Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 

Draft Foundation Statement

September 2011
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 2

Cover (left to right): 

Lake Pend Oreille, Farragut State Park, Idaho, NPS Photo 

Moses Coulee, Washington, NPS Photo

 Palouse Falls, Washington, NPS Photo
Draft Foundation Statement 3

Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4

Purpose of this Foundation Statement.................................................................................4

Development of this Foundation Statement........................................................................4

Elements of the Foundation Statement...............................................................................5

Trail Description.......................................................................................................................6

Map..........................................................................................................................................8

Trail Purpose.......................................................................................................................................10

Trail Significance................................................................................................................................12

Fundamental Resources and Values.................................................................................................14

Primary Interpretive Themes............................................................................................................24

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments....................................................................26

Appendixes........................................................................................................................................28

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation.......................................................................................28

Appendix B: National Natural Landmarks...........................................................................32

Appendix C: Participants.......................................................................................................34

Appendix D: Future Planning Needs....................................................................................36

Table of Contents
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 4

PURPOSE OF THIS FOUNDATION 

STATEMENT

Every national trail, similar to every national 

park system unit, needs a formal statement of 

its core mission to provide basic guidance for 

all the management decisions to be made—a 

“foundation for planning and management.” 

This type of document helps ensure that the 

most important objectives will be prioritized 

before other, less important tasks not directly 

related to the trail’s mission.

This draft foundation statement establishes a 

single, shared understanding of what is most 

important about Ice Age Floods National 

Geologic Trail. This understanding is grounded in the legislation that established the trail in 

2009 and in the knowledge of floods features 

held by the public agencies and other organizations that manage the trail in partnership.

Managers and stakeholders need to know 

why Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 

was established, why the floods and associated resources are important within a wider 

context, and what legal and policy requirements apply to the trail’s management. This 

draft foundation statement offers this common 

understanding, from which all types and levels 

of planning and decision making can progress. 

DEVELOPMENT OF THIS 

FOUNDATION STATEMENT

The National Park Service prepared this 

draft foundation statement in cooperation 

with partners including the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation 

(BOR), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(USACE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS), Washington 

State Parks, and the nonprofit Ice Age Floods 

Institute (IAFI). Initial input was gathered 

during a three-day workshop that took place 

during the spring of 2011. The foundation 

statement was developed through collaboration over the next several months. In the 

future, new legislation, public comment, or 

other new information may lead to revisions to 

the trail foundation statement.

Introduction 
Draft Foundation Statement 5

ELEMENTS OF THE FOUNDATION 

STATEMENT 

This foundation statement includes the following elements:

Trail Purpose 

A statement of purpose identifies why 

Congress established the Ice Age Floods 

National Geologic Trail. It is based on the 

trail’s enabling legislation. 

Significance 

Significance statements define what is most 

important about the trail’s resources and 

values. They express why the trail and its 

resources are significant within a regional, national, and global context—focusing attention 

on those exceptional qualities that Congress 

felt were important to preserve and interpret. 

Fundamental Resources and Values

Fundamental resources and values are

those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or 

other attributes that are critical to achieving purpose and maintaining significance. 

That which is most important about the trail 

could be jeopardized if these resources and 

values are allowed to degrade.

The national geologic trail also features other 

resources and values that are not fundamental to purpose and significance, but are nevertheless important considerations for planning 

and management.

Primary Interpretive Themes

Primary interpretive themes are the key 

stories or concepts to be communicated to 

visitors in order for them to understand and 

appreciate the purpose and significance of the 

national geologic trail. The primary interpretive themes are the basis for all future educational and interpretive efforts.

Special Mandates and Administrative 

Commitments

Special mandates are legal requirements that 

apply specifically to the national geologic trail. 

Administrative commitments are agreements 

that have been reached through a formal, 

documented process, such as a memorandum 

of understanding among agencies. This section 

summarizes applicable mandates and commitments to ensure their consideration in planning and decision making.
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 6

TRAIL DESCRIPTION 

“At the end of the last Ice Age, some 12,000 to 

17,000 years ago, a series of cataclysmic floods 

occurred in what is now the northwest region 

of the United States, leaving a lasting mark of 

dramatic and distinguishing features on the 

landscape of parts of the States of Montana, 

Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.”

Public Law 111-11, March 30, 2009

Congress established the Ice Age Floods 

National Geologic Trail with this opening 

paragraph. The federal trail system already 

includes national historic, recreational, and 

scenic trails; however, this national geologic 

trail is the first of its kind. While in some ways 

similar to a national historic trail, the geologic 

trail commemorates our nation’s natural history rather than historic people or events. In 

2001, the National Park Service, in 

collaboration with public landowners and the 

nonprofit Ice Age Floods Institute, completed 

a study recommending federal recognition 

of the area in order to tell the comprehensive 

story of the Ice Age floods. Since then, momentum has built within the communities of 

the floods region, culminating in Public Law 

111-11, which designated the national geologic 

trail.

The national geologic trail commemorates a 

dramatic series of events. Toward the end of 

the last Ice Age, a lobe of the Cordilleran ice 

sheet formed a dam that blocked the Clark 

Fork River, creating a massive lake 200 miles 

long and up to 2,000 feet deep. The ice dam 

broke catastrophically, and Glacial Lake 

Missoula, which contained more than 500 

cubic miles of water, drained within a matter 

of days. An enormous flood of water, ice, and 

Grand Coulee, Washington, Photo by Joe Rocchio
Draft Foundation Statement 7

debris charged westward along established 

drainages and across dry land, covering 16,000 

square miles. Eventually, the flood waters 

reached the Pacific Ocean and continued 

hundreds of miles beyond the shoreline. This 

process happened many times, each time carving and reshaping the land.

