National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Fort Clatsop National Memorial Astoria, Oregon

The development of this study was a collaborative effort by a study team that included representatives of the National Park Service, Washington State Historical Society, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Washington State Department of Transportation, and Pacific County, Washington working closely with Otak, Inc., the consulting team for the project. The National Park Service served as the project lead. The consultant assisted the study team in the planning process, research, community outreach, and product development.

The Lower Columbia River Lewis and Clark Draft Boundary Study and Environmental Assessment focused on two major subject areas. The first was an evaluation of the three Lewis and Clark sites located along the north side of the Columbia River against the National Park Service Criteria for Boundary Adjustments and Criteria for Parklands. Upon determining that each site met the criteria for inclusion within Fort Clatsop National Memorial, the study proceeded into the second subject area. The second was to define a set of management alternatives for the three sites and evaluate impacts on cultural resources, natural resources, socioeconomics, transportation, and visitor experience for each alternative.

The following is an outline of work elements developed by the study team in coordination with the National Park Service. The tasks have been completed or are currently in process at the time of this printing. The work elements are listed in chronological order.

• Define project goals, scope of work, key issues to be addressed, project schedule, and deliverables.

• Establish study team made up of representatives of participating agencies.

• Research existing conditions, history, and analysis of the three Lewis and Clark sites.

• Conduct study team working retreat.

• Conduct study team coordination meetings.

• Prepare draft study/environmental assessment.

• Conduct study team and policy review of draft study/environmental assessment.

• Release draft study/environmental assessment for public review and comment.

• Conduct public workshops.

• Revise study as needed.

• Prepare final study and recommendation.

• Present final study to Secretary of Interior for transmittal to Congress.

Due to the timing of the authorization of the boundary study by Congress and the approaching bicentennial events commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the study process was expedited to allow for potential action by Congress in the fall of 2003.

The study was initiated in August 2002 and the final study scheduled to be completed by September 2003. The final study will be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior and then transmitted to Congress.

Figure 3.1 depicts the schedule for the project. The expected schedule was developed to accommodate a delivery of the final report to Congress for potential action in the fall of 2003.

The study team was already actively participating in other Lewis and Clark related projects in this area and made themselves available as needed to expedite the completion of the document.

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The goal of the study team was to provide comprehensive perspectives from participating agencies to develop successful and implementable management alternatives in a collaborative manner.

Since the three sites currently have different agencies managing the resources, it was important to create varying alternatives that all met the goals and mission of each of the participating agencies.

The study team included representatives from the NPS, WSHS, WSPRC, WSDOT, Pacific County, Washington, and the consultant planning team from Otak, Inc.

The role of the study team was to offer recommendations, suggestions, and comments to assist in crafting management alternatives for consideration in the preparation of the study document. The consultant helped to compile and synthesize the information, which was reviewed and modified by the study team.

The study process began with coordination meetings between the consultant team and the National Park Service in August and September 2002 to develop the goals, schedule, process, and products for the study of alternatives. At this time, the proposed members of the study team were identified and asked to participate. Early in the study process, the study team discussed issues and considerations that would need to be addressed during the course of the study. These issues are described in detail in the section that follows.

On October 8 and 9, 2002, members of the study team met at Fort Columbia State Park near Chinook, Washington and the Station Camp site for a working retreat. The primary purpose of the retreat was to review the analysis of the three sites and to craft a variety of management alternatives for the three Lewis and Clark sites. The retreat format was chosen as a way to gather all of the varying interests into one room to develop a collaborative set of alternatives for management of the sites that addressed the needs of all parties. The retreat agenda included an overview of the study process, establishment of study goals, small group discussion on management alternatives, and a synthesis of concepts for management alternatives.

In November, the consultants synthesized the information gathered at the study team retreat and concisely documented four management alternatives, which were distributed to the study team members for review and comment. Comments were received and the alternatives were refined and sent to several agencies for further review.

On December 11, 2002, the study team convened to discuss the final comments on the management alternatives and impacts related to each alternative. A general discussion highlighted some of the potential impacts of the alternatives in relation to cultural resources, natural resources, visitor experience, socioeconomics, transportation, and costs. These suggestions and comments were compiled and incorporated into the draft presentation of the study document.

On February 14, 2003, the study team presented the four preliminary management alternatives to the Regional Director, Pacific West Region, of the National Park Service and also to the Director of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. The range of alternatives were approved for further consideration at that meeting.

On February 25, 2003, the draft study was distributed to the study team for an internal review. The two-week review period concluded in mid-March 2003 with the study team providing comments on the draft study to the consultant team. Each member of the study team received a copy of the draft study, which they used to provide written comments to the consultant. The consultant gathered all of the written comments and incorporated the suggestions into a revised version of the draft study for submittal to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Historical Society, and the National Park Service Pacific West Region and Washington, D.C. offices for policy review in late March.

During this review period the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department was asked to provide a review of the study to bring a more regional perspective and consider participation in management alternatives.

Presentations were made to Oregon State Park officials including Director Mike Carrier, Assistant Director Tim Wood, and staff. Approval was given to include consideration of Oregon State Park Lewis and Clark sites in the coordinated strategy advanced in Alternative D.

Subsequent to policy review by these agencies, the study team was briefed on the extent of the review comments and the last revisions to the draft study were incorporated prior to release of the draft study to the public in July.

As part of the study process, public participation in the process was facilitated through a variety of methods. The involvement of the public ensures broad citizen participation and advice concerning the protection, public use, and management of these three Pacific County Lewis and Clark sites.

Interest has increased over the past decade in the story of the Expedition on the Washington side of the river near the mouth of the Columbia. The Lewis and Clark story has become more and more prominent with the coming bicentennial. Public interest in the potential study was already high when Congress authorized the study.

The outreach program for the boundary study included some of the following meetings and products:

Informational Meetings

• Meetings with local citizens and government representatives associated with the Pacific County Friends of Lewis and Clark, Port of Ilwaco, City of Long Beach, and other groups to provide an update of the scope and progress of the boundary study.

• Meetings with the Chinook Tribe to provide an update of the scope and progress of the boundary study.

• Briefings were provided to the Director of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Rex Derr, and the Pacific West Regional Director of the National Park Service, Jonathon Jarvis.

• Presentations were provided to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Board of Trustees of the Washington State Historical Society on the scope and status of the boundary study.

• Briefings were provided to Oregon State Parks Director Michael Carrier, Deputy Director Tim Wood and Oregon State Parks staff.

Study Reviews

Public review of the draft boundary study will occur in July and August 2003.

Following public review and comment, the final study will be prepared and submitted to Secretary of the Interior and Congress. The final study will include the recommendation for the most effective and efficient management alternative along with a summary of public comment through the study process.

Informal briefings by telephone and in-person have been provided on the study to the Washington Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation as a preliminary step to initiate formal consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended. In accordance with the 1995 Programmatic Agreement, the National Park Service will initiate formal consultation with the issuance of the draft study.

Additional Outreach Efforts

• Press releases regarding the boundary study were sent to newspapers throughout the lower Columbia region during July 2003. This included nearby metropolitan areas. The following newspaper press releases were distributed: The Associated Press, The Chinook Observer, The Columbian, The Daily Astorian, The Longview Daily News, The Oregonian, The Olympian, Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Seaside Signal, The Seattle Times, The Tacoma News Tribune and outreach to a national audience via insertion on the Fort Clatsop National Memorial Website (http://www.nps.gov/focl.htm).

The final study will include a summary of public comment from both public workshops and written submissions.