General Management Plan Amendment

 

The National Park Service (NPS) completed a General Management Plan Amendment (GMP Amendment) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Point Reyes National Seashore and the north district of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The GMP Amendment/EIS updates management guidance for more than 28,000 acres of NPS lands, including all lands currently leased for ranching and tule elk in those areas.

How is this website arranged? The first seven sections are ordered by date from most recent to initial steps of the GMP Amendment. Further below is background information, news releases, and the project timeline. Scroll to the end of the page for frequently asked questions and a citizen's guide to environmental planning.

 

Ranching and Dairying Lease/Permits

In 2022, Point Reyes National Seashore began issuing Interim Ranching and Dairying Lease/Permits to the ranchers within the park.

 

Record of Decision

On Monday, September 13, 2021, the National Park Service issued the record of decision (ROD) for the General Management Plan Amendment and environmental impact statement addressing the future management of all lands currently under agricultural lease/permit within Point Reyes National Seashore and the north district of Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the management of free-ranging tule elk in those areas. The ROD identifies the alternative selected for implementation and concludes the environmental review process. The selected action serves as a blueprint to guide the National Park Service's management of lands, resources, development, and visitor use in the 28,000 acre planning area.

Please see the Record of Decision for the General Management Plan Amendment page and the Record of Decision Frequently Asked Questions page for more details.

News Release

The National Park Service Issues Record of Decision on the General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement for Point Reyes National Seashore and the North District of Golden Gate National Recreation Area

 

California Coastal Commission Public Hearing

On Thursday, April 22, 2021, the California Coastal Commission held a public hearing to consider a Consistency Determination by the National Park Service for the 2020 General Management Plan Amendment for Point Reyes National Seashore and the north district of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including elk and ranch management actions. The public was invited to participate.
Meeting Agenda (click on the "Special Meeting. April 22, 9:00am" tab)
Video Recording of the Hearing (10 hours 21 minutes)

 

Final Environmental Impact Statement

Please see the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan Amendment page for more details and links to the plan with supporting documents. Please also see the Final Environmental Impact Statement Frequently Asked Questions page.

 

Public Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Please see our Public Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan Amendment page to read the correspondence received during the 45-day public review and comment period, which was open from August 8, 2019, until September 23, 2019.

 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Please see our Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan Amendment page for details on the 45-day public review and comment period, which was open from August 8, 2019, until September 23, 2019.

 

Public Scoping Comments

Please see our General Management Plan Amendment Public Scoping Comments page to read the correspondence received during the 30-day public comment period from October 31, 2018, to November 30, 2018.

 

Public Scoping

Please see our General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement Public Scoping page for details on the 30-day public comment period from October 31, 2018, to November 30, 2018.

 

Initial Public Comments

Please see our General Management Plan Amendment Initial Public Comments page to read the correspondence received during the initial 37-day public comment period from October 16, 2017, to November 22, 2017.

 

Initial Public Comment Period

Please see our General Management Plan Amendment Initial Public Comment Period page for details on the initial 37-day public comment period from October 16, 2017, to November 22, 2017.

 

Background Information

Please see our General Management Plan Amendment Background Information page for information relevant to this planning process.

 

News Releases

Please see our General Management Plan Amendment News Releases page for all news releases related to this plan.

 

Project Timeline

• Notice of intent to prepare an EIS, 30-day public comment period and meetings: fall 2018
• NPS develops a draft EIS for the GMP Amendment: fall 2018–summer 2019
• Draft EIS released for 45-day public review & comment period, including public meetings: summer–fall 2019
• NPS develops final EIS for GMP Amendment: fall 2019–summer 2020
• Final EIS released to the public, followed by a minimum 30-day waiting period: September 2020
• Thursday, April 22, 2021: California Coastal Commission Public Hearing on Consistency Determination
• GMP Amendment record of decision signed by NPS Regional Director: September 13, 2021

Events in bold above were opportunities for public engagement.

 

Questions

Please see our General Management Plan Amendment Record of Decision Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you have additional questions regarding the General Management Plan Amendment, please call Outreach Coordinator Melanie Gunn at 415-464-5131.

The Citizen's Guide to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a useful resource for those that are not familiar with NEPA or Council on Environmental Quality Regulations. This 37-page guide, published in December 2007 and revised in January 2021, describes the NEPA process and provides information on how citizens can get involved.

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