Today, evidence of the immense floods remains 

in many forms including high water lines, huge 

current dunes, boulders transported hundreds 

of miles, giant coulees and dry falls, and 

enormous gravel bars. These reminders of 

the floods exist on public and private lands 

across the four states of Montana, Idaho, 

Washington, and Oregon. Many of the most 

dramatic features are managed by federal, 

tribal, state, and local governments. 

The national geologic trail will consist of a 

network of marked touring routes with interpretive opportunities distributed across this 

vast area. Existing roadways will link many 

of the region’s superb geologic resources by 

way of a long, central pathway and designated 

loops and spurs. In places, other types of foot 

and vehicle trails may also be a part of this 

network. Today, the trail is in its earliest stages 

of planning. Proposed routes are represented 

on the map included in this foundation statement. Development of the trail will take place 

in the future, following subsequent phases of 

planning.

The National Park Service will not manage 

Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail as an 

independent unit of the National Park System. 

Operational responsibilities will stay with the 

various land mangers (public and private). 

The role of the National Park Service will be to 

coordinate planning and development of the 

trail and interpretation of the floods among 

the many public and private partners associated with the trail. In this way, the trail may 

be likened to a necklace, with the many public 

landowners continuing to manage the “gems” 

or geologic resources, and the National Park 

Service coordinating the string that holds 

the necklace together. In addition to public 

landowners, there are many other public and 

private organizations working to bring the 

story of the floods to visitors. 

ONGOING COLLABORATION

Collaboration will be essential to planning 

and implementing the national geologic trail. 

Congress has required that planning for 

the trail include consultation with state, 

local, and tribal governments, the Ice Age 

Floods Institute, private property owners, 

and other interested parties. Partners will 

fulfill multiple roles, including: 

•	 providing educational programs, 

•	 preserving geologic resources, 

•	 enabling access for visitors and for 

scientific research, 

•	 developing interpretive sites and 

media, 

•	 and otherwise offering diverse 

recreational opportunities for public 

enjoyment and appreciation of 

floods features.
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 8

MAP: ICE AGE FLOODS NATIONAL GEOLOGIC TRAIL 
Draft Foundation Statement 9

Map adapted from Ice Age Floods Study of Alternatives and Environmental Assessment, February 

2001, prepared for the National Park Service by Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 10

The Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Trail tells the stories of the cataclysmic 

Ice Age floods and invites people to 

discover and explore the resulting 

extraordinary landscapes and 

distinctive features. Interpretation, 

research, and stewardship are achieved 

through collaboration between public 

and private partners.

Trail Purpose
Draft Foundation Statement 11

Palouse Falls, Washington, NPS Photo 
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 12

TRAIL SIGNIFICANCE

1 – Cataclysmic Ice Age Floods 

Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 

represents the greatest floods on earth. 

Repeated cataclysmic releases of water 

exploding from glacially dammed Lake 

Missoula thundered across the landscape to 

the Pacific Ocean, carrying water, debris, rock, 

and ice with a discharge equal to 10 times the 

flow from all of today’s rivers worldwide.

2 – Distinctive Geologic Resources

The Ice Age floods sculpted extraordinary 

landscapes and left behind a variety of 

distinctive geologic features across a vast area 

of the northwestern United States. Gigantic 

basalt coulees, enormous dry falls, and flood 

ripples of immense proportion are just a few 

examples of the evidence that survives to 

illustrate the scale and power of the floods.

3 – Science and Research

The discovery and investigation of the 

Channeled Scabland led to an understanding 

of cataclysmic origin that challenged 

prevailing geologic thought. Ongoing 

research has established the Ice Age floods 

as the quintessential example of megaflood 

landscapes throughout the world.

4 – Human Settlement and Use

The Ice Age floods transformed the 

environment of the northwestern United 

States, greatly influencing the use of the land 

and its resources from early native peoples to 

contemporary society.

Trail Significance
Draft Foundation Statement 13

Glacial erratic, Wallula Gap, Washington, Photo by Tom Foster
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 14

FUNDAMENTAL RESOURCES 

AND VALUES

The preeminent responsibility of trail managers is to ensure the conservation and public 

enjoyment of those qualities that are critical 

to achieving the trail’s purpose and maintaining its significance. These qualities are called 

fundamental resources and values.

In addition, the trail pathway contains resources that are not critical to purpose and 

significance but are nonetheless important 

considerations for planning and management. 

These are referred to as other important 

resources and values. 

A variety of geologic, cultural, scenic, and 

recreational resources are associated with the 

floods. Trail planners have identified obvious 

examples that directly support the trail’s purpose and different aspects of significance and 

are therefore fundamental. Yet at this stage 

many resources have not been fully documented. Additional work would be required 

to fully inventory and catalog floods resources 

and definitively identify those that are fundamental versus those that are not.

The fundamental resources and values for the 

Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail are: 

1. Outstanding Floods-Related Geologic 

Resources 

2. Exceptional Scenery and Views

3. Scientific Knowledge and Research

Other resources and values that are important 

for planning and management include:

•	 Floods-Related Cultural Resources 

•	 Access to Diverse Recreational and 

Educational Opportunities

Fundamental Resources and Values
Draft Foundation Statement 15

1 – Outstanding Floods-Related 

Geologic Resources

Numerous floods-related geologic features 

exist within this four-state area, but not all 

have been inventoried. Certain examples possess outstanding potential for interpretation 

and public enjoyment and may be considered 

fundamental resources in their own right. In 

other instances, individual features are not 

unique or rare, but nonetheless illustrate the 

extent and scale of floods events, especially in 

combination with other examples. It is important, therefore, that a large and diverse collection of floods-related geologic resources be 

highlighted and made available to the public. 

