General Management Plan Development Concept Plan Environmental Assessment Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park – Georgia/Tennessee

This document presents a proposed general management plan and development concept plan for Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The park was established in 1890, and it commemorates two 1863 battles that were among the turning points in the Civil War. The proposed plan sets forth basic management strategies that will ensure the protection of the park's significant cultural resources, will foster a better visitor understanding of the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, and will provide facilities needed by park visitors to appreciate the park's resources.

The proposed plan recommends a 6,000-square-foot addition to the visitor center at the Chickamauga battlefield to accommodate present and future demands for visitor services and administrative functions. Orientation and interpretive programs will be improved throughout the park. To protect the historical scene, nonorganized recreational activities will be restricted to the designated recreation field, and organized activities will only be permitted with the approval of the superintendent.

Following the completion of the US 27 bypass around the park, the present US 27 alignment will be established as part of the park tour route, and the speed limit will be reduced to 25 to 30 miles per hour; commercial traffic will be prohibited. Access to and parking at the various units of the park will be improved where possible (particularly at the Chickamauga battlefield visitor center and Missionary Ridge).

The National Park Service will not seek formal involvement in the protection of Stringers Ridge; instead the present landowners will be encouraged to protect the site's historically significant features. Landscape features within the park will be maintained to complement interpretive themes. The battlefields will not be restored to their appearance in 1863, but the landscape at key interpretive sites will be managed to resemble the appearance at the time of the battles. The National Park Service will work with landowners and developers to eliminate visual intrusions or to mitigate their effects. The powerlines at Chickamauga battlefield and Cravens house will be placed underground to remove this intrusion on the historical scene.

Besides the proposed plan, a no-action alternative that would continue present management strategies was considered. In addition, alternatives for specific actions were examined. The major alternatives other than no action are summarized below:

Chickamauqa battlefield visitor center--Construct a visitor center elsewhere in the park, or lease a facility within the Chattanooga metropolitan area.

Recreational activities--Restrict all activities to one designated area out of view of visitors, or prohibit all recreational activities in the park.

               US 27--Restore the road alignment to its historical appearance.

Stringers Ridge-Acquire fee-simple title to the ridge and establish it as a park unit; establish cooperative agreements; or acquire scenic easements to protect this historic area.

Chickamauga battlefield landscape--Restore the entire battlefield to its 1863 appearance.

The environmental consequences of implementing the proposed plan and the alternatives are considered in the "Environmental Assessment" portion of this document.