General Management Plan
Final General Management Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement Colorado National Monument Mesa County, Colorado February 2005 This Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement describes and analyzes a proposed action and two alternatives for managing and using Colorado National Monument. The purpose of a general management plan (GMP) is to map out a clear vision for the direction of management of Colorado National Monument for the next 15–20 years. The GMP will provide comprehensive and integrated guidance for perpetuating natural systems, preserving cultural resources, providing opportunities for visitor enjoyment and understanding and the organizational mechanism, including partners, to accomplish the plan. The main issues addressed by this plan revolve around the rapid urbanization occurring around the monument, and how to manage the monument in the face of this change. Issues include managing ecosystems and cultural resources, vandalism and resource damages, the future of trails and trailheads, use conflicts on Rim Rock Drive, interagency information, education and outreach, and boundary adjustments. Alternative A: No Action. This alternative would continue existing management practices, resulting in current resource conditions and visitor opportunities and the logical progression of probable trends over time. It is required as a baseline against which the other alternatives can be compared. Without the guidance of a current general management plan, there would not be a clear focus for setting priorities. Management would continue to tend to be reactive to the crises of the moment rather than being proactive toward specific goals. Alternative B (Preferred). The concept of this alternative is to weave Colorado National Monument into the regional ecosystem on the northeastern edge of the Colorado Plateau by pursuing common stewardship goals among government agencies, tribes, educational institutions, and communities.
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