GC NPS Seeks Public Input - Backcountry Management Plan

[joebartels]

Date: November 24, 2015
Contact: Emily Davis, 928-638-7609
Contact: Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, Ariz.–The National Park Service (NPS) announced today another opportunity for the public to weigh in on revisions to Grand Canyon National Park's Backcountry Management Plan (BMP). The NPS began developing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for this plan in 2011 in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). More than 580 public comments were submitted during the initial phases of the development of this DEIS.

The purpose of the BMP is to establish an up-to-date plan that addresses contemporary backcountry issues and provides an adaptable framework and continues to allow the public to experience and preserve Grand Canyon's unique backcountry and wilderness. Grand Canyon's existing BMP was completed in 1988 and requires revisions to comply with current NPS laws and policies and the park's 1995 General Management Plan. The park's backcountry encompasses over 1.1 million acres, most of which are proposed for wilderness designation.

Available for review and comment, the BMP DEIS evaluates four alternatives–a no-action alternative and three action alternatives. The comment period for the DEIS will close 90 days after the Notice of Availability (NOA) is published in the Environmental Protection Agency's Federal Register.

Public participation is an integral part of this planning process and will help ensure the plan's success. To facilitate public participation, the NPS will host open house meetings as follows:

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Grand Canyon Village, South Rim

Shrine of the Ages

From 4 to 6 pm

Monday, December 7, 2015

DoubleTree Hotel, 1175 W. Route 66

Flagstaff, AZ

From 4 to 7 pm

The NPS will also hold at least one webinar to reach the broadest range of stakeholders and interested public. Information about the webinar will be announced at a later date.

All interested parties may submit comments in person at one of the open house meetings;on the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website;or via the US Postal Service.

The PEPC database is the preferred method for submitting comments and can be accessed at http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/grca. Click on the "Backcountry Management Plan" or "Open for Comments" tab on the left-hand side of the toolbar and then select the EIS link.

Comments can also be mailed to: Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park, Attn: Backcountry Management Plan, PO Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.

More information about the Backcountry Management Plan and DEIS, public scoping, and public meetings will be posted on the PEPC site as it becomes available.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/back ... ft-eis.htm

[ddgrunning]

FYI on the items that are causing the "Need for Action," as listed in the Executive Summary:

[azbackpackr]

@ddgrunning
Thanks for posting that! I didn't feel like downloading the whole thing on the current internet. I was also curious if there's much that affects river runners, but I expect the boaters' social media will be hollering about it if there are any issues.

[nonot]

-retracted-

[Dave1]

@nonot
I could be wrong but I think that the new rule for the wild zone would only apply to commercial guided trips. But I did read somewhere else that commercials would get to reserve their permits one year in advance while private users would still be at 4 months.
Permits for day hikes to the river (on the corridor trails) for everyone would really suck though. You get to the canyon early so you can get down and back before the heat hits, only to wait in line at the permit office with 2 rangers waiting on hundreds of people. But first you have to wait for the previous day's number holders to be waited on. It's now 10 or 11am by the time you get to the SK trailhead. And $5 every time you want to hike, above the $30 entry fee?

[nonot]

-retracted-

[Dave1]

@nonot
To me it just looks like they're eliminating large group permits from Wild Zones for private users in plans B and D. Plans A and C would remain the same as now. I'm only reading the exec file though. Can you post a screen cap or page number on the big file?

[nonot]

OK, you may be right, they are eliminating all permits through wild areas to commercial groups, but it seems they are retaining access to wild areas for recreational use, with a reduced amount of permits. At least, that is what I can seem to make of it.

[Hippy]

Public input meeting TODAY!

Dec 2, 2015
GCNP South Rim
Shrine of the Ages
4-6pm

I'm gathering a big group of folks to go in. Join us if you are in the area to make your opinions known!
Thank you



Next public meeting is next Monday in Flagstaff, see opening post.

[SkyIslandHiker]

And $5 every time you want to hike, above the $30 entry fee?

@Dave1

The Executive Summary indicates it's a minimum of $5, so it could be more.

[Dave1]

@SkyIslandHiker
At the meeting yesterday, one of the park service personnel I spoke to said they would likely use recreation.gov (not a government agency but run by reserve america, which is owned by Active Network) to process the day-use permits. So, yeah, there will definitely be at least some cost.

[azbackpackr]

@Dave1
Don't have time this week to read the whole thing. Would the $5 just be for corridor day hikes? Would the other trails still be free to day hike?