Park Planning Projects:

Cades Cove Planning Website
Park planners are now defining the alternatives in sufficient detail to allow modeling of their expected natural and cultural impacts as well as the estimated cost of each alternative.

Elkmont Historic District Planning Website
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was published February 10, 2006 and the official public comment period ended May 11, 2006. The planning team is currently in the process of reviewing these comments and will respond to substantive comments in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Proposed North Shore Road Website
The North Shore Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released in January 2006 and contains extensive information about the estimated construction costs and timeframes as well as the extent to which the alternatives could affect the natural and cultural resources of the park. While the Draft EIS includes an Environmentally Preferred Alternative, it does not identify an Agency Preferred Alternative. The Agency Preferred Alternative will be identified in the Final EIS. The Final EIS is expected to available for public release late 2006.

Tremont Development Concept Planning Website
The National Park Service is in the beginning phase of a project to improve the facilities at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont through preparation of a Development Concept Plan/Environmental Assessment. The objective is to evaluate existing facilities as they relate to meeting current program needs, and to develop conceptual designs for alternative facilities that will better support the Tremont program.

Roaring Fork-Cherokee Orchard Road Rehabilitation Project Newsletter
The park has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluating the impacts of rehabilitating Cherokee Orchard Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This project newsletter was prepared to publicly announce the availability of the EA and provides a description of the projects goals, how to obtain the EA and how to comment on the proposed actions of the project.

Briefing Statements:

• Air Quality
• All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory
• Cades Cove Transportation and Development Planning
• Cell Towers
• Elk Project
• Elkmont Historic District
• Foothills Parkway
• Forest Insect and Disease
• Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
• North Shore Road
• North Shore Road - Record of Decision
• Tremont Facility Planning 
• Twin Creeks
• Wild Hogs

Environmental Assessments:

• Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Control 
• Newfound Gap Road Construction
• Elk Reintroduction
• Restoration of Sams Creek and Assessment of Brook Trout Restoration Methods
• Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail-Cherokee Orchard Road Rehabilitation
  ⇒Appendix A
  ⇒Appendix B
• Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail-Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

Strategic Plan:

• Strategic Plan for 2005-2008

Resource Education:

• 1996 Visitor Survey
• Comprehensive Resource Education Plan

Laws and Policies:

• Compendium of Regulations 
  Regulations applying specifically to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Code of Federal Regulations
  Title 36 Regulations covering all National Park Service units.