This collection should be representative of the 

entire spectrum of floods features and types 

found within this area. 

Below is a list of such resources, organized by 

seven geologic feature types. Outstanding 

examples of these types are included, where 

known. This list will continue to be refined 

during future planning and management.

Bedrock features include basalt flows and 

dikes. 

•	 Colonnades and Entablatures: 

Frenchman Coulee basalt columns, 

basalt at Palouse Falls and in Grand 

Coulee

Terrain features pre-existent to the floods

include hydraulic constrictions such as water 

gaps through a ridge.

•	 Hydraulic constrictions: Sentinel 

Gap, the narrows at Grand Coulee 

dam, Wallula Gap, Columbia Gorge, 

Kalama Gap

Wallula Gap, Washington and Oregon, Photo by John Clement
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 16

Erosional landforms created by Ice Age 

floods include coulees, dry falls, and scablands, among others.

•	 Scablands: the Channeled Scabland, 

Cheney-Palouse Tract, Grand 

Coulee, Moses Coulee, Telford Tract, 

Drumheller Channels

•	 Coulees: Grand Coulee, Frenchman 

Coulee, Moses Coulee, Wilson Creek 

coulee

•	 Cataracts: Dry Falls, Potholes 

Cataract, Palouse Falls, Three Devils 

Cataract, Chain of Lakes Cataract (in 

Cheney-Palouse), Staircase Rapids

•	 Drumheller Channels 

•	 Streamline loess hills: many parts of the 

Cheney-Palouse scabland 

Depositional landforms created by Ice Age 

floods include current dunes and gravel bars, 

among others. 

•	 Gravel bars: Pangborn-Wenatchee bar, 

Moses Coulee bar, great Athol bar, 

Midcanyon bar (Snake River)

•	 Fan Deposits: Near Ephrata, 

Washington

•	 Current dunes: Camas Prairie, Ramsey 

Road current dunes

Frenchman Coulee, Washington, NPS Photo 160-ton Bellevue Erratic, Oregon, Photo credit: unknown
Draft Foundation Statement 17

•	 Stratified deposits (“rhythmites”) in 

backflooded valleys: Walla Walla 

Valley, Yakima Valley, Willamette 

Valley

•	 Lake Rhythmite deposits: Ninemile 

Creek

•	 Submarine deposits in the Pacific Ocean

Glacial features include moraines, eskers, 

erratics, and bergmounds. 

•	 Erratics: Bellevue erratic, Frenchman 

Hills erratics (Quincy Basin), many 

others

•	 Glaciated basin: Lake Pend Oreille 

basin, Lake Chelan basin

Lake features include shorelines (or strandlines) and lake-bottom beds.

•	 Strandlines: Cabinet Gorge strandlines, strandlines on Mount Jumbo 

and Mount Sentinel 

Features deposited by wind include dunes 

and dune fields (sand), and loess hills (silt). 

•	 Sand dunes enclosing the “Potholes” 

of Moses Lake

Sediment layers from the bottom of Glacial Lake Missoula, 

Montana, NPS Photo

Wave-cut strandlines of Glacial Lake Missoula, Montana,

NPS Photo
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 18

2 – Exceptional Scenery and Views 

Vast landscapes and stunning scenery created 

by the floods are present at many places along 

the proposed trail routes. Views of natural and 

human-influenced scenery enable visitors to 

comprehend the scale of the floods, to appreciate the grandeur that the floods created, and to 

understand the impact of the floods on human 

settlement and on the natural world.

Scenery varies across the floods region. Local 

variations in topography, climate, vegetation, 

types and levels of use, and other factors 

combine to establish distinct landscapes that 

exhibit different qualities of visual character. 

In many places, the route offers dramatic views 

of natural areas scarcely touched by people. In 

other places, human activity is very noticeable, 

for instance in agricultural areas that exhibit a 

rural, pastoral character.

Portions of the trail route that are already federally recognized for exceptional scenic quality 

include the Coulee Corridor National Scenic 

Byway and the Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area. Segments of state scenic byways 

also exist within the floods area.

Seven designated national natural landmarks 

(NNLs) feature floods resources as their 

primary component. In some cases, dramatic 

scenery was a factor in the listing of sites in 

this registry. One example is Crown Point in 

Oregon. Perched 700 feet above the Columbia 

River, Crown Point offers outstanding views of 

the surrounding Columbia River Gorge. 

Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, Washington, NPS Photo
Draft Foundation Statement 19

Other important viewpoints and scenic corridors may be identified during future stages 

of planning.

Major Viewpoints include:

•	 Views to Green Monarch Mountains 

(evidence of glacial lobe), Idaho 

•	 Steamboat Rock, Washington

•	 Dry Falls Interpretive Center, Sun 

Lakes State Park, Washington

•	 Drumheller Channels National 

Natural Area, Washington

•	 Rowena Crest, Mayer State Park, 

Oregon

•	 Crown Point State Scenic Corridor, 

Oregon

•	 Pacific Ocean from Lewis and 

Clark Interpretive Center, Cape 

Disappointment State Park, 

Washington

Scenic Corridors include:

•	 Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, Idaho

•	 Coulee Corridor National Scenic 

Byway, Washington

•	 Columbia River Gorge National 

Scenic Area, Washington and Oregon

•	 Historic Columbia River Highway, 

Oregon

•	 Lewis and Clark Trail State Scenic 

Byway, Washington

Crown Point, Oregon, Photo by Justin Miller
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 20

3 – Scientific Knowledge and 

Research

Investigation of the Ice Age Floods has greatly 

contributed—and continues to contribute—to 

the body of scientific knowledge. In bringing 

to light the story of the floods, J Harlen Bretz, 

Joseph Pardee, and other geologists yielded a 

new theory for the origin of many landforms 

in the northwest. Aided by new technologies, 

subsequent researchers built upon these early 

discoveries and further advanced our knowledge of the floods and its features.

