National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Shenandoah National Park Virginia Rock Outcrop Management Plan Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect September 2008 This page intentionally left blank Cover photo courtesy of Gary P. Fleming National Park Service Rock Outcrop Management Plan Shenandoah National Park Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Rock Outcrop Management Plan Environmental Assessment / Assessment of Effect Shenandoah National Park Luray, Page County, Virginia SUMMARY Proposed Action: : Shenandoah National Park has prepared this Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect to analyze alternatives related to direct the future management of rock outcrop areas in the Park. The purpose of taking this action is to address the need to protect, restore, and perpetuate rock outcrops and natural resources associated with the outcrops while providing a range of recreational opportunities for visitors to experience. Several feasible alternatives were considered. Alternative B, the NPS preferred alternative, proposed to establish a balance between natural resource protection and visitor use. Actions under this alternative would allow visitor use of selected rock outcrop areas while minimizing impacts to natural resource conditions. Implementing the preferred alternative would have negligible to moderate impacts to geological and soil resources, ecological communities, rare, threatened and endangered plants, rare, threatened or endangered species, wilderness character, cultural landscapes, archeological resources, climbing activities, recreational activities, and visitor experience. This document will be used for compliance with both the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. For further Information Contact: Martha Bogle Shenandoah National Park 540-999-3500 Note to reviewers and responders: If you would like to comment on the Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect, you may mail comments by November 30, 2008 to the name and address below or you may post them electronically at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Superintendent Shenandoah National Park 3655 U.S. Highway 211 East Luray, VA 22835-9036 i This page intentionally left blank National Park Service Rock Outcrop Management Plan Shenandoah National Park Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION........................................................ 1 Purpose and Need for Action...................................................................................2 Background..............................................................................................................2 Park Purpose and Significance.....................................................................2 Relationship of Proposal to Other Planning Projects...................................6 National Park Service Policies and Actions...............................................10 Scoping, Planning Issues, and Impact Topics........................................................10 Internal Scoping.........................................................................................11 Identification of Resources and Site Ranking............................................17 External Scoping........................................................................................22 Impact Topics Retained for Analysis.........................................................23 Impact Topics Dismissed from Detailed Analysis.....................................24 CHAPTER 2: ALTERNATIVES ....................................................................................... 29 Introduction............................................................................................................30 Alternative A: No Action.......................................................................................30 Alternative B: Balance between Natural Resource Protection and Visitor Use (NPS Preferred Alternative) .....................................................................31 Alternative C: Emphasis on Natural Resource Protection.....................................37 Alternative D: Emphasis on Visitor Use................................................................40 Environmentally Preferred Alternative..................................................................42 Summary Comparison of Alternatives...................................................................43 Summary of Environmental Consequences...........................................................44 CHAPTER 3: AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT.................................................................... 49 Introduction............................................................................................................50 Natural Resources ..................................................................................................50 Geologic and Soil Resources .....................................................................50 Ecological Communities............................................................................53 Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants ..................................................55 Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species................................................61 Wilderness Character.............................................................................................62 Wilderness Character.................................................................................62 Cultural Resources.................................................................................................63 History of the Area.....................................................................................63 Cultural Landscapes...................................................................................64 Archeological Resources ...........................................................................64 Visitor Use and Experience ...................................................................................65 Climbing Activities....................................................................................65 Recreational Activities...............................................................................65 Visitor Experience .....................................................................................66 CHAPTER 4: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES.................................................... 67 Introduction............................................................................................................68 Methodology..........................................................................................................68 Direct and Indirect Impacts........................................................................69 Cumulative Impacts ...................................................................................69 Impairment of Park Resources and Values................................................69 ii National Park Service Rock Outcrop Management Plan Shenandoah National Park Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect Impacts to Cultural Resources and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.....................................................................70 Impacts to Natural Resources.............................................................................72 Geologic and Soil Resources .................................................................................72 Methodology and Impact Thresholds ........................................................72 Impacts of Alternative A: No Action.........................................................72 Impacts of Alternative B: Balance between Natural Resource Protection and Visitor Use (NPS Preferred Alternative) .....................74 Impacts of Alternative C: Emphasis on Natural Resource Protection .............................................................................................75 Impacts of Alternative D: Emphasis on Visitor Use..................................77 Ecological Communities........................................................................................79 Methodology and Impact Thresholds ........................................................79 Impacts of Alternative A: No Action.........................................................79 Impacts of Alternative B: Balance between Natural Resource Protection and Visitor Use (NPS Preferred Alternative) .....................81 Impacts of Alternative C: Emphasis on Natural Resource Protection .............................................................................................83 Impacts of Alternative D: Emphasis on Visitor Use..................................85 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants .............................................................86 Methodology and Impact Thresholds ........................................................86 Impacts of Alternative A: No Action.........................................................87