National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior TULE LAKE UNIT WWII VALOR IN THE PACIFIC NATIONAL MONUMENT General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment NOVEMBER 2016 Morgan Yamanaka, former incarceree of Tule Lake, returns to the site of the stockade and jail. National Historic Landmark plaque, 2014. Photo: NPS. ABSTRACT The Tule Lake Unit of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument was established by presidential proclamation on December 5, 2008. As a new unit, it does not have a management plan to guide its development. The purpose of this general management plan and environmental assessment (GMP/EA) is to articulate a vision and overall management philosophy for the Tule Lake Unit that will inform long-term decision-making by current and future managers. This document examines three possible management strategies, or “alternatives,” including the impacts of their implementation. The alternatives address resource protection and preservation, education and interpretation, visitor use and facilities, land protection and boundaries, and long-term operations and management. They comply with National Park Service (NPS) planning requirements and respond to issues identified during the public scoping process. Alternative C is the NPS preferred alternative to guide future management of the unit. Alternative A, the No-Action Alternative, relies solely on the Tule Lake Unit’s base funding. The unit would be closed to the public, except during the summer season at the segregation center’s ditch rider house. Access to Camp Tulelake, the Peninsula, and the segregation center’s stockade would only be allowed infrequently during scheduled tours led by NPS rangers. Only two ongoing projects would be included: the restoration of the jail and a local interpretation and education program. No other interpretation and education, resource management, historic preservation, and facility improvement projects would occur. Alternative B, Limited Operations, proposes limited visitor services, educational and interpretive programming, resource management, facility maintenance and improvements, and staffing. Similar to Alternative A, the unit would be closed to the public, except during the summer season at the segregation center’s ditch rider house. Access to Camp Tulelake, the Peninsula, and the segregation center’s stockade would only be allowed infrequently during scheduled tours led by NPS rangers. Implementation of this alternative would require an increase to the unit’s operating budget. Alternative C, the NPS Preferred Alternative, emphasizes raising national awareness about the Tule Lake Unit’s unique incarceration, segregation, and renunciation history and its resources. Historic resources would be protected through stabilization and historic preservation treatments, and year-round visitor experiences would be provided. Interpretive and educational programs would focus on engaging youth, and technology and digital media would be used extensively to introduce Tule Lake to new audiences and tell the unit’s stories. This document integrates the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106 compliance processes and analysis. It includes a detailed description of the alternatives, a description of the affected environment, the alternatives’ projected environmental consequences, and the results of public involvement and consultation with other agencies, organizations, and individuals associated with planning for the Tule Lake Unit. Pencil drawing of Tule Lake, view of barracks and the Peninsula / Castle Rock. Signed Jack T. Kudo, c. 1942–43. Image: Wing Luke Museum Collection. TULE LAKE UNIT WWII VALOR IN THE PACIFIC NATIONAL MONUMENT General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment Tule Lake Unit of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument P.O. Box 1240 Tulelake, CA 96134 530-667-8113 Contact: Lawrence J. Whalon, Jr., Superintendent Prepared by: National Park Service Pacific West Region—Seattle Office Park Planning and Environmental Compliance 909 1st Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 Please refer to “How to Use This Document” to navigate through the chapters. To comment on this document, please refer to “How to Comment on This Document.” These sections can be found on the following pages. The grandchildren of a Tule Lake incarceree look out on the Peninsula / Castle Rock from within the jail, Tule Lake Pilgrimage, 2016. Photo: NPS. LETTER FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT Dear Friends, We are pleased to present the general management plan for the Tule Lake Unit of WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument. This plan presents the proposed long-term management actions for the Tule Lake Unit over the next 20 years. We invite you to review the document, share your thoughts with us, and let us know how it addresses your aspirations for the future of the unit. In developing this general management plan, we explored a range of ideas, methods, and concepts for managing the Tule Lake Unit. This document describes three distinct alternative strategies for protecting and managing the Tule Lake Unit, as well as an analysis of the environmental impacts and consequences of implementing each of these alternative strategies. Alternative C has been proposed as the National Park Service’s preferred alternative, and this set of actions and programs is intended to become the general management plan for the Tule Lake Unit. In addition to the planning sections, this document contains background information on the Tule Lake Segregation Center, Camp Tulelake, and the Peninsula, including descriptions of the unit’s resources in chapter 4. You will also find the Tule Lake Unit foundation document in chapter 2, which describes the Tule Lake Unit’s purpose, significance, interpretive themes, and fundamental resources and values. Your involvement in the planning process is critical to the creation of this general management plan and associated management strategies. Feedback received through written comments and dozens of public meetings has helped to guide the process, and you will find that many of the ideas that you contributed are represented in the management alternatives and in the National Park Service’s preferred alternative for the Tule Lake Unit. We invite you to continue to help shape the long-term management of the Tule Lake Unit by sending us your comments on this plan. The “How to Use this Document” section provides instructions for how to comment on this document. Your involvement will assist the National Park Service in achieving its mission at the Tule Lake Unit. Thank you for your support and interest in the long-term management of this important site. Lawrence J. Whalon Jr., Superintendent Penciled graffiti by Japanese American prisoners survives in the Camp Tulelake barracks, 2011. Photo: NPS. HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT The Executive Summary at the beginning of the document provides a condensed version of the general management plan (GMP) and environmental assessment (EA). Chapter 1: Introduction sets the stage for the GMP/EA by describing the Tule Lake Unit, WWII and its history, the purpose and need for the plan, the issues that are addressed in the GMP/ EA, and the planning process. It also describes the resources and values at stake in the planning process, the relationship of this GMP/EA to other plans in the region, and next steps and implementation of the plan. Chapter 2: Foundation for Planning and Management includes the “foundation document,” which describes the Tule Lake Unit’s purpose, significance, interpretive themes, and fundamental resources and values. It also describes the special mandates, administrative commitments, and designations. Chapter 3: Alternatives describes three management alternatives, including the National Park Service’s preferred alternative. The alternatives represent reasonable sets of management directions consistent with National Park Service policy and applicable laws and planning requirements. This chapter includes two explanatory charts: the Summary of Alternatives and the Summary of Impacts tables. Chapter 4: Affected Environment provides detailed information about the Tule Lake Unit, focusing on those resources, conditions, and the local socioeconomic environment that could be affected by the decisions contained in the individual management alternatives. Chapter 5: Environmental Consequences describes the impacts of each alternative on resources within the Tule Lake Unit. Chapter 6: Consultation and Coordination summarizes public involvement and the consultation process that was an integral part of the creation of this GMP/EA. This chapter also summarizes public comments received by the NPS during scoping. The Appendices provide more detailed information related to the plan, pertinent legislation, an analysis of boundary adjustment and land protection, a selected bibliography, and a list of the preparers and consultants for the plan. All maps are placed within the text of the applicable chapters. In many cases, decisions or other discussions contained in this GMP/EA refer directly to maps and tables. In fact, many decisions themselves are map-based. The reader should rely on the text, maps, and tables taken together to fully understand the proposed decisions described in this GMP/EA. HOW TO COMMENT ON THIS DOCUMENT This general management plan/environmental assessment (GMP/EA) has been distributed to agencies, interested organizations, and individuals for their review and comment. The public comment period for this document will extend through February