Virgin Islands National Park: Final Commercial Services Plan Environmental Assessment

National Park Service

INTRODUCTION The National Park Service (NPS) balances the public need for visitor services within national parks with the mandate to preserve and interpret the significant resources for which individual parks have been established. Like most national parks, the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP) is challenged by this dual mission to protect the scenic, natural and cultural resources for which the national park was established and to provide a quality and enjoyable experience for visitors. Because of changing conditions and current trends toward increased visitation, there is concern about the future quality of visitor experiences, the types and levels of commercial services to be provided for visitors, and the preservation of the park's scenic, natural and cultural resources. The NPS has prepared this Commercial Services Plan (CSP) to determine the level and types of commercial visitor services necessary and appropriate in the park over the next 10-15 years. By law (36 CFR 5.3), all commercial activities that occur within the park must be authorized by some written agreement. Commercial services are defined as activities or services to enhance the visitor experience conducted in a park by private parties for which a fee is charged. Commercial activities in the park that will be managed under this Plan include concessions and incidental business permits (IBPs), which have been replaced by commercial use authorizations (CUAs) under the 1998 National Parks Concessions Management Improvement Act. Other types of commercial uses that may occur within the park but which are not addressed in this Plan are described below in Section III.B.3. Pursuant to NPS Director's Order 2, this Commercial Services Plan is an Implementation Plan that defines specific actions and projects to implement the general management direction provided in the 1983 General Management Plan (GMP) for VINP. Implementation planning focuses on how to implement a program or actions to achieve long-term goals established by the GMP. Implementation of this Plan could affect park visitors, commercial operators, and island residents. Therefore, public participation has been a critical element in plan preparation. The Plan and its accompanying Environmental Assessment (EA) have been prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A) and NPS policy and guidelines. The Proposed Action and alternatives assessed in this document are based on issues raised in scoping and the VINP's purpose and significance. The document discloses the potential environmental consequences that may result from implementation of various alternative management strategies. Comments received during public review of the Draft Plan/EA have been considered in preparation of this Final Plan. The NPS decision is provided in a separate Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)/Decision Notice (DN) document. Certain aspects of the management direction established by this Plan will take effect immediately, other elements will be implemented over time as the necessary regulations and procedures are developed and as budget and personnel limitations permit. NPS is currently developing regulations for CUAs based upon the 1998 National Parks Concessions Management Improvement Act. This Plan may need to be amended to comply with those regulations when adopted. The management direction established by this Plan is not intended to be static. The services authorized by this Plan will be periodically reviewed and updated as necessary to address changes in visitor needs, site conditions, management goals, etc.. New types of commercial services not addressed in this plan or additional levels of commercial services can be considered for authorization based upon appropriate NEPA ....