Rocky Mountain National Park

On October 21, 2020, the East Troublesome Fire made an 18-mile and over 100,000-acre run in Grand County, Colorado. In the Colorado River District (west unit), the park lost numerous structures, including 18 historic buildings at the former Green Mountain-Onahu seasonal housing area, all utilities, and three recreational vehicle sites.

The National Park Service (NPS) generally relies on the private sector to provide housing for NPS employees. However, if housing of reasonable price and quality is not available in the private sector, NPS policy is to provide only the number of housing units needed to support the NPS mission. The NPS charges rent to employees for any housing that it provides. Housing needs assessments conducted for the west side of the park have established that seasonal housing units in the park are necessary to support the NPS mission.

The goal of the Construct New Housing Destroyed by East Troublesome Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park Project (proposed project) is to provide adequate housing to meet the seasonal staffing requirements for the park’s Colorado River District. A combination of two dormitories, ten residential units, three recreational vehicle sites, and a residential support facility (with laundry, showers, and a kitchen) would meet immediate housing needs and replace housing and recreational vehicle sites lost in the fire.

The proposed project would address the loss of housing in the former Green Mountain-Onahu seasonal housing area. It would help ensure adequate seasonal housing in the Colorado River District by providing 22 beds for seasonal staff, connecting to existing utilities to support extended season occupancy, and providing three recreational vehicle parking sites. The proposed project would also provide a residential support facility (with laundry, showers, and a kitchen) for seasonal staff. These rangers provide visitor services and carry out park operations and include park guides, fee and campground staff, trail crew members, buildings and utilities staff, administrative assistants, and custodians.

Proposed Housing

• Six one-bedroom units, each approximately 678 square feet
• Four two-bedroom units, each approximately 1,120 square feet
• Two four-bedroom dormitories, each approximately 2,111 square feet
• Residential support facility, approximately 1,498 square feet, with laundry, showers, and a kitchen

The new housing area would result in approximately 2.4 acres of permanent surface disturbance and approximately 7.8 acres of temporary surface disturbance. Areas of temporary surface disturbance would be reseeded.

Infrastructure and Utilities

The NPS would construct infrastructure for the new housing area such as a paved loop road and water, sewer, telecommunications, and electrical systems. The new water system would replace damaged utility infrastructure in the existing Colorado River District housing area.

At the former Green Mountain-Onahu seasonal housing area, the NPS would demolish and/or abandon fire-damaged utilities, including distribution boxes, septic fields, septic tanks, and an aboveground water storage tank. Debris and burned structures will be removed as part of a separate project.

No special status wildlife species have been identified in the project area. However, migratory birds such as golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) may be present in and near the project area. In addition, razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), humpback chub (Gila cypha), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), and bonytail (Gila elegans) are special status fish species present in the Colorado River downstream of the park.

Construction of the proposed project could affect migratory birds through tree removal (which could destroy nests) and the presence of human activity and noise. Special status fish species could be negatively affected if the proposed project affects downstream water quality or quantity. The NPS would implement measures designed to protect wildlife during all phases of construction.

The NPS completed a preliminary special status plant species field survey in the fall of 2021 to identify special status species in the project area. No special status plant species were observed during the 2021 preliminary survey. A formal survey for special status plant species will be completed in spring and fall 2022.

Although no special status plant species were initially observed during the 2021 preliminary survey, there is still the potential for them to be present within the project area, especially because vegetation is continuing to regenerate after the East Troublesome Fire. Impacts on special status plant species are unknown at this time, but an additional analysis will occur upon completion of the formal survey.

If special status plant species are identified in the project area during the formal survey, preconstruction planning and project design configuration changes could be used to avoid specific plants or mitigate impacts on plants.

The NPS is conducting cultural resource surveys in the project area, including the existing Colorado River District housing area, the new proposed housing area, and the former Green Mountain - Onahu Ranch housing area.

At the existing Colorado River District housing area, the survey identified three historic buildings—two ranch houses and one maintenance building—associated with the Mission 66 development period of the park. However, these surveys indicate that there is no historic district or cultural landscape in this area.

The survey at the proposed housing area is in process.

First homesteaded in the 1880s, Green Mountain Ranch and the adjacent Onahu Ranch were repurposed as resort ranches ca. 1938 and 1945, respectively. Guest operations at these resort ranches terminated in the early 1970s, and the NPS converted many of the rustic-style wood-frame and log buildings to employee housing. However, of the approximately 18 historic guest cabins and supporting buildings such as a lodge and barn, only 2 survived the East Troublesome Fire: the Nimbus Cottage at the Green Mountain Ranch and the Ba Haa Thoson Cottage at the Onahu Ranch, both built in 1939.

Impacts of the proposed project on historic resources are unknown at this time. Consultation with the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office about historic buildings and landscapes is ongoing.

Archeological surveys within the new housing area will be completed in the summer of 2022.

People have been inhabiting the Kawuneeche Valley and the area surrounding the park’s Grand Lake Entrance for thousands of years, beginning more than 11,000 years ago during the last ice age. Archeological studies in the park have identified cultural material associated with Native Americans (including present-day tribes such as the Arapaho, the Shoshone, and the Ute) as well as with European Americans. Near the Grand Lake Entrance, the Harbison family established Harbison Ranch in the late 19th century, and during the mid-20th century, the NPS purchased the land on which the ranch was located. Although the NPS ultimately relocated or demolished many of the ranch buildings, material associated with this history is still evident. Numerous trails related to the early and modern history of the park crisscross the area and today are used both by the NPS as administrative trails and by the NPS and private entities as recreational trails.

Impacts on archeological resources in the project area are unknown at this time because archeological surveys and analyses are still ongoing. However, the NPS is working with tribal partners and the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office at History Colorado to better understand the importance of the resources.

An existing stock trail parallels the west side of the new housing area running from north to south, and an existing snowmobile trail runs along the eastern and southern borders of the new housing area. The NPS would slightly realign the stock trail to the west to accommodate the new housing area and would adjust the grade of the snowmobile trail at the entrance to the new housing area to accommodate a new access road from County Road 491.

The realignment of the stock trail and grade adjustment for the snowmobile trail would require temporary trail closures during construction. It is unknown how long stock trail closures would be. Snowmobile trail closures are not expected to affect winter users because project construction would occur during the warmer months.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to fully consider the impacts of proposals that would affect the human environment prior to deciding to take an action. NEPA also requires federal agencies to involve the interested and affected public in decision making. Visit  https://ceq.doe.gov/  to learn more about NEPA.

It is important that we hear from you during our preliminary planning phase!

Please comment on the proposed project and provide your valued input on this question:

• What issues or concerns should park staff consider as the project planning proceeds?

To provide comments on the question above, please visit the project website:  https://parkplanning.nps.gov/reconstructCRDhousing . Look for "open for comment" on the left side of the screen.

The NPS held a virtual public meeting on the following date:

• Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The NPS encourages public participation throughout the planning process. There will be two opportunities to comment formally on the proposed project: one during the preliminary planning phase (July 2022) and another following additional analysis (September 2022). Comments received during the preliminary planning phase will help define the issues and concerns to be addressed during the NEPA process, as well as shape potential design considerations and mitigation that would reduce impacts and alleviate concerns.