The GMP will be developed with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) over three years. A multidisciplinary NPS team has been assembled to work with consultants for specific aspects of the process. The plan will follow standard NPS guidelines including: A re-examination of the park’s foundation -- its purpose, significance, and key interpretive themes; An inventory of existing conditions; Formulation of management concepts; An analysis of critical planning issues and management concepts. Public involvement, crucial to the success of the plan, began in fall 2003 with public meetings in metropolitan New York City.  Using a variety of outreach methods, the team has invited comments from the public on how the park is to be preserved in the future and on how the experience of visitors might be improved. Using this input and a body of scientific and historical research, the planners will develop and evaluate alternative concepts for future management.  By the summer of 2004 the public will be invited to comment on these concepts. A draft GMP and Draft EIS will be issued for two months of public review in spring 2005. The EIS will include descriptions of the park’s natural and cultural resources, visitor services, park operations, and the socioeconomic environment, as well as assessing the environmental consequences that could result from implementing the alternatives. After the review period, the team will incorporate the comments as appropriate, and publish the final plan. Following a 30-day waiting period, the final plan will become official and the park will begin to implement the plan.