Management Plan
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Area AND CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION APRIL 2013 Color Palette PMS Green 5753 PMS Green 7493 PMS Orange 721 PMS Brown 476 Area AND CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION APRIL 2013 Color Palette PMS Green 5753 PMS Green 7493 PMS Orange 721 PMS Brown 476 Linda Balough EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SOUTH PARK NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA Erica Duvic PROJECTS & GRANTS MANAGER SOUTH PARK NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA Color PaleSOUTHtte PARK NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA PMS Green 5753 PMS Green 12467493 CR 16 PMS Orange 721 PMS BrownPO 476 Box 1373 Fairplay, CO 80440 (719) 836-4273 southparkheritage.org Cover photo by Kestrel Aerial, provided courtesy of Beartooth Capital ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS Page 2: Gary Nichols Page 3 (left): Erica Duvic Page 3 (right): Jim Mills Page 4 (left and right): Jim Mills Page 8 (top left and right): Linda Balough Page 8 (top center): Deb Stremke Page 8 (bottom photos): Park County Local History Archives Page 10 (right): Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative Page 11: Gary Nichols DESIGN AND LAYOUT Amy Unger “I jot these lines literally at Kenosha summit, where we return, afternoon, and take a long rest, 10,000 feet above sea-level. At this immense height the South Park stretches fifty miles before me. Mountainous chains and peaks in every variety of perspective, every hue of vista, fringe the view...so the whole Western world is, in a sense, but an expansion of these mountains.” —Walt Whitman TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................ix Executive Summary .............................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................15 Where is South Park? .....................................................................15 What is a National Heritage Area? .............................................. 16 What Led to Designation of the South Park National Heritage Area ........................................ 16 Map of Park County, Colorado, and the South Park National Heritage Area ........................................17 Public Involvement .........................................................................19 Accomplishments Since 2009 .......................................................19 Categorical Exclusion ....................................................................20 Guiding Principles .........................................................................21 Vision/Mission/Purpose ...............................................................21 Goals of the South Park National Heritage Area .......................21 Chapter 2: Management Entity ........................................................................23 Board Composition and Structure ..............................................24 Duties ...............................................................................................24 Relationship with Federal Government Agencies .....................26 Partnerships ....................................................................................29 Active Partners ..........................................................................30 Potential Partners ......................................................................33 Early Action Projects .....................................................................34 Chapter 3: Implementation Plan ......................................................................35 Guiding Principles .........................................................................35 Staffing/Organizational Needs .....................................................36 Potential Market Niches ................................................................37 Goals, with Policies and Implementation Strategies .................38 Goals Matrix ..............................................................................44 Best Management Practices ..........................................................46 Marketing and Promotion ............................................................47 South Park Heritage Brand and Logo ....................................47 Visitor Information ...................................................................48 Budget Planning .............................................................................48 Specific Commitments for Implementation ...............................48 Funding Sources .............................................................................50 Funding History/Program Allocation/Focus Areas .................52 vii Chapter 4: South Park’s Natural Resources ...................................................53 Appendices Formation, Geology, Geomorphology, and Geography ...........54 Appendix A: Public Law 111-11, Sec. 8003, March 30, 2009 Minerals ......................................................................................54 South Park National Heritage Area ..................................91 Altitude and Weather ...............................................................54 Appendix B: Potential Funding Sources .................................................97 Visual Resources .............................................................................54 Appendix C: Bibliography .......................................................................103 Prehistoric Mammals ....................................................................54 Appendix D: Inventories .........................................................................109 Ecosystems ......................................................................................55 Appendix E: The Planning Process ........................................................ 119 Objectives for South Park’s Natural Resources..........................57 Appendix F: Categorical Exclusion Forms, Tribal Consultation Chapter 5: Recreation in the South Park ........................................................59 Letters, State Historic Preservation Officer Outdoor Recreation ........................................................................59 Consultation Letter ...........................................................147 Mountaineering ..............................................................................60 Naturalists and Artists ..................................................................60 Equestrians ......................................................................................60 Cyclists and Four-Wheelers ..........................................................61 Objectives for Recreation in South Park .....................................62 Chapter 6: South Park’s Cultural Resources ..................................................65 Prehistory and American Indian Settlement in South Park ....65 The Bayou Salado – A Salt Valley .................................................66 Population Booms with the Gold Rush .......................................67 Railroads Transform South Park .................................................70 Ranchers Discover South Park’s Fertility ...................................72 The Value of Water ......................................................................... 74 Silver Heels and the Importance of Forklore ............................. 74 Objectives for South Park’s Cultural Resources ........................75 Chapter 7: Interpretive Plan .............................................................................83 What is Interpretation ...................................................................83 Statement of Significance ..............................................................84 Interpretive Themes .......................................................................85 Interpretive Themes Matrix .....................................................86 Audience ..........................................................................................87 Telling the Story ..............................................................................88 Key Interpretive Resources ...........................................................90 viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The South Park National Heritage Area would like to thank the following individuals and organizations who contributed to the development and preparation of the management plan. AUTHORIZATION MANAGEMENT PLAN PLANNING TEAM • Congressional Delegation • South Park National Heritage Area Board of Directors › Then U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar ›N ancy Comer, Chair ›D eputy Chief of Staff to Secretary Salazar Matt Lee-Ashley ›T ina Darrah ›F ormer Colorado U.S. Senator Wayne Allard ›R icki Ramstetter ›F ormer Colorado U.S. Congressman Joel Hefley › Jim Fagerstrom • Park County Commissioners › Elissa Adams • Alma Board of Trustees and Mayor › Jara Johnson • Fairplay Board of Trustees and Mayor ›D ean Weirth • South Park National Heritage Area Board of Directors › Bob Schoppe • Park County Historic Preservation Advisory Commission › Abby Carrington • Gary Nichols, Director of Community Development, Park County • Linda Balough, Executive Director, South Park National Heritage Area FEASIBILITY STUDY • Erica Duvic, Projects & Grants Manager, South Park National • Gary Nichols, Director of Community Development, Park County Heritage Area • Shapins Associates Inc. • Ashley Bushey, former Preservation Planner, Park County • Amy Unger, Preservation Planner, Park County • Keith Payne, former Superintendent, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument • Shirl E. Kasper,