comments in PDF - Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club

On Page 75, Management of Research Natural Areas, the NPS should show where
these areas are, tell how many acres they cover, and state what the purpose is of each
one. The public and decision-makers need this information so they can review,
comment on, and understand Alternative A.
On Pages 75-76, Historic Structures and Landscapes, NPS uses words like
preserved and stabilized but does not provide a definition and explanation about what
these words mean. This is particularly important in Wilderness (Hunter Line Cabin)
where Wilderness character must be protected when conducting any historic work. The
public and decision-makers need this information so they can review, comment on, and
understand Alternative A.
On Page 77, Hiking Trails, Trailheads, and Horse Use, NPS states that “Horseback
riding would continue to be allowed on some of the park’s interior trails”. The word
“some” is misleading. According to the Sierra Club’s calculation, using the Trails
Unlimited Map mileage of GMNP, about 47.7 miles of the 82 total miles of hiking trails
allow horses on them, which is over 50% of the trails (58.2%). Page 191 of the draft
GMP/EIS states “About 60 percent of the trails are open to horses”. This is more than
“some” trails allowed for horse use.
On Page 77, Park Operations, the NPS states “There would not be any commercial
services planning”. The Sierra Club supports no commercial services planning because
GMNP can be both hiked and ridden by horses without commercial services. This is
done currently and has been done very successfully for many years. There is no need
for commercial services planning. The primitive, Wilderness, quality of GMNP, which is
a small national park, should be kept, protected, husbanded because it is rare to find
these days. People need to enter Wilderness or Wilderness-like areas (backcountry)
with humility and on Wilderness’s terms and not ours, which often means reliance on
mechanized means and modern gadgets instead of our primitive skills and instincts.
Wilderness is for solitude, quiet, contemplation, enjoyment of natural sounds, and peace
for the soul. There are so few places like this anymore. The Sierra Club does not want
to see GMNP loved to death. As NPS states on page 90, “Visitors to Guadalupe
Mountains would be given opportunities to have a true wilderness experience at a selfsufficiency
level … Through direct experience, visitors would be able to gain a first-hand
understanding of wilderness values”.
On Page 78, Boundary Adjustment, the Sierra Club supports including the two parcels
of NPS owned land in the boundaries of GMNP. We also support acquiring more land
to provide protection the view-shed, to protect geological, biological, and ecological
resources, and to buffer GMNP from incompatible uses and provide migration corridors
for plants and animals due to climate change. NPS should discuss opportunities for
land acquisition including the 10,000 acres of land that is adjacent to McKittrick Canyon
that has recently gone on the market for $1,000/acre.
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