Hiker Alert

Comments Needed on Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks General Management Plan

The National Park Service (NPS) at Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks is developing a "General Management Plan" (GMP). Once finalized, the GMP will guide the management of Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs for decades to come. E-mail comments (or letters) are needed at this time on the draft alternatives.

The NPS has proposed (in its GMP Newsletter #5) to divide the parks into several categories, as follows:

"Frontcountry"

Low-Use Frontcountry
High-Use Frontcountry

"Backcountry"

Trailhead areas
Major Trail Corridors
Secondary Trail Corridors
Cross-Country Areas

The preliminary NPS alternatives would divide the parks into the above "zones," and adopt management "prescriptions" that would be applied to each zone. There are at least two major problems with such an approach:

First, it fails to acknowledge that some prescriptions are so fundamental that they need to be applied park-wide (i.e., across all categories or zones). For example, the HSHA and many others have long advocated that all grazing by domestic livestock be prohibited throughout Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs. This is a key issue in the "frontcountry," as well as the "backcountry," yet the zoning scheme is silent to this over-arching park-wide issue.

Second, the backcountry zoning scheme could allow for increased use and degradation of designated "high-use" zones. Such degradation of the wilderness character is not allowed by the Wilderness Act. According to this important law, all areas that have been designated wilderness by Congress must be managed "in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired." Agencies are increasingly attempting to designate "sacrifice areas" in lieu of dealing with the tough issues created by over-use in many areas.

The NPS’s preliminary proposal also includes alternatives that could increase stock group sizes and allow stock in all areas of the Sequoia-Kings backcountry—even remote and pristine trail-less areas.

What You Can Do:

Send an e-mail message (or letter) to the NPS planning team. You can cut-and-paste the points below, but if you have time, please personalize your message by putting these points into your own words, and changing the order, so our messages don’t all look the same. Consider raising the following points:

Start by saying that you are commenting on the GMP for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The GMP needs to address key park-wide issues, such as grazing by livestock. All grazing should be prohibited at Sequoia-Kings Canyon, including frontcountry and backcountry areas. The management categories or "zones" described in GMP Newsletter #5 do not appear to effectively address such park-wide issues.

Any alternative that allows for stock use in these parks should also include a network of foot-travel-only trails to provide for those who desire a hiking experience free of the dust, manure, urine and flies that pollute trails used by stock animals.

Numerous studies have pointed to the need for stock animals to remain on designated trails to avoid impacts to soils, vegetation, and water quality. None of the alternatives should allow off-trail travel by stock animals.

None of the alternatives should allow for increased stock group sizes. The existing group size limit of 20 animals per group is already too high, and should be reduced. There is no valid reason to even consider increasing the existing limit of 20 animals/group.

The GMP must avoid creation of any "zones" in wilderness where impairment of the wilderness character would be allowed. The Wilderness Act does not allow the NPS to create "sacrifice areas" within designated wilderness. The GMP should adopt strict non-degradation standards that apply wilderness-wide.

It appears that the proposals to remove horse stables (i.e., "pack stations") from these parks have been relegated to a "fringe" alternative that will never be selected. The pack stations are eyesores that detract from the scenery and cause many adverse environmental impacts. The proposals to remove the pack stations should be included in more than one "fringe" alternative.

(Note: One of the alternatives being developed by the NPS would prohibit all stock use in Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs. The HSHA is not taking positions "for" or "against" the specific alternatives at this time, because the alternatives have not been fully developed. Currently, the NPS is requesting input on the range of alternatives, and that is why we are suggesting that you make the above comments. But as always, we encourage you to make your true opinions known. Please don’t hesitate to express your true feelings if you disagree with the points stated above.)

Send your message to:

susan_spain@nps.gov
Susan Spain, Sequoia-Kings Canyon GMP Team Captain
P.O. Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287

Send a copy to:

david_graber@nps.gov
Dr. David Graber, GMP Coordinator
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271-9651

There is no formal deadline for these comments. Please send your comments ASAP.

For more information, you can visit the NPS websites at:

http://www.nps.gov/planning/
http://www.nps.gov/seki/

or call Dr. Graber at (559) 565-3173