final environmental impact statement general management plan development concept plan CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK – UTAH Final Environmental Impact Statement General Management Plan Development Concept Plan CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK September, 1998 This Final General Management Plan/Development Concept Plan presents four alternatives for the management, use, and development of Capitol Reef National Park over the next 15 years. The preferred alternative is designed to protect and preserve exceptional resources, the quality of visitor experience, and the wilderness characteristics of certain portions of the park. The objectives reflect the purpose for which the area was originally set aside (Presidential Proclamations 2246, 3249, and 3888): to reserve in the public interest the Waterpocket Fold and other features and objects of scientific interest. Resources of particular concern include a variety of geological features, strata, and mineral deposits; biologically productive riparian areas; water quality in park streams and the natural “waterpockets” for which the fold is named; air quality, scenic vistas, and night sky vistas; endangered, sensitive, protected, and candidate plant and animal species; the park’s biological diversity; and Capitol Reef’s archeological and historic resources, particularly the rural historic landscape of Fruita. Alternative A, the preferred alternative, emphasizes wilderness preservation and resource protection while still accommodating a variety of park uses and ensuring quality visitor experiences. Alternative B focuses on removing many existing developments, to restore and enhance natural resources and wilderness qualities of the park. Alternative C, the 1982 General Management Plan, emphasizes visitor services and facilities, including development in some backcountry areas. Alternative D, the No Action Plan, would maintain visitor services and resource protection at current levels throughout the 15-year life of the plan. Superintendent Capitol Reef National Park HC 70, Box 15 Torrey, Utah 84775 435-425-3791 National Park Service – U.S. Department of the Interior SUMMARY in the 1974 Wilderness Proposal. Natural processes would continue to operate as freely as possible. Native species re- The purpose of this Final Environmental introduction, such as the desert bighorn Impact Statement / General Management sheep program, would continue. Plan/ Development Concept Plan is to Interpretation would assist visitors in identify and assess the various management understanding the park’s natural and alternatives and related environmental cultural resources. Additional interpretation impacts relative to park operations, visitor and protection would also be provided for use and access, natural and cultural the Fruita Rural Historic District as well as resource management, and general numerous archeological sites throughout the development at Capitol Reef National Park. park In developing the alternatives, attention was given to the management objectives of the In this proposed plan, all existing park and current issues identified in the campgrounds would be retained. This section entitled “Purpose and Need for the alternative contains an interpretive and Plan.” A number of these issues were cultural resource protection plan for the identified for resolution, including visitor Fruita Rural Historic District. It proposes safety, vehicle and pedestrian circulation, expansion of a walking trail through the interpretation, historic, ethnographic, district, interpretive waysides to explain the archeological and natural resource pioneer history, and orchard and building protection, housing, administrative office preservation to enhance the historic space, grazing management, and staffing. character of the area. The remaining day The General Management Plan that Capitol use trails would be maintained per NPS Reef National Park currently uses was standards. developed in 1982. Since that time, visitation has increased 127% and patterns The semi-primitive and primitive zones, of visitor use have changed substantially. comprising 93 percent of the park, would The 1982 plan no longer adequately remain largely undeveloped. Legally addresses the issues and concerns of today. mandated grazing of livestock would continue and Capitol Reef would gradually PREFERRED ACTION AND assume responsibility for management of ALTERNATIVES grazing within the park, from the Bureau of Land Management. The National Park A preferred action and three other Service would continue to support “willing alternatives have been analyzed. seller” buyouts of current AUMs. ALTERNATIVE A: PRESERVE The plan proposes that visitors would RESOURCES AND VISITOR continue to use the visitor center as the OPPORTUNITIES (PREFERRED primary contact point for the park. Due to ACTION) its small size, the current facility would be modernized and enlarged by 8100 square Under the preferred action, (Alternative A), feet to accommodate both increased visitor Capitol Reef would continue to be a service needs and administrative/office minimally developed park with its space requirements. In the Fremont River wilderness qualities preserved as described ii District, Sleeping Rainbow Ranch and the two phases as described in Table 3, Sprang Cottage would be rehabilitated and “Phased Sequence of Actions and Cost.” adaptively used for scientific and The first phase addresses the immediate educational purposes. In addition, other priorities for the first five years and has a historic and early residences, such as the gross capital cost of $5 million. Holt House and the Brimhall House, would be improved for adaptive use. Except for certain adverse impacts from grazing which may affect various species of The National Park Service would continue wildlife and vegetation, overall impacts to explore, with the US Forest Service and associated with the implementation of this the Bureau of Land Management, the plan would be beneficial to the park’s development of an interagency visitor natural and cultural resources due to center outside the park. increased monitoring and management emphasis in sensitive areas. Visitors may Most concession services would continue to experience more services and opportunities be located outside the park with the in the threshold and rural developed zones, possible future exception for an alternative and visitation and length of stays would visitor transportation system for Scenic continue to rise, particularly in the Fruita Drive or a bicycle concession. A area. The remote quality and solitude of the feasibility/suitability study is proposed to park’s wilderness character would be determine when and what kind of enhanced in the primitive and semi- transportation system is needed. primitive zones. Long term phase-out of government ALTERNATIVE B: NATURALIZE AND residences would be proposed, assuming RESTORE housing needs could be met in nearby communities. Emergency personnel would Under this alternative, many facilities remain quartered in the park. Park would be eliminated or relocated outside maintenance activities would continue to the park boundaries. These would include maintain existing infrastructure, and most of the employee residences and other permanent buildings would be retained and non-historic homes in the Fruita expanded to accommodate increased area/Fremont River District, the Sleeping activities. In the proposed plan, current Rainbow Ranch, Peek-a-boo trailer, and utility corridors and utility lines would The Post Corral. Some historic buildings remain, and as funding permits, existing would continue to be maintained and overhead lines and new lines would be interpreted. The Brimhall and Sprang buried. houses, which are not period structures, would be removed and the sites naturalized. Staffing levels would be increased to meet Essential service for health and safety visitor and resource protection would be maintained but many interpretive responsibilities associated with monitoring and some recreational services would be for appropriate visitor carrying capacities. curtailed. Developments proposed in this plan are The Fruita campground would be scheduled to occur mainly in the first of eliminated and the site restored to fields, iii orchards and native vegetation. No Management, the total administration of overnight camping would be provided in grazing activities within Capitol Reef. Fruita Valley. In addition, Cedar Mesa and Native species re-introductions, such as the Cathedral campgrounds would be closed. desert bighorn sheep program, would The existing trail system in the rural continue. developed zone would be minimally upgraded to provide better handicap This alternative would not permit accessibility and wayside exhibits would be concession services within the park. removed to enhance the pioneer character of the Fruita Rural Historic District. Most Maintenance activities would likely be of the day-use trails in the threshold zone reduced from existing levels since the would be minimally maintained at current requirements for the upkeep of the park’s levels. Tour guiding posts found along infrastructure would be less. Current utility Scenic Drive and in the Waterpocket and corridors and utility lines would remain Cathedral Districts would be removed. The unchanged except for those serving amphitheater near the Fruita campground Sleeping Rainbow Ranch, which would be would be removed and interpretation removed. New utility lines would be buried provided at the visitor center. as funding permits. The current visitor center would