Attachment13_GOSP_Foundation_Document.pdf

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

Foundation Document Golden Spike National Historic Site Utah November 2017

Attachment 13 - GOSP Exhibit Planning & Design

CENTRAL PACIFIC GRADE

CENTRAL PACIFIC GRADE UNIO

N PA

C IF IC GRADE

UNION PACIFIC GRADE

Blu e

Cre ek

Engine House (locomotive winter storage)

Last Spike Site

Big Fill

Big Fill Loop Trail

Big Fill/Big Trestle Viewpoint

Golden Spike Drive

Golden Spike Drive

G ol de n

Sp ik e D ri ve

Last Cut Chinese Arch

Big Trestle Site

P R O M

O N T O R Y

M O U N T A I N S

4905 ft 1495 m

Kings Peak 5666 ft 1727 m

To Promontory Point

P R O M O N T O R Y H O L L O W

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R T H P R O

M O

N T O

R Y

M O

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T A I N

S o n e-w ay o n e-w ay

Self-guiding trail Picnic areaHiking trailUnpaved roadAuto tour route

(unpaved) Golden Spike National Historic Site

To Locomotive Springs

0 1 Mile0.5

1 Kilometer0.5

Visitor Center Park Headquarters

North

Great Salt Lake

§̈¦80

§̈¦15

§̈¦70

§̈¦84

§̈¦84

Moab

Bluff

Price

Provo

Ogden

Logan

Vernal

St. George

Cedar City

Salt Lake City

USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR,N

Robinson,NCEAS,NLS,OS,NMA,Geodatastyrelsen and the GIS User Community

National Park Service

US Forest Service

Golden Spike National Historic Site

U T A H

Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components 3

Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 5 Park Significance 6 Fundamental Resources and Values 7 Other Important Resources and Values 9 Interpretive Themes 10

Part 2: Dynamic Components 12

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 12 Special Mandates 12

Administrative Commitments 12

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 13 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 13

Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 23

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 27

Planning and Data Needs 28

Part 3: Contributors 33

Golden Spike National Historic Site 33 Partners 33 NPS Intermountain Region 33 Other NPS Staff 33

Appendixes 34

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation and Legislative Acts for Golden Spike National Historic Site 34

Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments 43 Appendix C: Traditionally Associated Tribes 45 Appendix D: Past Park Planning and Data Collection Efforts 46

Golden Spike National Historic Site

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 system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 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 to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.

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.

Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.

While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment.

The park atlas for Golden Spike National Historic Site can be accessed online at:

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/.

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/

Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts.

Brief Description of the Park Golden Spike National Historic Site is in Box Elder County, Utah, 32 miles west of Brigham City and about 90 miles northwest of Salt Lake City. The current authorized boundary of the park contains 2,735.28 acres, of which 2,203.20 are in federal ownership and approximately 530 are privately held.

The park was designated to commemorate the location where the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad came together to form the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. The park’s resources include the site where the railroad was completed in a “last spike” ceremony on May 10, 1869. In addition, the park incorporates the parallel railroad grades and associated archeological features that remain from the construction. These features include cuts and fills, drainage features, campsites of the workmen, and towns that sprang up around them. Additionally, the park’s resources include the Mission 66 visitor center and replica locomotives that provide the main interpretation at the park.

Golden Spike National Historic Site is in the Eastern Great Basin Desert. The viewshed includes hillside and plains grasslands and ranges in elevation from about 5,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level. The scarcity of water in this semi-arid region accounts for its sparse population. Annual precipitation averages 8–12 inches, mostly in the form of snow. Snow depths vary considerably, but average less than 12–14 inches; occasionally, a single storm can produce 6–8 inches of snow.

Temperatures range from daytime highs of 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to an occasional 104 degrees in the summer. July and August are the hottest months, and the coldest weather is from late December through February. Winter nights are typically below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Spring and autumn months are generally mild, although they can vary widely from day to day due to jet stream patterns and the fact that the area is desert.

Flash floods from occasional severe storms and spring runoff, aggravated in some places by adjacent agricultural land use, cause erosion of historic grades, cuts, fills, and trestles, and, as a result, some of the historic grades and associated features have been damaged. Damage also occurs more gradually from natural erosion processes.

