Attachment_F_CANYFoundationDocument.pdf

Foundation Document Canyonlands National Park Utah August 2013

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Attachment F

North

0 5 Miles1

5 Kilometers1

All Glen Canyon NRA lands north of this line require backcountry permits that are issued by Canyonlands NP.

Special regulations apply.

No river access along this portion of Potash Road

NOTICE: Water is available at Island in the Sky Visitor Center and Hatch Point Campground ONLY from March to October.

5mi 8km

6mi 10km

6mi 10km

10mi 16km

Area frequently impassable for 4-wheel-drive vehicles

(no river access)

C A N Y O N L A N D S N A T I O N A L

P A R K

T H E M A Z E

T H E N E E D L E S

I S L A N D I N T H E S K Y

Island in the Sky Visitor Center

Needles Visitor Center

HORSESHOE

CANYON

UNIT

Hans Flat

GLEN

CANYON

NATIONAL

RECREATION

AREA

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Big Drop Rapids

Mile Long Rapids

Brown Betty Rapids

Lower Jump

Upper Jump

Green

River

C o lo ra d o

R iv er

Co lo ra do

Lake Pow ell

Ri ve r

Barrie r

C reek

French Spring

Indian

Creek

Indian

Creek

Nor th ot to n w o o d re ek

Peekaboo Spring

Salt

Creek

Sa lt re ek

Moab to Areas in the Park Island in the Sky Visitor Center via SR 313 32mi/51km Needles Visitor Center 76mi/121km Horseshoe Canyon Unit via I-70 101mi/162km Horseshoe Canyon Unit via State 24 119mi/191km Hans Flat 133mi/74km

M A N T I - L A S A L N A T I O N A L F O R E S T

NEWSPAPER ROCK STATE

HISTORIC MONUMENT

D A R K C A N Y O N P R I M I T I V E A R E A ( B u r e a u o f L a n d M a n a g e m e n t )

