National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Saratoga National Historical Park Draft General Management Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement 2003 Saratoga National Historical Park STILLWATER AND SARATOGA, NEW YORK Draft General Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement Prepared by: Northeast Region, Boston Office Saratoga National Historical Park 2003 “At Saratoga, the British campaign that was supposed to crush America’s rebellion ended instead in a surrender that changed the history of the world.” Richard Ketchum Author of Saratoga A MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT I am pleased to announce that the draft general management plan/draft environmental impact state­ ment for Saratoga National Historical Park is now available for your review and comment. The docu­ ment describes the resource conditions and visitor experience that should exist at Saratoga National Historical Park over the long term. It presents a range of alternatives and assesses the potential envi­ ronmental and socioeconomic effects of the alternatives on park resources, visitor experience, and surrounding area. As Superintendent, I can assure you that the challenges facing park managers become more complex and varied each year. It is easy to get caught up in these pressing day-to-day issues. That is why the National Park Service seeks to have each park update its plan every 15 or 20 years. It forces us to step back and re-think fundamental questions such as the park's mission and significance, and analyze how to respond to changes facing us. This is not to say we must discard everything that has been done or make changes for change’s sake. The Park Service’s core mission of preserving America’s treasures should never change. The historic events that took place here will always be significant, although they may be reinterpreted over time. The draft plan describes four management options, one of them being our preferred alternative. We hope that this plan, and especially its preferred alternative, will achieve the right balance between permanence and change, between preservation and public use. Your involvement has been vital to this process. Since the start of planning, we have absorbed ideas and advice from many sources. A park like Saratoga has a large constituency, locally, nationally, and even internationally; and we value your input. We invite your comments on this draft plan. The document will be available for public review for 60 days, over which time we will accept written and oral comments. Please call, send a fax, write a letter, or e-mail your thoughts and suggestions. Include your name and address. Anonymous comments will not be considered. We may make comments, including names and home addresses of respon­ dents available for public review. If you wish to have your name and address withheld, please state so at the beginning of your comment. We will carefully review all substantive comments and incorpo­ rate them, as appropriate, in the final plan and final impact statement. Imagine that you are visiting Saratoga National Historical Park 20 years from now, and see whether the preferred alternative or any of the others provides a blueprint to create the kind of place you would like to see and the kind of experience you would like to have. Please share your thoughts so that our management of the park will continue to be a credit to its proud history. Doug Lindsay Superintendent Please submit comments to: Superintendent Saratoga National Historical Park 648 Route 32 Stillwater, NY 12170-1604 Comments may be submitted electronically to: [email protected] For further information, please contact: Phone: (518) 664-9821 Fax: (518) 664-9830 Park Entrance Park Headquarters Park Maintenance Park Entrance Road K r o Visitor Center m a Lohnes Road K i l l 1 7 To Old Saratoga (Schuylerville) 6 5 Tour Road G r e 10 US4 32 a t R a Tour Stop 8 v 4 i n e 9 M Entrance i l at US Rte. 4 Tour Road l C r e e k 2 Champlain Canal 32 n i a l p d Bemis 3 k o e o Park Boundary e l (Legislative) Heights r F C s r D n e e a v v i c i i l s e r R H A m o n l o l o s w d H u N r R i v e s o n US4 H u d 32 0 1000 ft 3000 ft approx. scale orthophoto date: 2000 Draft GMP 2003 Saratoga National Historical Park United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Saratoga National Historical Park: Battlefield Unit SARATOGA MONUMENT Park Boundary (Legislative) Burgoyne St. ve Cemetery A VICTORY WOODS 32 h C r e e k Field of F i s Grounded Arms Schuyler House New York DOT Yard/ Canal Corporation SCHUYLER ESTATE Park Boundary 29 (Legislative) e r R i v N o n d s H u US4 0 300 ft 1000 ft Draft GMPapprox. 