During glacial times, the area was under the waters of ancient Lake Bonneville, and prominent old lake terraces are visible throughout the entire area. Today’s surface materials consist of fine-grained lake sediments and alluvial detritus. Subsurface deposits consist primarily of Pennsylvanian sandstone, shale, and limestone and Tertiary extrusive materials. Numerous fault lines of Tertiary age run through the Promontory Range.

The region is included in the shadscale-kangaroo rat-sagebrush biome of the northern Great Basin. The major flora in the area consists of sagebrush, rabbit brush, broom snakeweed, Indian rice grass, and a variety of other grasses. A few Utah junipers and an occasional historic box-elder tree can be found. Nonnative vegetation includes Russian thistle (tumbleweeds), tumble mustard, cheatgrass, western crested wheatgrass, and other species. Even in undeveloped parts of the park, the vegetation differs from that in 1869 because of the greater concentration of nonnative species and noxious weeds; however, the visual aspect of these vegetation changes does not appear to have significantly altered the cultural landscape.

Wildlife is varied and consists of larger mammals such as coyote, mule deer, bobcat, badger, and jackrabbit. Small mammals, reptiles, insects, and numerous species of birds are also present.

Large numbers of raptors inhabit the area, and accipiters, falcons, buteos, and golden and bald eagles are common during winter months.

The surrounding landscape is relatively unchanged in appearance from 1869, and large undeveloped swaths of ranchland surround the park’s 2,735 acres.

Park Purpose The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park. The purpose statement for Golden Spike National Historic Site was drafted through a careful analysis of its enabling legislation and the legislative history that influenced its development. The park was designated a national historic site by the Secretary of the Interior on April 2, 1957, and was officially established when the enabling legislation adopted by Congress was signed into law on July 30, 1965 (see appendix A for enabling legislation and legislative acts). The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most important about the park.

The purpose of Golden Spike national HiStoric Site is to serve as a national memorial commemorating the completion of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States.

Park Significance Significance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are linked to the purpose of Golden Spike National Historic Site, and are supported by data, research, and consensus. Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

The following significance statements have been identified for Golden Spike National Historic Site. (Please note that the sequence of the statements does not reflect the level of significance.)

1. The Transcontinental Railroad Links the Nation. The transcontinental railroad was among the greatest technological achievements of the 19th century. Golden Spike National Historic Site preserves the location where this achievement, which linked the United States politically, economically, physically, as well as in the national psyche, was completed. Coupled with other western expansion migrations, the transcontinental railroad had profound negative impacts on the lifeways and cultures of the American Indians across the West.

2. Preserving a Cultural Landscape. Golden Spike National Historic Site, set in a vast open landscape mostly unchanged from 1869, retains an unparalleled concentration of historic transcontinental railroad engineering features, archeological sites, and associated cultural landscape elements. It is the only park unit set aside in perpetuity that preserves physical evidence of the technology and methods involved in construction, completion, and maintenance of the transcontinental railroad.

3. Locomotives and Reenactment. The park’s replica locomotives, together with its long history of commemorative activities and reenactment ceremonies, provide visitors a unique opportunity to learn about and experience the transcontinental railroad and have contributed to etching the Last Spike Site into the national consciousness.

4. Technological Feat. The transcontinental railroad was among the greatest technological feats of the 19th century and represents one of the most ambitious and expensive projects ever undertaken by the federal government. The daunting task of construction across vast expanses of the country, within a relatively short time frame, required the government to forge creative partnerships with private corporations to accomplish this unprecedented construction feat. The legacy of this government-corporate partnership, and the fierce competition that it spawned between the rival railroad companies, is clearly reflected in the parallel grades and other features of Golden Spike National Historic Site.

5. United Effort. Thousands of American workers and immigrants (Civil War veterans including Buffalo Soldiers, Irish, Chinese, American Indians, Mormons, and others) were employed in the railroad’s construction, often toiling under the harshest of conditions in some of the most remote and difficult landscapes of the West.

