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Plan Process
Badlands National Park » GMP
There are typically three broad phases to producing a general management plan, with each phase consisting of several steps.
During the first phase the planning team sets goals, identifies issues, and collects data related to these issues.
Efforts during the second phase focus on defining alternate ways to achieve goals and resolve issues. Typically, three to five different management alternatives will be identified and one alternative will be chosen as the National Park Service's preferred action, which is the alternative the National Park Service believes best fulfills our statutory mission and responsibilities.
The planning team then compiles this information in a document known as a draft general management plan / environmental impact statement, which includes an analysis of the impacts of implementing each of the alternative ways of achieving the goals and resolving the issues.
After public review, the team considers and incorporates appropriate public comments and prepares a final general management plan / environmental impact statement. A record of decision, which is the official approval of one of the alternatives for managing the park, is issued no less than 30 days after distribution of the final plan.
When funding becomes available, park managers implement the approved general management plan. Public involvement is critical throughout the process.
* indicates the current step in the planning process
Step 1. Initiate Project
Step 2. Define planning context and foundation
Step 3. Develop and evaluate alternatives
Step 4. Prepare a draft document
Step 5. Publish Draft Document *
Step 6. Implement the Approved Plan
Badlands National Monument was authorized in 1929 for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. An accompanying report reveals congressional intent to preserve the scenic and scientific values of a portion of the White River Badlands and make them accessible to the public for enjoyment and inspiration. Additional language discussed the vast beds of vertebrate fossil remains. The whole area is a storehouse of biological past and since 1847 it has been the scene of scientific expeditions from all parts of the world.
In 1968, Congress passed an act expanding the boundaries of the monument to include additional lands, the South Unit, of outstanding scenic and scientific character. In 1978, the monument was redesignated as Badlands National Park.
This planning effort was originally going to provide one comprehensive plan for management of the entire park. However, the South Unit of Badlands National Park is located on tribal lands, within the Pine Ridge Reservation. These lands are managed as part of the park, through a memorandum of understanding with the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe are discussing the future of this relationship. Due to these ongoing discussions, this plan focuses only on the North Unit, the South Unit will be addressed in a separate plan.
During the first phase the planning team sets goals, identifies issues, and collects data related to these issues.
Efforts during the second phase focus on defining alternate ways to achieve goals and resolve issues. Typically, three to five different management alternatives will be identified and one alternative will be chosen as the National Park Service's preferred action, which is the alternative the National Park Service believes best fulfills our statutory mission and responsibilities.
The planning team then compiles this information in a document known as a draft general management plan / environmental impact statement, which includes an analysis of the impacts of implementing each of the alternative ways of achieving the goals and resolving the issues.
After public review, the team considers and incorporates appropriate public comments and prepares a final general management plan / environmental impact statement. A record of decision, which is the official approval of one of the alternatives for managing the park, is issued no less than 30 days after distribution of the final plan.
When funding becomes available, park managers implement the approved general management plan. Public involvement is critical throughout the process.
* indicates the current step in the planning process
Step 1. Initiate Project
Step 2. Define planning context and foundation
Step 3. Develop and evaluate alternatives
Step 4. Prepare a draft document
Step 5. Publish Draft Document *
Step 6. Implement the Approved Plan
Badlands National Monument was authorized in 1929 for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. An accompanying report reveals congressional intent to preserve the scenic and scientific values of a portion of the White River Badlands and make them accessible to the public for enjoyment and inspiration. Additional language discussed the vast beds of vertebrate fossil remains. The whole area is a storehouse of biological past and since 1847 it has been the scene of scientific expeditions from all parts of the world.
In 1968, Congress passed an act expanding the boundaries of the monument to include additional lands, the South Unit, of outstanding scenic and scientific character. In 1978, the monument was redesignated as Badlands National Park.
This planning effort was originally going to provide one comprehensive plan for management of the entire park. However, the South Unit of Badlands National Park is located on tribal lands, within the Pine Ridge Reservation. These lands are managed as part of the park, through a memorandum of understanding with the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe are discussing the future of this relationship. Due to these ongoing discussions, this plan focuses only on the North Unit, the South Unit will be addressed in a separate plan.