Special Mandates and Admin... - Mngmnt Plan, Crater Lake NP, 2005

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General Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath, Jackson, Douglas Counties, Oregon, 2005

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Purpose of and Need for the Plan

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PLANNING DIRECTION AND GUIDANCE

SPECIAL MANDATES AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITMENTS

Special mandates and administrative commitments refer to park- specific requirements. Those most directly related to the General Management Plan or that may potentially affect it are listed below.

Proposed Wilderness

The Wilderness Act of 1964 “established a National Wilderness Preservation System to be composed of federally owned areas designated by Congress as ‘wilderness areas,’ and these shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness.” The 1974 National Park Service wilderness proposal recommended wilderness designation for approximately 122,400 acres of lands within the park. This recommendation was transmitted to Congress by the president.

The legislative process has not been completed for the Crater Lake National Park Wilderness Designation proposal. However, it is the policy of the National Park Service (2001 NPS Management Policies, Chapter 6: Wilderness Preservation and Management) to “take no action that would diminish the wilderness suitability of an area possessing wilderness characteristics until the legislative process has been completed. Until that time, management decisions pertaining to lands qualifying as wilderness will be made in expectation of eventual wilderness designation. This policy also applies to potential wilderness, requiring it to be managed as wilderness…”

Among other mandates are the protection of wilderness areas and the preservation of their wilderness character. Wilderness characteristics are defined in the Wilderness Act as:

The earth and its community of life are untrammeled by humans, where humans are visitors and do not remain.
The area is undeveloped and retains its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation.
The area generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of humans’ work substantially unnoticeable.
The area is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions.
The area offers outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation.

Threatened and Endangered Species Management

The federal Endangered Species Act and NPS policy provide special protection to all federally listed and threatened and endangered species. Species appearing on state lists of endangered, threatened, and special concern are also considered in planning and management activities. The park supports and provides habitat for a number of federal or state listed species. The Park Service would continue to prepare and periodically update specific management plans and programs (e.g., fire management plan; bull trout restoration program; threatened and endangered species inventory, monitoring, and research programs). These initiatives are directed by servicewide laws and policies, and the General Management Plan will not explore alternatives to these plans and programs. Nothing in this General Management Plan would conflict with these initiatives.

Although these plans and programs would benefit threatened and endangered species and their habitat within the park, it should be noted that some adverse effects, including “taking” of individuals, such as loss of some individual fish during bull trout restoration operations, have and would likely continue to occur. The Park Service would continue to consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as these plans and programs are prepared and updated to ensure the conservation of these species. While these beneficial and adverse effects would not result from the implementation of any of the General Management Plan alternatives, they are considered in the cumulative impacts analysis (see “Environmental Consequences, Cumulative Impacts” section).

Research and Monitoring

The Crater Lake Long- Term Limnological Monitoring Program (LTLMP) began with a congressionally mandated (Public Law 97- 250) 10- year study (1982 - 1992). The 10- year program was established to determine whether the lake was undergoing what appeared to be a long- term decline in water clarity. The National Park Service did not have an adequate limnological data base to interpret the apparent changes in clarity for managing this nationally and internationally treasured resource. During the 10- year program scientists and park managers built a high quality limnology program. The program documented that the lake clarity was within normal interannual variation, it also provided valuable data and recommendations on a number of other management issues.

In 1994 the National Park Service received Congressional funding to continue a long-term monitoring program as part of park base operations. The purpose of the long-term program is to develop a limnological database to evaluate long- term trends; to develop an understanding of the interrelationships among ecosystem components to evaluate change, and; to contribute to the preservation and management of Crater Lake, and other international aquatic resources through publication of peer reviewed program results.

Title II – National Park System Resources Inventory and Management of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998 had the following purposes:

More effectively achieve the mission of the National Park Service
Enhance management and protection of park resources by providing clear authority and direction for scientific study
Ensure appropriate documentation of resource conditions
Encourage use of the national park system for the benefit of park management as well as broader scientific value
Encourage the publication and dissemination of information derived from studies in the national park system

The act directs that management of park units is enhanced by the highest quality science and information. It further establishes a program of inventory and monitoring resources to establish baseline information and provide information on the long- term trends in the conditions of national park resources.

Klamath Basin General Stream Adjudication

The State of Oregon, Klamath Basin General Stream Adjudication, is currently active and includes Crater Lake National Park. The adjudication is a legal process that will determine the quantities and relative priorities associated with the park’s use of water from Crater Lake and the streams flowing within the park. The United States of America, National Park Service, has filed twenty- one federal reserved water rights claims (Claim Nos. 591 – 611) on behalf of Crater Lake National Park for instream, lake level, and out- of- stream uses. On August 2, 2001, the hearing officer ordered Claim Nos. 591 – 601, for instream and lake level uses, referred back to the adjudicator for final disposition. On February 28, 2002, the hearing officer signed a Final Proposed Order and recommended that the Adjudicator enter a Final Order for Claim Nos. 602 – 611, for out- of- stream uses. Final adjudication of the park’s federal reserved water rights claims will occur when the claims of the other federal agencies included in the adjudication are settled. Acquisition of the federal reserved water rights would not eliminate the risk of Crater Lake’s administrative uses being called out by downstream senior water rights holders during dry years. The National Park Service is negotiating with local water users for senior water rights that would augment the park’s federal reserved water rights during dry years.

Visitor Services Plan

Klamath Falls, Medford, and Roseburg are the gateways to Crater Lake National Park providing the primary business, transportation, and service centers in their respective counties. Klamath Falls is the closest of these, located 50 miles south of the park. A number of smaller unincorporated communities — Beaver Marsh, Diamond Lake, Fort Klamath, Prospect and Union Creek — are much closer to the park. These provide some visitor services, not all of which are year-round.

Overall guidance for actions at the major developed areas is provided as part of the 1999 Crater Lake National Park Visitor Services Plan. The plan is a blend of actions intended to improve the protection of park resources while providing enjoyable visitor experiences. The Visitor Services Plan analyzed the appropriate level and location of interpretive and visitor services in the park, considering both National Park Service and commercial services. It stated that NPS interpretive services would be emphasized. Commercial services, considered to be necessary and appropriate due to the park’s distance from sizable communities, would be modified to better serve visitors.

The Visitor Services Plan identifies the appropriate and necessary levels and kinds of NPS and concession services desired at Rim Village as well as the other major developed areas within the park. This General Management Plan builds on the previous planning effort. Elements of the Visitor Services Plan include the following:

Rim Village

Rehabilitate historic cafeteria building
Relocate parking and road to area behind cafeteria building
Convert existing parking lot to pedestrian open space
Construct new visitor contact station for year- round information and interpretation
Remove Rim Village dormitory