Saguaro National Park National Park Service Arizona U.S. Department of the Interior Saguaro NatioNal Park Comprehensive trails Management Plan / Environmental assessment February 2009 Saguaro National Park Comprehensive Trails Management Plan Environmental Assessment Summary Saguaro National Park proposes to locate, add, eliminate, manage, and maintain trails and associated infrastructure in a comprehensive trails system based on resource protection and visitor use and enjoyment. The plan is needed to protect natural and cultural resources, while providing safe, reasonable access to the park’s trail system for a wide variety of user groups. This Environmental Assessment evaluates a no action alternative and four action alternatives in the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) of the park and a no action alternative and three action alternatives in the Tucson Mountain District (TMD). All action alternatives are based on laws, regulations and policies, public health and safety, and the objectives of this plan. The no action alternative represents current conditions and is also a baseline for comparison to the action alternatives for each respective district. Alternative A for both districts focuses on providing reasonable access and a variety of trail recreational experiences while minimizing redundancy in some high density areas. Both existing and new trails were evaluated in terms of access to attraction sites, variety in terrain, vegetation type, user type, popularity, safe travel, as well as resource protection and sustainability. As a result, some trails in high density areas would be eliminated from the trail system. New trails would link with U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Pima County lands to ensure continuity of appropriate trail recreation on neighboring lands Alternative B for both districts focuses on retaining sustainable trails in some of the more popular or well-established areas of the park, while protecting natural and cultural resources in other areas of the park. To offset resource and maintenance concerns associated with higher densities, some multiuse trails that have sustainability issues would be converted to single-use trails. Alternative C (RMD only) was submitted by the Saguaro Concerned Trail Users, a local interest group. The stated concept of this alternative is “providing trails that are safe, offer variety and convenience, are sustainable over the long term, meet user demand for multiuse, and disperse users to reduce perceptions of crowding.” Public comments were received on alternatives A, B, and C during public meetings and newsletter comment periods. The preferred alternative was constructed from desired components of each of the action alternatives based on public comments and the objectives of this trails plan. This Environmental Assessment has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide the decision-making framework that 1) analyzes a reasonable range of alternatives to meet project objectives, 2) evaluates potential issues and impacts to Saguaro National Park’s resources and values, and 3) identifies mitigation measures to lessen the degree or extent of these impacts. Resource topics that have been addressed in this document include vegetation, wildlife, soils, archeological, historic sites and structures, wilderness values, visitor use and experience, and park management and operations. All other resource topics have been dismissed because the project would result in negligible or minor effects to those resources. No major effects are anticipated as a result of this project. Public Comment If you wish to comment on the Environmental Assessment, you may enter your comments online at the National Park Service website Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/sagu) or you may mail comments to the name and address below. This Environmental Assessment will be on public review for 30 days ending March 6, 2009. 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. Sarah Craighead, Superintendent Saguaro National Park 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail Tucson, AZ 85730 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Saguaro National Park Arizona Saguaro National Park Comprehensive Trails Management Plan / Environmental Assessment February 2009 Table of Contents List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Purpose and Need for Action ........................................................................................ 1 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 1 Background................................................................................................................................. 1 Description and History of Trails in the Park ......................................................................... 2 Purpose of and Need for Action..................................................................................................3 Purpose.................................................................................................................................... 3 Need ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Objectives in Taking Action ................................................................................................... 3 Purpose and Significance of Saguaro National Park .................................................................. 3 Park Purpose ........................................................................................................................... 3 Park Significance .................................................................................................................... 5 Previous Trails Planning............................................................................................................. 5 General Management Plan—2008.............................................................................................. 6 Guidance from Other Plans......................................................................................................... 7 National Park Service Mandates and Policies .......................................................................... 10 Organic Act........................................................................................................................... 10 Director’s Order 12: Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision- making................................................................................................................................... 10 Natural Resource Reference Manual 77 ............................................................................... 10 NPS Management Policies 2006 .......................................................................................... 10 Related Laws, Regulating Policies, and Plans...................................................................... 13 Scoping ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Internal Scoping.................................................................................................................... 13 Cooperating Agencies........................................................................................................... 13 External Scoping — Public Involvement ............................................................................. 14 Appropriate Use........................................................................................................................ 17 Scope of the Environmental Assessment.................................................................................. 17 Issues and Impact Topics Retained for Detailed Analysis.................................................... 17 Impact Topics Dismissed From Further Consideration........................................................ 21 Chapter 2: Alternatives ................................................................................................................. 25 Guidance from the 2008 General Management Plan................................................................ 25 Prescriptive Management Zoning......................................................................................... 26 Actions Common to All Action Alternatives............................................................................ 26 Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................................. 30 Descriptions of Planning Areas ................................................................................................ 34 Rincon Mountain District ..................................................................................................... 34 Tucson Mountain District ..................................................................................................... 36