DEAD HORSE POINT

STATE PA RK

H O

R S

E S

H O E C A N Y O N

D E A D M A N P O I

N T

H O R S E T H I E F P O I N T

M I N

E R

A L

P O

I N

H

E L L R

O A

R

G

A N

Y O

L O N G C A N Y O N

O

O

SE NECK

M I N E R A L C A N Y O N

BOWKNOT

BEND

B I G F L A T

SHAFER

CANYON

Horseshore Canyon Unit to and Green River 49mi 79km

Island in the Sky Visitor Center to 45mi 73km

Moab to 30mi 48km

Moab to Monticello 53mi 85km

Needles Vistor Center to Monticello

49mi 79km

Needles Overlook to

22mi 35km

Hans Flat to and Hite Marina, Glen Canyon NRA 58mi 93km

To

Hans Flat to 46mi 74km

Road ends 3 miles

Horseshoe Canyon Unit to 32mi 51km

Potash

Visitor Center

Hatch Point

Neck Spring

Upheaval Dome 5760ft 1756m

Mesa Arch

Willow Flat

Horsethief

Holeman Spring Canyon Overlook

Whale Rock

Shafer Canyon Overlook Gooseneck Overlook

Dead Horse Point Overlook 5680ft 1731m

Moab

Anticline Overlook

5745ft 1751m

Candlestick Tower Overlook

Orange Cliffs Overlook

Visitor Center

MOAB

4025ft 1227m

Pothole Point

Slickrock Foot

Cave Spring

Roadside Ruin

Wooden Shoe Overlook

Mineral Bottom

Moab Information Center

Canyonlands National Park Headquarters

4960ft 1512m

No through road in Horseshoe Canyon Unit

Grand View Point Overlook

6080ft 1853m

Panorama Point Overlook 6240ft 1902m

Maze Overlook

5120ft 1561m

Confluence Overlook 4880ft 1487m

Needles Overlook 6295ft 1919m

Big Spring Canyon Overlook 4880ft 1487m

Colorado River Overlook 4880ft 1487m

Cleft Arch

Caterpillar Arch

Angel Arch

Fortress Arch

Castle Arch

Gothic Arch Druid Arch

Tower Ruin

Paul Bunyans Potty

Wooden Shoe Arch

Dugout Ranch

Lizard Rock

The Wall

The Plug

The Doll

House

Bagpipe Butte Overlook

Devils Kitchen

Silver Stairs

White Crack

Junction Butte

Harvest Scene Pictographs

Chocolate Drops

Buttes of the Cross

Natural Arch

Ruin

Moses and Zeus

The Breach

Washer Woman Arch

Airport Tower

Aztec Butte

The Knoll

Pucker Pass

Petroglyphs

The Slide

6407ft 1953m

RUIN

PARK

Cathedral Butte 7940ft 2420m

Cathedral Point 7120ft 2170m

Cedar Mesa 6987ft 2130m

Wedding Ring Arch

North Sixshooter Peak 6374ft 1943m

5632ft 1717m

Teapot Rock

6221ft 1896m

Bagpipe Butte 6679ft 2036m

Chimney Rock 5563ft 1696m

Elaterite Butte 6552ft 1997m

Ekker Butte 6226ft 1898m

Cleopatras Chair 6250ft 1905m

Candlestick Tower 5865ft 1788m

4480ft 1365m

4582ft 1397m

Pyramid Butte

Musselman Arch

Potash

5920ft 1804m

4560ft 1390m

Great Gallery pictographs

4800ft 1463m

S A L T C R E E K M

E S A

B E E F B A S I N

I M P E R I A L V A L L E Y

Bobbys H ole

GYPSU

M

CANYON

W AT E R H O L E

F

L AT

T H E

B I G

R I D G E

H A P P Y C A N Y O N

E

L

I

F

S

A T

E R

I T

B

B U T L E R F L A T

B

E R N I E S C O U N T R Y

T H E F I N S

L A N D O F

S T A N D I N G R O C K S

M I

L L

A

D

N

Y

W

P U

HORSE

CANYON

PETES MESA

C R

O

SS C

A N

Y

C A T A R

A N Y O N

M E

A N

D E R

C A

N Y O N

THE LOOP

S T

I L L W AT E

B Y

R

IN

H O

RS

ET

H

IE

N

YO

N

The Golden Stairs

NORTH TRAIL

CANYON

L O C

K

H A

R T

C A

N Y

T

I

W H I T

I

A N

D

N Y

UPHEAVAL

CANYON

B U

C K M E S A

T A Y L O R C A N Y O N

H O L E M A N S P R I N G

B A S I N

S O D A S P R I N G S

B A S I N

RED SEA

FLAT

Little Bridge Canyon

MONUMENT

BASIN

LATHROP CANYON

BUCK CANYON

GOOSEBERRY CANYON

4880ft 1487m

Fort Bottom Potato Bottom

Hardscrabble Bottom

Upheaval Bottom

MURPHY

H O

G

BA

K

TURKS

HEAD

BO

TT

ANDER

SO

ST

EE

R M

ESA

TRAIL

CANYON

Botto m

Sp anish

LOWER RED LA

KE

CANYON

CY

CL

O N

E C

A N

YO

EV

IL

S

LA

N

E D

EV

IL

S

PO

CK

ET

S.O.B. HILL

CHESLER

PARK

E L

E P

H A

N

Y

ELEPHANT

HILL

S Q U AW

F L AT

BIG

SPRIN

N Y

SQ

AW

C

A N

Y

LO

ST

ANY

O N

H O

RS

E

C A

N

YO

DAVIS

CA

NY

ON

LA

VE

N

ER

CA

NY

ON

W

ATER CA

N Y

Mineral Road (Horsethief Trail)

Potash Road

Shafer Trail

Road

W hi te

Rim oad

White

Road

Rim

Fl in t

Tra il

Joint Trail one-way on e-w ay

Permit required for vehicle entry

Permit required for vehicle entry

Needles Outpost

South Sixshooter Peak

6132ft 1869m

Petroglyphs

U

PH

EAVAL

D O

M E

Green River Overlook

6000ft 1829m

Buck Canyon Overlook 6240ft 1902m

Squaw Flat

G

RA

YS

P

A

ST

RE

Confluence 3855ft 1175m

3920ft 1195m

3920ft 1195m

3700ft 1128m no water no water

Unpaved 4-wheel-drive road

TrailUnpaved 2-wheel-drive road

Picnic area

Ranger station Drinking water

Primitive campsite

Drink one gallon of water per person per day in this semi-desert environment.

Boat launch

Self-guiding trail

CampgroundLocked gate

Rapids

Overlook/ Paved roadCanyonlands National Park

Contents Mission of the National Park Service 3

Introduction 5

Part 1: Core Components 6

Brief Description of the Park 7 Park Purpose 8 Park Significance 9 Interpretive Themes 10 Fundamental Resources and Values 11 Other Important Resources and Values 13

Part 2: Dynamic Components 14

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 14 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 16

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 16

Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 34

Identification of Key Parkwide or Major Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 38

Prioritization of Planning and Data Needs 38

Part 3: Preparers and Meeting Attendees 44

Appendixes 46

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation and Legislative Acts for Canyonlands National Park 46

Appendix B: Related Federal Legislation, Regulations, and Executive Orders 52

Appendix C: Inventory of Concessions and Permits 53

The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values.

Canyonlands National Park

Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system, for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service.

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone.

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow, and currently comprises 401 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management in order to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.

