Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Environmental Impact Statement on the Backcountry Management Plan and General Management Plan Amendment, Denali National Park and Preserve, AK, 13160-13161 [E6-3558]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
13160
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / Notices
Subsequently the Director, National
Park Service will be responsible for
amending or ratifying the
recommendations and transmitting the
completed Special Resource Study to
the Secretary of the Interior. The
Secretary determines the final
recommended actions to be submitted
for Congress’ consideration.
Dated: January 13, 2006.
George J. Turnbull,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 06–2407 Filed 3–13–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–M
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Availability of the Record of
Decision for the Environmental Impact
Statement on the Backcountry
Management Plan and General
Management Plan Amendment, Denali
National Park and Preserve, AK
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice of Availability of the
Record of Decision for the
Environmental Impact Statement on the
Backcountry Management Plan and
General Management Plan Amendment,
Denali National Park and Preserve,
Alaska.
AGENCY:
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The National Park Service
(NPS) announces the availability of the
Record of Decision (ROD) for the
Environmental Impact Statement on the
Backcountry Management Plan and
General Management Plan Amendment,
Denali National Park and Preserve,
Alaska.
This Record of Decision documents
the decision by the NPS to adopt a
Backcountry Management Plan for
Denali National Park and Preserve and
to amend the park’s General
Management Plan. The Backcountry
Management Plan addresses
management of all park and preserve
lands, except the park road corridor and
adjacent development zones and
backcountry day use areas, which were
addressed in the 1997 Entrance Area
and Road Corridor Development
Concept Plan. Winter management of
the park road corridor west of park
headquarters is also addressed. The plan
includes management area zoning,
access, wilderness management,
commercial services, backcountry
facilities, administrative and research
uses, and boundary changes. The plan
also serves as a Soundscape
Preservation and Noise Management
Plan as required by NPS Director’s
Order 47, a Wilderness Management
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:18 Mar 13, 2006
Jkt 208001
Plan as required by NPS Director’s
Order 41, and a Commercial Services
Plan for the backcountry.
The NPS selected the modified
version of Alternative 4, as described in
the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (Final EIS). Of the four action
alternatives, this alternative best meets
the objectives of the plan for park
resource protection and recreational
use, and has a high degree of
implementation feasibility.
The ROD briefly discusses the
background for the planning effort,
summarizes public involvement during
the planning process, states the decision
and discusses the basis for it, describes
other alternatives considered, specifies
the environmentally preferable
alternative, identifies measures adopted
to minimize potential environmental
harm, and provides a non-impairment
determination.
The ROD can be found
online at the NPS Planning,
Environment and Public Comment Web
site at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/
index.cfm. Copies of the ROD are
available on request from: Adrienne
Lindholm, National Park Service,
Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th
Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99501.
Telephone: (907) 644–3613.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Tranel, Chief of Planning, National
Park Service, Denali National Park and
Preserve, 240 West 5th Avenue,
Anchorage, Alaska 99501. Telephone:
(907) 644–3611.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NPS
prepared an EIS, as required, under the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969 and Council of
Environmental Quality regulations (40
Code of Federal regulations [CFR] 1500).
A Notice of Intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement,
published in the Federal Register on
August 31, 1999 (64 FR 49503), formally
initiated the NPS planning and EIS
effort. A Draft EIS was issued in
February 2003 (68 FR 8782). Following
a 90-day public comment period, a
Revised Draft EIS was prepared and
issued for a 75-day public comment
period in April 2005 (70 FR 21440). A
Federal Register (FR) notice announcing
the availability of the Final EIS was
published by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) on January 20,
2006, commencing the required 30-day
no-action period (71 FR 3290). The
Final EIS describes and analyzes the
environmental impacts of four action
alternatives and a no-action alternative.
The NPS selected the modified
version of Alternative 4, as described in
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
Frm 00095
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
the Final EIS. The overview of the
selected alternative is as follows:
This backcountry management plan
will guide the NPS in providing
opportunities for a variety of wilderness
recreational activities and experiences
while recognizing and protecting the
premier wilderness resource values of
the entire backcountry. Areas in the
Dunkle Hills and around the Ruth and
Tokositna Glaciers on the south side of
the Alaska Range will be managed for
those visitors who want to experience
the wilderness resource values or other
resource values of the Denali
backcountry but require services or
assistance, or who are unable to make a
lengthy time commitment. Areas along
the park road in the Old Park and the
Kantishna Hills will provide accessible
opportunities for short- or long-duration
wilderness recreational activities with
only limited options for guidance or
assistance the farther one gets from the
park road. The remainder of the
backcountry will be managed for
dispersed, self-reliant travel, and will
include opportunities for extended
expeditions in very remote locations.
