Purpose of and Need for the Plan

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PURPOSE, NEED, AND SCOPING

INTRODUCTION

General management plans are intended to be long- term documents that establish and articulate a management philosophy and framework for decision making and problem solving in the parks. General management plans usually provide guidance during a 15- to 20- year period

This Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement presents four alternative future directions for the management and use of Crater Lake National Park. The plan also analyzes and presents the environmental and socioeconomic impacts or consequences of implementing each of those alternatives – the environmental impact statement part of the document. An important element in determining the future directions is public participation throughout the planning process. One of the alternatives, alternative 2, is the National Park Service’s preferred alternative. The potential environmental impacts of all alternatives have been identified and assessed. Actions directed by general management plans or in subsequent implementation plans are accomplished over time. Budget restrictions, requirements for additional data or regulatory compliance, and competing national park system priorities prevent immediate implementation of many actions. Major or especially costly actions could be implemented 10 or more years into the future.