Introduction Every unit of the national park system is required to have a formal statement of its core mission that will provide basic guidance for all planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. Increasing emphasis on government accountability and restrained federal spending demand that all stakeholders are aware of the purpose, significance, interpretive themes, fundamental resources and values, and special mandates and administrative commitments of a park unit as well as the legal and policy requirements for administration and resource protection that factor into management decisions.

The process of developing a foundation document provides the opportunity to gather together and integrate all varieties and hierarchies of information about a park unit.

Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what are the most important attributes of the park. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and stakeholders in identifying information that is necessary for future planning efforts. This foundation document was developed as a collaborative effort. A workshop to facilitate this process was held June 19–21, 2012, in Moab, Utah. A complete list of attendees and preparers is included in part 3 of this document.

A foundation document serves as the underlying guidance for planning decisions for a national park unit. It describes the core mission of the park unit by identifying the purpose, significance, fundamental and important resources and values, interpretive themes, assessment of planning and data needs, special mandates and administrative commitments, and the park unit’s setting in the regional context.

The foundation document can be useful in all aspects of park management to ensure that primary management objectives are accomplished before addressing other factors that are also important, but not directly essential to achieving the park purpose and maintaining its significance. Thus, the development of a foundation document for Canyonlands National Park is necessary to effectively manage the park over the long term and protect park resources and values that are integral to the purpose and identity of the park unit and to address key issues affecting management.

The park atlas is also a part of the foundation project. It is a geographic information system (GIS) product that can be published as a hard copy paper atlas and as electronic geospatial data in a Web-mapping environment. The purpose of the park atlas is to support park operations and to facilitate planning decisions as a GIS-based planning support tool. The atlas covers various geographic elements that are important for park management such as natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, and facilities. The park atlas establishes the available baseline GIS information for a park that can be used to support future planning activities. The park atlas is available at http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/

Part 1: Core Components Foundation documents include the following core elements:

The park purpose is the specific reason(s) for establishing a particular park. A park purpose statement is grounded in a thorough analysis of the legislation (or executive order) and legislative history of the park, and may include information from studies generated prior to the park’s establishment. The purpose statement goes beyond a restatement of the law to clarify assumptions about what the law means in terms specific to the park.

The significance statements express why the resources and values of the park are important enough to justify national park designation. Statements of park significance describe why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. Significance statements are directly linked to the purpose of the park and are verified by data or consensus that reflect the most current scientific or scholarly inquiry and cultural perceptions because the resources and values may have changed since the park was established.

Interpretive themes connect park resources to relevant ideas, meanings, concepts, contexts, beliefs, and values. They support the desired interpretive objective of increasing visitor understanding and appreciation of the significance of park resources. In other words, interpretive themes are the most important messages to be conveyed to the public about the park. Interpretive themes are based on park purpose and significance.

Fundamental resources and values are features, systems, organisms, processes, visitor experiences, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes of the park that merit primary consideration during planning and management because they are essential to achieving park purpose and maintaining park significance.

Other important resources and values are resources and values that are determined to be important and integral to park planning and management, although they are not related to park purpose and significance.

Brief Description of the Park Canyonlands National Park is in southeastern Utah, on the Colorado Plateau. The area is mostly high desert characterized by eroded sedimentary rocks including several distinct types of sandstone, shale, and limestone formations. It is rugged and spectacular country.

Summers are hot with occasional occurrence of violent thunderstorms. Winters can be cold, with occasional snow. Spring and fall temperatures are usually pleasant.

Canyonlands National Park encompasses approximately 527 square miles. The confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers lies within the park. The rivers divide the park into four districts: (1) Island in the Sky, (2) Needles, (3) the Maze, and (4) the rivers themselves.

While the districts share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character and offers different opportunities for exploration and encounters with natural and cultural history. The four districts are not directly linked by any roads, so travel between them requires 2 to 6 hours by car.

The Colorado and Green rivers wind through the heart of Canyonlands, cutting through layered sedimentary formations to form four deep and distinctly different canyons known as Labyrinth, Stillwater, Meander, and Cataract. Both rivers are characterized by gentle gradients upstream of the confluence, where “flat water” reaches are ideal for travel in canoes and kayaks. In Cataract Canyon below the confluence, numerous rocky debris flows from steep canyon walls have created a long series of large rapids where sandstone and limestone boulders present obstacles to navigation and provide an opportunity for visitors to experience a world-class reach of whitewater boating that continues downstream from Canyonlands into Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Island in the Sky is positioned between the two great rivers above their confluence and forms the northern and most-visited region of the park. It is composed of two sections, the mesa top above and the White Rim below, the latter consisting of a prominent sandstone bench 1,200 feet below the mesa top and 500–1,000 feet above the rivers. From the Island in the Sky district, visitors can look down on both rivers, view much of the rest of the park, and experience expansive scenic vistas that extend across intervening plateaus and dissected canyons to encompass many significant landmarks of the Colorado Plateau region including the La Sal, Abajo, Henry, and Navajo mountains. The mesa top is notable for its extensive grasslands and numerous scenic viewpoints, and is accessible by automobile, bicycle, and foot, with several hiking trails down to the White Rim. The White Rim is traversed by a rough, primitive road that can be traveled by bicycle, four-wheel-drive vehicle, or by foot.

The Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa sandstone that dominates the area. The district’s extensive backcountry trail system provides many opportunities for long day-hikes and overnight trips. Foot trails and four-wheel-drive roads lead to such features as Tower Ruin, Confluence Overlook, Elephant Hill, Joint Trail, and Chesler Park.

The Maze is the wildest and least accessible district of Canyonlands, ranking as one of the most remote areas in the United States. Travel to the Maze requires more time and a greater degree of self-sufficiency because of the remote location, difficult roads, and primitive trails. Rarely do visitors spend less than three days in the Maze, and a visit here can easily consume a week-long trip. The Orange Cliffs unit of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area shares a western boundary with Canyonlands and is administered under the same backcountry management plan and permit / reservation system.

Horseshoe Canyon contains some of the most significant rock art in North America. The Great Gallery, the best known panel in Horseshoe Canyon, includes well-preserved, life-sized figures with intricate designs. Other impressive sights include spring wildflowers, sheer sandstone walls, and mature cottonwood groves along the intermittent stream in the canyon bottom.

The purpose of Canyonlands National Park is to preserve striking geologic landscapes and associated ecosystems in an area encompassing the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers possessing superlative scenic, scientific, and cultural features for the inspiration, benefit, and use of the public.

Foundation Document

Park Purpose Purpose statements identify the specific reason for the establishment of a particular park. Purpose statements are crafted through a careful analysis of the enabling legislation and legislative history that influenced the development of Canyonlands National Park. The park was first designated as Canyonlands National Monument when the initial enabling legislation was passed and signed into law on September 12, 1964 (see appendix A for enabling legislation and subsequent amendments).

The purpose statement reinforces the foundation for future park management administration and use decisions. The following is the purpose statement for Canyonlands National Park:

Park Significance Significance statements express why Canyonlands National Park resources and values are important enough to merit national park unit designation. Statements of significance describe why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. These statements are linked to the purpose of the park unit, and are supported by data, research, and consensus. Significance statements describe the distinctive nature of the park and inform management decisions, focusing efforts on preserving and protecting the most important resources and values of the park unit.

The following significance statements have been identified for Canyonlands National Park (please note that these statements are in no particular order):

· Canyonlands National Park and its expansive natural setting exhibit an array of striking geologic landscapes composed of canyons, mesas, buttes, and spires formed from multiple and varying sedimentary rock formations.

· Canyonlands National Park protects the confluence, significant reaches, and associated ecosystems of two major western rivers, the Green and Colorado, which have shaped the complex natural and human histories of the park and surrounding region.

· Canyonlands National Park contains world-class archeological sites and districts, including the Great Gallery, which is the type-site for Barrier Canyon style rock art.

· An assemblage of roads, many associated with a history of mining and ranching activities, continue to provide visitors with exceptional recreational opportunities to access the backcountry of Canyonlands National Park.

· Canyonlands National Park provides incomparable opportunities to view superlative scenery from various perspectives above the rivers and then descend into the midst of these scenic landscapes to experience remote wildness and solitude.

· The diverse natural landscapes and rich cultural history of Canyonlands National Park provide outstanding opportunities for the scientific study of natural ecosystems and how they are affected by human use and climate in different settings over long periods of time.

Interpretive Themes Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from—and should reflect—park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore and relate to all of the park significances and fundamental resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. They go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. Themes help to explain why the history of a park is relevant to people who are unconnected to an event, time, or place.

While themes are important as an organizational tool to guide management decisions, they are not intended for public use. The themes offer park staff guidance on focusing on relevant visitor experience, and what matters to the public is how these themes are represented through park services, media, programming, and facilities.

The following interpretive themes have been identified under individual topics for Canyonlands National Park:

· Geology. The vast and diverse geologic landscapes of Canyonlands National Park are a result of the power of the Colorado River, the persistence of gravity, and the promise of intermittent rainfall in an arid environment.

· Rivers. Canyonlands National Park’s Green and Colorado rivers are the lifeblood of the region, and provide a stage upon which the history of exploration and development of the American West unfold.

· Wildness. The remote nature of the backcountry of Canyonlands National Park provides opportunities for visitors to discover and enjoy the wildness and solitude of the desert.

· Desert Ecology. The climate, diverse geology, and life forms of Canyonlands National Park form a rich, interconnected desert ecosystem.

