Winter – 04 Chapter 1. Introduction – BACKGROUND

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Draft Winter Use Plan, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 1994

 Chapter 1. Introduction

BACKGROUND

Stimulated by the need to determine the future of the historic Crater Lake Lodge and Rim Village, the NPS underwent an intense planning effort during the late 1980s. The 1988 Development Concept Plan (DCP) (U.S. Department of the Interior 1988), resulted from a series of public planning efforts which addressed the future character of the Rim Village area of the park. Public comments were solicited at three separate points in the planning process. The DCP recommended rehabilitation of the lodge and replacement of the existing gift store and cafeteria with a new year-round activity center/hotel in Rim Village. Following the planning process, the DCP was amended to include the development of an off-rim parking facility and the removal of all parking in Rim Village.

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Figure 1-1. Crater Lake National Park Regional Map.

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Figure 1-2. Crater Lake National Park Vicinity Map.

In October 1992, the House-Senate Appropriations Committee expressed concern over the rising cost and scope of development for the prospective new activity center and hotel in Rim Village. Subsequently, year-round lodging in Rim Village was removed from the DCP by the NPS due to concerns about the cost and appropriateness of year-round lodging on the rim. Additionally, the need to formulate a long-term strategy to address winter use became evident. This need was formalized in a request from the House-Senate Appropriations Committee in September 1992 to prepare a winter use plan for the park. The NPS issued a March 1993 briefing report that addressed numerous development issues and committed the NPS to preparing a winter use plan (U.S. Department of the Interior 1993).

This winter use plan will serve as a tool to guide existing and future winter use within the park by defining the types and levels of winter recreation activities appropriate for Crater Lake National Park and the locations at which these activities should occur. The types and locations of winter activities will determine whether development of concessioner support services, such as year-round lodging, should be considered. The winter use plan will cover elements of the DCP now being prepared for Munson Valley, Mazama Village, and the south entrance area of the park.

 

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