GAAR, General Management Plan Amendment, Scoping Newsletter 2 - October 2010

The NPS has developed preliminary alternative concepts for the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve General Management Plan (GMP) amendment following public scoping efforts in the winter of 2010. We have prepared a newsletter which presents the four preliminary alternative concepts for managing the 8.4-million-acre park and preserve for the next 15-20 years. These include three action alternatives and the "no action alternative," which is a continuation of current management. The newsletter also provides an update on the wilderness study process associated with this GMP amendment. Today, approximately 7 million acres of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is designated wilderness. The study will examine almost 1 million acres of National Preserve lands for possible recommendation to Congress for wilderness designation.

Public comment is invited on the preliminary alternative concepts as well as the five management zones that are applied across the park under the three action alternatives. The zones encompass a range of desired resource and visitor use conditions, recreational improvements and administrative infrastructure. Public meetings on the draft alternatives will be held this fall in Anchorage, Fairbanks and communities near and within the park and preserve. Additional outreach efforts are planned with key stakeholders, including Alaska Natives and local rural subsistence users.

Comments are requested before November 15, 2010, so the NPS can consider input before continuing with the planning for this general management plan amendment/wilderness study.

Topic Questions:

1. After reading over the draft management zones, do you feel these zones cover the range of experiences you would hope to find at Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve? If not, why not?

2. After reading about the four preliminary alternative concepts, are there certain aspects or elements of the alternatives that you would change? Do you have ideas for other concepts? Briefly explain.

3. After reviewing the draft management zone maps associated with each preliminary alternative concept, do you feel the zoning reflects the intent of the alternative? If not, why not?

4. After reviewing the specific actions the alternatives will address, do you feel the list is comprehensive? If not, what other specific actions should be included?

Document Content:

GAAR, General Management Plan Amendment, Scoping Newsletter 2 - October 2010   (2.8 MB, PDF file) GAAR, General Management Plan Amendment, Scoping Newsletter #2-Comment Card   (178.1 KB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.