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Final General Management Plan and Comprehensive River Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement

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Final General Management Plan and Comprehensive River Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement Final National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior General Management Plan and Sequoia and Kings Canyon Comprehensive River Management Plan / National Parks Middle and South Forks of the Environmental Impact Statement Kings River and North Fork of the Kern River Tulare and Fresno Counties California Volume 2: The Affected Environment / Environmental Consequences / Appendixes / Glossary / Selected Bibliography Preparers and Consultants / Index [This page intentionally left blank.] 216 SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS and MIDDLE AND SOUTH FORKS OF THE KINGS RIVER AND NORTH FORK OF THE KERN RIVER Tulare and Fresno Counties • California FINAL GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN AND COMPREHENSIVE RIVER MANAGEMENT PLAN / ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Volume 2: The Affected Environment / Environmental Consequences / Appendixes / Glossary / Selected Bibliography / Preparers and Consultants / Index United States Department of the Interior • National Park Service [This page intentionally left blank.] 216 Contents: Volume 2 THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT Ecosystem Stressors ................................................................................................................................ 3 Loss of Pre-Euro-American Fire Regimes ...................................................................................... 3 Introduced Species........................................................................................................................... 3 Air Pollution .................................................................................................................................... 4 Habitat Fragmentation ..................................................................................................................... 5 Rapid Anthropogenic Climatic Change........................................................................................... 6 Natural Resources ................................................................................................................................... 8 Caves ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Water Resources.............................................................................................................................. 9 Soils and Vegetation...................................................................................................................... 11 Wildlife.......................................................................................................................................... 16 Threatened, Endangered, or Sensitive Species.............................................................................. 16 Air Quality..................................................................................................................................... 19 Wild and Scenic Rivers ......................................................................................................................... 25 Description of Designated River Segments................................................................................... 25 Rivers Being Studied for Inclusion in the System......................................................................... 26 Backcountry / Wilderness ..................................................................................................................... 32 Designated Wilderness .................................................................................................................. 32 Potential Wilderness and Other Areas........................................................................................... 32 Backcountry Areas Managed to Preserve Wilderness Characteristics .......................................... 32 Wilderness Studies ........................................................................................................................ 33 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................................ 34 Historical Overview of the Parks................................................................................................... 34 Archeological Resources ............................................................................................................... 37 Historic Structures, Districts, and Cultural Landscapes ................................................................ 37 Cultural Landscapes ...................................................................................................................... 40 Ethnographic Resources and Landscapes...................................................................................... 41 Museum Collections and Archives................................................................................................ 42 Transportation and Circulation.............................................................................................................. 44 Roadway Network in and around the Parks .................................................................................. 44 Visitor Circulation in the Parks ..................................................................................................... 45 Transportation Service Quality of Park Roads .............................................................................. 45 Parking........................................................................................................................................... 51 Visitor Experience................................................................................................................................. 53 Park Character ............................................................................................................................... 53 Visitation ....................................................................................................................................... 54 Visitor Use Patterns....................................................................................................................... 54 Visitor Profile ................................................................................................................................ 56 Visitor Use Projections.................................................................................................................. 56 Educational Opportunities ............................................................................................................. 58 Recreational Opportunities............................................................................................................ 58 Visitor Services ............................................................................................................................. 61 Private Land and Special Use Permits on Park Land............................................................................ 65 Private Land................................................................................................................................... 65 Special Use Permits on Park Land ................................................................................................66 iii CONTENTS Potential Boundary Adjustments................................................................................................... 68 Park Management, Operations, and Facilities....................................................................................... 69 Staffing .......................................................................................................................................... 69 Partners and Other Entities............................................................................................................ 71 Park Facilities ................................................................................................................................ 71 Concession Facilities..................................................................................................................... 75 Socioeconomic Environment ................................................................................................................ 77 Demographic Characteristics......................................................................................................... 77 Park Budget and Park Employment............................................................................................... 80 Mineral King Special Use Permits on Park Land.......................................................................... 80 Regional Communities .................................................................................................................. 80 Figures Figure 1: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District ................................................................ 19 Figure 2: Air Quality Stations in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks ............................................ 24 Figure 3: Average Seasonal Daily Traffic (Friday–Sunday)................................................................. 49 Figure 4: Peak-Hour Level of Service................................................................................................... 50 Figure 5: Average Visits by Month to Sequoia and Kings Canyon — 1992–2001 .............................. 55 Figure 6: Actual and Projected Visitation ............................................................................................
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