· Prehistoric Cultural Resources. The petroglyphs, pictographs, granaries, and other traces of ancestral Puebloans found in Canyonlands National Park serve as windows into the region’s rich human history, and help us better understand and appreciate the lives of these prehistoric people and their relationship with the land.

· Cultural Landscapes. Past human activities have influenced and shaped what we see and experience in Canyonlands National Park today.

Fundamental Resources and Values Fundamental resources and values are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are critical to achieving the park’s purpose and maintaining its significance.

The preeminent responsibility of park managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are critical (fundamental) to achieving the park’s purpose and maintaining its significance. These qualities are called the park’s fundamental resources and values (FRVs). Fundamental resources and values are closely related to legislative purpose, and are more specific than significance statements. Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management on what is truly important about the park. If they are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

This distinction is made to ensure that fundamental resources and values receive specific consideration in park planning processes because of their relationship to the park’s purpose and significance.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Canyonlands National Park:

· Geologic Landscapes and Features. Canyonlands National Park protects a striking geologic landscape composed of a diverse and multilayered assemblage of canyons, mesas, buttes, and spires, as well as many notable features of great scientific interest including grabens and Upheaval Dome. These landscapes and features were formed by geologic processes such as sedimentation, erosion, salt dissolution and tectonics, and meteorite impact operating over hundreds of millions of years.

· Green and Colorado Rivers. The Green and Colorado rivers are the lifeblood of the park, and fundamental to their integrity are clean water, native biotic communities, characteristic landforms, and the natural hydrologic, geomorphic, and biotic processes necessary for sustaining them.

· Cultural Resources. The Salt Creek and Horseshoe Canyon archeological districts, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contain important world-class archeological and rock art sites, including the Great Gallery, which is the type-site for Barrier Canyon style rock art. National register-listed properties related to historic grazing and mining activities and a national register-eligible network of roads such as Elephant Hill, Shafer Trail, and White Rim Road are also present in the park.

· Clean Air and Superlative Scenery. Clean air and undeveloped natural viewsheds afford expansive vistas of geologic landscapes and iconic Colorado Plateau features such as the La Sal, Abajo, Henry, and Navajo mountains. Clean air enhances the color and contrast of landscape features, allows visitors to see great distances, and safeguards ecosystem, visitor, and staff health.

· Remote Wildness and Solitude. Canyonlands National Park is primarily a backcountry park with limited accessibility. The wilderness character, natural acoustical environment, and dark night skies enhance opportunities to experience the remoteness in solitude.

· Diverse Assemblage of Colorado Plateau Ecosystems. The park protects a diverse and interconnected assemblage of Colorado Plateau ecosystems, and fundamental to their integrity are clean water, stable soils, native biotic communities, and the hydrologic, geomorphic, and biotic processes necessary for sustaining them.

· Collaborative Conservation, Science, and Scholarship. Collaboration with external partners and engagement in scientific and scholarly activities are values and processes that are fundamental for achieving the park’s purpose and maintaining its significance in the context of shared landscape values, rapidly changing social and environmental conditions, and uncertainty in outcomes of management decision making.

Other Important Resources and Values Canyonlands National Park contains other resources and values that may not be fundamental to the purpose and significance of the park, but are important to consider in management and planning decisions. These are referred to as other important resources and values.

The following other important resources and values have been identified for Canyonlands National Park:

· Rare and Iconic Wildlife Species. Rare desert bighorn sheep, Mexican spotted owls, peregrine falcons, and other raptors are important components of park ecosystems, and are observed and enjoyed by park visitors.

· Paleontological Resources. Geologic landscapes in Canyonlands National Park preserve extensive fossil evidence of prehistoric life.

· Museum Collections. The park’s museum collections contain three-dimensional objects and natural history specimens and artifacts that are representative of the resources within the park’s boundaries. Archives also are a component of museum collections and document park and resource management history.

Part 2: Dynamic Components Part 2 consists of two components:

· special mandates and administrative commitments

· assessment of planning and data needs

These components may change after this foundation document is published and may need to be updated periodically.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments Many of the management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special mandates and administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local governments, utility companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special mandates are requirements specific to a park, most often legislative or judicial, that must be fulfilled along with the park purpose. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation or in separate legislation following the establishment of the park. They may expand on park purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose of the park. Administrative commitments are, in general, agreements that have been reached through formal, documented processes, often through memoranda of agreement. In this category are such agreements as easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service response, etc.

Special mandates and administrative commitments, in many cases, support a network of partnerships that help fulfill the objectives of the park and facilitate working relationships with other organizations. They are an essential component of managing and planning for Canyonlands National Park.

