Notice of Intent To Prepare a General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the South Unit of Badlands National Park, South Dakota., 20364-20365 [07-2020]

Download as PDF 20364 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 78 / Tuesday April 24, 2007 / Notices jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES winter use season, will rely on an openended, in-depth process. Comments are invited on: (1) The practical utility of the information being gathered; (2) the accuracy of the burden hour estimate; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden to respondents, including use of automated information collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 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 can 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. Automated data collection: This information will be collected via inperson interviews and surveys. No automated data collection will take place. Description of respondents: Components 1 and 2: Visitors stopping at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Old Faithful Geyser on 20 days during the 2007–2008 winter use season. Component 3: Snowmobile and snowcoach guides in Yellowstone National Park. Estimated average number of respondents: Component 1: 165 (120 respondents for on-site survey; 45 respondents for interviews). Component 2: 400. Component 3: 30. Estimated average number of responses: Component 1: 165 (120 respondents for on-site survey; 45 respondents for interviews). Component 2: 400. Component 3: 30. Estimated average burden hours per response: Component 1: 25 minutes for on-site survey respondents; 30 minutes for interview respondents. Component 2: 25 minutes. Component 3: 33 minutes. Frequency of Response: 1 time per respondent. Estimated annual reporting burden: 256 hours. Dated: April 16, 2007. Leonard E. Stowe, NPS, Information Collection Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 07–2019 Filed 4–23–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4312–CT–M VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:32 Apr 23, 2007 Jkt 211001 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Final General Management Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement, Badlands National Park, North Unit, South Dakota National Park Service, Department of the Interior. SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final General Management Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/ EIS) for Badlands National Park, North Unit (park). A separate GMP is being developed for the guidance and management of the South Unit of Badlands National Park, and is scheduled to be completed in three years. Specifically, the NPS has selected the preferred alternative as described in the Final GMP/EIS. Under the selected action, the NPS will provide expanded opportunities for visitors to use the North Unit of the park. The number of locations where visitors could obtain park information and orientation will be increased with new visitor contact stations added near Pinnacles and in the town of Scenic. In addition, more hiking trails and routes will be designated in various parts of the park. Education pavilions will be added in the Conata picnic area and west of County Road 502 along with a group campground. Additional studies and environmental documents will be developed, as appropriate, to examine alternative road alignments for the Loop Road at Cedar Pass. Finally, the NPS will recommend expanding the park’s boundaries in two locations to enhance resource protection and offer additional visitor experiences. One boundary expansion will incorporate approximately 5,400 acres along South Dakota Highway 44. The other recommended addition will be 4,500 acres along the western edge adjacent to the wilderness area. The selected action and three other alternatives were analyzed in the draft and final GMP/EIS. The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences was assessed. Among the alternatives the NPS considered, the selected action best achieves a high standard of natural and cultural resource protection with improved opportunities for visitors in the park. Furthermore, the selected action responds to the changing visitation pattern the park has been experiencing. In the recent years, western South Dakota has become more of a AGENCY: PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 destination for visitors with Rapid City serving as the hub for this visitation. This shift in tourism patterns has increased the number of park visitors entering the park through the western entrances. The selected action also provides needed improvements for park operations, such as areas for additional park housing and research support. The park is located in a rural area and housing for employees is limited in the surrounding communities. In addition, the park has developed a good relationship with the natural resources research community but has limited facilities for supporting these efforts. The selected action would address the need to provide facilities for park operations and research. The selected action also meets national environmental policy goals will not result in the impairment of resources and values. The ROD includes a statement of the decision made, synopses of other alternatives considered, the basis for the decision, the rationale for why the selected action is the environmentally preferred alternative, a finding of no impairment of park resources and values, and an overview of public involvement in the decisionmaking process. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Paige Baker, Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, P.O. Box 6, Interior, South Dakota 57750, telephone 605–433–5361. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the Record of Decision may be obtained from the contact listed above or may be viewed online at https:// parkplanning.nps.gov/. Dated: December 14, 2006. Ernest Quintana, Regional Director, Midwest Region. This document was received at the Office of the Federal Register on April 19, 2007. [FR Doc. E7–7744 Filed 4–23–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4312–AD–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Notice of Intent To Prepare a General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the South Unit of Badlands National Park, South Dakota. National Park Service, Department of the Interior. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the National Park Service (NPS) in AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\24APN1.SGM 24APN1 jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 78 / Tuesday April 24, 2007 / Notices cooperation with the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux, is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a General Management Plan (GMP) for the South Unit of Badlands National Park. The GMP will prescribe the resource conditions and visitor experiences that are to be achieved and maintained in the South Unit over the next 15 to 20 years. To facilitate sound planning and environmental assessment, the NPS intends to gather information necessary for the preparation of the EIS and obtain suggestions and information from other agencies and the public on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. Comments and participation in this scoping process are invited. Participation in the planning process will be encouraged and facilitated by various means, including newsletters and open houses or meetings. The NPS will conduct public scoping meetings to explain the planning process and to solicit opinion about issues to address in the GMP/EIS. Notification of all such meetings will be announced in the local press and in the NPS newsletters. ADDRESSES: Additionally, if you wish to comment on any issues associated with GMP, you may submit your comments by any one of several methods. You may mail or hand-deliver comments to Superintendent, Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, Interior, South Dakota 57740. You may provide comments electronically by entering them into the NPS’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment Web site https://parkplanning.nps.gov. Information will be available for public review and comment from the Office of the Superintendent at the above address. Requests to be added to the project mailing list should be sent to Ms. Pamela Livermont, Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, Interior, South Dakota 57750; telephone 605– 433–5281; or e-mail Pamela_Livermont@nps.gov. Before including your address, telephone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comments, you should be aware that your entire comment (including your personal identifying information) may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 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 make all submissions from organizations or businesses, from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:32 Apr 23, 2007 Jkt 211001 officials, or organizations or businesses available for public inspection in their entirety. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Paige Baker, Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, Interior, South Dakota 57750, telephone 605–433–5280. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Composed of two largely undeveloped and remote tracts of land totaling 140,000 acres, the South Unit lies entirely within the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Reservation. The South Unit is administered to provide for the care, maintenance, and preservation of prehistoric, historic, scientific, and scenic interest, and to develop facilities that will provide for public use and enjoyment. As stated above, the GMP will prescribe the resource conditions and visitor experiences that are to be achieved and maintained in the South Unit over the next 15 to 20 years. The clarification of what must be achieved according to law and policy will be based on review of the unit’s purpose, significance, special mandates, and the body of laws and policies directing park management. Based on determinations of desired conditions, the GMP will outline the kinds of resource management activities, visitor activities, and appropriate future development. A range of reasonable management alternatives will be developed through this planning process and will include, at minimum, a no-action alternative and a preferred alternative. To facilitate sound analysis of environmental impacts, the NPS is gathering information necessary for the preparation of an associated EIS. A GMP for the North Unit was completed in 2006; the South Unit GMP will be the equivalent of Volume 2. Together, the two volumes will constitute the GMP for Badlands National Park. Dated: January 29, 2007. Ernest Quintana, Regional Director, Midwest Region. [FR Doc. 07–2020 Filed 4–23–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4312–AD–M DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Grand Teton Transportation Plan, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Grand Teton National Park, WY National Park Service, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability of a Record of Decision on the Final AGENCY: PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 20365 Environmental Impact Statement for the Grand Teton Transportation Plan, Grand Teton National Park. Pursuant to § 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 83 Stat. 852, 853, codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability of the Record of Decision for the Grand Teton Transportation Plan, Grand Teton National Park, WY. On March 12, 2007, the Director, Intermountain Region approved the Record of Decision for the project. As soon as practicable, the National Park Service will begin to implement the Preferred Alternative contained in the FEIS issued on September 15, 2006. The following course of action will occur under the preferred alternative: construction of approximately 23 miles of separated multi-use pathways between the south park boundary and String Lake via North Jenny Lake Junction; approximately 16 miles of pathways within the road corridor between North Jenny Lake Junction and Colter Bay; an approximately 3-mile pathway within the road corridor along the Moose-Wilson Road from the Granite Canyon Entrance to the Laurance S. Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve; and realignment of the Moose-Wilson Road in two areas, with the existing alignments being restored to natural conditions. This course of action was analyzed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement and combines two alternatives presented in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Four other alternatives were analyzed in the Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements. The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences was assessed, and appropriate mitigating measures were identified. The Record of Decision includes a statement of the decision made, synopses of other alternatives considered, the basis for the decision, a description of the environmentally preferable alternative, a finding on impairment of park resources and values, a listing of measures to minimize environmental harm, and an overview of public involvement in the decision-making process. SUMMARY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Gibson Scott, Superintendent, Grand Teton National Park, P.O. Drawer 170, Moose, Wyoming 83012–0170, (307) 739–3410. Copies of the Record of Decision may be obtained from the contact listed above or online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/grte. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\24APN1.SGM 24APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 78 (Tuesday, April 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20364-20365]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2020]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Intent To Prepare a General Management Plan and 
Environmental Impact Statement for the South Unit of Badlands National 
Park, South Dakota.