2003 scale To the Battlefield Unit orthophoto date: 2000 Saratoga National Historical Park United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Saratoga National Historical Park: Old Saratoga Unit Table of Contents Executive Summary Part One: Background Introduction 1 Historical Overview 3 Overview of Park Resources 19 Purpose and Significance of Saratoga National Historical Park 30 Goals 31 Interpretive Themes 32 Need for the Plan 33 Related Plans and Programs 37 Part Two: The Alternatives and Their Common Elements Laws, Policies, and Mandates 43 Objectives (or Management Prescriptions) Common to All Alternatives 48 The Alternatives 58 Part Three: Affected Environment Overview 95 Cultural Resources 95 Natural Resources 104 Visitor Experience 114 Park Operations and Facilities 123 Hazardous Materials 129 Socioeconomic Environment 130 Impact Topics Eliminated from Further Evaluation 133 Part Four: Environmental Consequences Introduction 139 Methodology for Analyzing Impacts 140 Impairment of Resources 141 Impacts of Actions Common to All Alternatives 145 Impacts of Actions Associated with Alternative A 161 Impacts of Actions Associated with Alternative B 171 Impacts of Actions Associated with Alternative C 184 Impacts of Actions Associated with Alternative D 196 Part Five: Consultation and Coordination Summary of Planning 207 Compliance with Federal and State Laws and Regulations 208 List of Draft General Management Plan Recipients 211 List of Preparers 213 Part Six: Appendices Appendix A: Park Legislation 217 Appendix B: Socioeconomic Impact Analysis 222 Appendix C: Glossary 245 Appendix D: Research Undertaken in Support of Planning 249 Appendix E: Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (Carrying Capacity) 250 Appendix F: List of Classified Structures 252 Appendix G: Selected Resources Consulted 256 List of Tables Table 1: Summary of Alternative A 64 Table 2: Summary of Alternative B 68 Table 3: Summary of Alternative C 74 Table 4: Summary of Alternative D 80 Table 5: Summary of Objectives, Potential Boundary Modifications, and Cost Estimates for the Alternatives 87 Table 6: Criteria for Impact Intensities 142 Table 7: Ranking of Resources 144 Table 8: Summary of Impacts Common to All Alternatives 158 Table 9: Summary of Impacts Associated with Alternative A 169 Table 10: Summary of Impacts Associated with Alternative B 181 Table 11: Summary of Impacts Associated with Alternative C 193 Table 12: Summary of Impacts Associated with Alternative D 202 List of Figures The Northern Campaign — 1777 5 First Battle of Saratoga 11 Second Battle of Saratoga 13 Burgoyne’s Army Trapped in Saratoga 15 Upper Hudson River Valley 21 Park Vicinity and Associated Sites 23 Park Map 25 Management Zones 61 Battlefield Monuments and Markers 99 Sensitive Natural Resource Areas 107 Prime Agricultural Soils 109 Executive Summary Executive Summary PURPOSE OF THE PLAN The main function of a general management plan is to define clearly the park’s purpose and management direction. The general man­ agement plan provides a foundation to guide and coordinate all subse­ quent planning and management. The general management plan takes the long view, 15–20 years into the future. The National Park Service seeks to have each park operating under approved general management plans. This ensures that park managers carry out, as effectively and efficiently as possible, the mission of the National Park Service. MAKING DECISIONS Three years ago, the National Park Service planning team began to gather ideas from interested citizens about how best to manage Saratoga National Historical Park. The team held public meetings and published newsletters to get the word out about the plan and to get feed­ back on various plan components. Based on an extensive analysis of resources and the public input received, the team shaped four manage­ ment alternatives. One, Alternative D, has been selected as the Preferred Alternative. Alternative D has also been identified as the environmental­ ly Preferred Alternative. The four alternatives, along with the foundation pieces that guided their formation, are summarized on the following pages. THE MISSION: TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT The foundation for the general management plan rests on the park’s purpose and significance statements. These statements are based on the park’s authorizing legislation and its legislative history. The pur­ poses state why the park was established as a unit of the national park system. Park significance defines the park’s place within its broader national context. Park Purpose Saratoga National Historical Park preserves and protects sites associated with the battles, siege, and surrender of British forces at Saratoga, which were decisive events in the winning of American inde­ pendence. The park interprets these and other sites, events, and people associated with the 1777 military campaign in the Champlain-Hudson and Mohawk valleys (also known as the Burgoyne Campaign). Park Significance Saratoga National Historical Park: · Honors the participants and preserves the battlegrounds where a major British mil­ itary offensive in 1777 ended in a surrender that heartened the patriot cause and i Saratoga National Historical Park brought about the international recognition and aid essential to securing our nation’s freedom.