The National Park Service says a plan to increase backcountry access at Wupatki National Monument won’t have major effects on the natural, cultural and human environment.
Officials say the proposal would increase visitation to the monument’s backcountry through more guided hikes and permitted, unguided access to some areas.
According to officials, because they found no significant impact they won’t prepare an environmental impact statement for the plan.
The Park Service says it'll consult with the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office and area tribes on its implementation.
The 35,000-acre Wupatki National Monument includes 2,700 known archaeological sites from the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities dating mostly to the period after the eruption of Sunset Crater in the late 11th century.
