas outside the park?
• How often are General Management Plans revised?

What is a General Management Plan and a Development Concept Plan?

A General Management Plan (GMP) and a Development Concept Plan (DCP) are two important, yet distinct, parts of a tiered decision making process. A GMP articulates the long range management objectives that should be achieved over a 20 year period. A DCP takes a more detailed look at facility development options and/or other program activities.

Many people inside and outside of the National Park Service (NPS) would like to accelerate the planning and design process at Tuskegee Airmen NHS if possible so as many surviving airmen and women may experience, in their lifetimes, the lasting tribute being created in their honor.

A DCP traditionally follows a GMP. However, because Congress provided very specific instructions about facility development in the park’s enabling legislation, the NPS was able to speed up the planning and design process by beginning the DCP before the GMP. DCP planning began last year and the NPS has worked closely with a variety of park stakeholders during that time to develop conceptual designs for the park’s major visitor service facilities. The GMP will not change any decision about facility development made during the DCP planning process.

How is the GMP conducted?

To prepare the GMP, a multi-disciplinary team of NPS personnel will gather and analyze ideas and recommendations about future management of the park. The GMP team will actively consult with federal, state, local, and tribal governments, park staff, and members of the general public in a process called “scoping”.

The diversity of ideas collected during scoping will be used to define a range of management zones that express the cultural and natural resource management priorities of the park and maintain a diversity of high quality visitor experiences.

Management zones will then be overlaid on a map of the park in different combinations and locations to create a range of alternative management strategies, each expressing a unique intent or focus.

Will the plan include an Environmental Impact Statement?

The analysis of GMP alternatives will meet the program standards for NPS implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related legislation, including the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). NPS policy directs that an environmental impact statement (EIS) be prepared for all general management plans. The various strengths and weaknesses of each alternative management strategy will be evaluated in the EIS and provide a sound rationale for selecting a preferred course of action.

Will the public and other government agencies be consulted during the planning process?

General management planning is conducted as part of cooperative regional planning whenever possible. NPS participation in cooperative regional planning is undertaken in the hope of better coordinating and focusing the independent and autonomous efforts of multiple parties. NPS participation in such planning efforts is not intended to prevent reasonable uses of private lands and will acknowledge the rights and interests of other landowners.

Public involvement in the planning process is encouraged in order to learn about the concerns, issues, expectations, and values of existing and potential visitors, park neighbors, people with traditional cultural ties to lands within the park, concessionaires, cooperating associations, other partners, scientists and scholars, and other government agencies. Through public involvement the National Park Service can share information about the planning process, issues, and proposed management actions; learn about the values placed by other people and groups on the same resources and visitor experiences; and build support among local publics, visitors, Congress, and others for implementing the recommendations in the final plan.

Will the plan consider potential impacts resulting from its recommendations on areas outside the park?

While being consistent with NPS management policies and park goals, plans will identify and consider potential effects outside as well as inside the park boundaries and will identify ways to enhance beneficial effects and mitigate adverse effects to the maximum extent possible.

How often are General Management Plans revised?

General management plans will be reviewed and revised as necessary to keep them current. It is anticipated that such reviews will be needed every 15-20 years or sooner if conditions change more rapidly. An approved general management plan may be amended, rather than revised, if conditions and management prescriptions over most of the plan area remain essentially unchanged from those present when the plan was originally approved.