Draft General Management Plan for Cabrillo National Monument, California;Notice of Management Proposals and Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190 as amended), the National Park Service has prepared an environmental impact statement (EIS) and General Management Plan for Cabrillo National Monument, California. This Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement presents a proposal and three other alternatives for the management, use, and development of Cabrillo National Monument. The Proposal (Alternative B) would add staff and facilities to more adequately protect and interpret the monument's significant resources. Resource management programs would be increased to protect the tidepool ecosystem and coastal sage scrub habitat and to open safe military defense structures to public use and enjoyment. The Proposal would result in a broader range of visitor choices and experiences within the monument than is available now. A new location for the entrance station would provide better orientation to the monument, allow entrance fees to be collected from those who use the tidepools, and include the tidepools and western part of the monument in the visitors' perception of the monument. An interpretive building would be constructed at the lighthouse. The Navy Marine Science facility near the tidepools would be converted to an intertidal interpretive center, if the Navy declares the facility excess to its needs and it is transferred to the monument. Outdoor educational facility seating would be improved at the Ballast View rest area. The Whale Overlook would be replaced to accommodate more visitors and improve its aesthetic quality. The Bayside Trail would be extended to form a loop trail. Administrative and storage space would be added to increase staff efficiency and effectiveness and to better care for museum artifacts and resources. Alternatives described in this document, in addition to the Proposal, include No Action (Alternative A), Minimum Requirements (Alternative C), and Enhanced Visitor Use (Alternative D). Alternative C would improve resource management, relocate the entrance station, improve the outdoor educational facility, and open some defense structures to the public, but would not include adding interpretive facilities at the lighthouse or the tidepools or extending the Bayside Trail. Administrative or storage needs would only be partially met. Alternative D is similar to the Proposal but includes construction of an amphitheater at the Ballast View rest area as the outdoor educational facility and considers an alternative location for the lighthouse interpretive facility. The environmental consequences of the proposed action and other alternatives are documented.