Foundation Document El Malpais National Monument New Mexico September 2014 Foundation Document
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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document El Malpais National Monument New Mexico September 2014 Foundation Document To Gallup To Chaco Culture National Historical Park 605 CIBOLA NATIONAL FOREST MILAN 547 Exit 79 ACOMA INDIAN RESERVATION To Gallup San ta GRANTS LAGUNA Exit 81 Fe Z 50 49 Av INDIAN en U N 40 ue O RESERVATION N Y N A H C is I to r 480 ic CIBOLA R Exit 85 o u t e M 6 I San Rafael 6 N O U Z U N NATIONAL FOREST Northwest New Mexico T Visitor Center A C I o n 447 Exit 89 N t in e S n To Albuquerque t A 49 40 a g l u a 53 Exit 102 B To Zuni and Gallup O McCartys N I EL MALPAIS T F E o S r A Ri an ia C r 117 G Jos e e D e NATIONAL D I k i v R i d Acomita e S CONSERVATION A N C A A 50 T N AREA El Morro Y N O E 53 V N National Monument S 38 32 A L Bandera Crater Gallo Peak Ice Caves (private) El Malpais (NPS) Information Center C o n t Lava in e Cerro Bandera Crater n 42 ta 8372ft l El Malpais (BLM) 2552m Ranger Station D i El Calderon Area Twin Craters vid e Junction Cave N Lost Woman a Crater t El Calderon io MESA n a l Trailhead NEGRA C S Sandstone Bluffs Overlook E ce R n (closed at dusk) Cerro R ic I Zuni-Aco Big Tubes Area T m Rendija a O T S Tr ra Cerro a il il Americano D E J A S P E 23 ACOMA C E B Cerro O L Negro L I Acoma Pueblo Hoya Braided T Cerro de Cibola Cave EL MALPAIS NATIONAL MONUMENT A Information Hueco y C a A S w Cerro N y R Hoya Y B O E N y Cerro T r S RAMAH NAVAJO t Encierro A n W u La Ventana R O o c R Natural Arch C k R INDIAN c A a LL B A N F W s - r E E INDIAN RESERVATION O H e T H t - N T ra -I C LE Cerro N f O I o Lobo H Narrows n A i WILDERNESS a Picnic Area h C H C on C tin A ental Divid e S 42 E M Cerro RESERVATION Chato McCartys Crater 117 EL MALPAIS A T NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA I E L R L Cerro U T Colorado S O A P B WEST MALPAIS E H C T WILDERNESS R Cerro O Brillante N Trailhead 42 C LAGUNA hain of Crat N ers Lava Falls Area O Ba Y ckc N INDIAN ou A n C tr y B yway O B O RESERVATION L N O Cebollita Peak Y C N E A B C O L L A D N S A l S A N i C J a I r I T A ic 41 N D n Y A e O N Sc N E l L na R o P i t N a O N Y de EL MALPAIS N i A A v Di C L al nt e NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA in nt o C 117 Dittert Site H A CANYON RMIJO O T Z RA R CEBOLLA B The name El Malpais refers to both the national monument managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the O national conservation area managed by the Bureau of Land N Management (BLM). As a land feature, the term El Malpais— 102 WILDERNESS “the Badlands”—is used locally and in other parts of the southwest to refer to lava flows. National Monument Paved road Gas station Private lands exist within present boundaries of El 36 Restrooms North Unpaved Malpais and must be 2-wheel-drive road Picnic area respected. Please close all gates and stay on National Unpaved 4-wheel drive Hiking Conservation Area road (high-clearance) designated roads. and Wilderness Areas Self-guiding trail Hiking trail Do not use this map for hiking. Obtain maps at the 36 Campground 0 1 5 Kilometers Lava flow Continental Divide visitor information center 103 National Scenic Trail Primitive campsite and ranger station. 0 1 5 Miles El Malpais National Monument Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: Core Components 3 Brief Description of the Monument . 3 Park Purpose . 4. Park Significance . 5 . Fundamental Resources and Values . 6 Other Important Resources and Values . 7. Interpretive Themes . 8. Part 2: Dynamic Components 9 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments . 9. Special Mandates . 9 . Special Designations . 10. Administrative Commitments . 10 . Assessment of Planning and Data Needs . 10. Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values . 10 Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values . 20. Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs . 24 . Planning and Data Needs . 25. Part 3: Contributors 32 Appendixes 33 Appendix A: Establishing Legislation and Legislative Acts for El Malpais National Monument . .33 . Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments and Valid Existing Rights . 42 Administrative Commitments . 42 . Valid Existing Rights . 43. Appendix C: Basics for Wilderness Stewardship . 44 . Wilderness Background Information . .44 . History of Land Status, Proclamations and Legislation . .44 . Current Land Status, Map, and Boundary Description . .46 . Appendix D: Tribes Associated with El Malpais National Monument . 48 . Foundation Document El Malpais National Monument Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are: · Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community. · Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service. · Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another. · Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it. · Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone. The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service. The national park system continues to grow and comprises 401 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations. The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values. 1 Foundation Document Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed. A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity. While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment.