A Comparison of Eight National Monuments as Applied to the Hanford Reach National Monument

Pospical, Jill J.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (U.S.)

关键词: Planning Hanford Reach Monument;    Recreational Areas;    Columbia River;    Columbia River Basin;    Resource Management;   

DOI  :  10.2172/15009661
RP-ID  :  PNNL-14801
RP-ID  :  AC05-76RL01830
RP-ID  :  15009661

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

On June 9, 2000, President William Clinton issued a proclamation to preserve 195,000 acres of land as a national monument in southeastern Washington State. Named the Hanford Reach Monument, it is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The monument has been preserved by unusual circumstances: for the past 50 years, it has served as the buffer area to one of the U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear reservations. As such, it has been allowed to remain wild, protecting it from human interference and preserving a number of important resources once found in abundance, but now in decline, throughout the Columbia River Basin. At the centerpiece of this monument is the last free flowing, non-tidal stretch of the Columbia River. Called the Hanford Reach, this 51-mile long section of the Columbia River supports one of the most productive spawning grounds for Chinook salmon. In addition to its natural resources, this monument also contains sites of rich and important archaeological and historical significance. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently working with the U.S. Department of Energy, the public, and a number of other interested parties to create a monument management plan, which is expected to be released sometime in mid-2004. But because of the unusual circumstances that have preserved this monument for the last 50 years, there are unique issues that must be addressed before this monument may be opened to the public. The purpose of this document is to evaluate the recreational land-usage patterns common to our nation's national monuments and apply those findings to what recreational activities are being considered and planned at the Hanford Reach National Monument. Based on these evaluations and taking the unique situation at the Hanford Site into consideration, recommendations are offered for the future management of the Hanford Reach National Monument.