Ongoing research, at home and abroad, continues to shape our understanding of our world. 

Contemporary scientists are now applying 

lessons that were acquired through investigation of the Ice Age floods to landscapes under 

study in other parts of the world—and even on 

other planets.

Within the trail corridor, sites and features 

directly associated with scientific discovery 

include: Dry Falls, the Camas Prairie current 

dunes, and rhythmites in the Walla Walla 

Valley, among many others. Documents, 

Camas Prairie ripple marks, Montana, Photo by Tom Foster
Draft Foundation Statement 21

observations, and other types of information 

that have contributed to scientific knowledge 

range from early accounts of floods-related 

geologic resources, to contemporary programs 

being conducted in the area by NASA and by 

other organizations, and ongoing geologic 

research in other countries.

Places and Features Associated with Science 

and Research Include:

•	 Dry Falls – tied to early investigation 

of the Ice Age floods

•	 Potholes Cataract – tied to early 

investigation of the Ice Age floods

•	 Camas Prairie current dunes – related 

to the discovery of the source of the 

floods

•	 Rhythmites – evidence for a repeated 

series of floods

•	 Willamette Valley – evidence for a 

repeated series of floods

•	 Area south of Soap Lake – site of 

NASA research

Other Values Associated with Science and 

Research:

•	 Historical research and writings 

•	 Ongoing research – the continuing 

accumulation of scientific knowledge

Geologist Richard Waitt overlooks rhythmites in the Walla 

Walla Valley, Washington, Photo by Ted Wood
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 22

OTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCES 

AND VALUES

The identification of certain resources and 

values as fundamental is not meant to imply 

that other resources are not important. The 

National Park Service draws this distinction 

because it can help trails and other national 

park system units set priorities among 

competing management concerns. 

Floods-Related Cultural Resources 

Although geological resources are the primary 

focus of the national geologic trail, the human 

history of the region adds another dimension 

to the floods’ story. The federal and state 

partners responsible for managing the trail 

also manage cultural resources in accordance 

with laws and regulations that mandate their 

protection.

Cultural resources along the trail corridor 

convey thousands of years of human history 

and patterns of settlement across the numerous, varied landscapes shaped by the Ice Age 

floods. These resources express the continuum of human adaptation to diverse landscapes 

and settings ranging from lush, fertile valleys 

well-suited for agriculture, to scoured, barren lands devoid of settlement. Although the 

entire trail corridor has not been surveyed for 

cultural resources; significant archeological 

sites, ethnographic resources, historic structures, and cultural landscapes that have been 

identified indicate that many more cultural 

resources are likely to be present.

Archeological and ethnographic resources 

associated with the Ice Age floods’ landscape 

include prehistoric campsites, elaborately 

made stone and bone carvings, rock art, plant 

gathering areas, legends, traditional fisheries, 

and other sites important to American Indian 

cultures. Prehistoric and historic trade and 

travel routes weave throughout the region, 

often overlapping with geographical features 

that were created or shaped by the floods. 

Within this transportation network, natural 

cataracts were important nodes where fishing and trade activities were concentrated. 

Two such examples are Willamette Falls and 

Celilo Falls—the latter now submerged by a 

reservoir.

More recently, the Ice Age floods landscape 

became the backdrop for increased agriculture, transportation, and hydropower development. Valleys and basins once inundated by 

the floods have become productive farmlands. 

These conditions were made possible both by 

the Ice Age floods’ depositing great quantities 

of soil in certain areas, and also by construction of huge dams and irrigation networks. 

Massive hydropower, irrigation, and navigation projects have become significant historic 

resources in their own right. One example 

is the Bonneville Lock and Dam on the 

Columbia River. Its designation as a national 

historic landmark recognizes the exceptional 

significance of this project.
Draft Foundation Statement 23

Access to Diverse Recreational and 

Educational Opportunities

Providing for enjoyment and understanding 

of resources is central to the mission of the 

National Park Service and to every park unit 

or trail that the agency administers. Through 

partnerships, the national geologic trail offers 

access to a variety of recreational and educational opportunities that enable visitors to 

learn about, appreciate, and experience the 

floods features. 

Owing to the diversity of landscapes and 

scenery created by the floods, and to the 

differing—but complementary—missions 

of its partners, visitors to the trail will find 

opportunities ranging from solitary to group 

activities, and from contemplative to inspirational experiences. Many such recreational 

and educational opportunities are already 

available on lands managed by trail partners. 

These run the gamut from organized tours to 

rock climbing at Frenchman Coulee to fishing, 

which is popular at various state parks. A variety of new opportunities may be envisioned for 

the future.

The national geologic trail will link together 

and facilitate these activities and experiences 

through a network of designated touring 

routes and a coordinated system of wayfinding 

and interpretation. Enhancing access to resources and to the opportunities they present 

will be a major consideration.

Tsagaglalal (She Who Watches) petroglyph and pictograph, 

Columbia Hills State Park, Washington,

Photo by Angie Moore, Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Ice dam location, Clark Fork, Idaho, Photo by Bruce Bjornstad
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 24

PRIMARY INTERPRETIVE THEMES

1 – Geologic Setting

A remarkable alignment of past geologic 

forces, resulting terrain, and Ice Age 

conditions produced a series of some of 

the greatest floods on earth, dramatically 

sculpting 16,000 square miles of the 

northwestern United States and as much of the 

Pacific Ocean floor.