Fundamental Resources and Values Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) 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 essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Golden Spike National Historic Site:

· Viewshed and Historic Landscape. The landscape surrounding Golden Spike National Historic Site at the summit of the Promontory Range in the northern basin of Great Salt Lake contains relatively undisturbed hillsides, mountains, and plains that evoke the feeling and atmosphere of 1869. The park is divided into three major areas of interest—the east slope, the summit, and the west slope. The summit area, where the symbolic driving of the Golden Spike celebrated the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, is the primary focal point. As the site where the Central Pacific and Union Pacific united to inaugurate cross-country travel, Promontory Summit best illustrates the historical meaning, as well as the dramatic construction story, of the first transcontinental railroad. The historic landscape includes a portion of the parallel grade constructed by rival railroad companies during the race to complete the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. In addition, the landscape includes archeological remains of worker and supply camps, temporary railroad towns, infrastructure and remnants of railroad construction and operation, and remnants of a telegraph system.

· Archeological Features. Golden Spike National Historic Site is the only National Park Service unit set aside in perpetuity to preserve the physical evidence of the technology and methods involved in construction, completion, and maintenance of the transcontinental railroad. Original historical land use and activity areas currently manifested as archeological sites include the Last Spike Site, Promontory Station, the town of Dead Fall, workers’ campsites, Hall’s camp, remnants of the historic telegraph line, and a number of smaller isolated features. Information from archeological investigations contributes to a greater understanding of the construction and operation of the transcontinental railroad and the cultural traditions of the railroad workers who helped complete it.

· Last Spike Site, May 10th Event, and Reenactments. The park is best known for protecting and preserving Promontory Summit, where the final spike was driven to complete the nation’s first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, and for interpreting the importance of the transcontinental railroad for today’s visitors. An important component of the Last Spike Site is its authenticity. Evidence remaining from the rails and research over time provided verification that the location currently used to interpret the driving of the last spike is accurate. The historic setting of the Last Spike Site, with the exclusion of Promontory Station, remains almost unchanged from how it looked on May 10, 1869. The May 10th event and other reenactments are a critical component of the interpretive story and visitor experience at the park. Reenactments occurred before the site became a unit of the National Park Service and that legacy, along with the notoriety it brought, contributed to the creation of the historic site. The Golden Spike Association provides monetary and physical support for a variety of events throughout the year in addition to the May 10th event including the Railroaders Festival, Winter Steam Festival, and weekly and special request historic reenactments.

Volunteer participation is a critical component of reenactments.

· Replica Locomotives. The Jupiter and 119 are two of our nation’s most renowned, readily recognized locomotives. Each, by a mere stroke of fate, represented their respective companies in the “Golden Spike” and continues to help re-create the historic and symbolic atmosphere of May 10, 1869. These working replicas of the 1868 steam locomotives provide a tangible link to the legacy of the railroad that tied a nation together. The construction of the locomotives was congressionally mandated and signifies the importance of these resources in telling the story of Golden Spike and the transcontinental railroad.

· Step Back in Time. A variety of visitor opportunities at the park allow visitors to experience the site in a manner similar to when the transcontinental railroad was completed and began operating. Watching, hearing, and smelling the replica locomotives in a relatively unaltered landscape as part of regular demonstrations or reenactments provide a sensory experience that has the ability to transport visitors so they feel as if they stepped back in time. The visitor center, demonstrations, and Engine House tours, along with regular interpretive programs, comprehensive research, and displays, are key parts of the visitor experience at the park. In addition, the self-guided East and West Auto Tour brochures and the Big Fill interpretive trail cell phone tour provide a means for visitors to gain a greater understanding of the historic site while exploring it on their own.

Other Important Resources and Values Golden Spike National Historic Site contains other resources and values that are not fundamental to the purpose of the park and may be unrelated to its significance, but are important to consider in planning processes. These are referred to as “other important resources and values” (OIRV). These resources and values have been selected because they are important in the operation and management of the park and warrant special consideration in park planning.

The following other important resources and values have been identified for Golden Spike National Historic Site:

· Natural Resources. The preservation of natural resources is essential to maintaining a landscape reminiscent of 1869. The NPS Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network indicates that 273 vascular plant species are present in the park.

