Environmental Consequences

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IMPACTS OF IMPLEMENTING ALTERNATIVE 4

OPERATIONS

Park Operations

Under alternative 4 the trend in the built environment would a reduction in facilities. Buildings that are not historic and not essential to park functions would be removed and the area rehabilitated. Removal of some buildings and closing most buildings during the winter months would reduce maintenance and utilities requirements. The park maintenance staff would continue to support park operations from the central maintenance facility located at Munson Valley. Maintenance staff would continue to maintain park roads, utilities, and structures. The Munson Valley Road to Rim Village would not be plowed snow during the winter months. Spring snow removal from Rim Drive would increase in difficulty and complexity, because maintenance crews would first have to clear the park roads from Mazama Village up Munson Valley before tackling the heavy snows on Rim Drive. This would increase the time for spring snow-clearing with the consequent increase in maintenance responsibility.

Many park functions would be located outside of the park. Park functions that are by necessity park- based, such as maintenance and law enforcement would be retained in the park. Different options for accommodating operations outside the park boundary would be studied before implementing any actions. Actions that propose purchasing property outside the boundary would require additional authorization. The composition of the staff would increase in the areas of resource preservation, protection, restoration, and education activities. There would be a decreased need for maintenance operations during the winter months. The Munson Valley Road would need some level of grooming to enable operation of the winter snowcoach. Decreased winter maintenance needs would be partially offset by a concentrated need in the early spring to open park roads to vehicular traffic. Changes in park operations would be readily apparent and would have appreciable effects on park and concession abilities to provide necessary services and facilities, resulting in a moderate, beneficial impact on park operations.

Cumulative Impacts. Past facility development, particularly at the rim, has affected park operations. Ongoing actions including scaling back development at Rim Village and improving parking and circulation have had a moderate, beneficial, cumulative impact on park operations. Alternative 4 in conjunction with past and ongoing activities would have a moderate to major, beneficial cumulative effect. This alternative would contribute a moderate beneficial increment to beneficial cumulative impact to park operations.

Conclusion. Alternative 4 would result in moderate, beneficial impacts to park operations. Alternative 4, in conjunction with past and ongoing activities, would have a moderate to major beneficial cumulative effect. This alternative would contribute a moderate increment to beneficial cumulative impact to park operations.

Concession Operations

During peak use in the summer concession activities would remain the same. Winter access to the rim would be via snowcoach rather than private vehicle. The change is not predicted to have an impact on the small number of visitors to the rim in the winter; however, the change in access could have a moderate, long- term, adverse impact on operations at the rim due to changes in access for supplies and employees.

Cumulative Impacts. Past actions, including restoration of the Crater Lake Lodge, and ongoing actions, such as reconfiguration of park facilities at the rim and at Mazama Village, have had a moderate, beneficial impact on concessioner activity. These actions, in conjunction with alternative 4, would have both moderate adverse and beneficial cumulative impacts on concession operations. Alternative 4 would contribute a moderate, adverse impact to the cumulative effect.

Conclusion. Alternative 4 would result in a moderate, long- term adverse impact on concessioner activities and would contribute moderate, beneficial cumulative impacts on concession operations.