Death Valley National Park is developing a Devils Hole Site Plan.

The park is in the very early stages of the planning process and wishes to acquire public input in the areas of site security, site access by visitors and staff, and pupfish management.

"We welcome and need your comments and suggestions," said Superintendent JT Reynolds.

Public meetings will be held Monday, Nov. 26, at the Amargosa Valley Community Center from 6 to 9 p.m., and Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the Bob Ruud Community Center in Pahrump from 6 to 9 p.m. in room B.

Devils Hole is a detached unit of Death Valley National Park within Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. It is habitat for the only naturally occurring population of the endangered Devils Hole pupfish.

Due to the pupfish, the unusual cavern and the outstanding scientific importance of the 40-acre site, presidential proclamation placed it and all of its features under the protection and jurisdiction of the National Park Service in 1952.

The National Park Service is mandated by law to provide protection for the pupfish and their habitat. Current activities at the site include research and monitoring of the fish and their unique environment, and limited on-site information and visitor access.

"The protection of Devils Hole and its pupfish is the park's number one priority," explained Reynolds. "How we achieve that with improved security that allows for safe access by staff and researchers, as well as viewing access by the public, is the primary goal of this planning process, and the public's input is needed to help ensure we look at as many possibilities as possible."

If you can not make it to one of the two public meetings and still wish to comment or offer suggestions on what should be in the Devils Hole Site Plan, you may mail them to the name and address below. Before including your address, phone number, email address or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment -- including your personal identifying information -- may be made publicly available at any time.

"While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will always make submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives of or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety," said Reynolds.

Address comments to: Superintendent; Death Valley National Park, Attn: Devils Hole Site Plan, Death Valley National Park, PO Box 579; Death Valley CA 92328, or via email to DEVA_Superintendent@nps.gov.

All written comments must be postmarked or sent by Dec. 28.