Draft General Management Plan and Comprehensive River Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement
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Draft 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 Page intentionally left blank 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 DRAFT 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 Contents: Volume 2 THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT Ecosystem Stressors ................................................................................................................................ 3 Loss of Pre-Euro-American Fire Regimes ...................................................................................... 3 Exotic Species ................................................................................................................................. 4 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..................................................................................................................................... 18 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 ...................................................................................................................... 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 ................................................................ 38 Cultural Landscapes ...................................................................................................................... 40 Ethnographic Resources and Landscapes...................................................................................... 41 Museum Collections and Archives................................................................................................ 42 Transportation and Circulation.............................................................................................................. 45 Roadway Network in and around the Parks .................................................................................. 45 Visitor Circulation in the Parks ..................................................................................................... 46 Transportation Service Quality of Park Roads .............................................................................. 46 Parking........................................................................................................................................... 54 Visitor Experience................................................................................................................................. 56 Park Character ............................................................................................................................... 56 Visitation ....................................................................................................................................... 57 Visitor Use Patterns ....................................................................................................................... 57 Visitor Profile ................................................................................................................................ 59 Visitor Use Projections.................................................................................................................. 59 Educational Opportunities ............................................................................................................. 60 Recreational Opportunities ............................................................................................................ 60 Visitor Services ............................................................................................................................. 64 Private Land and Special Use Permits on Park Land ............................................................................ 68 Private Land................................................................................................................................... 68 Special Use Permits on Park Land ................................................................................................ 69 iii CONTENTS Potential Boundary Adjustments ................................................................................................... 71 Park Management, Operations, and Facilities ....................................................................................... 72 Staffing .......................................................................................................................................... 72 Partners and Other Entities ............................................................................................................ 74 Park Facilities ................................................................................................................................ 74 Concession Facilities ..................................................................................................................... 78 Socioeconomic Environment ................................................................................................................ 80 Demographic Characteristics......................................................................................................... 80 Park Budget and Park Employment............................................................................................... 83 Mineral King Special Use Permits on Park Land .......................................................................... 83 Regional Communities .................................................................................................................. 83 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 87 General Methodology for Analyzing Impacts ............................................................................... 87 Impairment of Park Resources or Values ...................................................................................... 91 Natural Resources.................................................................................................................................. 92 Cave Resources ............................................................................................................................. 92 Water Resources ...........................................................................................................................