Major flora consists of high plains species such as sagebrush, rabbit brush, broom snakeweed, Indian rice grass, and a variety of other grasses. Nonnative vegetation includes tumble mustard, cheatgrass, and western crested wheatgrass, among other species. Sagebrush predominates at the summit area and contemporary descriptions, along with historical photographs of the summit, indicate that the vegetation in the area today differs from that in 1869. Native vegetation on the summit consisted primarily of mixed stands of grasses and shrubby plants, and, although a concentration of nonnative species and noxious weeds predominate today, the visual appearance of this vegetation does not significantly alter the appearance of the cultural landscape. Wildlife is varied and includes larger mammals such as the coyote, mule deer, bobcat, badger, and jackrabbit. Smaller mammals in the area include reptiles, insects, and numerous bird species. Monitoring by the NPS Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network suggests that 59 mammal, 98 bird, and 19 reptile species are present or likely present in the park. The viewshed remains relatively unchanged from 1869.

· Museum Collections and Archives. Museum collections are extensive and are concentrated in three categories—history, archives, and archeology—representing the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century. The collections range from photographs, documents, and blueprints, to maintenance of railway equipment, material molds, and tools, to everyday objects associated with life on the railroad.

Museum collections are housed at the park, the NPS Western Archeological and Conservation Center, and Utah State University under an agreement with the park.

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 park significance statements and fundamental and other important 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. Interpretive themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes help explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Golden Spike National Historic Site:

· Last Spike. The driving of the last spike at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869, symbolized the unification of east and west. It was the culmination of a young, newly industrialized nation’s vision for greater presence on the world stage by constructing a modern transportation artery across its vast continent.

· Building the Railroad. The transcontinental railroad represented a significant technological and political achievement and was completed as a result of creative partnerships between government and private interests that revealed a wide range of human attributes including optimism, ingenuity, vision, courage, intelligence, endurance, and pride, but also corruption, jealousy, racism, and greed.

· National Impacts. The dramatic increase in speed and access provided by the new transcontinental railroad had significant social, political, technological, and economic implications for the nation and for many individuals, for both good and ill.

· Indigenous Cultures. The history preserved at Golden Spike National Historic Site provides a poignant reminder of the ways in which the transcontinental railroad changed traditional lives and cultures and contributed to the widespread slaughter of the once vast buffalo herds—increasing the pace of European-American settlement in the West and accelerating the subjugation of American Indian peoples across the West.

· Contributions of Workers. The preserved cultural landscape at Golden Spike National Historic Site provides outstanding opportunities to step back in time and understand the lives and hardships of the thousands of railroad workers—including recent Civil War veterans, former slaves, Irish, Chinese, American Indians, Mormons, and others—who labored in harsh and unforgiving landscapes and left a permanent imprint on the nation.

· Cultural Landscape. The parallel grades, culverts, fills, cuts, telegraph poles, and other constructed features, set in their stark landscape relatively unchanged from 1869, represent complex and stunning human efforts and exemplify the history of the creation of the transcontinental railroad.

· Bringing History to Life. The park’s replica locomotives, along with the reenactments performed at the location where the original Golden Spike ceremony was held, serve to immerse visitors in experiences that bring the site’s history to life, strengthen visitors’ understanding of American history and values, and encourage civic engagement and stewardship of the park.

· Establishment of the Historic Site. Bernice Gibbs Anderson and other supporters contributed to establishment of Golden Spike National Historic Site on April 2, 1957.

Reenactments developed and supported by the Golden Spike Association and other volunteers play an important continuing role in the historic site’s interpretive efforts.

Part 2: Dynamic Components The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These components are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can be established and new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of fundamental and other important resources and values change over time, the analysis of planning and data needs will need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. Therefore, this part of the foundation document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments Many 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 that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of the park, or through a judicial process.

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 memorandums of agreement. Examples include easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates and administrative commitments can support, in many cases, 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 Golden Spike National Historic Site.

Special Mandates The enabling legislation authorized expenditure of not more than $1,168,000 for land acquisition and development. The National Park Service subsequently received additional authorization to purchase replica locomotives, tenders, and appurtenant structures and to preserve historic features relating to construction of the transcontinental railroad, through enactment of Public Law 94-578 on October 21, 1976, which increased the development ceiling from $1,168,000 to $5,422,000.

The development ceiling was amended again on September 8, 1980, when Public Law 96-344 was enacted. The $5,422,000 was reduced to $5,324,000; however, $348,000 was authorized for acquisition of land. This legislation, amended in March 1982, also authorized the expenditure of $100,000 to study the feasibility of providing passenger rail service from Ogden, Utah, to the historic site.

