Saline Valley Warm Springs Management Plan Alternatives Development

The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public input to help inform and shape alternatives development for a management plan and environmental impact statement for the Saline Valley Warm Springs area of Death Valley National Park (Park). Five alternatives have been drafted and the Park Service is asking for comments at three public meetings in February. Comments can also be submitted electronically or by mail.

The purpose of the proposed plan is to provide a basis for managing this remote yet popular area of the park, balancing the protection of unique natural and cultural resources with public health and visitor use at the Saline Valley Warm Springs.

Public input is important to this planning process, and the NPS encourages participation at the open house style public meetings at the Park and in gateway communities on February 4-6, 2014. The NPS will present the elements of the preliminary alternatives and provide opportunity for attendees to comment on these and other reasonable options for the planning process. The agency is asking for detailed comments on specific elements of an alternative(s) to help guide the Park in refining the alternatives.

Schedule:

• On Tuesday February 4, the NPS will be hosting an open house from 4:00 pm until 6:30 pm at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center Multi-Purpose Room, located in Death Valley National Park, 271 Highway 190, Death Valley, CA.
• On Wednesday February 5, the NPS will be hosting an open house from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm in Lone Pine, CA at Statham Hall, which is located on 138 N. Jackson Street in Lone Pine, CA.
• On Thursday February 6, the NPS will be hosting an open house from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm in Ridgecrest, CA at the Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert, located at 230 W. Ridgecrest Blvd in Ridgecrest, CA.

The preliminary alternatives can be viewed at NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/deva. Comments for this phase of the planning process will be accepted until March 28, 2014. There are several ways to provide comments:

Comments will be accepted in person at the public open house meetings. Additionally, public comment may be submitted online until March 28, 2014, at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/deva.

If you do not have internet access, you may direct comments regarding this project to the park in writing by mail or hand delivery by March 28, 2014 to:

Death Valley National Park
ATTN: Saline Valley Management Plan
P.O. Box 579
Death Valley, CA 92328

Comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted by an individual or organization on behalf of another individual or organization will not be accepted.