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MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

1. Examination of Similar Projects

Beginning with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, areasadministered by the National Park Service have grown in size and complexity.

They range from large wilderness areas in the West and Alaska, to historic areaspredominantly in the East, to complex urban parks in New York and San Francisco, tocooperatively managed areas in urban and suburban regions of the country. A commonthread in today’s nontraditional management spectrum is the involvement of theSecretary of the Interior and in many cases, the Director of the National Park Service.

Over the last two decades, Congress hascreated a number of nontraditional areas,including (1) Affiliated Areas, which arenot part of the National Park Service buthave NPS assistance; (2) NationalHeritage areas, which are not part of theNational Park Service but have NPSassistance while being managed byvarious partnerships; (3) Wild & ScenicRivers, which are managed by federalagencies including the NPS; and (4) theNational Trail System, managed byfederal or state agencies. There are fourexamples of National Heritage Corridorsthat are Affiliated Areas of the NPS:

Illinois & Michigan Canal, Illinois;Delaware River Valley, Pennsylvania, andthe Blackstone River Valley,Massachusetts, all managed by federalcommissions; and the Quinebaug andShetucket River Valley, Connecticut,which is managed by a nonprofitorganization.

The structural organization of theseNational Heritage areas might be adaptedto the Ice Age Floods region. In suchpartnership structures, the key to successis the clear definition of responsibilitiesand duties. In the Blackstone River

s u m m a r y

Since 1872, the National Park Systemhas grown from managing only large tracts of

wilderness to cooperatively managing programs inurban and suburban areas. This progression hasresulted in more and more involvement by thepublic in planning and management. Usingexisting nontraditional areas as models, the IceAge Floods proposal describes an interpretive tourroute, called a “Geologic Trail” or “FloodsPathways,” through Montana, Idaho, Washington,and Oregon, utilizing existing federal, state andlocal governmental land ownerships. The key to itssuccesses, and the core of the Ice Age Floodsproposal, is the written agreements among alllevels of government and the private andnonprofit sectors. These agreements will form aseries of partnerships to manage and interpret theFloods region.

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Valley National Heritage Corridor, forexample, the legislation that created theHeritage Corridor provided forpartnerships between two states andtheir many agencies, 20 localgovernments, the National Park Serviceand other federal agencies, and many ofthe Valley’s business and civicorganizations. These are all coordinatedby a Congressionally authorizedcommission. The organizationalstructure for the Blackstone RiverCorridor incorporates these provisions:

The Commission

• Defines roles

• Sets clear goals

• Formulates effective cooperationamong those involved

• Conducts fund-raising campaignsfrom governments and private sources

• Provides professional expertise

The Federal Government (National ParkService)

• Prepares and implements themanagement plan

• Provides interpretive services

• Sets consistent standards

• Includes base funding within regularNPS appropriations

• Provides expertise in management

• Provides expertise in preservation,restoration, interpretation andeducation

• Provides expertise in resourceprotection outside the boundaries

• Acquires funding through the Land& Water Conservation Fund.

The State Governments

• Provide leadership and preliminaryplanning

• Serve on the Commission.

• Collaborate across state lines withsimilar state agencies

• Work with the Commission to assistin information, technical assistance,program funding and award grants

Local Governments

• Provide local planning to support theproject

• Develop zoning and initiatives tosupport the project

• Inform the Commission of importantissues

Business, Industry and Labor

• Partnership with individualbusinesses and private sector, such asthe Chambers of Commerce andTourism Councils.

These interrelationships demonstrate thehigh degree of complexity needed tomanage the Blackstone River ValleyNHC. The willingness to participate andthe commitment to the concept of apartnership area is formalized by a seriesof cooperative agreements with theparticipants. There are many examples ofagreements that have been usedsuccessfully in other nontraditional areasthat could be adapted for use in the IceAge Floods concept.

