Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact Statement and General Management Plan; Minidoka Internment National Monument; Jerome County, ID; Notice of Availability, 41234-41236 [E6-11520]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 139 / Thursday, July 20, 2006 / Notices
The proposed exploration program is
fully described, and will be conducted
pursuant to an exploration plan to be
approved by the Bureau of Land
Management. The exploration plan, as
submitted by Spring Creek Coal
Company, is available for public
inspection at the BLM, 5001 Southgate
Drive, Billings, Montana, during regular
business hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.),
Monday through Friday.
Dated: June 7, 2006.
Robert Giovanini,
Acting Chief, Branch of Solid Minerals.
[FR Doc. E6–11468 Filed 7–19–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–$$–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY–040–06–1610–DT]
Notice of Availability of the Record of
Decision for the Jack Morrow Hills
Coordinated Activity Plan and Green
River Resource Management Plan
Amendment, Wyoming
AGENCY:
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
Notice of availability.
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES_1
ACTION:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act and the National Environmental
Policy Act, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) announces the
availability of the Record of Decision
(ROD) for the Jack Morrow Hills
Coordinated Activity Plan (CAP) and
Green River Resource Management Plan
(RMP) Amendment. The ROD
documents the BLM’s decision to
approve a land use plan amendment
that addresses approximately 585,000
acres of public land located in
Sweetwater, Sublette, and Fremont
counties in southwestern Wyoming. The
JMH CAP/Green River RMP
Amendment contains land-use plan
decisions that supersede previous landuse planning decisions made in the
Green River RMP and completes
decisions deferred in the Green River
RMP. The CAP/ROD went into effect on
the date the Wyoming State Director
signed the ROD. Publication of this
NOA today announces and commences
the 30-day appeal period for a project
implementation included in the ROD.
ADDRESSES: The ROD will be available
electronically on the following Web site:
https://www.wy.blm.gov/jmhcap.
Copies of the Jack Morrow Hills CAP/
ROD are available for public inspection
at the following BLM office locations:
• Bureau of Land Management,
Wyoming State Office
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:44 Jul 19, 2006
Jkt 208001
• 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne,
Wyoming 82003.
• Bureau of Land Management, Rock
Springs Field Office,
• 280 Highway 191 North, Rock
Springs, Wyoming 82901.
To request a copy of the ROD, please
write or telephone the BLM contacts
listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael R. Holbert, Field Manager, or
Renee Dana, Jack Morrow Hills CAP
Team Leader, Bureau of Land
Management, Rock Springs Field Office,
280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs,
Wyoming 82901. Requests for a copy of
the ROD may be sent electronically to:
rock_springs_wymail@blm.gov with
‘‘JMH CAP’’ in the subject line. Mr.
Holbert and Ms. Dana may be reached
at (307) 352–0256.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Jack
Morrow Hills CAP/ROD was developed
with broad public participation through
a 4-year collaborative planning process.
The Jack Morrow Hills CAP/ROD is
designed to achieve or maintain desired
future conditions developed through the
planning process. To meet the desired
resource conditions, it includes a series
of management actions for resources in
the area including upland and riparian
vegetation, wildlife habitats, heritage
and visual resources, air quality,
sensitive species, special management
areas, livestock grazing, minerals
including oil and gas, and recreation.
In response to the 30 day protest
period that ended on August 16, 2004,
a total of 1,011 protests were received
by BLM. The BLM reviewed and
responded to all submittals. The ROD
includes a decision regarding the
implementation of the project that may
be appealed in accordance with 43 CFR
part 4. The 30-day appeal period will
start on the date this Notice of
Availability is published in the Federal
Register.
The JMH CAP and ROD modify
existing special management areas and
establish new ones. The JMH planning
area includes five Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACECs)
previously designated under the Green
River RMP. Four of the designated five
ACECs remain unchanged. The fifth,
Steamboat Mountain ACEC, has been
expanded by about 4,000 acres and
includes the Indian Gap historic trail
and key habitats types such as the rare
sagebrush/scurfpea vegetation type.
To protect important scientific values,
the West Sand Dunes Archaeological
District has been established as a new
management area. So that the BLM may
mange a portion of the public lands
with important Native American
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
cultural values, important watershed
values, unique wildlife habitat, and
feature crucial and overlapping big
game habitat the Steamboat Mountain
Management Area has been established.
The Jack Morrow Hills CAP is
essentially the same as the Proposed
Plan in the Jack Morrow Hills CAP/FEIS
published in July 14, 2004 (69 FR
42201). No inconsistencies with State or
local plans, policies, or programs were
identified during the Governor’s
consistency review of the CAP/FEIS. As
a result, only editorial modifications
were made in the JMH CAP. These
modifications correct and clarify errors
that were noted during review of the
CAP/FEIS and provide further
clarification for some of the decisions.
Dated: March 28, 2006.
Walter E. George,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. E6–11590 Filed 7–19–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Abbreviated Final Environmental
Impact Statement and General
Management Plan; Minidoka
Internment National Monument;
Jerome County, ID; Notice of
Availability
Summary: Pursuant to section
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91–190, as
amended), and the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40
CFR part 1500–1508), the National Park
Service (NPS), Department of the
Interior, has prepared an abbreviated
final environmental impact statement
(FEIS) for the proposed General
Management Plan (GMP) for Minidoka
Internment National Monument located
in southern Idaho. This FEIS describes
and analyzes four GMP alternatives that
respond to both NPS planning
requirements and to the public’s
concerns and issues, identified during
the extensive scoping and public
involvement process. Each alternative
presents management strategies for
resource protection and preservation,
education and interpretation, visitor use
and facilities, land protection and
boundaries, and long-term operations
and management of the national
monument. The potential
environmental consequences of all the
alternatives, and mitigation strategies,
are identified and analyzed in the FEIS.
In addition to a ‘‘no-action’’ alternative,
an ‘‘environmentally preferred’’
alternative is identified.
E:\FR\FM\20JYN1.SGM
20JYN1
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES_1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 139 / Thursday, July 20, 2006 / Notices
Background: A Notice of Intent
formally initiating the conservation
planning and environmental impact
analysis process was published in the
Federal Register on April 24, 2002.
Early public involvement methods
included news releases, public meetings
and workshops, presentations and
meetings with interested publics,
newsletter mailings, and Web site
postings. This strong public outreach
was deemed necessary for successful
planning, given the nature and
sensitivity of the national monument’s
history, the speed in which the national
monument was established, as well as
its remote location.
Preceding the formal planning
process, NPS staff conducted
informational meetings about the
national monument with Japanese
American organizations, community
organizations, various governmental
entities, potential stakeholder groups,
and individuals during the spring,
summer and early fall of 2002.
Approximately 50 meetings were held
in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and
Alaska during this time, and
approximately 2,000 people were
contacted. The purpose of these initial
meetings was to provide information
about the establishment of Minidoka
Internment National Monument as a
new unit of the National Park System
and to help characterize the scale and
extent of the conservation planning
process.
The NPS encouraged public
involvement during three phases of the
EIS process. The initial scoping phase
was intended to elicit issues, concerns,
and suggestions deemed necessary to
address during the overall planning.
Nine public workshops were held in
Idaho, Washington, and Oregon in
November 2002 (250 people provided
comments in workshops, and another
225 people provided written
comments). In the second phase the
NPS engaged the public in developing
preliminary alternatives; these
alternatives were intended to address
the specific issues and concerns that
surfaced during the public scoping.
Eleven public workshops were held in
Idaho, Washington, and Oregon in July
and August 2003 (215 people provided
comments in the workshops, and
another 50 people provided written
comments). The third phase of
involvement afforded the opportunity
for public review of the Draft EIS/GMP,
which was released on June 21, 2005.
Government entities and the public
were invited to submit comments by
regular mail, e-mail, fax, and online. In
addition, the NPS held ten public
meetings in Idaho, Washington, Oregon,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:44 Jul 19, 2006
Jkt 208001
and California in July and August 2005
to provide further opportunity to learn
about the proposed plan and to offer
comments; over 200 people attended
these meetings. During the formal
public comment period, which closed
on September 19, 2005, the NPS
received comments from over 365
individuals and organizations,
including 150 written responses (all
substantive comments, and responses,
are documented in the abbreviated Final
EIS).
Throughout the planning process, the
public’s comments and
recommendations have provided the
foundation for the new GMP,
represented in the national monument’s
purpose, significance, interpretive
themes, alternatives, and particularly as
incorporated in the proposed action.
Proposed Plan and Alternatives:
Alternative A is the ‘‘no-action’’
alternative and would continue current
management practices, maintaining
general management guidance for
incremental and minimal changes in
park operations, staffing, visitor
services, and facilities to accommodate
visitors. While the historic resources of
the site would continue to be protected,
only minor additional site work would
be anticipated. The ‘‘no-action’’
alternative is the baseline for evaluating
and comparing the changes and impacts
of the three ‘‘action’’ alternatives.
Alternative B emphasizes the
development and extensive use of
outreach and partnerships to assist NPS
staff in telling the Minidoka story to the
American people. Off-site visitor
education and interpretation would be
conducted through diverse
comprehensive programs developed in
cooperation with partners, including
school districts, museums, and
educational and legacy organizations
and institutions. Alternative B would
focus on identifying off-site facilities for
education and interpretation with
minimal new development at the
national monument site. Historic
structures would be adaptively reused
for visitor and monument functions and
for minimal administrative and
operational needs. Key historic features
would be delineated, restored, or
rehabilitated. On-site education and
interpretation would be accomplished
through a range of self-exploratory
visitor experiences.
Alternative C, the NPS’s proposed
action, emphasizes on-site education
and interpretation and the extensive
treatment and use of cultural resources
in telling the Minidoka story. On-site
education and interpretation would be
accomplished through a wide range of
visitor experiences, including
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
41235
immersion into the historic scene,
interaction with a variety of educational
and interpretive media and personal
services, and participation in creative
and self-directed activities. Off-site
visitor education and interpretation
would be conducted through diverse
programs developed in cooperation with
partners, including school districts,
museums, and educational and legacy
organizations and institutions.
The proposed plan would use various
preservation techniques to protect and
enhance historic resources, such as
delineation, stabilization, restoration,
rehabilitation, and limited
reconstruction. These historic resources
would be used for interpretive purposes
to accurately and authentically convey
the history and significance of the
national monument. The establishment
of one complete barracks block exhibit
in its original location and configuration
would be the cornerstone of interpretive
services and facilities at the national
monument, essential for understanding
and appreciation of the incarceration
experience and the significance of the
national monument. A visitor contact
facility and maintenance area would be
developed by adaptively reusing
existing historic buildings. There would
be minimal new development.
Alternative C is also the
‘‘environmentally preferred’’ alternative.
The proposed plan would require
congressional legislation to authorize a
boundary adjustment to include areas
where barracks historically stood in
order to reestablish a complete
residential block in an original historic
location. Additionally, the NPS would
request congressional legislation to
transfer the historic Minidoka
Relocation Center landfill, located 1
mile north of the national monument,
from the BLM to the NPS. Alternative C
recommends a name change to
Minidoka National Historic Site, to be
more reflective of its historic value.
Alternative D identifies several
actions that would focus on education
and interpretation on-site, specifically
through the development of new visitor
facilities. The east end site would be
used to develop new facilities and to
provide space for a new visitor center,
education and research functions, along
with a new Issei memorial and garden.
On-site education and interpretation
would be accomplished through a wide
range of visitor experiences, including
interaction with a variety of educational
and interpretive media, participation in
creative and self-guided activities, and
limited access of the historic scene.
Visitor education programs, adaptive
reuse of historic structures for park use,
and the establishment of formal
E:\FR\FM\20JYN1.SGM
20JYN1
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES_1
41236
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 139 / Thursday, July 20, 2006 / Notices
partnerships for education and outreach
purposes would complement the new
construction. Alternative D would focus
on sound cultural resource management
through preservation, restoration,
rehabilitation, and reconstruction of
certain historic features. Several actions
would provide for the protection and
enhancement of natural and scenic
resources. Other actions would establish
administrative and operational
capabilities in terms of facilities and
staffing. Most national monument staff
activities would be on-site to manage
resources and provide for visitor
understanding and appreciation of the
national monument. However, some offsite educational programs would
complement the on-site programs
through partnerships.
Copies: The Abbreviated Final EIS/
GMP is now available. This document’s
abbreviated format requires that the
material presented therein be integrated
with the Draft EIS to fully describe the
proposed GMP, potential environmental
impacts, and public comments that have
been received and evaluated. Interested
persons and organizations wishing to
express any concerns or provide
relevant information may obtain the
Abbreviated Final EIS/GMP by
contacting the Superintendent,
Minidoka Internment National
Monument, P.O. Box 570, Hagerman,
Idaho 83332–0570, or via telephone at
(208) 837–4793 (copies of the Draft EIS
are also available, if needed). This
document may also be reviewed at area
libraries, or obtained electronically via
the following Web site at: https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/miin. Please note
that names and addresses of all
respondents will become part of the
public record. It is our practice to make
comments, including names, home
addresses, home phone numbers, and
email addresses of respondents,
available for public review. Individual
respondents may request that we
withhold their names and/or home
addresses, etc., but if you wish us to
consider withholding this information
you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your comments. In
addition, you must present a rationale
for withholding this information. This
rationale must demonstrate that
disclosure would constitute a clearly
unwarranted invasion of privacy.
Unsupported assertions will not meet
this burden. In the absence of
exceptional, documentable
circumstances, this information will be
released. We will always make
submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:44 Jul 19, 2006
Jkt 208001
representatives of or officials of
organizations or businesses, available
for public inspection in their entirety.
Decision Process: Following release of
the Abbreviated Final GMP/EIS, a
Record of Decision will be prepared and
approved not sooner than 30 days after
the EPA has published its notice of
filing of the document in the Federal
Register. A notice of the approved GMP
would be similarly published. As a
delegated EIS, the official responsible
for the final decision is the Regional
Director, Pacific West Region, National
Park Service. Subsequently, the official
responsible for implementing the
approved GMP would be the
Superintendent, Minidoka Internment
National Monument.
Dated: July 12, 2006.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E6–11520 Filed 7–19–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–DC–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Milltown Hill Project, Douglas County,
OR
Bureau of Reclamation,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a
Supplement to the Final Environmental
Impact Statement.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)
proposes to prepare a supplement to the
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) for the Milltown Hill Project.
Reclamation filed the FEIS for the
project with the Environmental
Protection Agency on August 14, 1992
and completed a Record of Decision
(ROD) on November 7, 1992. The FEIS
was prepared in conjunction with
Douglas County’s (County) application
for a Small Reclamation Projects Act
loan and grants to develop a dam and
reservoir at the Milltown Hill site on Elk
Creek above Drain, Oregon. The
County’s loan and grant application was
subsequently approved but the project
was never constructed. The County has
recently indicated that it wishes to reactivate its Small Reclamation Projects
Act loan and grant application.
Reclamation believes that due to the
time lapse since the FEIS was
completed and the ROD was signed, it
is appropriate to update the information
in the 1992 EIS to determine if it still
correctly describes the affected
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
environment and environmental
consequences of the project. The
proposed action and the no action
alternative will be evaluated in the
supplement to the FEIS.
ADDRESSES: Bureau of Reclamation,
Pacific Northwest Regional Office, 1150
N. Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise, ID
83706–1234.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Anyone interested in more information
concerning the EIS, or who has
information that may be useful in
identifying significant environmental
issues, may contact Mr. Robert Hamilton
at telephone 208–378–5087, or by e-mail
at Milltownhill@pn.usbr.gov. TTY users
may dial 711 to obtain a toll free TTY
replay.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
project consists of a 186 foot high dam
and 24,143 acre foot reservoir on Elk
Creek, a tributary of the Umpqua River,
which would provide regulated flows of
water for irrigation of up to 4,661 acres
of arable land, storage and distribution
of water to the cities of Drain and
Yoncalla, and the community of Rice
Hill; allow municipal expansion and
industrial diversification; provide a
reliable source of water for rural
domestic use; provide opportunities to
improve fish and wildlife habitat;
improve water quality; provide new
water-related recreational facilities; and
provide limited flood control in and
near the city of Drain. A portion of the
stored water would be released directly
into Elk Creek to enhance water quality
and anadromous fish habitat, and to
meet the out of stream needs of
municipal, industrial and agricultural
users. The remainder of the stored water
would be released into a pipeline
distribution system which would
improve municipal, industrial and
irrigation water supplies to Scotts
Valley and Yoncalla Valley, and provide
an additional water supply for rural
domestic use in these areas.
As indicated above, a FEIS and ROD
for the project were completed in 1992.
The County’s loan application was
subsequently approved by the
Commissioner of Reclamation and the
Secretary of the Interior on May 17,
1994, and May 18, 1994, respectively.
On September 9, 1996, the Umpqua
River (UR) cutthroat trout was listed as
endangered. On October 23, 1996,
Reclamation and the County submitted
a biological assessment (BA) to the
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) analyzing the effects of the
proposed project on the listed and
proposed species. On December 18,
1997, NMFS issued its biological
opinion under section 7 of the ESA,
E:\FR\FM\20JYN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 139 (Thursday, July 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41234-41236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11520]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact Statement and General
Management Plan; Minidoka Internment National Monument; Jerome County,
ID; Notice of Availability
Summary: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), and the
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508),
the National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior, has
prepared an abbreviated final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for
the proposed General Management Plan (GMP) for Minidoka Internment
National Monument located in southern Idaho. This FEIS describes and
analyzes four GMP alternatives that respond to both NPS planning
requirements and to the public's concerns and issues, identified during
the extensive scoping and public involvement process. Each alternative
presents management strategies for resource protection and
preservation, education and interpretation, visitor use and facilities,
land protection and boundaries, and long-term operations and management
of the national monument. The potential environmental consequences of
all the alternatives, and mitigation strategies, are identified and
analyzed in the FEIS. In addition to a ``no-action'' alternative, an
``environmentally preferred'' alternative is identified.
[[Page 41235]]
Background: A Notice of Intent formally initiating the conservation
planning and environmental impact analysis process was published in the
Federal Register on April 24, 2002. Early public involvement methods
included news releases, public meetings and workshops, presentations
and meetings with interested publics, newsletter mailings, and Web site
postings. This strong public outreach was deemed necessary for
successful planning, given the nature and sensitivity of the national
monument's history, the speed in which the national monument was
established, as well as its remote location.
Preceding the formal planning process, NPS staff conducted
informational meetings about the national monument with Japanese
American organizations, community organizations, various governmental
entities, potential stakeholder groups, and individuals during the
spring, summer and early fall of 2002. Approximately 50 meetings were
held in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska during this time, and
approximately 2,000 people were contacted. The purpose of these initial
meetings was to provide information about the establishment of Minidoka
Internment National Monument as a new unit of the National Park System
and to help characterize the scale and extent of the conservation
planning process.
The NPS encouraged public involvement during three phases of the
EIS process. The initial scoping phase was intended to elicit issues,
concerns, and suggestions deemed necessary to address during the
overall planning. Nine public workshops were held in Idaho, Washington,
and Oregon in November 2002 (250 people provided comments in workshops,
and another 225 people provided written comments). In the second phase
the NPS engaged the public in developing preliminary alternatives;
these alternatives were intended to address the specific issues and
concerns that surfaced during the public scoping. Eleven public
workshops were held in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon in July and August
2003 (215 people provided comments in the workshops, and another 50
people provided written comments). The third phase of involvement
afforded the opportunity for public review of the Draft EIS/GMP, which
was released on June 21, 2005. Government entities and the public were
invited to submit comments by regular mail, e-mail, fax, and online. In
addition, the NPS held ten public meetings in Idaho, Washington,
Oregon, and California in July and August 2005 to provide further
opportunity to learn about the proposed plan and to offer comments;
over 200 people attended these meetings. During the formal public
comment period, which closed on September 19, 2005, the NPS received
comments from over 365 individuals and organizations, including 150
written responses (all substantive comments, and responses, are
documented in the abbreviated Final EIS).
Throughout the planning process, the public's comments and
recommendations have provided the foundation for the new GMP,
represented in the national monument's purpose, significance,
interpretive themes, alternatives, and particularly as incorporated in
the proposed action.
Proposed Plan and Alternatives: Alternative A is the ``no-action''
alternative and would continue current management practices,
maintaining general management guidance for incremental and minimal
changes in park operations, staffing, visitor services, and facilities
to accommodate visitors. While the historic resources of the site would
continue to be protected, only minor additional site work would be
anticipated. The ``no-action'' alternative is the baseline for
evaluating and comparing the changes and impacts of the three
``action'' alternatives.
Alternative B emphasizes the development and extensive use of
outreach and partnerships to assist NPS staff in telling the Minidoka
story to the American people. Off-site visitor education and
interpretation would be conducted through diverse comprehensive
programs developed in cooperation with partners, including school
districts, museums, and educational and legacy organizations and
institutions. Alternative B would focus on identifying off-site
facilities for education and interpretation with minimal new
development at the national monument site. Historic structures would be
adaptively reused for visitor and monument functions and for minimal
administrative and operational needs. Key historic features would be
delineated, restored, or rehabilitated. On-site education and
interpretation would be accomplished through a range of self-
exploratory visitor experiences.
Alternative C, the NPS's proposed action, emphasizes on-site
education and interpretation and the extensive treatment and use of
cultural resources in telling the Minidoka story. On-site education and
interpretation would be accomplished through a wide range of visitor
experiences, including immersion into the historic scene, interaction
with a variety of educational and interpretive media and personal
services, and participation in creative and self-directed activities.
Off-site visitor education and interpretation would be conducted
through diverse programs developed in cooperation with partners,
including school districts, museums, and educational and legacy
organizations and institutions.
The proposed plan would use various preservation techniques to
protect and enhance historic resources, such as delineation,
stabilization, restoration, rehabilitation, and limited reconstruction.
These historic resources would be used for interpretive purposes to
accurately and authentically convey the history and significance of the
national monument. The establishment of one complete barracks block
exhibit in its original location and configuration would be the
cornerstone of interpretive services and facilities at the national
monument, essential for understanding and appreciation of the
incarceration experience and the significance of the national monument.
A visitor contact facility and maintenance area would be developed by
adaptively reusing existing historic buildings. There would be minimal
new development. Alternative C is also the ``environmentally
preferred'' alternative.
The proposed plan would require congressional legislation to
authorize a boundary adjustment to include areas where barracks
historically stood in order to reestablish a complete residential block
in an original historic location. Additionally, the NPS would request
congressional legislation to transfer the historic Minidoka Relocation
Center landfill, located 1 mile north of the national monument, from
the BLM to the NPS. Alternative C recommends a name change to Minidoka
National Historic Site, to be more reflective of its historic value.
Alternative D identifies several actions that would focus on
education and interpretation on-site, specifically through the
development of new visitor facilities. The east end site would be used
to develop new facilities and to provide space for a new visitor
center, education and research functions, along with a new Issei
memorial and garden. On-site education and interpretation would be
accomplished through a wide range of visitor experiences, including
interaction with a variety of educational and interpretive media,
participation in creative and self-guided activities, and limited
access of the historic scene. Visitor education programs, adaptive
reuse of historic structures for park use, and the establishment of
formal
[[Page 41236]]
partnerships for education and outreach purposes would complement the
new construction. Alternative D would focus on sound cultural resource
management through preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, and
reconstruction of certain historic features. Several actions would
provide for the protection and enhancement of natural and scenic
resources. Other actions would establish administrative and operational
capabilities in terms of facilities and staffing. Most national
monument staff activities would be on-site to manage resources and
provide for visitor understanding and appreciation of the national
monument. However, some off-site educational programs would complement
the on-site programs through partnerships.
Copies: The Abbreviated Final EIS/GMP is now available. This
document's abbreviated format requires that the material presented
therein be integrated with the Draft EIS to fully describe the proposed
GMP, potential environmental impacts, and public comments that have
been received and evaluated. Interested persons and organizations
wishing to express any concerns or provide relevant information may
obtain the Abbreviated Final EIS/GMP by contacting the Superintendent,
Minidoka Internment National Monument, P.O. Box 570, Hagerman, Idaho
83332-0570, or via telephone at (208) 837-4793 (copies of the Draft EIS
are also available, if needed). This document may also be reviewed at
area libraries, or obtained electronically via the following Web site
at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/miin. Please note that names and
addresses of all respondents will become part of the public record. It
is our practice to make comments, including names, home addresses, home
phone numbers, and email addresses of respondents, available for public
review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their names
and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider withholding
this information you must state this prominently at the beginning of
your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale for
withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that
disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy.
Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of
exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be
released. 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.
Decision Process: Following release of the Abbreviated Final GMP/
EIS, a Record of Decision will be prepared and approved not sooner than
30 days after the EPA has published its notice of filing of the
document in the Federal Register. A notice of the approved GMP would be
similarly published. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for
the final decision is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region,
National Park Service. Subsequently, the official responsible for
implementing the approved GMP would be the Superintendent, Minidoka
Internment National Monument.
Dated: July 12, 2006.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E6-11520 Filed 7-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-DC-P
