Park Service staff are developing a management plan for a nearly 4,100-acre tract, which includes Bigelow Lake, at Oregon Caves National Monument/NPS

National Park Service staff at Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is soliciting public input on how to manage nearly 4,100 acres that recently were added to their park, and for comment on a Wild and Scenic River Study for five streams in the park.

The Park Service is hosting open houses next week in Cave Junction and Grants Pass in Oregon. You are invited to meet the planning and study team, learn more about the process, comment on the preferred alternative for preserve management and wild and scenic river study findings, and share your ideas, concerns, and thoughts about this special place.

Schedule of Open Houses

Grants Pass
Tuesday April 17, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
The Lodge at Riverside, Oak Room 1
900 SE 8th Street Grants Pass, OR 97526

Cave Junction Area
Wednesday April 18, 5 p.m.-7p.m.
RCC Kerby Belt Building
24353 Redwood Highway Kerby, OR 97531

The new preserve was designated by Congress in 2014, and surrounds the existing monument. The preserve includes a variety of facilities including a campground, roads, water lines, and trails. There are new National Park Service management responsibilities, including management of hunting opportunities. In addition, the 2014 legislation requires the park to study five stream segments for potential designation within the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Planning is being conducted by a multidisciplinary team, including staff and planners from the NPS and subject matter experts. Public involvement throughout the planning process is essential in the development of both the preserve management plan and the Wild and Scenic river study. Concerns, expectations, and values of all interested individuals and entities expressed during the public scoping period in 2016 were carefully considered and reviewed for inclusion in the plan.

All strategies and actions must be consistent with the National Park Service’s Organic Act of 1916, providing for protection of its natural and cultural resources while inviting appropriate visitor use and enjoyment of the preserve.

To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and NPS policy, the plan is evaluated through an Environmental Assessment. The plan identifies issues and concerns and presents two management alternatives for public review. The EA will also analyze the environmental consequences of each of the alternatives, and identifies a preferred alternative. At the end of the EA process, after public comments have been reviewed, the NPS will issue a “Finding of No Significant Impact” which is the document that finalizes the decision on the preserve management plan.

The Wild and Scenic River Study evaluates the eligibility of five creeks for designation as Wild and Scenic Rivers, based on their free-flowing condition and presence of at least one outstandingly remarkable value. The draft study finds segments of two creeks to be eligible: Lake Creek and Upper Cave Creek. After reviewing public comments on the draft study, the NPS will provide the final study to Congress. The final study report is only a recommendation; Congress would need to take action in order for the creeks to be designated as part of the national Wild and Scenic River system.

The National Park Service has developed a newsletter that provides a brief overview of the preserve management plan and the wild and scenic river study, describes the planning process, and contains detailed information about the open houses. You can find those documents and comment on the draft EA on this site.