Walnut Canyon Study

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the National Park Service (NPS) are jointly initiating a special study to explore management options for an area of land surrounding Walnut Canyon National Monument, primarily administered by the Coconino National Forest.

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors and City of Flagstaff City Council passed Resolution No. 2002-65 in December 2002, supporting additional protection of lands surrounding the Monument and requesting Federal authorization for a special resources and land management study for purposes of determining how best to protect these lands from future development. On March 30, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (the Act) as passed by the United States Congress. The Act includes language directing the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special study on management options for an area within the Peaks and Mormon Lake ranger districts of Coconino National Forest (managed by the USFS) and surrounding Walnut Canyon National Monument (managed by the NPS) (see map below).

Walnut Canyon Study Area Map

[NOTE: The access road into the monument is national forest land and is included in the study area.]

Surface Land Ownership

The study area (referred to as the Walnut Canyon Study Area) includes federal, state, and private land, and comprises approximately 30,000 acres, 10 miles south and east of Flagstaff, Arizona.

The Act directs that the study will focus specifically on the following topics:

• The suitability and feasibility of designating all or part of the study area as an addition to Walnut Canyon National Monument.
• Continued management of the study area by the USFS.
• Any other designation or management option that would provide for (1) protection of resources
• within the study area; and (2) continued access to, and use of, the study area by the public.

Additionally, the Act specifies that the agencies must provide for public comment during the execution of the study.

The area to be studied includes Federal, State, and private land surrounding Walnut Canyon National Monument. The study area encompasses about 30,000 acres. Uses of the area include a broad range of recreational and resource management activities.

Current Uses In the Walnut Canyon Study Area

Recreational activities in the study area include camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, hunting, and hiking. Recreational facilities include the Canyon Vista campground (concessioner operated); the Arizona Trail; several trails connecting to the Flagstaff Urban Trail System; approximately 32 miles of USFS managed hiking, biking, and equestrian trails; and an approximately 8-mile segment of the future Flagstaff Loop Trail proposed for the study area.

Most of the USFS land within the study area is within grazing allotments. Management projects by the USFS in recent years have included closing a large part of the area to firearms discharge, closing the Campbell Mesa area to motorized vehicles, and over 700 acres of forest thinning / fire fuels reduction projects. The study area includes water wells and water lines for the city of Flagstaff, as well as numerous stock tanks.

The area contains five Mexican Spotted Owl Protected Activity Centers and six northern goshawk
post-fledgling areas. Additional species of note present in the study area include the golden eagle,
peregrine falcon, deer, elk, pronghorn, mountain lion, and Flagstaff pennyroyal.

What is the Walnut Canyon Study Area Special Study?

The objectives for the study regarding management of the Walnut Canyon Study Area are to assess each of the following potential land management designations:

• The suitability and feasibility of designating all or part of the study area as an addition to Walnut Canyon National Monument (to be managed by the NPS), in accordance with section 8(c) of Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-5(c);
• Continued management of the study area by the Forest Service; or
• Any other designation or management option that would provide for:
  o protection of resources within the study area; and
  o continued access to, and use of, the study area by the public.

This analysis will include:

• Examination of natural and cultural resources, current uses and management actions and direction within the study area;
• Meaningfully engagement with stakeholders, City of Flagstaff and Coconino County governments, American Indian tribes, other agencies, and the general public to determine their desires for future management of this area;
• Development and evaluation of the full range of alternative management and designation options for the area;
• Analysis of the impacts, including benefits, to natural resources, cultural resources, recreational opportunities, social values and the local economy of any change in management or agency authority over the area;
• Provide the results and findings of the Special Resource Study in report form.

The City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, NPS, and USFS are full partners and participants throughout the study period. An independent third-party contractor will coordinate interagency efforts for of the study.

Major Steps of the Study Include:

• Public Involvement and Consultations: The public, stakeholders, tribes, organizations, and other agencies will be engaged throughout the study. A project Web site has been established and meetings will be held in the Flagstaff vicinity (see back page). A summary of public comments will be made available via the Web site at the conclusion of commenting periods.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Data will be collected and include natural and cultural resources, existing management and land use, recreational uses and trends, the surrounding social and economic environment, and regional and state plans and initiatives affecting the study area.
• Development and Assessment of Management Options: Based on data and public input, the study team will develop management options that would achieve desired goals and resource conditions. Management options would then be assessed for the meeting criteria and environmental effects.
• Draft Study Document: The study team will prepare a draft study document describing the management options and potential effects. A draft report will be prepared for public review.
• Final Document: Following review, a final study document will be prepared and submitted to Congress.

Suitability and Feasibility Criteria for Expansion of a National Parks Service Unit

One potential option is designation of all or part of the Study Area as an addition to Walnut Canyon National Monument. The NPS is responsible for screening proposals for new park units to assure that only the most outstanding resources are added to the national park system. A new national park area must meet criteria for national significance, suitability, and feasibility. Areas are usually added to the national park system by an act of Congress.

National Significance: To be considered nationally significant, a proposed unit meets all four standards:

• It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
• It possesses exceptional value or quality illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our nation’s heritage.
• It offers superlative opportunities for recreation for public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.
• It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource.

Suitability and Feasibility: To be suitable, an area must represent a natural or cultural theme or type of recreational resource that is not already adequately represented in the national park system or is not comparably represented and protected by another land-managing entity. Feasibility factors include land ownership, acquisition costs, access, resources threats, and staff or development needs.