· The Clean Air Act, as amended, requires all park units to meet federal, state, and local pollution standards. Additionally, Canyonlands National Park is a mandatory Class I area under the prevention of significant deterioration provisions of the act. This gives the National Park Service an “affirmative responsibility” to protect the air quality and air quality related values (AQRVs) within the park from the adverse effects of air pollution. Air quality related values are resources that are sensitive to air pollution, such as visibility, plants, animals, soils, water, and certain cultural resources. State and federal permitting authorities must consult with the National Park Service regarding new sources of air pollution, and impacts to park air quality related values must be considered in the permitting process. Further, the act requires NPS involvement in national regulatory efforts aimed at eliminating human-caused visibility impairment in all Class I areas.

· Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. This agreement ensures that the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service continue to enhance efficiencies in each other’s management activities, to coordinate information and outreach efforts, and to foster communications on activities that have the potential to affect the other agency’s management responsibilities.

· Memorandum of Understanding among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding air quality analyses and mitigations for federal oil and gas decisions analyzed under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. This memorandum of understanding provides that air quality will be considered, analyzed, and mitigated through an interagency collaborative process. The MOU seeks to safeguard air quality and resources sensitive to air pollution—termed air quality related values—while recognizing the various missions and mandates of the signatory agencies.

· General Agreement between Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Canyonlands National Park to provide mutual management interest in resource preservation and visitor use in the area of the Orange Cliffs unit in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Canyonlands National Park will maintain a visitor information station, maintenance facility, and employee residences within the boundary of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, at Hans Flat, for the administration of the Maze District and the Orange Cliffs unit.

· General Agreement between Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Arches and Canyonlands national parks. This agreement is to support shared employee safety, interagency operational communications, emergency medical services, law enforcement and the public safety efforts by making available 24-hour dispatch for after-hours and emergency services from Glen Canyon Interagency Communications Center.

· Cooperative Agreement between the National Park Service and San Juan County.

This agreement is intended to provide cooperative management activities and emergency operations in San Juan County, Canyonlands National Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, and Hovenweep National Monument.

· Cooperative Agreement among National Park Service, Southeast Utah Group (SEUG), and Grand County. This agreement is intended to provide cooperative management activities and emergency operations in Grand County, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park.

For more information about the existing commitments for the park, please see the inventory of concessions and permits in appendix C.

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs Once park purpose and significance statements and fundamental resources and values have been identified, it is important to consider what additional information and planning tasks may be necessary to aid the National Park Service in its mission. The assessment of planning and data needs identifies any inherent conditions or threats contained in the gathered information and determines whether any additional planning steps, data needs, and management efforts may be necessary to maintain or protect the existing fundamental resources and values and other important resources and values.

There are three parts that make up the planning and data needs assessment:

1. analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values

2. identification of key or major parkwide issues that need to be addressed by future planning

3. prioritization of data and planning needs

The analysis of fundamental resources and values and identification of major issues leads up to and supports the identification and prioritization of needed plans and studies.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values The analysis of fundamental resources and values articulates the importance of each fundamental resource and value; current condition, potential threats, and the related issues that require consideration in planning and management. Included in the analysis is the identification of relevant laws and NPS policies specific to the preservation and management of the resources at the park. This section of the foundation document will require periodic reviews and updates as monitoring and research improves our understanding of each fundamental resource and value.

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Geologic Landscapes and Features

Short Description of Importance

Canyonlands National Park protects a striking geologic landscape composed of a diverse and multilayered assemblage of canyons, mesas, buttes, and spires, as well as many notable features of great scientific interest including grabens and Upheaval Dome These landscapes and features were formed by geologic processes such as sedimentation, erosion, salt dissolution and tectonics, and meteorite impact operating over hundreds of millions of years

Related Significance Statements

• Canyonlands National Park and its expansive natural setting exhibit an array of striking geologic landscapes composed of canyons, mesas, buttes, and spires formed from multiple and varying sedimentary rock formations

• Canyonlands National Park protects the confluence, significant reaches, and associated ecosystems of two major western rivers, the Green and Colorado, which have shaped the complex natural and human histories of the park and surrounding region

• Canyonlands National Park provides incomparable opportunities to view superlative scenery from various perspectives above the rivers and then to descend into the midst of these scenic landscapes to experience remote wildness and solitude

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions and trends

• All are eroding (natural process)

Threats and Opportunities Threats

• Visitor use including graffiti and vandalism

Opportunities

• Continue to learn from research conducted on geologic features and processes

Stakeholders Interested in this Resource or Value

• Park visitors and staff

• State and local governments

• Commercial guides

• Natural Arch and Bridge Society

• Traditionally associated tribes

• National Parks Conservation Association

• Scientific researchers and educators

• Grand and San Juan counties, Utah

• Cities of Moab and Monticello

• Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks, The Bates Wilson Legacy Fund

• Canyonlands Natural History Association

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Geologic Landscapes and Features

Laws and Policies that Apply to this FRV, and Existing Park Guidance

Laws and policies that apply to this FRV

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (4 8) provide general direction on the protection of geologic and soil resources

