Saline Valley SPA Position Paper

To add information to the above post. Saline Warm Springs was included inside the boundary of Death Valley National Park in 1994. The National Park Service is proposing a management plan for Saline. The public is invited to comment on the proposal -



Saline Valley Warm Springs Management Plan EIS

Death Valley National Park » Saline Valley Warm Springs Management Plan EIS » Document List
The National Park Service (NPS) invites you to review and comment on the Saline Valley Warm Springs Draft Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (draft plan/EIS). Because your feedback is essential to the development of the EIS, we are asking for your thoughtful review and comments during the 60-day comment period, concluding July 2, 2018.
The plan's purpose is to develop a management strategy for the Saline Valley Warm Springs area that will complement the Death Valley National Park General Management Plan (GMP). The draft plan/EIS is intended to provide a framework for: natural and cultural resources management; administration and operations; and managing visitor use at the warm springs area.

You are encouraged to comment on the draft plan/EIS through this website. Comments can be made by clicking on the "Open for Comment" link at the left side of this page and selecting the document and then clicking "Comment Now" button. You may also mail or hand-deliver your written comments to Superintendent Mike Reynolds, Death Valley National Park, P.O. Box 579, Death Valley, CA 92328.

A limited number of hard copy documents are available at park headquarters in addition to public libraries in Bishop, CA, Lone Pine, CA, Pahrump, NV, Ridgecrest, VA, and the Inyo County Free Library in Independence, CA.

The NPS will hold public meetings during the comment period near the park at the following locations:

•Sunday, May 27, 2018 from 1:00-2:00pm PT at the Saline Valley Warm Springs
•Tuesday, May 29, 2018 from 5:30-7:30pm PT at the Ridgecrest Historical Society, 230 West Ridgecrest Blvd, Ridgecrest, CA 93555
•Wednesday, May 30, 2018 from 5:30-7:30pm PT at the Inyo Council for the Arts, 137 South Main St, Bishop, CA 93514

In addition to the public meetings, the NPS will host a webinar on Thursday May 31 at 5:30pm PT. For more information and to register click on 'Meeting Notices.'

As vital contributors to the planning process, we hope you take the opportunity to provide feedback, and if possible, join us at the public meetings. Thank you.

Superintendent Mike Reynolds
Death Valley National Park
P.O. Box 579,
Death Valley, CA 92328


Document List:
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsList.cfm?parkID=297&projectID=39438




The link in the previous post is to the position paper that is being adopted by a group called the Saline Preservation Association
 
Been down that road with BLM, they are gunna do what they want. Will discount what does not fall into their plans as not viable.
Their plan will be used to put more employees on staff to help make SVS a " better experience for the public" . There goes a fun place to visit, get there before this serene destination is gone!

Russ
 
Was in Lone Pine last week (we always go before the busy weekend!)
Talked to a local with knowledge,not gossip that a coupe of things planned
that sounds true are, 1 plan to cut down palms (not native?) 2,fence area to keep wild
burro's out.
As someone who have been going to Saline since 1971,yea i'm that old and remember
the trash heap that was around the springs, old busses, dead cars, people living for months at a time
and no pit toilets like today.
So i was ok with the "new rules"added over time.

Remove Palm trees? have always thought were native to desert we live in Palm Springs area and local
natives (Indian) always talk how they have always used palms in the past.
If i remember i thank there are palms in other area's of park not know for sure as we do not go to the
developed spots.

Keep the burro's out? now i would think in recent times they are not native, remove them, metal fence's
are not native.

Be ok with removing gold fish from pond, think they are from Walmart! :p

Now for the real reason the storm is brewing, and that is social media and published hot spring
books has let the world in on word of mouth info that was passed between people of a like mind.

Just my thoughts yours may differ!

Les,lqhiker
 
Someone should remind the NPS employees that, by definition, they, also, are not native to the area and should be careful to not do things that might cause them to be considered a destructive, invasive species to the area. :)

Paul
ps. I have not been there and do not particularly like hot springs, thus have no dog in the fight. Heck. I don’t even have a dog. :p
 
I'm pretty sure the palm trees at Scotty's Castle were planted and I've read that palms that have naturalized in other areas of the park are from seeds from those same trees. I'm in favor of just letting the palms live through their natural life cycle. I would be really upset if they removed the lawn. Although it seems pointless to submit my comments I feel like I can't complain if I don't.

We're in the midst of opposing a new dam (Centennial ) 3 miles from my home. The developers have been treating it like it's a done deal but thanks to 1,000s of comment letters and public attendance at planning meetings, real issues are being brought to the public's attention. Not the rosy PR messages that the developers have been force feeding through the media. In the end the project may go forward but hopefully, we'll know what the real costs (economic,environmental,cultural,etc) will be. Call me a dreamer!!
 
Ronin said:
Although it seems pointless to submit my comments I feel like I can't complain if I don't.
Click to expand...
The National Park Service is following the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act known as NEPA. There are several steps in the process that individually must be put before the public for comment. This step is reviewing and commenting on the DRAFT Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. After reviewing all the comments from the public and government, the NPS will issue a final plan. You cannot challenge a final EIS if you have not commented on the draft EIS. This gives you what is legally known as "standing". It is not pointless to summit comments, it is a legal necessity if you want to remain in the process. Most of the time it is organizations - advocacy groups, etc., that play a role in the whole process, but, from my experience, the agencies really appreciate comments from individuals familiar with the issues and who are not just parroting form letters.
 
ski3pin said:
The National Park Service is following the requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act known as NEPA. There are several steps in the process that individually must be put before the public for comment. This step is reviewing and commenting on the DRAFT Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. After reviewing all the comments from the public and government, the NPS will issue a final plan. You cannot challenge a final EIS if you have not commented on the draft EIS. This gives you what is legally known as "standing". It is not pointless to summit comments, it is a legal necessity if you want to remain in the process. Most of the time it is organizations - advocacy groups, etc., that play a role in the whole process, but, from my experience, the agencies really appreciate comments from individuals familiar with the issues and who are not just parroting form letter
Click to expand...
No argument there. Submitting a form comment letter is pointless. 10,000 form letter type comments basically counts as one. Being a very active advocate for the PCTA for over 15 years I'm familiar with the process.
 
Thanks for your hard work and efforts Ronin. I suspect that many of us are asked to send in comments on issues. My post was meant only to give an overview of the process.
 
As someone who worked on public land management plans I would certainly agree that primary purpose of the National Environmental Policy Act's public involvement process is to gather information that may not already known by the agency. While it is true that the NEPA process is not about counting which "side" submits the most comments, it is also true that the extent of public interest in particular issues is sometimes gauged by the number of comments received.
 
I was present last night in Ridgecrest and I left far more optimistic than going in. It was nice to meet the park superintendent. He truly does care about DVNP and has been there for many years.

One comment that was made and acknowledged by the NPS panel was that the anglo involvement at the springs is going to be under scrutiny as a historic aspect and as such protected.

We will see. The park service does want comments though. I think they were very surprised that between 50-70 people turned out at the meeting in Saline.
 
I have not read the document. What I want to know is if people will be prohibited from setting up generators, PA system and lights to have an EDM rave like I had the misfortune of experiencing there one time. I left. I have not been back. I don't make that kind of drive to have to deal with that kind of (fill in the blank)
 
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