2 – Cataclysmic versus Incremental

The Ice Age floods remind us that the slow, 

incremental processes shaping our earth can 

be punctuated by sudden, epic, cataclysmic 

events, and that such events are possible in our 

lifetimes.

Primary Interpretive Themes

Beginning in 1922, J Harlen Bretz spent summers exploring central and eastern Washington with his family and students

Photo credit: unknown
Draft Foundation Statement 25

3 – Evidence that Remains

In the wake of the floods, a wide array of 

floods-formed features remained, just waiting 

for human curiosity to discover. Some features 

are gigantic – readily visible from space; others 

are subtle—only revealed and appreciated 

through close observation.

4 - In Search of the Truth

Unraveling the mysteries of the Ice Age floods 

reveals the human, often subjective and 

sometimes contentious, side of the scientific 

method that arises when new evidence 

challenges prevailing paradigms.

5 – Lives and Livelihoods

Just as the Ice Age floods left an enduring mark 

on the landscape of the northwestern United 

States, so too has that landscape profoundly 

shaped human history and culture across the 

region. The impact of the floods continues to 

this day.

Camas Prairie current dunes, Montana, Photo by Steve Corrick
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 26

SPECIAL MANDATES AND 

ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITMENTS 

The following text summarizes applicable 

requirements from two sources: the legislation establishing the Ice Age Floods 

National Geologic Trail (P.L. 111-11, Sec. 

5203) and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) among the seven federal agency 

partners. These documents require the 

National Park Service to develop and manage the national geologic trail through 

collaboration with other parties.

Public Law 111-11, Sec. 5203 

Section (f) (5) of the legislation requires the 

Secretary of the Interior to prepare a cooperative management and interpretive plan for the 

trail within three years of funding being made 

available for this purpose. The legislation 

mandates that the Secretary prepare this plan 

in consultation with:

(i) state, local, and tribal governments

(ii) the Ice Age Floods Institute

(iii) private property owners

(iv) other interested parties (Public Law 

111-11, Section 5203, (f)(5))

It is noteworthy that the legislation specifically mentions the nonprofit Ice Age Floods 

Institute as one of the partners to engage. 

Subsequent lines in the legislation outline the 

primary objectives of the cooperative management and interpretive plan. 

The enabling legislation also provides the 

Secretary of the Interior broad authority 

to enter into agreements with government 

officials, private entities, and with the general 

public for the purposes of trail development 

and management:

...the Secretary may enter into cooperative 

management agreements with appropriate 

officials in the States of Montana, Idaho, 

Washington, and Oregon in accordance 

with the authority provided for units of the 

national park system under section 3(l) of 

Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-2(1))

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The 

Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with public or private entities to carry 

out this section.

National Park Service Agreement – 

IAFL # G9003-10-0001

National Park Service Agreement – IAFL # 

G9003-10-0001 is a memorandum of understanding among the following seven federal 

agency partners regarding planning, development, and management of the trail:

Special Mandates and 

Administrative Commitments
Draft Foundation Statement 27

U.S. Department of the Interior

•	 National Park Service, Pacific West 

Region

•	 U.S. Geological Survey, Western 

Region

•	 Bureau of Land Management, Idaho, 

Montana, and Oregon/Washington 

State Offices

•	 Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific 

Northwest Region

•	 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1

U.S. Department of Defense

•	 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

Northwestern Division

U.S. Department of Agriculture

•	 U.S. Forest Service, Northern and 

Pacific Northwest Regions

Agency officials signed the memorandum in 

2010 and it remains in effect through August 

23, 2020.

The purpose of the memorandum is “to develop 

a coordinated and scientifically accepted interpretation of the nationally significant values 

and features associated with the Ice Age Floods 

National Geologic Trail that are found on federal 

lands in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, 

and Washington.” In signing this memorandum, 

the agencies acknowledged that they “share a 

mutual interest in federal land management, 

scientific research, and a responsibility for 

providing the public with high quality, cohesive 

and educational interpretive programs.”

Partner agencies commit to responsibilities, 

including:

•	 representing and participating in an 

Interagency Coordination Committee 

to collaborate and oversee the activities that will enhance interpretation of 

the Ice Age floods story and features

•	 voluntarily consulting with the 

Coordination Committee to review 

site development plans and interpretive messages associated with the Ice 

Age Floods National Geologic Trail 

and the Ice Age floods story

•	 leveraging personnel, equipment, and 

services (at agency discretion) to carry 

out their respective responsibilities 

under the memorandum

Terms of the memorandum are subject to 

modification provided that all parties demonstrate mutual consent by signing. Any party 

may, at any time before the memorandum’s 

expiration, terminate their participation in the 

memorandum in writing. 
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 28

PUBLIC LAW 111-11, SECTION 5203

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation PUBLIC LAW 111–11—MAR. 30, 2009 123 STAT. 1155 

England National Scenic Trail. Additional or more detailed plans 

for administration, management, protection, access, maintenance, 

or development of the trail may be developed consistent with the 

Trail Management Blueprint, and as approved by the Secretary. 

(c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary is authorized 

to enter into cooperative agreements with the Commonwealth of 

Massachusetts (and its political subdivisions), the State of Connecticut (and its political subdivisions), and other regional, local, 

and private organizations deemed necessary and desirable to accomplish cooperative trail administrative, management, and protection 

objectives consistent with the Trail Management Blueprint. An 

agreement under this subsection may include provisions for limited 

financial assistance to encourage participation in the planning, 

acquisition, protection, operation, development, or maintenance of 

the trail. 

