Revised General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment 2021

The Kalaupapa NHP General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (GMP/EA) provides broad direction and guidance for resource management, visitor use and access, and an operational shift from co-management with the State of Hawai'i Department of Health to primary management by the NPS.

The GMP/EA is derived from the information and analysis in the previously developed Kalaupapa NHP Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) released in April 2015. The NPS started the GMP project as an EIS but determined in 2018 that an EA was more appropriate based on the removal of the proposed boundary expansion, the continued determination that no significant impacts would result in the implementation of the alternatives (including the preferred alternative in this EA), and on current Department of the Interior guidance on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. In 2018, the GMP/EA was distributed and comments were solicited. This revised GMP/EA clarifies the preferred alternative and analysis in light of the comments received and the intervening development of a programmatic agreement to address potential adverse effects to historic resources identified earlier in the GMP/EA process.

The GMP/EA examines two alternatives, Alternative 1: no action (A-1) and Alternative 2: NPS preferred (A-2), which were included in the prior draft GMP/EIS and have been modified to address public comments received. Two other alternatives from the draft GMP/EIS, which were considered but dismissed from further consideration, are discussed.

Under A-1, programming, facilities, staffing, and funding would continue at their current levels to protect the values of Kalaupapa NHP. Cooperative agreements with agencies and organizations and the lease agreement with Department of Hawaiian Home Lands would continue. Alternative 1 provides no new direction to NPS managers after the DOH departs Kalaupapa.

A-2, the NPS preferred alternative, emphasizes stewardship of Kalaupapa NHP's lands and resources in collaboration with the park's many partners. Kalaupapa NHP's diverse resources would be managed from uka to kai (mountain to sea) to protect and maintain their character and historical significance. Through hands-on stewardship activities, service and volunteer work groups would have meaningful learning experiences, while contributing to the long-term preservation of Kalaupapa NHP's resources. Visitation by the general public would be supported and integrated into park management and would change, including by allowing children to visit Kalaupapa with adult supervision and removing the 100 persons per day visitor cap, while continuing to limit the number of visitors in order to protect the resources within the park and the purpose of the park.

Document Content:

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