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (5 3 5 5) states that the National Park Service “will collect, protect, preserve, provide access to, and use objects, specimens, and archival and manuscript collections…in the disciplines of archeology, ethnography, history, biology, geology, and paleontology to aid understanding among park visitors, and to advance knowledge in the humanities and sciences”

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77

• 1988 Federal Cave Resources Protection Act

• 1976 Mining in the Parks Act

Existing park guidance

• 1995 backcountry management plan

• 1995 resource management plan

• Superintendent’s Compendium

Identified Data Needs • Geologic hazard inventory and map (to show proximity of hazards to cultural resources)

• Inventory of geologic features of special interest

• Larger scale geologic map (1:24,000)

Identified Planning Needs • Resource stewardship strategy

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Green and Colorado Rivers

Short Description of Importance

The Green and Colorado Rivers are the lifeblood of the park, and fundamental to their integrity are clean water, native biotic communities, characteristic landforms, and the natural hydrologic, geomorphic, and biotic processes necessary for sustaining them

Related Significance Statements

• Canyonlands National Park and its expansive natural setting exhibit an array of striking geologic landscapes composed of canyons, mesas, buttes, and spires formed from multiple and varying sedimentary rock formations

• Canyonlands National Park protects the confluence, significant reaches, and associated ecosystems of two major western rivers, the Green and Colorado, which have shaped the complex natural and human histories of the park and surrounding region

• Canyonlands National Park provides incomparable opportunities to view superlative scenery from various perspectives above the rivers and then descend into the midst of these scenic landscapes to experience remote wildness and solitude

• The diverse natural landscapes and rich cultural history of Canyonlands National Park provide outstanding opportunities for the scientific study of natural ecological systems and how they are affected by human use and climate in different settings over long periods of time

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions and trends

• River flow regimes are significantly altered due to upstream dams, flow regulation, water withdrawals, as well as a significant decline in winter snowpack attributable in part to anthropogenic climate change

• Altered flow regimes have had impacts on geomorphic processes, riparian vegetation, and aquatic life

• River channels have narrowed extensively and river banks have heightened during the post-dam period due to altered flow regimes, altered geomorphic processes, and establishment of woody exotic plants

• Riparian vegetation along rivers and tributaries is dominated by extensive populations of exotic tamarisk which are undergoing rapid change due to effects of tamarisk leaf beetle; other woody and herbaceous exotics also are present

• Four native fish species are federally listed as endangered

• Several river bottoms along the Green and Colorado rivers have been adversely impacted by human-caused fire fueled by exotics, especially contributing to declines in cottonwood populations

• The Colorado River between Moab and the confluence with the Green River is on the EPA / State of Utah 303(d) list of impaired waters due to elevated concentrations of selenium

• Many high-visitation areas along the river corridor are characterized by proliferating networks of social trails

• Surface disturbance and soil destabilization facilitate soil erosion in some high-use areas along the river corridor

• Existing monitoring data are inadequate for determining trends in most resource conditions and visitor impacts

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Green and Colorado Rivers

Threats and Opportunities Threats

• Continued / increasing alterations of river flow regimes due to climate change and upstream water diversions

• Potential contamination from uranium mill tailings pile if breached by extreme high-flow event

• Continued impacts from invasive exotic plants and animals, including nonnative fish populations in rivers

• Multiple ecological effects of warming, drought, and greater frequency and magnitude of extreme weather or flow events attributable to anthropogenic climate change

• Continued visitor-use impacts including surface disturbance, soil destabilization, graffiti, vandalism, and fire ignition

• Inadequate staff capacity for designing and implementing necessary monitoring (including data analysis and reporting) or other management actions

• Inadequate protocols and systems for ensuring proper management of resource-related data and information necessary to support management decision making

Opportunities

• Funded campsite restoration project for river corridors will improve resource conditions and visitor experience opportunities

• U S Geological Survey (USGS)-NPS repeat photography research provides opportunities for understanding long-term environmental changes along the river corridor

• Monitoring by the Southeast Utah Group, the NPS inventory and monitoring (I&M) program, and U S Geological Survey will improve understanding of conditions and trends for some river-related resources

• Clean Water Act Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process has the potential to mitigate water quality impairment on the Colorado River

• Preparation and implementation of an updated river management plan has the potential to improve resource conditions and visitor experience opportunities along the river corridors

• Newly funded Colorado River conservation planning project with U S Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy, the Bureau of Land Management, and the State of Utah has the potential to inform the design and prioritization of future conservation actions

• Continued pursuit of opportunities to develop new partnerships and to expand staff science / technical capacity have the potential to increase management effectiveness

