Gallagher, DeborahSholly, Cameron2010-04-302012-04-302010-04-30http://hdl.handle.net/10161/2229Abstract Natchez Trace Parkway Scenic Resource Assessment and Protection Strategy by Cameron Sholly Dr. Deborah R. Gallagher, Advisor May 2010 The U.S. population has tripled over the past 90 years. During that timeframe, threats to national park resources have grown exponentially as commercial and residential development has increased throughout the country. A 2006 survey of national park visitors found that nearly 90% of respondents listed scenic beauty as one of the most important aspects to their visitor experience. While scenic resources in our national parks are some of our most highly valued assets, they are also the most vulnerable and difficult to protect. Development of a collaborative and comprehensive scenic management strategy is an essential component to improving sustainable resource protection capacities. These strategies must be defensible and based on methodologies that take advantage of federal resources and the cooperative efforts of federal partners. Our failure to manage threats effectively will ensure a continual and perpetual degradation of our nation’s resources over the next century. This project provides a framework to systematically identify, assess, prioritize, and manage scenic resource threats on the Natchez Trace Parkway. It identifies a usable methodology to assess, rank and prioritize existing scenic detractions along the Parkway using a point valued assessment system. It provides general methods for identifying areas of land considered vulnerable to future economic development and outlines potential mitigation and prevention strategies to be used by the National Park Service and its partners to manage scenic impacts. Approved: ___________________________________ Dr. Deborah R. Gallagher, Advisor April 30th, 2010 Master's Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Environmental Management degree in the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, May 20101829289 bytesapplication/pdfen-USMasters' project