How were the boundaries of the Friends of Walnut Canyon monument
expansion proposal set? (And how did this lead to the creation of the Walnut
Canyon Study Area Map?)
In 2002
our Congressman JD Hayworth asked the National Park Service to determine what
they thought the “ideal boundary” would be for
The NPS
created the following maps for him; saying that these areas need to be
protected in order to “preserve the core values within the existing monument!”
Each map
shows the area needing permanent protection in order to either protect a particular
value, or to protect the existing monument from the impacts of that threat.
Map I Urban
and Suburban Growth Buffer Area
Map II Road Access Buffer Area
Map III Riparian Corridor Recharge Area
Map IV Mexican Spotted Owl Habitat Adjacent to Walnut
Canyon National Monument
Map V Natural Scenery, Quiet and Aesthetic Value
Preservation
The maps
all pieced together formed the boundary for the Friends’ proposal, and
eventually, the majority of the area included in the Walnut Canyon Study Area.
The
study area includes all of the Friends’ proposal plus a few other areas, plus
the existing Monument.