(d) ADDITIONAL TRAIL SEGMENTS.—Pursuant to section 6 of 

the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1245), the Secretary 

is encouraged to work with the State of New Hampshire and appropriate local and private organizations to include that portion of 

the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in New Hampshire (which lies 

between Royalston, Massachusetts and Jaffrey, New Hampshire) 

as a component of the New England National Scenic Trail. Inclusion 

of this segment, as well as other potential side or connecting trails, 

is contingent upon written application to the Secretary by appropriate State and local jurisdictions and a finding by the Secretary 

that trail management and administration is consistent with the 

Trail Management Blueprint. 

SEC. 5203. ICE AGE FLOODS NATIONAL GEOLOGIC TRAIL. 

(a) FINDINGS; PURPOSE.— 

(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

(A) at the end of the last Ice Age, some 12,000 to 

17,000 years ago, a series of cataclysmic floods occurred 

in what is now the northwest region of the United States, 

leaving a lasting mark of dramatic and distinguishing features on the landscape of parts of the States of Montana, 

Idaho, Washington and Oregon; 

(B) geological features that have exceptional value and 

quality to illustrate and interpret this extraordinary natural phenomenon are present on Federal, State, tribal, 

county, municipal, and private land in the region; and 

(C) in 2001, a joint study team headed by the National 

Park Service that included about 70 members from public 

and private entities completed a study endorsing the 

establishment of an Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Trail— 

(i) to recognize the national significance of this 

phenomenon; and 

(ii) to coordinate public and private sector entities 

in the presentation of the story of the Ice Age floods. 

(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to designate 

the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail in the States of 

Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, enabling the public 

to view, experience, and learn about the features and story 

of the Ice Age floods through the collaborative efforts of public 

and private entities. 

(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

State listing. 

16 USC 1244 

note. 

16 USC 1244 

note. 

16 USC 1244 

note. 


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Draft Foundation Statement 29

123 STAT. 1156 PUBLIC LAW 111–11—MAR. 30, 2009 

(1) ICE AGE FLOODS; FLOODS.—The term ‘‘Ice Age floods’’ 

or ‘‘floods’’ means the cataclysmic floods that occurred in what 

is now the northwestern United States during the last Ice 

Age from massive, rapid and recurring drainage of Glacial 

Lake Missoula. 

(2) PLAN.—The term ‘‘plan’’ means the cooperative management and interpretation plan authorized under subsection (f)(5). 

(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

of the Interior. 

(4) TRAIL.—The term ‘‘Trail’’ means the Ice Age Floods 

National Geologic Trail designated by subsection (c). 

(c) DESIGNATION.—In order to provide for public appreciation, 

understanding, and enjoyment of the nationally significant natural 

and cultural features of the Ice Age floods and to promote collaborative efforts for interpretation and education among public and 

private entities located along the pathways of the floods, there 

is designated the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. 

(d) LOCATION.— (1) MAP.—The route of the Trail shall be as generally 

depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Ice Age Floods National Geologic 

Trail,’’ numbered P43/80,000 and dated June 2004. 

(2) ROUTE.—The route shall generally follow public roads 

and highways. 

(3) REVISION.—The Secretary may revise the map by 

publication in the Federal Register of a notice of availability 

of a new map as part of the plan. 

(e) MAP

AVAILABILITY.—The map referred to in subsection (d)(1) 

shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate 

offices of the National Park Service. 

(f) ADMINISTRATION.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

Director of the National Park Service, shall administer the 

Trail in accordance with this section. 

(2) LIMITATION.—Except as provided in paragraph (6)(B), 

the Trail shall not be considered to be a unit of the National 

Park System. 

(3) TRAIL MANAGEMENT OFFICE.—To improve management 

of the Trail and coordinate Trail activities with other public 

agencies and private entities, the Secretary may establish and 

operate a trail management office at a central location within 

the vicinity of the Trail. 

(4) INTERPRETIVE FACILITIES.—The Secretary may plan, 

design, and construct interpretive facilities for sites associated 

with the Trail if the facilities are constructed in partnership 

with State, local, tribal, or non-profit entities and are consistent 

with the plan. 

(5) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after funds 

are made available to carry out this section, the Secretary 

shall prepare a cooperative management and interpretation 

plan for the Trail. 

(B) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall prepare the 

plan in consultation with— 

(i) State, local, and tribal governments; 

(ii) the Ice Age Floods Institute; 

(iii) private property owners; and 

(iv) other interested parties. 

Deadline. 

Federal Register, 

publication. 

Notice. 


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Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 30

PUBLIC LAW 111–11—MAR. 30, 2009 123 STAT. 1157 

(C) CONTENTS.—The plan shall— 

(i) confirm and, if appropriate, expand on the 

inventory of features of the floods contained in the 

National Park Service study entitled ‘‘Ice Age Floods, 

Study of Alternatives and Environmental Assessment’’ 

(February 2001) by— 

(I) locating features more accurately; 

(II) improving the description of features; and 

(III) reevaluating the features in terms of their 

interpretive potential; 

(ii) review and, if appropriate, modify the map 

of the Trail referred to in subsection (d)(1); 

(iii) describe strategies for the coordinated development of the Trail, including an interpretive plan for 

facilities, waysides, roadside pullouts, exhibits, media, 

and programs that present the story of the floods to 

the public effectively; and 

(iv) identify potential partnering opportunities in 

the development of interpretive facilities and educational programs to educate the public about the story 

of the floods. 