Stakeholders Interested in this Resource or Value

• Park visitors and staff

• Commercial guides

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

• Traditionally associated tribes

• Bureau of Land Management

• The Nature Conservancy

• U S Geological Survey

• National Parks Conservation Association

• Researchers and educators

• Local government

• State government

• Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks, The Bates Wilson Legacy

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Green and Colorado Rivers

Laws and Policies that Apply to this FRV, and Existing Park Guidance

Laws and policies that apply to this FRV

• The Clean Water Act

• The Clean Air Act (42 USC 7401 et seq ) gives federal land managers the responsibility for protecting air quality and related values, including visibility, plants, animals, soils, water quality, cultural resources, and public health, from adverse air pollution impacts

• Rivers and Harbors Act

• NPS General Authorities Act: all water resources of the park are protected by the federal government Only an act of Congress can change this fundamental responsibility of the National Park Service

• The Safe Drinking Water Act

• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

• Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended

• National Invasive Species Act

• Lacey Act, as amended

• Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974, as amended

• NPS Management Policies 2006

• Director’s Order 77-1: Wetland Protection

• Director’s Order 77-2: Floodplain Management

• NPS Natural Resource Management Reference Manual 77

• Executive Order 11988, “Floodplain Management”

• Executive Order 11990, “Protection of Wetlands”

• Executive Order 13112, “Invasive Species”

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

• Special Directive 93-4, “Floodplain Management, Revised Guidelines for National Park Service Floodplain Compliance” (1993)

Existing park guidance

• Superintendent’s Compendium

• 1995 backcountry management plan

• 1995 resource management plan

• 1993 commercial visitor services management plan

• 1985 river management plan

• Colorado River Compact

• 2009 SEUG exotic plant management plan

• 2005 SEUG fire management plan

Identified Data Needs • Data and analyses that quantify effects of river flow regimes on resource conditions along the Green and Colorado rivers

• Data on trends and extent of social trails and other surface disturbances in high use areas

• Trends and extent of nonnative species spread throughout park (park has some data)

• Continued collection of stream flow data by U S Geological Survey on the Green and Colorado rivers upstream of the park

• Continued collection of water quality data

• Visitor use data for rivers

• Water resource inventory and risk assessments parkwide

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Green and Colorado Rivers

Identified Planning Needs • Updated river management plan that includes

· visitor use / potential limitations on rivers

· archeological site access decisions for sites along the rivers

· motorized use and/or restrictions on rivers

· commercial visitor services management plan

· campsite infrastructure decisions on the rivers—specific camps versus at-large camping

· restoration areas

• Resource stewardship strategy

• Climate change adaptation planning, including integrated vulnerability assessments for natural and cultural resources

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Cultural Resources

Short Description of Importance

The Salt Creek and Horseshoe Canyon archeological districts, both listed in the National Register of Historic Places, contain important world-class archeological and rock art sites, including the Great Gallery, which is the type-site for Barrier Canyon style rock art National register-listed properties related to historic grazing and mining activities and a national register-eligible network of roads such as Elephant Hill, Shafer Trail, and White Rim Road are also present in the park

Related Significance Statements

• Canyonlands National Park contains world-class archeological sites and districts, including the Great Gallery, which is the type-site for Barrier Canyon style rock art

• An assemblage of roads, many associated with a history of mining and ranching activities, continue to provide visitors with exceptional recreational opportunities to access the backcountry of Canyonlands National Park

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions and trends

• 2% of the park has been surveyed for cultural resources; 1,583 cultural resource sites have been documented to date

• Access to sites has been limited due to Salt Creek Road closure

• Some archeological sites are getting more visitation

• Can only actively manage in selected places in the park

• Compliant museum program exists

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Cultural Resources

Threats and Opportunities Threats

• High visitation to specific archeological sites

• Vandalism

• Graffiti

• Intentional and inadvertent impacts from visitors

• Pot hunting

• Artifact theft

• Potential changes in erosion / weathering rates due to warming, drought, and greater frequency and magnitude of extreme weather or flow events attributable to anthropogenic climate change

• Inadequate staff capacity for implementing necessary monitoring (including analyzing and reporting on monitoring results)

• Inadequate protocols and systems for ensuring proper management of resource-related data and information necessary to support management decision making

Opportunities

• Site stewardship program underway

• Create monitoring plan

• Site documentation and condition assessments

• Develop / expand / implement interpretive programs in cultural history

• Foster public education programs in cultural history

Stakeholders Interested in this Resource or Value

• Park visitors and staff

• Utah State Historic Preservation Office

• Traditionally associated tribes

• Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks, The Bates Wilson Legacy Fund

• Commercial guides on the river and land

• Bureau of Land Management

Fundamental Resource or Value:

Cultural Resources

Laws and Policies that Apply to this FRV, and Existing Park Guidance

Laws and policies that apply to this FRV

• Antiquities Act of 1906

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470)

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and…