Lava Beds National Monument General Management Plan National Park Service Newsletter 2, July 2007 U.S. Department of the Interior Public Comments on Lava Beds National Monument Planning Eff ort Contents This newsletter includes: ■ Letter from the Superintendent ■ What We Heard from You: A summary of comments we received during the scoping period of the General Management Plan. ■ How will my comments be addressed in the GMP? ■ Next Steps ■ Contact Information your comments you can review the summary Dave Kruse is Appointed New Letter from the Superintendent: Dear Friends, Superintendent at Lava Beds to see if we adequately captured your National Monument In May 2006 our fi rst newsletter announced thoughts. Please let us know if you have any the opportunity for you and our other additional issues that you think are important As of April 2007, David F. Kruse, a 27-year partners to participate in a General but you may not have commented on. We veteran of the National Park Service (NPS), Management Plan eff ort. We proudly want to have everyone’s input. became the new Superintendent of Lava announced that the 1996 Lava Beds General Beds National Monument. Kruse replaces Management Plan had been implemented The written comments and public workshops Craig Dorman who retired in January 2007. and it was now time to again ask our friends, generated a great deal of important partners and visitors to work with us on information, and provided a diverse range planning a new future for the park. When of issues and suggestions. Consultation with Goodbye from Former completed, the General Management Plan stakeholder organizations also revealed Superintendent Craig Dorman will serve as a blue print that will guide the important considerations. All of the input we I want to thank all of the park’s partners, park in areas of management, development have received is being carefully considered. visitors and friends for their support over and public programming for the next twenty In the next phase of the planning eff ort we the past 13 years that I have served here. years. We requested input from you on will be pulling together all of the input we Much has been accomplished but much specifi c issues that you would like to see received to develop a range of preliminary also remains to be done. I will miss the park considered during the planning process. management alternatives which will be and each of you and I leave knowing that The newsletter was followed by three presented for your review and comment later the park is in good hands. The monument is public workshops that gathered input on this year. a wonderful place. development, park importance and related Sincerely, issues of interest to you. Many interested Sincerely, citizens and groups provided us with valuable information, suggestions and concerns. We would like to thank you for taking the Craig Dorman time to provide comments. This newsletter Dave Kruse summarizes the many comments we received so far in this process. If you provided us with Lava Beds National Monument General Management Plan ■ Newsletter #2 ■ July 2007 Lava Beds National Monument What We Heard from You Foundation Statement Park Purpose: Lava Beds National The Lava Beds National Monument We received very positive responses to the Monument protects and interprets volcanic General Management Plan (GMP) draft statements presented. They appear and natural features of scientifi c interest, and team launched the planning process to capture what you value and fi nd most evidence of prehistoric and historic human in May 2006. The team produced and important about the Lava Beds: the caves settlement, use, and confl ict. mailed newsletters announcing the start and other geologic features, the history of the GMP to 145 organizations and conveyed (Modoc War, Native American Lava Beds National Monument is individuals on the park mailing list. Over history, settlement), the landscape, the nationally signifi cant because: 1,000 newsletter copies were printed for undeveloped character of the park, the ■ Lava Beds National Monument protects distribution at the park visitor center and in wilderness, the plant communities, wildlife, and interprets one of the largest local communities. Three public meetings and the rock art. Many of you also value concentrations of lava tube caves in were held in: Klamath Falls, OR (June the opportunity to explore on your own the continental U.S., along with unique 5); Tulelake, CA (June 7); and Yreka, CA and the educational opportunities that environments and cave-dependent (June 8). Throughout the scoping period, Lava Beds provides. While the comments species. park representatives gave presentations were generally in agreement with the draft ■ Lava Beds National Monument protects about the GMP to local communities, statements, one commenter suggested that and interprets objects, sites, and the organizations and agencies. the stories related to park purpose and rugged volcanic setting associated with signifi cance should be connected to their the 1872-73 Modoc War. The following summary captures the larger area of interest, e.g. the Great Basin, ■ Lava Beds National Monument contains diverse range of issues raised during the Medicine Lake Volcano, and the tribal archeological evidence of human scoping period through public meetings, territory of the Modoc. occupation extending back to the letters, comment forms, stakeholder Holocene (11,000 years to present), meetings and internal National Park Summary of Issues for the exceptional rock art consisting of Service meetings. General Management Plan regionally-distinctive petroglyphs and The following section includes a summary pictographs, and a setting of continued Comments on Park Purpose and signifi cance to Modoc people as a part of of issues and concerns raised during Signifi cance – What you value their traditional homeland. the scoping period, organized by topic. In our fi rst newsletter, we asked you Issues that received the greatest number ■ Lava Beds National Monument protects for comments on park purpose and and interprets outstanding, diverse, of comments include: ideas about visitor abundant, and well preserved lava signifi cance statements, the “foundation education programs and interpretation fl ows, cinder cones, spatter cones, Maar statement.” The foundation statement opportunities; support for protection of volcanoes, and other volcanic features establishes why the monument was cultural and natural resources; an emphasis associated with the Medicine Lake shield created and why it is nationally signifi cant. on working with surrounding agencies, volcano. Understanding what’s most important tribes and communities; preserving the ■ Lava Beds National Monument provides about a park is a key fi rst step in the undeveloped character of the park; and a wilderness experience in the unique planning process. ideas for visitor services such as camping. volcanic landscape of the Great Basin and Cascade ecosystems. ■ Lava Beds National Monument protects and manages native plant and animal species and processes representative of the transition zone for Great Basin and Cascade ecosystems. Other Important Resources and Values Lava Beds National Monument contains sites and resources associated with homesteading and ranching, early cave exploration and use, the Civilian Conservation Corps and war on the home front. Cave Tour at Lava Beds. Wildfl owers along Missing Link Trail. 2 ■ Lava Beds National Monument General Management Plan ■ Newsletter #2 A Summary of What We Heard From You Access and Transportation Collections/Museum Management ■ Prevent junipers from encroaching on the Comments include concerns about access Comments on collections and museum Modoc War historic landscape. to services given the park’s remote location; artifacts focus on a desire to see more Native ■ Improve protection of the rock art at road conditions; transportation options; American and Modoc War artifacts displayed Petroglyph Point. Suggestions include: providing access for visitors with disabilities; at the visitor center. increase security; protect the rock art from erosion; remove chain link fence and access to caves; and providing information ■ More artifacts should be displayed at the replace with a clear wall/barrier; build an to visitors before they enter the park. Visitors visitor center like at the old one. interpretive center; route road around value the opportunity to explore the park ■ The park needs someone to manage the Petroglyph Point. independently without many restrictions. artifact collections. Specifi c comments include: Education and Interpretation ■ Cultural Resources/Historical Sites There is a lack of facilities/services The majority of comments received outside the park to support one’s stay (e.g. and Artifacts during scoping call for increased visitor food, lodging, showers, and groceries). The preservation and protection of sensitive education programs and opportunities for Suggestions include providing services at cultural and historical resources is a concern, interpretation. Some comments suggest more Tulelake or Tionesta and providing more particularly at Petroglyph Point, a site isolated focus on specifi c types of interpretation, while signage to direct visitors to where services from the rest of Lava Beds. Comments others call for an expansion in programs. exist. also indicate interest in improving the ■ Provide visitor information and interpretation of cultural resources related ■ Expand education programs, both within orientation at the north end of the park.