Access to the 120-acre parcel will be prohibited, in general. The 40-acre parcel is fenced, however, during periods of high visitation or special events, additional temporary fencing or signage may be installed to further discourage visitor access of the 120-acre parcel.

Visitor management will include designated parking areas. Parking will include 13 spaces for researchers and staff, 49 visitor spaces, and 80 event spaces, as shown in Table 2.3, “Existing and Proposed Daily Visitation / Residents”. The maximum available parking spaces on site will be 142.

All special events that would exceed the capacity of the primary parking area (Table 2.2, “Parking Capacity for All Action Alternatives”) would need to be approved under a BLM Special Use Permit.

Visitors will be managed so not to detract from the site’s character. Visitors will be managed to have between 13-75 persons at one time on site for most months. Peak visitation will be managed at less than 600 people (currently planned for two events per year).

An annual monitoring program will evaluate visitor experience, resource conditions, and site characteristics to determine if peak visitation should be adjusted (e.g., more/less than two events per year and maximum allowable numbers at these events). If it is determined that peak visitation could be increased, additional visitation would be accommodated via shuttle buses from the community of Searchlight. No additional parking spaces would be added without a separate planning and environmental assessment effort. If it is determined that peak visitation could be decreased, proposed parking areas could be reevaluated for restoration potential.

Off-highway or utility vehicle use would be limited to designated routes within the 40-acre parcel boundaries. No off-highway or utility vehicle use would be allowed on the 120-acre parcel without prior TNC and BLM consent.

Information specific to desert tortoise, desert ecology, and other sensitive habitats will be incorporated into educational and interpretive programming at the ranch.