Administrative Commitments For information about the existing administrative commitments for Golden Spike National Historic Site, please see appendix B.

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs Once the core components of part 1 of the foundation document have been identified, it is important to gather and evaluate existing information about the park’s fundamental and other important resources and values, and develop a full assessment of the park’s planning and data needs. The assessment of planning and data needs section presents planning issues, the planning projects that will address these issues, and the associated information requirements for planning, such as resource inventories and data collection, including GIS data.

There are three sections in the assessment of planning and data needs:

1. analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values

2. identification of key issues and associated planning and data needs

3. identification of planning and data needs (including spatial mapping activities or GIS maps)

The analysis of fundamental and other important resources and values and identification of key issues leads up to and supports the identification of planning and data collection needs.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values The fundamental resource or value analysis table includes current conditions, potential threats and opportunities, planning and data needs, and selected laws and NPS policies related to management of the identified resource or value.

Fundamental Resource or Value

Viewshed and Historic Landscape

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 2, 3, and 4.

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Overall, the viewshed is relatively unchanged since the 1860s and in good condition.

• The railroad grade constitutes an important feature because it is one of the few locations along 1,776 miles where the grade is preserved.

• Currently, the park does not own all of the land within its authorized boundary. There are approximately 530 acres of land in private ownership that was authorized for inclusion in the park. This land includes parts of the historic railroad grades and some archeological features that are well represented elsewhere on the site.

• Active railroad grade (used for reenactments) is in good condition.

• Roadway atop grade is in good condition.

• Trail on grade is in good condition.

• Other grade (maintained as is) is in fair condition.

• Last Spike Site (County Road to west end of existing track) is restored to 1869 time period; to extent restored, it is in good condition.

• Rest of the national historic site is maintained to 1869–1942 period (with exception of Mission 66 Visitor Center) and is in good condition.

• Plant life is not characteristic of 1869, and, because of abundance of cheatgrass over sagebrush, its condition is fair.

• Landscape is maintained such that the view closely replicates historic photographs and the landscape is in good condition.

• East and West auto tours are both in good condition.

• Big Fill view is intact and in good condition.

Trends

• Visitation increased 34% in 2015, but it is unclear whether this represents a sustained increase or is related to the NPS Centennial.

• Development surrounding the park has been minimal to date, in part due to the difficulty of obtaining a viable water source.

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Deterioration of landscape and/or historic features due to natural processes.

• Potential for outside/boundary development (likely).

• Unauthorized use by hunters, metal detectors, vandals, cattle, ATVs, and vehicles.

• Erosion caused by weather and natural events, likely to be exacerbated by climate change.

• Fire altering historic landscape / viewshed / vegetation by removing remaining native vegetation and favoring dominance by invasive species.

• Fires/firefighting methods.

• Invasive species including, but not limited to, cheatgrass, dyer’s woad, rush skeleton, and scotch thistle.

• Slight but negligible increases in light pollution from nearby development.

• During the development of this document (spring 2017), staff from the historic site met with managers from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management regarding a solar farm potentially being located within 5 miles of the east boundary of the national historic site.

The location is one of several under consideration.

Fundamental Resource or Value

Viewshed and Historic Landscape

Threats and Opportunities

Opportunities

• Pursue purchase of existing privately owned tracts within legislative boundary.

• Increase public understanding and appreciation of the significance of the park’s historic landscape.

• Partner with nearby public and private land owners to increase awareness about the importance of the site’s historic landscape views, sounds, and night sky protection.

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Visual resource inventory.

• Remote sensing of the grounds (LiDAR).

• Collect complete series of aerial photography, georeference imagery and include in park atlas.

• Document land use adjacent to boundary.

• Cultural resource stewardship assessment.

• Natural resource condition assessment.

• Administrative history (ongoing).

• Cultural landscape inventory.

Planning Needs

• Cultural landscape report (update).

• Geological hazard assessment.

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Clean Air Act (42 USC 7401 et seq.)

• Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974, as amended

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• Executive Order 13007, “Indian Sacred Sites”

• Executive Order 13112, “Invasive Species”

• Executive Order 13175, “Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments”

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

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

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1.4) “Park Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1.6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park Boundaries”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4.7) “Air Resource Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4.9) “Soundscape Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4.10) “Lightscape Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§5.3.1.7) “Cultural Soundscape Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§8.2.3) “Use of Motorized Equipment”

• Director’s Order 47: Soundscape Preservation and Noise Management

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 12-02, “Applying National Park Service Management Policies in the Context of Climate Change”

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 14-02, “Climate Change and Stewardship of Cultural Resources”

Fundamental Resource or Value

Archeological Features

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 2, 4, and 5.

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Cuts, fills, culverts, and trestles are maintained, stable, and in acceptable but varying condition.

• Promontory Station (the town) is a stable archeological site.

• The site of the former Roundhouse is in stable condition.

• What remains of the workers’ camps are in stable condition.

• Remnants of original telegraph poles exist and are stable archeological sites.

• The “Ten Miles of Track Laid in One Day” sign is on permanent display in the visitor center and is in good condition.

• Overall, 75% of the historic site is in good condition according to the List of Classified Structures and Archeological Sites Management Information System databases.

Trends

• Ongoing stabilization is needed at many locations and for many features due to impacts from erosion.

• Condition assessments for Archeological Sites Management Information System are ongoing.

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Unauthorized use by hunters, metal detectors, vandals, cattle, ATVs, and vehicles threatens preservation of archeological sites.

• Erosion (caused by weather, vehicles, illegal visitation [e.g., ATVs]) may disturb the stability of archeological features.

• Climate change is likely to increase the frequency of severe weather events, which may impact archeological sites.

• Fires and methods used to fight fires could negatively impact archeological resources.

• Lack of stabilization and structural decay could impact preservation of sites.

• Landscape and/or historic features could be affected by deterioration due to natural processes.

Opportunities

• Outreach to universities / researchers to support archeological documentation and preservation efforts.

• Continue to coordinate and work with the NPS Vanishing Treasures Program.

• Develop interpretive opportunities for archeological sites.

• Continue to work with the State Historic Preservation Office and interagency archeological experts.

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Climate change vulnerability assessment.

• Cultural resource stewardship assessment.

• Collect ongoing archeological research and analysis.

• Ethnographic overview and assessment.

Planning Needs

• Geological hazard assessment.

• Planning for adaptation to climate change.

Fundamental Resource or Value

Archeological Features

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978

• Antiquities Act of 1906

• Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Historic Sites Act of 1935

• Museum Properties Management Act of 1955, as amended

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended

• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• Executive Order 13007, “Indian Sacred Sites”

• Executive Order 13175, “Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments”

• “Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections” (36 CFR 79)

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

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

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1.10) “Partnerships”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 5) “Cultural Resource Management”

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• Director’s Order 28A: Archeology

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

• “Department of the Interior Policy on Consultation with Indian Tribes”

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 12-02, “Applying National Park Service Management Policies in the Context of Climate Change”

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 14-02, “Climate Change and Stewardship of Cultural Resources”

Fundamental Resource or Value

Last Spike Site, May 10th Event, and Reenactments

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Last Spike Site is in good condition and is mostly historically accurate.

• Actual location of 1869 spike is surveyed within one foot accuracy.

• Laurel wood replica (last tie) is in good condition.

• Replica telegraph pole at Last Spike Site is in good condition.

• Setting is historically accurate with the exception of minimal modern additions for interpretation and visitor use.

• Locomotives continue to contribute to the reenactments.

• Reenactments (30-minute sessions) occur twice on Saturdays and holidays from May through September and annually on the May 10th anniversary. Special requests for reenactments can be made at any time during the operating season.

• Golden Spike Association provides support for events.

• The portions of railroad track, features, and locomotives used for reenactments are restored to 1860s era.

• Visitor seating is not ADA compliant.

Trends

• Reenactments continue to be a popular part of the visitor experience.

• May 10th anniversary event continues to be highest visitor day of year and is supported by partners and volunteers.

• Annual volunteer hours are noticeably decreasing.

• Visitor safety around locomotives is an ongoing area of consideration.

Fundamental Resource or Value

Last Spike Site, May 10th Event, and Reenactments

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Having fewer volunteers / reenactors jeopardizes continuation of historic reenactments.

Opportunities

• Ongoing opportunities exist for volunteer and visitor participation in reenactments.

• Expand outreach and interpretive programming.