Major actions of the selected
alternative include:
• Subdivision of the ‘‘Natural’’ zone
in the 1986 General Management Plan
into a variety of management areas that
are designed for different types of
backcountry experiences: The
management areas are defined by
indicators and standards for resource
and social conditions, which establish a
carrying capacity for the area. These
management areas include a few areas
of relatively dense use and higher levels
of impacts. These high use areas
accommodate transportation into the
backcountry and visitors who want to
experience the wilderness resource
values or other resource values of the
Denali backcountry but require services
or assistance, or who are unable to make
a lengthy time commitment.
• Management of visitor access
through adaptive management: Resource
and social conditions will be monitored
and access management tools will be
used to achieve the standards for each
management area. This approach is
consistent with the Visitor Experience
and Resource Protection framework
used by the NPS to address carrying
capacity.
• Establishment of wilderness
management criteria, group size limits,
restrictions on use of climbing tools,
and a strategy for preventing social trail
formation: The entire park and preserve
backcountry will be managed to
preserve wilderness resource values and
provide wilderness recreational
opportunities.
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / Notices
• Provision of commercial services in
the backcountry associated with
wilderness recreation and transportation
to wilderness recreation, and scenic air
tour landings.
• Limited development of visitor
facilities in the backcountry, including
a continuation of the ‘‘no formal trails’’
policy park wide (with minor, specific
exceptions), no public use cabins or
shelters in the backcountry, and up to
five designated campsites in the
southern Kantishna Hills.
• Application of the minimum
requirement/minimum tool process
throughout the park and preserve
backcountry, research permit
requirements for all NPS and external
research, and development of a plan for
NPS administrative and research use of
aircraft.
• A land exchange with the State of
Alaska to align the park boundary with
the Ruth, Tokositna, Chulitna, and
Coffee Rivers.
Dated: February 21, 2006.
Victor Knox,
Acting Regional Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. E6–3558 Filed 3–13–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–PF–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Final Environmental Impact Statement/
Fire Management Plan Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreation Area
Los Angeles and Ventura Counties,
CA; Notice of Approval of Record of
Decision
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91–190, as
amended) and the implementing
regulations promulgated by the Council
on Environmental Quality (40 CFR
1505.2), the Department of the Interior,
National Park Service has prepared, and
the Regional Director, Pacific West
Region has approved, the Record of
Decision for the Fire Management Plan
for Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area. The formal no-action
period was officially initiated December
23, 2005, with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Federal Register
notification of the filing of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Decision: As soon as practicable the
park will begin to implement as its
updated Fire Management Plan the
‘‘Mechanical Fuel Reduction/Ecological
Prescribed Fire/Strategic Fuels
Treatment’’ alternative (also described
and analyzed as the Preferred
Alternative (2)) contained in the Draft
VerDate Aug<31>2005
20:18 Mar 13, 2006
Jkt 208001
and Final EIS. The selected plan
provides the maximum potential
environmental benefits and minimizes
adverse effects of fire management
activities. Alternative 2 is the most
flexible alternative, utilizing all
available fire management strategies
deemed to be appropriate for the
mediterranean type conditions found in
Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area. As documented in the
EIS, this plan was also deemed to be the
‘‘environmentally preferred’’ alternative.
This course of action and three
alternatives were identified and
analyzed in the Final EIS, and
previously in the Draft EIS (the latter
was distributed in June 2004). The full
spectrum of foreseeable environmental
consequences was assessed, and
appropriate mitigation measures
identified, for each alternative.
Beginning with early scoping, through
the preparation of the Draft and Final
EIS, numerous public meetings were
conducted (in Thousand Oaks, Malibu,
Los Angeles, Agoura Hills, Calabasas)
and newsletter updates were regularly
provided. Approximately 25 written
comments responding to the Draft EIS
were received and duly considered. Key
consultations which aided in preparing
the Draft and Final EIS involved (but
were not limited to) the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, State Historic
Preservation Office, native American
Tribes, air quality management districts,
adjoining land managing agencies, and
U.S. Geological Survey. Local
communities, county and city officials,
and interested organizations were
contacted extensively during initial
scoping and throughout the fire
planning process.
Copies: Interested parties desiring to
review the Record of Decision may
obtain a complete copy by contacting
the Superintendent, Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreation Area,
and 401 West Hillcrest Dr., Thousand
Oaks, CA 91360–4223 or via telephone
request at (805) 370–2300.
Dated: February 16, 2006.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E6–3557 Filed 3–13–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–FE–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S.
Department of Defense, Air Force, 15th
Airlift Wing, Hickam Air Force Base, HI
AGENCY:
PO 00000
National Park Service, Interior.
Frm 00096
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
ACTION:
13161
Notice.
Notice is here given in accordance
with provisions of the Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
(NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3003, of the
completion of an inventory of human
remains and associated funerary objects
under the control of the U.S.
Department of Defense, Air Force, 15th
Airlift Wing, Hickam Air Force Base, HI.
The human remains were removed from
the Bellows Air Force Station, Island of
O’ahu, HI.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The determinations in
this notice are the sole responsibility of
the museum, institution, or Federal
agency that has control of the Native
American human remains and
associated funerary objects. The
National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, the Bernice Pauahi
Bishop Museum (Bishop Museum),
Honolulu, HI, and the 15th Airlift Wing,
Hickam Air Force Base professional staff
in consultation with representatives
from Aloha First, Hui Malama I Na
Kupuna ’O Hawai’i Nei, Kaiwi Olelo ’O
Hawai’i Nei, Nation of Hawai’i, Office of
Hawaiian Affairs, Puuhonua ’o
Waimanalo, and State of Hawai’i Burial
Sites Program.
At an unknown date, between 1955
and November 16, 1990, human remains
representing a minimum of 15
individuals were removed from along
Bellows Beach on Bellows Air Force
Station, Waimanalo ahupua’a, District of
Ko’olaupoko, Island of O’ahu, HI,
during excavations and as a result of
inadvertent finds. No known
individuals were identified. The 28
associated funerary objects are 1
gastropod exoskeleton, bone fragments
from 6 fish, 1 pig, 1 medium mammal
(pig or dog), 1 shark, and 1 bird; 1 kukui
nut shell, 2 pieces of waterworn coral,
1 unmodified wood fragment, 4 pieces
of basalt lithic debitage, 1 basalt
hammerstone, 1 basalt adze, 1 sample of
red ochre-colored sand, and 6 samples
of unmodified sand.
The human remains and associated
funerary objects were placed in the
collections Bishop Museum between
1955 and 1990. Prior to November 16,
1990, the Bishop Museum repatriated
most of the human remains and
associated funerary objects from the
Bellows Air Force Station. Between
2001 and 2002, the Bishop Museum
reviewed its collections and found
additional human remains and
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13160-13161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3558]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the
Environmental Impact Statement on the Backcountry Management Plan and
General Management Plan Amendment, Denali National Park and Preserve,
AK
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the
Environmental Impact Statement on the Backcountry Management Plan and
General Management Plan Amendment, Denali National Park and Preserve,
Alaska.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of
the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Environmental Impact Statement on
the Backcountry Management Plan and General Management Plan Amendment,
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
This Record of Decision documents the decision by the NPS to adopt
a Backcountry Management Plan for Denali National Park and Preserve and
to amend the park's General Management Plan. The Backcountry Management
Plan addresses management of all park and preserve lands, except the
park road corridor and adjacent development zones and backcountry day
use areas, which were addressed in the 1997 Entrance Area and Road
Corridor Development Concept Plan. Winter management of the park road
corridor west of park headquarters is also addressed. The plan includes
management area zoning, access, wilderness management, commercial
services, backcountry facilities, administrative and research uses, and
boundary changes. The plan also serves as a Soundscape Preservation and
Noise Management Plan as required by NPS Director's Order 47, a
Wilderness Management Plan as required by NPS Director's Order 41, and
a Commercial Services Plan for the backcountry.
