Map of the proposed project areas along the George Washington Memorial Parkway / NPS

Map of the proposed project along the George Washington Memorial Parkway / NPS

The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public input on several different issues for several units within the National Park System.

George Washington Memorial Parkway

The NPS is seeking public comment on a proposed plan and environmental assessment to improve the southern portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Mount Vernon Trail. The project would improve safety and address maintenance needs along the parkway and the trail. Comments will be accepted through Jan. 4.

The road and trail improvements being considered would enhance the visitor experience for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Potential improvements to the road include the implementation of a new road diet (reducing lanes through pavement striping to improve safety) in some areas, new crosswalks and intersection changes. Potential safety enhancements for the trail could include trail widening and intersection improvements.

The project area includes the southern portion of the 15.2-mile parkway from Arlington Memorial Bridge to Mount Vernon. The project area also includes the majority of the 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail, which extends from Theodore Roosevelt Island and the intersection with the Custis Trail in Arlington to Mount Vernon. The portion of the parkway and trail within the City of Alexandria would not be part of this project.

There are several different ways to get involved:

• Virtual public meeting: The NPS will host a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, December 6, at 7 p.m., EST using GoTo Webinar. The meeting will last approximately 1.5-hours and there will be an opportunity to submit questions. You do not need to pre-register for the meeting.
  
  At the time of the meeting, click here to join on your computer or mobile device and enter the Webinar ID (Webinar ID: 314-024-315) and your email. If you do not have GoTo Webinar you will be prompted to install a small file to your computer or download the app on your mobile device. 
  
  You can call into the meeting (no video) using the toll-free phone number and conference ID:
  Call in number: (877) 309-2074
  Phone Conference ID: 278-447-448  
  
  
• Online: You can submit comments online or view additional information at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/GWMP_South. Comments are requested by January 4, 2023. The public meeting recording will be posted at this site for you to review if you are not able to attend the live session.
  
  
• Mail: Mail your written comments postmarked by January 4, 2023, to:
  Superintendent
  Attn: GWMP South and MVT Plan/EA
  700 George Washington Mem Parkway
  McLean, VA 22101
  
  
  

  The view along the scenic Stud Horse Trail network, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area / NPS

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

The NPS in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is initiating a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze authorizing bicycle use on the Stud Horse Trail network, adjacent to Highway 89 in Utah and Arizona. Public scoping comments will be accepted through Dec. 16, 2022.  

The Draft Environmental Assessment is being prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to provide a decision-making framework that effectively evaluates potential issues and impacts to the area’s resources and values. We welcome formal comment on the project during this initial public scoping period and after the release of the Draft Environmental Assessment. The project is currently in the scoping phase and comments may be submitted online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/StudHorseTrails until Dec. 16, 2022, or by mail to: Superintendent, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, P.O. Box 1507, Page, Ariz. 86040. Public comments will not be accepted verbally or by fax or email. 

To assist the public in understanding the proposed action and providing comments, the NPS is hosting an open house on Dec. 7, 2022, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Glen Canyon NRA Headquarters building, located at 691 Scenic View Drive, Page, Ariz. (Training Room). The scoping open house will include a presentation, and we look forward to answering questions and receiving comment cards about the project. Scoping comments will be particularly useful that address the proposed action, environmental issues that should be addressed, potential alternatives, and sources of data that should be considered.  

Scoping serves as an opportunity to engage the public early in the planning process as the NPS develops the range of alternatives for the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA). Once the Draft EA is complete, the NPS will offer another public comment period.

Watching the sunset from the Alpine Visitor Center, Rocky Mountain National Park / NPS

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) staff are seeking the public’s continued engagement and input on the park’s long-range Day Use Visitor Access Strategy. For 107 years, Rocky Mountain National Park has been a place of inspiration, reflection, wonder, history, and wilderness adventure. Park visitors across the United States and the world continue to come to Rocky Mountain National Park to discover a wide variety of experiences found only in this incredible place.      

“In the summer of 2021, we invited you to join us in envisioning the future of Day Use Visitor Access at RMNP. Your feedback was instrumental in helping National Park Service (NPS) staff develop preliminary management strategies.  We are now working to outline ideas for management strategies to help the NPS to both protect park resources and values while also providing for high-quality visitor experiences for today's visitors and for future generations,” said Park Superintendent, Darla Sidles.      

Park staff are eager to continue engaging with stakeholders and connect with park visitors from near and far, to help identify ideas and strategies to assist the park prepare for long-term day use. We hope to hear from members of the public who have recently visited the park, as well as those who have told us they no longer visit Rocky Mountain National Park because of crowding and congestion. Park staff invite members of the public to submit their comments via the park’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ROMO_DUVAS beginning December 12, 2022, through February 1, 2023. 

Rocky Mountain National Park has experienced a 44 percent increase in visitation since 2012. Rapid growth in day use visitation and changing use patterns in the park have degraded natural and cultural resources, diminished quality of the visitor experience, increased visitor and staff safety concerns, and created a heavy strain on the park’s facilities and ability to perform daily operations. The purpose of the Rocky Mountain National Park Day Use Visitor Access Strategy is to provide visitor access in a way that enhances the protection of the fundamental resources and values for which the park was created. The goal of the process is to identify strategies that will help protect park resources, offer varied opportunities for high quality visitor experiences, enhance visitor and staff safety, and coincide with the park's operational capacity.    

The park is hosting a public open house on Tuesday, December 6, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Estes Park Museum in Estes Park, CO. This open house will provide an opportunity to drop in, meet with NPS staff, and learn more about the potential ideas and strategies to address long term day use at RMNP. There will not be any formal presentations scheduled during this time. Please feel free to drop in at any time.    

The park is also hosting a virtual public meeting on Thursday, December 15, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The intent of the webinar is to provide opportunities for the public to learn more about the purpose of the project, key ideas, issues of concern, desired conditions for the park’s long-term day use visitor access, potential management strategies, ask questions of NPS staff and get information on how to provide formal written comments through the Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website. The webinar will open with a presentation, followed by a question and answer session.       

To participate in the virtual meeting, please register at the following link.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Teams Webinar. It is recommended to join the webinar via computer to have full use of the webinar tools that Teams provides.

Registration URL    https://forms.office.com/g/UiRnA5kZsb    

Unable to attend the virtual meeting? A recording of the meeting will be posted on the park planning link below. The park will provide live captioning of the meetings. Park staff encourage public participation throughout the planning process. Public comments for this stage are invited beginning December 12, 2022, through February 1, 2023. Comments can be submitted online beginning December 12, by visiting https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ROMO_DUVAS click on ‘Open for Comment’ on the left side of page to submit a comment.

Comments may also be sent to the following mailing address:
Superintendent
Rocky Mountain National Park
1000 US Highway 36
Estes Park, CO 80517    

Please be aware that the entire comment submitted – including personal identifying information such as address, phone number, and email address – may be made publicly available. Requests to withhold such personal identifying information from public release will be considered, but there is no guarantee that they will be withheld.