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Coldwater Spring Management Plan/Environmental Assessment
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area » Coldwater Spring Management Plan/Environmental Assessment » Document List
The namesake "Coldwater Spring" property was last home to the Bureau of Mines Twin Cities Research Center, whose buildings were built in the 1950s and 60s. Congress defunded the Bureau of Mines in 1996, and the abandoned buildings gradually fell into disrepair. The campus was transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) in 2010, with the mandate to remove the buildings, parking lots, road, and lawn areas and restore the site to park and open space.
With the near completion of the landscape restoration of the former Bureau of Mines site, the
NPS is beginning to identify future conditions and uses for the Coldwater Spring area. Adjacent land managers are interested in partnering with the NPS to ensure that management of their sites is coordinated as a part of the management of the Coldwater Spring area. As a result, there is the possibility for the NPS to manage a total of approximately 82 acres in the future.
The development of a draft Coldwater Spring Management Plan will guide the NPS on how to best:
• accommodate visitor use;
• protect the site's resources;
• maintain respect for the sacred, historical, and cultural aspects of this place;
• recognize the important contributions of volunteers to the property's restoration; and
• strengthen a sense of connection to the Coldwater Spring area for all.
The plan will also address the deteriorating condition of the Coldwater springhouse and reservoir. Input will be collected from stakeholders and the public to inform the draft plan. (An environmental assessment will be prepared separate from and will follow this draft plan.)
With the near completion of the landscape restoration of the former Bureau of Mines site, the
NPS is beginning to identify future conditions and uses for the Coldwater Spring area. Adjacent land managers are interested in partnering with the NPS to ensure that management of their sites is coordinated as a part of the management of the Coldwater Spring area. As a result, there is the possibility for the NPS to manage a total of approximately 82 acres in the future.
The development of a draft Coldwater Spring Management Plan will guide the NPS on how to best:
• accommodate visitor use;
• protect the site's resources;
• maintain respect for the sacred, historical, and cultural aspects of this place;
• recognize the important contributions of volunteers to the property's restoration; and
• strengthen a sense of connection to the Coldwater Spring area for all.
The plan will also address the deteriorating condition of the Coldwater springhouse and reservoir. Input will be collected from stakeholders and the public to inform the draft plan. (An environmental assessment will be prepared separate from and will follow this draft plan.)