• Use historic site events to advertise/solicit for volunteers.

• Bring visitor seating into ADA compliance (fee-funded project).

• Review park volunteer program.

• Use volunteer.gov to recruit more volunteers.

Data and/or GIS Needs • None identified.

Planning Needs

• Volunteer strategy.

• Seating accessibility plan at Last Spike Site.

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations that Apply to the FRV

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Architectural Barriers Act of 1968

• Historic Sites Act of 1935

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended

• NPS Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998

• Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009

• Rehabilitation Act of 1973

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

• “Accessibility Guidelines” (36 CFR 1191.1)

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1.10) “Partnerships”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§5.1) “Research”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 5) “Cultural Resource Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 7) “Interpretation and Education”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 8) “Use of the Parks”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 9) “Park Facilities”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 10) “Commercial Visitor Services”

• Director’s Order 6: Interpretation and Education

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• Director’s Order 42: Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities in National Park Service Programs and Services

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

Fundamental Resource or Value

Replica Locomotives

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 3, and 4.

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Locomotives are in good condition.

• Locomotives are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

• Sights, sounds, and smells of locomotives provide ambience for interpretation.

• Locomotive demonstrations occur daily from May through October.

• The locomotives are kept in the Engine House for repairs and maintenance from mid- October to early May.

• NPS locomotive engineers provide routine maintenance and safety inspections.

• Engine House has a fire suppression system and an alarm system.

• Engine House tours are conducted three days a week from October through April.

Trends

• Ongoing efforts to improve authenticity of locomotives based on historical research.

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Life cycle (cannot last indefinitely).

• Increasing difficulty getting materials and parts to keep the locomotives operating.

• Fire (including wildland).

• Vandalism.

• Cost of maintenance.

• Safety (maintenance, visitor operations, repairs).

Opportunities

• Partnership with Union Pacific to provide historical information and ongoing support and technical assistance.

• Assess potential for additional rolling stock, and identify corresponding costs/funding for maintenance and storage.

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Convert locomotive construction drawings to digital format (e.g., AutoCad).

• Locomotive color survey (to document color schemes).

Planning Needs • Long-term storage solution for locomotive casting patterns.

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations that Apply to the FRV

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended

• Museum Properties Management Act of 1955, as amended

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1.6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park

Boundaries”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§5.1) “Research”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§8.10) “Natural and Cultural Studies, Research, and Collection Activities”

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

Fundamental Resource or Value

Step Back in Time

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• Locomotive demonstrations and Engine House tours are ongoing.

• Interpretive staff conducts research to support interpretive programs.

• Informal interpretation through staff contact with visitors is ongoing.

• Sights, smells, and sounds of locomotives enhance visitor experience and ambience by creating a historic scene.

• Weekly reenactments are ongoing and special requests can be made at any time during the operating season.

• East and West auto tours require ongoing maintenance and are currently in good condition.

• Interpretive waysides are in varying conditions.

• Cell phone tour is a popular feature of the Big Fill hiking trail.

• Daily interpretive programs (May–September) and Engine House tours (October–April) are ongoing.

• Locomotive demonstrations are given from May to October.

Trends

• Increasing visitor interest and expectations for interpretation through technology

(e.g., QR codes, social media, Wi-Fi, virtual tours, role-based interpretation).

• Interest in expanding visitor diversity and relevance.

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Aging corps of reenactors jeopardizes continuation of historic reenactments.

• Issues of visitor safety around locomotives are ongoing.

• The site is within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated Salt Lake City particulate matter nonattainment area where air pollutants reach levels that can be a risk to the health of sensitive groups including children, the elderly, people with existing health problems, and active adults.

Opportunities

• In concert with the Long-Range Interpretive Plan of 2014, broaden interpretation to include more cultural diversity, providing information about groups currently underrepresented in the park’s programming, displays, and media.

• Continue efforts to increase historical accuracy at site.

• Outreach to universities/researchers to support education and interpretation and as a possible source of volunteers.

• Expand recreational opportunities (e.g., biking, birding, sightseeing, hiking) to connect visitors with place/historic setting.

• Provide local air quality conditions and forecast to staff and visitors.

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Research and planning for update of visitor center interpretive exhibits.

Planning Needs • Wayside exhibit plan.

Fundamental Resource or Value

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