ABSTRACT

Draft General Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement

Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Monument

Marin County, San Francisco City and County, and San Mateo County, California

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Established in 1972, Golden Gate National Recreation Area has been operating under its first general 

management plan, approved in 1980. Since the park’s establishment, it has doubled in size and a better 

understanding of the park’s natural and cultural resources and recreational uses has been gained. Muir 

Woods was declared a national monument in 1908 and is currently managed as part of Golden Gate

National Recreation Area. A new management plan is needed to guide these two parks for the next 20 

years. This Draft General Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement describes three action 

alternatives for managing Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Monument. 

The no-action alternative consists of the existing park management and serves as a basis for comparison 

in evaluating the other alternatives. Alternative 1, “Connecting People with the Parks,” would further the 

founding idea of “parks to the people,” and would engage the community and other potential visitors in 

the enjoyment, understanding, and stewardship of the park’s resources and values. Park management 

would focus on ways to attract and welcome people, connect people with the resources, and promote 

understanding, enjoyment, preservation, and health. Alternative 1 is the National Park Service’s 

preferred alternative for park lands in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Alternative 

2, “Preserving and Enjoying Coastal Ecosystems,” would place an emphasis on preserving, enhancing, 

and promoting the dynamic and interconnected coastal ecosystems in which marine resources are valued 

and prominently featured. Recreational and educational opportunities would allow visitors to learn about 

and enjoy the ocean and bay environments, and gain a better understanding of the region’s international 

significance and history. Alternative 3, “Focusing on National Treasures,” would place an emphasis on 

the park’s nationally important natural and cultural resources. The fundamental resources of each 

showcased site would be managed at the highest level of preservation to protect the resources in 

perpetuity and to promote appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of those resources. Visitors would 

have the opportunity to explore the wide variety of experiences that are associated with many different 

types of national parks—all in this park and monument. All other resources would be managed to 

complement the nationally significant resources and associated visitor experiences. Alternative 3 is the 

National Park Service’s preferred alternative for Alcatraz Island and Muir Woods National 

Monument.

The impacts of implementing the various alternatives were analyzed. Potential impacts were analyzed in

six broad topic areas: natural resources; cultural resources; visitor use and experience; the social and 

economic environment; transportation; and park management, operations, and facilities. Natural resources 

included both physical and biological resources. Cultural resources included archeological, ethnographic, 

and cultural landscape resources; historic structures; and park collections.

This Draft General Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement has been distributed to other 

agencies and interested organizations and individuals for their review and comment. The public comment 

period for this document will last for 60 days after the Environmental Protection Agency’s notice of 

availability has been published in the Federal Register.

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U.S. Department of the Interior • National Park Service
Volume I: ii

HOW TO COMMENT ON THIS PLAN

Comments on the Draft Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Monument 

General Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) are welcome and will be 

accepted during the 60-day public review and comment period. The easiest way to submit your comments 

is via the online form at http://www.parkplanning.nps.gov/goga (click on “General Management Plan” 

and then “Open for Public Comment”). We also accept written comments at the following address:

Superintendent

Golden Gate National Recreation Area 

Attention: Draft GMP/EIS

Fort Mason, Building 201

San Francisco CA 94123

Comments will be accepted for 60 days after the publication of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 

notice of availability in the Federal Register.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 

your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying 

information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 

able to do so.