Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument General Management Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact

SELECTED ALTERNATIVE AND RATIONALE FOR THE DECISION

Based on the analysis presented in the plan/EA, the NPS selected alternative (the NPS preferred alternative), as described, is depicted in the /plan/EA (pages 14-34 of the General Management Plan).

The selected alternative establishes desired conditions, management zones, and associated strategies and actions to guide use and management activities. The park's organizational structure will reflect the scientific, resource protection, and operational needs of the park and support an interdisciplinary staff with varied experience, education, and skillsets that highlight and showcase the unique paleontological and other resources within the park's boundary. Additionally, the selected alternative will provide guidance for fostering consultation and coordination with governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders to reduce redundancy and leverage partnerships to create a living laboratory for the public that is of both local and global significance. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument will help preserve a dynamic perspective of resources that are part of a changing ecosystem spanning the Late Pleistocene, including the Last Glacial Maximum, which was a period of dramatic climatic and palaeoecological change. Park staff will emphasize collaboration with conservation partners and actively field test new practices and methods for conserving sensitive natural and cultural resources. Science is one part of the park's visitor experiences, and this hands-on approach to experiencing resources will demonstrate to visitors the need to protect these rare resources. The park will offer formalized science and education programming, while also offering other traditional NPS programming to the public so that visitors could experience the park in a way that best suits their needs and preferences. The selected alternative establishes indicators and thresholds for visitor use management. Park managers will designate the temporary 3.5-mile Aliante Loop trail and the two Durango Loop trails (2.25 miles) as official park trails. Park managers are pursuing an amendment of the park boundary to include acquisition of the 44-acre Rainbow parcel along the northern boundary of the south unit of the park.

This alternative was selected because it best responds to the purpose and need of the plan without having significant impacts on park resources. The selected alternative will address legal and policy requirements and fulfill park planning priorities for resource protection, access, use, and development.

Using the criteria defined in the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) NEPA regulations (section 1501.3[b]) and based on the information contained in the plan/EA, the National Park Service has determined that the selected alternative does not constitute a major federal action having a significant effect on the human environment. Therefore, an environmental impact statement will not be prepared.

Document Content:

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