(6) COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—In order to facilitate the development 

of coordinated interpretation, education, resource stewardship, visitor facility development and operation, and scientific research associated with the Trail and to promote 

more efficient administration of the sites associated with 

the Trail, the Secretary may enter into cooperative management agreements with appropriate officials in the States 

of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon in accordance 

with the authority provided for units of the National Park 

System under section 3(l) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 

1a–2(l)). 

(B) AUTHORITY.—For purposes of this paragraph only, 

the Trail shall be considered a unit of the National Park 

System. 

(7) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter 

into cooperative agreements with public or private entities to 

carry out this section. 

(8) EFFECT ON PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.—Nothing in this 

section— 

(A) requires any private property owner to allow public 

access (including Federal, State, or local government 

access) to private property; or 

(B) modifies any provision of Federal, State, or local 

law with respect to public access to or use of private land. 

(9) LIABILITY.—Designation of the Trail by subsection (c) 

does not create any liability for, or affect any liability under 

any law of, any private property owner with respect to any 

person injured on the private property. 

(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized 

to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this 

section, of which not more than $12,000,000 may be used for 

development of the Trail. 


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Draft Foundation Statement 31

Rainbow Lake scabland, Montana, NPS Photo
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 32

NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARKS

There are seven national natural landmarks 

(NNLs) with Ice Age floods features as a principal component. A national natural landmark 

is a nationally significant area in public or 

private ownership that has been designated 

by the Secretary of the Interior. To be nationally significant, a site must be one of the best 

examples of a biological or geological resource 

in its physiographic province. The significance 

of the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 

relates to the exceptional qualities of these 

national natural landmarks and other floodsrelated resources. 

The following brief descriptions are adapted 

from the National Registry of Natural 

Landmarks. Some additional information is 

also provided:

Crown Point, Oregon — Crown Point is a 

promontory rising nearly vertically about 725 

feet above the Columbia River. It provides a 

strategic vantage point for observing a classic 

illustration of riverine processes. Designated: 

1971. Ownership: state. 

Drumheller Channels, Washington — 

Drumheller Channels are the most spectacular 

example in the Columbia Plateau biophysiographic province of “butte-and-basin” 

scabland; an erosional landscape characterized by hundreds of isolated, steep-sided hills 

surrounded by a braided network of underfit 

channels. This landscape illustrates the dramatic modification of the Columbia Plateau 

volcanic terrain by late Pleistocene catastrophic glacial outburst floods. These floods 

occurred at a scale remaining unparalleled 

on earth, either in the geologic record or in historical account. Designated: 1986. Ownership: 

federal, state, private.

Appendix B: National 

Natural Landmarks

Wigeon Lake, Drumheller Channels, Washington, 

Copyright © 2000 Teri J. Pieper, www.byways.org
Draft Foundation Statement 33

Glacial Lake Missoula, Montana — Glacial 

Lake Missoula was the largest of several lakes 

impounded by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet during the Quaternary Period. Located 12 miles 

north of Perma, Montana, this site contains 

the best examples of giant flood ripples in 

North America. Ripples appear as ridges 15 to 

20 feet high, 100 to 250 feet wide, and from 300 

feet to one-half mile long. 

It is believed that these giant ripples could only have 

been formed by water at 

least 800 feet deep, flowing 

at velocities up to 55 miles 

per hour. Designated: 1966. 

Ownership: private.

Grand Coulee, 

Washington — Grand 

Coulee is an illustration of 

a series of geological events 

including outpourings of 

lava, advance and recession of glacial ice, retreat of 

waterfalls, and the cutting 

of the Columbia River 

channel. Designated: 1965. 

Ownership: federal, state, 

private.

The Great Gravel Bar of Moses Coulee, 

Washington — The Great Gravel Bar of Moses 

Coulee is a very large example of a pendent 

river bar formed by the catastrophic glacial 

outburst floods that swept across the Columbia 

Plateau prior to the last Pleistocene glaciation. 

The impressive scale of this feature, deposited 

in Moses Coulee, provides dramatic evidence 

for the violent flood waters that formed and 

once filled the coulee. As a constructional 

landform, it thus serves as a complement to 

Drumheller Channels, which were eroded during the same flood events farther downstream. 

Designated: 1986. Ownership: state, private.

Wallula Gap, Washington 

— Wallula Gap is the largest, 

most spectacular, and most 

significant of the several large 

water gaps through basalt 

anticlines in the Columbia 

River basin. Designated: 1980. 

Ownership: federal, municipal, 

private. 

Willamette Floodplain, 

Oregon — The Ice Age floods 

stripped enormous quantities of soil from certain areas 

(predominantly in eastern 

Washington), and re-deposited 

it in other areas downstream, 

such as the Willamette Valley. 

This deposition is a major factor in creating the Willamette 

Valley’s fertile soils. The 

Willamette floodplain represents the largest 

remaining native unplowed example of bottomland interior valley grassland in the North 

Pacific Border biophysiographic province. 

These grassland and shrubland communities 

have become exceedingly rare because most 

have been cultivated or converted to pastureland. Designated: 1987. Ownership: federal.

