Environmental Consequences

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IMPACTS OF IMPLEMENTING ALTERNATIVE 4

SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Natural resource preservation and restoration are driving elements of alternative 4. Low- impact visitor activities are emphasized. The built environment is reduced. Nonhistoric buildings that are not essential to park operations would be removed and the land restored. Vehicle access to some parts of the park would be curtailed. Some trails and some roads may be removed and rehabilitated. Part of the Rim Road becomes accessible to pedestrians only. Winter access would be limited to Route 62 and snowcoach from Mazama parking lot. This alternative calls for most park operations and visitor contact facilities to be relocated outside the park.

These and other actions would require an increased budget and an increased number of staff positions in the areas of resource preservation, restoration, protection, and education. Staffing would increase by 1 additional FTE to achieve preservation and restoration goals. A base operating budget of $4,419,760 is needed to fund this alternative.

In addition, approximately $3.9 million would be spent over the life of the plan on various projects and services, an increase of $140,000 compared to the no - action alternative. These expenditures could result in moderate to major, short- term, beneficial impacts on individual firms and employees (increased business and profits, increased employment opportunities, increased income, etc.). Overall impacts on the regional economy (effects on the economic indicators of income, unemployment rate, poverty rate, etc.), however, would be negligible because of the size and the phasing of the projects over the next 15 to 20 years.

Moving some administrative, operations, and visitor contact functions to areas outside the park would result in the purchase and/or long- term lease of land and building(s) and/or the construction of new buildings in gateway areas. The need for additional staff may increase the need for housing; this, combined with the increasing desirability of living in the gateway communities adds to the demand for local housing and other locally provided goods. Hiring additional staff results in a small increase in the local population that contributes to the overall growth in the gateway communities.

New facility construction would result in a short- term, positive impact on the regional economy, mostly affecting the construction sector of the economy. The purchase of land (on a willing- buyer/willing- seller basis) by the federal government would result in some long- term loss of local real estate tax revenue. However, the amount of property tax revenue lost to the three counties would be minor compared to the tax revenues collected by Douglas County (tax revenues $ 58.2 million in 2002/03), Jackson County (tax revenues $148.1 million in 2002), and Klamath County (tax revenues of about $37 million, 2002). Acquisition of other federally owned land for these purposes would not result in any change in real estate taxes.

Visitor use of the park would be reduced. Removal of facilities and services from the park and the shift to less use of motorized vehicles and reduced accessibility for motorized vehicles would tend to reduce the number of visitors to the park. Road closures and restoration, reduced winter snow plowing, and closing the north junction road to snowmobiling would also reduce access and use of some parts of the park. Concession businesses may be reduced or eliminated as incompatible with the new direction for this park.

The need for additional staff may increase the need for housing; this, combined with the increasing desirability of living in the gateway communities adds to the demand for local housing and other locally provided goods. Hiring additional staff results in a small increase in the local population that contributes to the overall growth in the gateway communities.

Cumulative Impacts. Additional changes or shocks (either positive or negative) to the local and regional socioeconomic environment within which the park exists are not expected. No other actions that could have cumulative effects when combined with the impacts of alterative 4 have been identified during this planning process, which has included public participation and input. In conjunction with other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions, no additional cumulative impacts are expected.

Conclusion. An increase in park staffing levels by 1 full- time employee would have a moderate impact on the local gateway communities’ economies and a negligible impact on the regional economy. Additional employees would likely purchase some goods and services from within the gateway communities.

Approximately $3.9 million (in addition to ongoing actions and projects) would be spent over the life of the plan on various projects, an increase of $140,000 compared to the no- action alternative. These expenditures could result in moderate to major, short- term, beneficial impacts for individual firms and employees (increased business and profits, increased employment opportunities, increased income, etc.). Overall impacts on the regional economy (effects on the economic indicators of income, unemployment rate, poverty rate, etc.), however, would be negligible because of the size and the phasing of the projects over the next 15 to 20 years.

Moving park functions and visitor contact facilities outside the park may increase the numbers of visitors that stop in gateway towns. This may result in additional tourism related spending for locally provided goods and services within the region and gateway towns perhaps increasing business opportunities, income, and employment. On the other hand, reduced access to the park may reduce the numbers of visitors that come to the park, perhaps negatively affecting the gateway communities and the regional tourism related businesses.

Moving administrative functions and park employee housing outside the parks would result in the purchase or long- term lease of land and the construction of buildings in local gateway areas, with short- term, beneficial impacts on the local economy, mostly affecting the construction sector and a few landowners.

The need for additional staff may increase the need for housing; this, combined with the increasing desirability of living in the gateway communities adds to the demand for local housing and other locally provided goods. Hiring additional staff results in a small increase in the local population that contributes to the overall growth in the gateway communities.