17MB PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

three categories can also be broken down even further into six cIa&­sifications that are used by the United states National Park Service.These are:I. High density recreation areasII. General outdoor recreation areasIII. Natural environment areas (with roads)IV. Outstanding natural areasV. Primitive areas (without roads)VI. Historical and cultural sitesAgain, these can be found in combination within the same park.A relatively new approach to park planning, and one which parkplanners have found increasingly more important in their work, isthe regional plan involving not only the park itself, but also thesurrounding area. Considering these additional areas in a plan cancoordinate and incorporate additional natural features, provide additionalrecreational areas and, most important, relieve some of theload on the park itself during heavy periods of visitor traffic.Another problem which has beset the parks is the provision for andthe overcrowding of provisions for overnight visitors. It has becomea recent policy of our national park service and has been a policyof the Mexican National Parks Service to encourage private enterpriseto prOVide these facilities in the form of hotels, motels, etc. Thiswill not only relieve the park management from the additional problemsinvolved, but will also allow the park to remain in a more naturalstate. Camping grounds are still being prOVided in parks sincethey have less impact on the natural features.REG IONAL STUDY:GEOGRAPHY:The cavern and surrounding area which I am proposing to be developedinto a national park is located in the Sierra de Gomas, whichlies in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. It will coveran area running north-south for forty-five miles and east-west fora distance of ten to eighteen miles, depending on location. Itsnorthern border will be eighty miles southwest of Nuevo Laredo andits southern boundary will be thirty miles north of Monterrey. Itwill parallel the Inte~American Highway and be some fifteen miles toits west. This is an arid region typical of much of northern Mexicoand of the United States southwest. There are numerous mountainranges with deserts in between and only a few permanent rivers. Vegetationconsists of arid flora of many varieties, including variousspecies of yucca, cactus, occatillo, and desert shrubs, while higherin the mountains, especially in canyons, can be found numerousvarieties of large trees including elm, oak, and palmetto. In afew of these high canyons can also be found very lush vegetationcommonly associated with cloud forest regions farther to the south.Animal life in the area is much like that of our southwest, consistingof bear, lion, javelina, deer, wild burro, coyote, fox, wolf,armadillo, opossom, raccoon, jack rabbit, and numerous other speciesof small mammals, birds, and reptiles.Prominent natural features which will be within the park boundariesinclude the Sierra de Gomas, Sierra de Carrizal, Sierra deEnmedio, a major desert area between Sierra de Gomas and Sierra deEnmedio, and the Gruta del Palmito. All of the abovementioned faunaand flora can be found within the proposed park boundaries. The only93