[TN-Bird] Cades Cove planning - long
- From: Charlie <cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: TN-Bird <TN-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 11:23:33 -0700 (PDT)
Hi folks,
Many of you know how beautiful a place Cades Cove is, and how good
the birding can be there. I have personally seen upwards of 130
species there. I the last 2 years Red Phalarope, Sandhill Crane,
Short-eared Owl, and even nesting Red Crossbills have been recorded
there.
You may also be aware of some of the challenges to visitors there:
millions of people (literally) 2 over-utilized restrooms, and bear
jams.
Here is an opportunity for you to tell our leaders what you'd like to
see done there. Among the options are:
- do nothing
- various potential plans to reduce traffic
- increase the number and location of restrooms
- change management rules in various ways
- build a new, bigger visitor center
- add public transportation
- add/remove/ change signage
Some of these will be good for wildlife. Some will not. There is
probably room for debate about most of them. If you're interested in
my opinions, send me an email (not to the list, please) but here is
your opportunity to be heard.
Sincerely,
charlie
Great Smoky Mountains News Release
Immediate Release Contact: Nancy Gray
Date: July 25, 2005 865/436-1208
PARK MANAGERS MOVE INTO SECOND PHASE OF THE
CADES COVE PLANNING PROCESS
The second phase of the Cades Cove Development Concept and
Transportation Management Plan, the long-term visioning process for
Cades
Cove, has begun.
Cades Cove, a 6,500-acre valley, is a popular destination for a
majority of the Park?s visitors. Cades Cove contains farmsteads that
date
from the 19th and early 20th Centuries and provides good wildlife
viewing
opportunities. Over time, visitation to the Cove has grown yet the
facilities that support visitor use, including the 11-mile one way
loop
road, remain largely unchanged. Traffic congestion and inadequate
visitor
facilities are among the issues now faced in Cades Cove. Park
managers
with the help of partners and the public embarked on a planning
process in
2001 to develop a plan to implement changes that will ensure the
protection
of the significant resources while ensuring a quality experience for
visitors consistent with the National Park Service mission.
Wilbur Smith Associates is leading the consulting team for the
Phase
II project with management oversight once again by the Knoxville
Regional
Transportation Planning Organization. In Phase II, the five
existing
preliminary alternatives that were developed in Phase I, with
extensive
public involvement, will be further detailed, refined, and
evaluated.
These preliminary alternatives include one ?no action? alternative
and
four combinations of new approaches to resource management, visitor
facilities, transportation options and other factors affecting the
visitor?s experience in the Cove. These alternatives are described
in
detail and information about them can be obtained by visiting the
project?s website, www.cadescoveplanning.com.
Phase II will be conducted over a 22-month period and will
provide
the technical analysis to determine if the final alternatives
considered
represent the possible range of alternatives by evaluating their
feasibility, cost and environmental, socio and economical impacts.
The
results of Phase II will be used during a third project phase to
develop a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
The Phase II process will incorporate a National Park Service
planning tool known as Visitor Experience and Resource Protection
(VERP).
VERP is used to provide a better understanding of complex issues of
visitor use management and carrying capacity?the types and levels of
visitor use that can be accommodated while maintaining acceptable
resource
and social conditions. ?VERP is simply a measurement tool to help
assess
the level of impact the resources can sustain while also providing a
good
visitor experience,? said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. ?This
data
collection is another step in helping us to better evaluate the
alternatives and their usefulness to reach future management goals
for the
Cove by answering such questions as how sensitive is the resource,
how
limited is the space, and at what level does public enjoyment
diminish,?
he continued.
Visitor surveying will start on Wednesday at several locations
within
the Park and will be a key element of the VERP effort. Three
surveys
will be presented to the public--one to collect basic information on
where
they go and what they do; another to ask more in depth questions
such as
how they view conditions in the Cove related to traffic, crowding,
and
facility availability; and a third to capture information from
visitors
who do not have plans to visit the Cove. All of these surveys will
have
basic demographic information as well. Visitors will be randomly
approached and asked to take the time to fill out the surveys.
The DEIS is expected in 2008, pending funding availability.
The DEIS
will present the range of alternatives evaluated and the impacts and
benefits of each. The alternative ultimately selected for
implementation
may combine elements of several alternatives studied. Depending on
the
outcome of the decision, more complex elements of the selected
alternative
may require additional work before implementation can begin. ?This
is a
dynamic process,? said Superintendent Ditmanson, ?and we will
continue to
keep the public informed and updated on the project so that they
will have
a chance to provide their input and comment as we continue to move
closer
to a decision.?
Once the impact assessment is largely completed in Phase II,
the next
set of public meetings will be held, tentatively scheduled in summer
2006.
In the meantime, interested persons will be able to get updated
information as it becomes available, along with background
information on
the project, the Phase I report with alternatives, and the
newsletter
announcing Phase II, by visiting the Cove planning project website
at
www.cadescoveplanning.com. Comments may be made at the website or
by
writing to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 107 Park
Headquarters
Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.
*******************************************************************
Charlie Muise, Naturalist in
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
"To the dull mind all nature is leaden. To the illuminated mind
the whole world sparkles with light." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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