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2. Configuration

The configuration of the proposed Ice Age Floods region could best becharacterized as a “linear, nontraditional area without boundaries.” The area that

was inundated by the Floods now forms the region that serves as the Study Area. Thisarea was investigated for significant Floods resource sites that were identified throughthe inventory process. These resource sites could be connected by a series ofinterpretive “pathways” or routes. Using this concept of boundary-less, interconnectedinterpretive sites, it becomes clear why existing NPS terminology does not meet theneeds of the Ice Age Floods concept. The term “Region” best describes the overallconfiguration of the area, and the term “Pathways” best describes the routes or pathsof the torrent of water from the Floods.

In many locations, the Floods Pathways are

clearly etched on the landscape

NPS

Pho

to

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3. Socioeconomic

The socioeconomic impacts of the Ice Age Floods concept are difficult to evaluate.Caution in projecting increases in the amount of visitation was constantly voiced

by representatives of state tourism groups. Tourism is dependent on so manyvariables—the overall economy, weather, cost of fuel, trends in vacations, disposableincome, available time for travel, etc.—that projections of increased tourism are out offavor. But even while being cautious, tourism representatives stated they expecttourism to increase simply by adding an additional attraction and by adding regionaltours involving a new topic area. There apparently is a critical mass in which thecombination of attractions offers so much to the visitors that they will forgo travel toother areas in order to visit the Pacific Northwest. By developing an Ice Age Floodsregion, the economies of a largely rural area, which is generally dependent onagriculture, logging, mining, etc., will be strengthened.

Almost all of the Floods resources areremote from urban centers, and as aresult, visitors will have to plan day tripsto the region or even stay overnight. Inmany cases, the level of occupancy forthe hospitality industry is already highduring the visitor season. Withadditional visitors traveling through theFloods region along Pathways tourroutes, more accommodations would beneeded.

Tourism ranks as one of the three mostimportant generators of outside income

in Montana, Idaho, Oregon andWashington. To reflect this rank,increasing tourism is one of the majorgoals of the Ice Age Floods concept. Ofall the many nontraditional area goalsthat were examined, New York’s SeawayTrail’s purpose stood out among theothers. It states that the trail was createdto: “. . . promote the trail as a touristdestination and to encourage regionaleconomic development throughtourism.” Opportunities to enhanceregional tourism may result from the IceAge Floods tour routes.

F l o o d s

Moses and Grand Coulees

Grand Coulee and Moses Coulee to the

west largely were formed by the Missoula

Floods. A lobe of the Cordilleran Ice

Sheet descended into the Okanogan

Valley, blocked the Columbia River, and

covered 500 square miles of the

Waterville Plateau west of Grand Coulee.

The south terminus of the Okanogan

lobe is clearly marked by an abrupt south

limit of lumpy, rocky moraines. The ice-

dammed Columbia River backed up to

form Glacial Lake Columbia, a huge

version of the lake now ponded by

Grand Coulee Dam. Lake Columbia’s

overflow—the diverted Columbia

River—occupied Grand Coulee between

Ice Age Floods events.

F a c t s

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Because there will be no federal landacquisition proposed, land in the Floodsregion would not be removed from thelocal tax rolls. The increase in visitationand the potential increase in duration ofthose visits could add more money to thehotel/motel and sales tax base and stategasoline tax income. Encouraging thecontinued development of spring and fallseasonal travel would also serve tospread out the positive economic benefitsaffecting the regional tourism industry.Thus, the general economic pictureshould favor the creation of the Ice AgeFloods interpretive trail or Pathwaybecause visitors coming to view Floodsresources would benefit the economy ofthe region.

F l o o d s

Not-So-Dry Falls

Separating the tandem canyons of upper

and lower Grand Coulee is Dry Falls

(now within Sun Lakes–Dry Falls State

Park). Dry Falls serves as a stark

reminder of the magnitude of the Ice Age

Floods. At the height of the Floods,

water nearly 400 feet deep poured over

the lip of the Falls, showing but a

wrinkle on the floodwater’s surface.

Today, the 350-foot cliffs, plunge pools

and lakes show that the Falls were over

three miles wide or five times the width

of Niagara Falls. At the height of the

Floods, water poured not only over the

Falls, but also over cataracts farther east.

F a c t s