Willamette Valley, Oregon, 

Photo by Melissa Rosin
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 34

Participant Title Organization Division/Region

Federal Interagency Coordination Committee Representatives

Joseph Maxwell Natural Resource Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lower Granite Natural Resource Office

Bonnie Lippitt Interpretive Specialist USDA-U.S. Forest Service Region 6, Pacific Northwest Region

Melody Holm Geologist USDA-U.S. Forest Service Minerals and Geology Management 

Centralized National Operations

Brent Cunderla Geologist USDI-Bureau of Land Management Wenatchee Field Office

Mindy Mason Geologist USDI-Bureau of Land Management Missoula Field Office

Scott Sanner Mining Engineer USDI-Bureau of Land Management Coeur d’Alene Field Office

Richard Honey Water Resources Supervisor USDI-Bureau of Reclamation Upper Columbia Area Office

Marsha Davis Geologist USDI-National Park Service Pacific West Region

Jorie Clark Archaeologist / Geologist USDI-U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Region 1, Pacific Region

Alex Schwartz Landscape Architect USDI-U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Region 1, Pacific Region

Richard Waitt Geologist USDI-U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory

Other Representatives

Mark Buser President Ice Age Floods Institute  Ice Age Floods Institute

Dave Daugharty IAFI Board Member Ice Age Floods Institute Cheney / Spokane Chapter

Lynne Brougher Public Affairs Officer USDI-Bureau of Reclamation Grand Coulee Dam

Terry Darby Superintendent USDI-National Park Service

Whitman Mission National Historic Site; 

Acting Superintendent Ice Age Floods 

National Geologic Trail

Jon Riedel Geologist USDI-National Park Service North Cascades NPS Complex

Erv Gasser Natural Resource Specialist USDI-National Park Service Pacific West Region

Cheryl Teague Landscape Architect USDI-National Park Service Pacific West Region

Sarah Bodo Community Planner USDI-National Park Service Denver Service Center

Tom Gibney Planner / Landscape Architect USDI-National Park Service Denver Service Center

Debbie Bird Superintendent USDI-National Park Service Lake Roosevelt NRA

Ken Hyde Integrated Resources USDI-National Park Service Lake Roosevelt NRA

Murray 

Shoemaker Interpretive Specialist USDI-National Park Service Lake Roosevelt NRA

Keith Dunbar NPS-VIP-Planner USDI-National Park Service Volunteer

Reed Jarvis NPS-VIP-Planner USDI-National Park Service Volunteer

Rhonda Terry NPS-VIP-Interpretive Planner USDI-National Park Service Volunteer

Jack Epstein Geologist Emeritus USDI-U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Geology and Paleoclimate 

Science Center

Christine 

Parsons Capital Program Manager Washington State Parks Eastern Region Headquarters

Bill Fraser Regional Park Planner Washington State Parks Eastern Region Headquarters

Ryan Karlson Interpretive Services Program 

Manager Washington State Parks Resource Stewardship (statewide)

Appendix C: Participants
Draft Foundation Statement 35

Glacial grooves and striations, Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, NPS Photo
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 36

FUTURE PLANNING NEEDS

Planning for the Ice Age Floods National 

Geologic Trail is at a very early stage. Though 

the trail was established in 2009, no operational dollars for development of the trail 

have been forthcoming. In addition, the NPS 

National Planning Program has placed a hold 

on starting any new long-term planning efforts 

at this time. 

Development of the trail would take place 

in the future, guided by enabling legislation, 

and following subsequent phases of planning. As described in the “Special Mandates 

and Administrative Commitments” section 

of this foundation statement, Public Law 

111-11 Section 5203 directs the Secretary 

of the Interior to prepare a cooperative 

management and interpretation plan for 

the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. 

This plan would “describe strategies for 

the coordinated development of the Trail, 

including an interpretive plan for facilities, waysides, roadside turnouts, exhibits, 

media and programs that present the story 

of the floods to the public effectively.” The 

legislation outlines additional objectives 

that correspond to future planning needs, 

which are summarized below. The National 

Park Service has been identified as the lead 

agency.

Legislation directs that the cooperative 

management plan would, “confirm and, if appropriate, expand on the inventory of features 

of the floods contained in the National Park 

Service study entitled Ice Age Floods Study of 

Alternatives and Environmental Assessment.” 

This would involve locating floods-related features more accurately and improving upon the 

description of these floods features. Analysis 

would also identify sites for interpretation and 

visitation. In addition to interpretive potential, 

this analysis would consider critical factors 

such as land ownership and access. The resulting product is envisioned as an accessible 

inventory database.

The legislation also directs that the future 

plan would “review, and if appropriate, 

modify the map of the trail.” One step would 

be to analyze the proposed routes depicted 

in the Ice Age Floods Study of Alternatives 

and Environmental Assessment to determine 

whether refinements to proposed routes are 

needed. 

Additionally, legislation recognizes a need to 

“identify potential partnering opportunities 

in the development of interpretive facilities 

and educational programs.” Although seven 

federal agencies have been identified in a 

memorandum of understanding, planners 

may choose to engage additional partners in 

their efforts to identify areas of mutual interest and strategies to advance future operation 

and public use of the trail. This would include 

partner commitments for research, resource 

protection, visitor protection, visitor services, 

and interpretation.

Appendix D: Future Planning Needs
Draft Foundation Statement 37

There is also a need to promote awareness of 

the new national geologic trail—both among 

the general public and also internally within 

the agencies that signed the memorandum of 

understanding. Increased public and agency 

support will be critical to ensuring that the 

trail is realized. To facilitate this public awareness, the development of a public foundation 

statement newsletter would be recommended.

Frenchman Coulee, Washington, Photo by Tom Foster

As the nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for 

most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering sound use 

of our land and water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife, and biological diversity; preserving 

the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places; and providing for 

the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to ensure that their development is in the best interests of all our people 

by encouraging stewardship and citizen participation in their care. The department also has an 

important responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in 

island territories under U.S. administration.

NPS P43/110266 September 2011 / Printed on recycled paper.
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail 

Draft Foundation Statement

September 2011