Olympic National Park (ONP) recently moved up the 5th
most visited National Park in the United States! ONP had 3,085,340 recreational visitors in 2013. In comparison, Mt.
Rainier National Park reported only 1,148,552. (For more, check out this
Seattle Times article). For those that know the park, this probably comes with no surprise. As the Park Service often boasts, stunning mountain vistas, ocean tidepools, and some of the largest tracks of ancient forests left in the U.S., make spending time in ONP like visiting three parks in one!
Based on this popularity, finding a balance between
minimizing recreationists’ impact while continuing to have recreational access is a priority for The Mountaineers. Read on for information on the Park's Wilderness Stewardship Plan.
With 95% of the Park being designated Wilderness, the
Wilderness Stewardship Plan and Environmental Impact Statement that the Park is
working on will have long-term impact on conserving this amazing place. The Park undertook public scoping for the plan
in the spring of 2013. The Mountaineers submitted comments on the plan (dated 05.14.13). The Park received
260 total correspondences, from which they developed a range of draft
alternatives. Read their summary of alternatives and read more about
their planning process on their website.
The Park Service is asking you to weigh in!
You can submit comments on the draft alternatives:
- Online
- Mail them to:
Sarah Creachbaum, Superintendent
ATTN: WSP Preliminary Draft Alternatives
Olympic National Park
600 E. Park Avenue
Port Angeles, WA 98362
- Attend one of a series of public meetings
Comments are being accepted through May 17, 2014.
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