Amendment to the General Management Plan

National Park Service; Rogers, Jerry

This document is an amendment to the 1982 General Management Plan for Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Since the 1982 plan was prepared, several changes and issues concerning operation of the park have surfaced. The areas of concern that are being investigated for restructuring are cooperative agreements, resource additions, natural resource management, and visitor use and general development. Many provisions of the existing 1982 plan remain valid, and the purpose of this planning effort is to amend the plan to provide additional guidance, not to completely write a new plan. The new or modified concepts in this amendment are designed to ensure that the pallk maintains its integrity and that a highquality visitor experience continues. This amendment provides a framework for interpreting the development of cultural diversity in Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta. The plan also provides for protection of cultural and natural resources at the park sites and a cooperative program to encourage recognition and continuation of these values and of evolving folkways in the region. Additionally, developments to facilitate access to and visitor use of park sites are identified in the plan. Pivotal in carrying out the mission of the park are three critical elements - operation of NPS park units and preservation/ maintenance of their natural and cultural resources, interpretation of the Mississippi Delta environment and the cultural diversity this environment sustains, and development of cooperative agreements with entities active in supporting the cultural traditions and natural resources of the region, including designation of cooperative park sites . When Jean Lafitte National Historical Park was established in 1978, three units were authorized, incorporating an existing operational unit - Chalmette National Historical Park and War of 1812 Battle of New Orleans sites. In 1988, Congress amended the park's legislation leading to the establishment of the Acadian unit. By 1994 the Barataria unit (now the Barataria Preserve unit), the French Quarter unit (now the New Orleans unit), the Chalmette unit, and the Acadian unit were also operational. In addition to these units, a variety of cooperative programs have also been undertaken that have led to NPS assistance with a regional visitor program, support of traditional cultural events, and maintenance/ preservation of selected sites.