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General Management Plan Virtual Open HouseTo attend this on-line open house, click “view,” then “slide show.” We want your comments on what kind of National Park Gateway should be.

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the InteriorGateway National Recreation Area

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Welcome to Gateway’s Virtual GMP Open House!

Participants receive our GMP newsletter—also available in Spanish, Chinese and Russian. (Newsletter PDFs take awhile to open, especially those in other languages.)

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What is a General Management Plan? A GMP is a plan that will

guide decisions made at Gateway for the next 20 years.

It will combine your input with scholarly and scientific information and analysis.

Participants watched a PowerPoint and looked at posters before making their comments.

NOTE: Most images have been taken out of the following documents. Still, they may take several minutes to download.

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Fundamental park resources include:

Beaches and dunes at all three units

Natural areas where wildlife lives, migrates at all three units

Coastal defense structures at Forts Hancock, Tilden and Wadsworth

Sandy Hook lighthouse and maritime forest

Preservation must be consistent with park values

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Fundamental park values include:

Recreation: bird watching, fishing, swimming, boating, walking, bicycling, visiting historic sites

Open space in a populated area

Direct experience with nature

Connections to national history

Primary interpretive themes include:

Natural wonders, dynamics & challenges of an urban estuary

Two centuries of national defense

Maritime heritage Recreation &

education: quality of urban life for all visitors

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Planning challenges include: Water quality Wildlife/People

conflicts Disappearing sand,

changing climate Preservation of

buildings, structures

New audiences Visitor comforts Access to the park

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“Preliminary Alternative Concepts”

Several different approaches, called Preliminary Alternative Concepts, are being considered to preserve the park’s natural and cultural resources.

Each concept would steer the park in a different direction over the next 20 years.

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Concept 1: Discovering Gateway

New ways to experience, learn about natural areas.

More historic buildings open for interpretation, tours.

Diverse recreational opportunities attract new audiences to visit (fishing lessons, kayaking, tours).

Convenient and affordable ways to reach and move around the park by bike, boat, bus, car and ferry.

Increased outreach to introduce Gateway NRA to a broader audience and to encourage more people to experience the park.

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Concept 2: Experiencing Preserved Places More emphasis on repair

of damaged natural systems, degraded historic structures.

Recreation provides for enjoyment of the park’s natural and historic structures.

Energy-efficient transportation systems are introduced, encouraged

Emphasis on environmental education, hands-on stewardship activities and promoting sustainability.

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Concept 3: Coastal Connections More maritime and

coastal defense structures open.

More attention to protection of coastal ecosystems.

Programs , hands-on learning focus on historic structures, natural areas.

New and improved opportunities to recreate on the water and beaches (e.g. water craft storage and more launch sites).

Easier to move around the park units via water transportation.

Comparing the three concepts Each concept

includes the values of preserving natural and historic resources and making recreation available.

Yet, each concept takes a different approach about what should be done and how to make it happen.E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

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Now it’s your turn! Now that you’ve seen

the three Preliminary Alternative Concepts, tell us what you think! Please comment online.

Thanks for coming to our Virtual GMP Open House! Public comment is a

vital step in making the decisions that will guide Gateway through its next two decades.

The next step will take place in the summer of 2011. We hope you can join us then as well, either in person or online.

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Gateway National Recreation AreaSuperintendent210 New York AvenueStaten Island , New York 10305

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior