How would the natural and cultural resources of the Gaviota Coast be protected from the impacts of increased visitation that may come with a national designation?
NPS policy is to manage all of its units to protect park resources. Visitor services are secondary to resource protection. A National Park unit along the Gaviota Coast is unlikely to cause dramatic changes to the number of visitors in the area. Visitation at the county and state parks along the Gaviota Coast currently totals approximately 1.1 million visitors per year and constitutes a fraction of the traffic in the area. The possible designation as a unit of the National Park System can be expected to create a change in visitation limited by the level of development and additional publicly accessible land in the area. If the area becomes a National Park unit, we anticipate minimal development, small-scale facilities, and an emphasis on day-use. A goal of the area would be to retain the quiet, pastoral nature of the area. Potential visitation and its impacts will be addressed in greater detail in the draft feasibility study.
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