General Management Plan Amendment

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park (Lyndon B. Johnson NHP) was established, "…to preserve in public ownership historically significant properties associated with the life of Lyndon B. Johnson" (Public Law 91-14). The park is made up of two units: one in Johnson City, Texas and one at the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch (LBJ Ranch) near Stonewall, Texas. Prior to the 1999 general management plan/environmental impact statement (GMP/EIS), the park had been operating under its 1977 Master Plan. Although that plan provided initial guidance and direction for the park's early years, the 1999 GMP/EIS was developed to provide long-term guidance at the park. However, since the 1999 GMP/EIS, conditions at the LBJ Ranch have changed; park visitation continues to decline, use of the tour buses increasingly strains the park's budget, and subsequent analysis of the 1999 GMP/EIS caused current management to request a reevaluation of public access and private vehicle use on the LBJ Ranch. Some actions in the 1999 GMP/EIS may no longer be appropriate because of these changes, and alternative actions should be evaluated with this General Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Assessment (plan amendment/EA). This plan amendment/EA describes the actions required to make the Texas White House and other park resources more accessible to the public and the preservation requirements necessary to ensure their continued existence. It is the intent of this planning effort to provide a comprehensive direction for the LBJ Ranch for the next 10 to 15 years. Actions needed to achieve this goal include the reevaluation of the unit's transportation system, maintenance operations, and use of historic structures. Implementing the NPS Preferred Alternative (Alternative C) would result in moderate, long-term, beneficial impacts on cultural landscapes, historic structures, visual resources, site access and circulation, visitor use and experience, and operations and infrastructure; minor, short-term, adverse impacts on visual resources; minor to moderate, short-term, adverse impacts on operations and infrastructure; minor, long-term, adverse impacts to cultural landscapes; minor to moderate, long-term, adverse impacts on visitor use and experience; and moderate, long-term, adverse impacts on visual resources.

The public is invited to share their comments at an open house meeting at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Park headquarters on Tuesday, August 17th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Park staff will be in attendance to discuss issues related to the future of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.

Note to Reviewers and Respondents:
During the 30-day public review period, if you wish to comment on this Environmental Assessment you may mail comments to the name and address below or you may post them electronically on this website by clicking on the "Open for Public Comment" link to the left. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware thatyour entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.


Russell Whitlock,
Superintendent,
Lyndon B. Johnson
National Historical Park

Contact Information

Russ Whitlock, Superintendent
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
(830) 868-7128 x226