The NPS selected the modified version of Alternative 4, as
described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS). Of
the four action alternatives, this alternative best meets the
objectives of the plan for park resource protection and recreational
use, and has a high degree of implementation feasibility.
The ROD briefly discusses the background for the planning effort,
summarizes public involvement during the planning process, states the
decision and discusses the basis for it, describes other alternatives
considered, specifies the environmentally preferable alternative,
identifies measures adopted to minimize potential environmental harm,
and provides a non-impairment determination.
ADDRESSES: The ROD can be found online at the NPS Planning, Environment
and Public Comment Web site at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/index.cfm.
Copies of the ROD are available on request from: Adrienne Lindholm,
National Park Service, Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th Avenue,
Anchorage, Alaska 99501. Telephone: (907) 644-3613.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Tranel, Chief of Planning,
National Park Service, Denali National Park and Preserve, 240 West 5th
Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99501. Telephone: (907) 644-3611.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NPS prepared an EIS, as required, under
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and Council of
Environmental Quality regulations (40 Code of Federal regulations [CFR]
1500).
A Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement,
published in the Federal Register on August 31, 1999 (64 FR 49503),
formally initiated the NPS planning and EIS effort. A Draft EIS was
issued in February 2003 (68 FR 8782). Following a 90-day public comment
period, a Revised Draft EIS was prepared and issued for a 75-day public
comment period in April 2005 (70 FR 21440). A Federal Register (FR)
notice announcing the availability of the Final EIS was published by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 20, 2006,
commencing the required 30-day no-action period (71 FR 3290). The Final
EIS describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of four action
alternatives and a no-action alternative.
The NPS selected the modified version of Alternative 4, as
described in the Final EIS. The overview of the selected alternative is
as follows:
This backcountry management plan will guide the NPS in providing
opportunities for a variety of wilderness recreational activities and
experiences while recognizing and protecting the premier wilderness
resource values of the entire backcountry. Areas in the Dunkle Hills
and around the Ruth and Tokositna Glaciers on the south side of the
Alaska Range will be managed for those visitors who want to experience
the wilderness resource values or other resource values of the Denali
backcountry but require services or assistance, or who are unable to
make a lengthy time commitment. Areas along the park road in the Old
Park and the Kantishna Hills will provide accessible opportunities for
short- or long-duration wilderness recreational activities with only
limited options for guidance or assistance the farther one gets from
the park road. The remainder of the backcountry will be managed for
dispersed, self-reliant travel, and will include opportunities for
extended expeditions in very remote locations.
Major actions of the selected alternative include:
Subdivision of the ``Natural'' zone in the 1986 General
Management Plan into a variety of management areas that are designed
for different types of backcountry experiences: The management areas
are defined by indicators and standards for resource and social
conditions, which establish a carrying capacity for the area. These
management areas include a few areas of relatively dense use and higher
levels of impacts. These high use areas accommodate transportation into
the backcountry and visitors who want to experience the wilderness
resource values or other resource values of the Denali backcountry but
require services or assistance, or who are unable to make a lengthy
time commitment.
Management of visitor access through adaptive management:
Resource and social conditions will be monitored and access management
tools will be used to achieve the standards for each management area.
This approach is consistent with the Visitor Experience and Resource
Protection framework used by the NPS to address carrying capacity.
Establishment of wilderness management criteria, group
size limits, restrictions on use of climbing tools, and a strategy for
preventing social trail formation: The entire park and preserve
backcountry will be managed to preserve wilderness resource values and
provide wilderness recreational opportunities.
[[Page 13161]]
Provision of commercial services in the backcountry
associated with wilderness recreation and transportation to wilderness
recreation, and scenic air tour landings.
Limited development of visitor facilities in the
backcountry, including a continuation of the ``no formal trails''
policy park wide (with minor, specific exceptions), no public use
cabins or shelters in the backcountry, and up to five designated
campsites in the southern Kantishna Hills.
Application of the minimum requirement/minimum tool
process throughout the park and preserve backcountry, research permit
requirements for all NPS and external research, and development of a
plan for NPS administrative and research use of aircraft.
A land exchange with the State of Alaska to align the park
boundary with the Ruth, Tokositna, Chulitna, and Coffee Rivers.
Dated: February 21, 2006.
Victor Knox,
Acting Regional Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. E6-3558 Filed 3-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-PF-P