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the National Park Service (NPS) in

[[Page 20365]]

cooperation with the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux, is preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a General Management Plan 
(GMP) for the South Unit of Badlands National Park. The GMP will 
prescribe the resource conditions and visitor experiences that are to 
be achieved and maintained in the South Unit over the next 15 to 20 
years.
    To facilitate sound planning and environmental assessment, the NPS 
intends to gather information necessary for the preparation of the EIS 
and obtain suggestions and information from other agencies and the 
public on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. Comments and 
participation in this scoping process are invited. Participation in the 
planning process will be encouraged and facilitated by various means, 
including newsletters and open houses or meetings. The NPS will conduct 
public scoping meetings to explain the planning process and to solicit 
opinion about issues to address in the GMP/EIS.
    Notification of all such meetings will be announced in the local 
press and in the NPS newsletters.

ADDRESSES: Additionally, if you wish to comment on any issues 
associated with GMP, you may submit your comments by any one of several 
methods. You may mail or hand-deliver comments to Superintendent, 
Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, Interior, South Dakota 
57740. You may provide comments electronically by entering them into 
the NPS's Planning, Environment and Public Comment Web site https://
parkplanning.nps.gov. Information will be available for public review 
and comment from the Office of the Superintendent at the above address.
    Requests to be added to the project mailing list should be sent to 
Ms. Pamela Livermont, Badlands National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, 
Interior, South Dakota 57750; telephone 605-433-5281; or e-mail 
Pamela--Livermont@nps.gov.
    Before including your address, telephone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comments, you should be 
aware that your entire comment (including your personal identifying 
information) may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
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 make all submissions from organizations or 
businesses, from individuals identifying themselves as representatives 
or officials, or organizations or businesses available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent Paige Baker, Badlands 
National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, Interior, South Dakota 57750, 
telephone 605-433-5280.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Composed of two largely undeveloped and 
remote tracts of land totaling 140,000 acres, the South Unit lies 
entirely within the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Reservation. The South Unit 
is administered to provide for the care, maintenance, and preservation 
of prehistoric, historic, scientific, and scenic interest, and to 
develop facilities that will provide for public use and enjoyment.
    As stated above, the GMP will prescribe the resource conditions and 
visitor experiences that are to be achieved and maintained in the South 
Unit over the next 15 to 20 years. The clarification of what must be 
achieved according to law and policy will be based on review of the 
unit's purpose, significance, special mandates, and the body of laws 
and policies directing park management. Based on determinations of 
desired conditions, the GMP will outline the kinds of resource 
management activities, visitor activities, and appropriate future 
development. A range of reasonable management alternatives will be 
developed through this planning process and will include, at minimum, a 
no-action alternative and a preferred alternative. To facilitate sound 
analysis of environmental impacts, the NPS is gathering information 
necessary for the preparation of an associated EIS.
    A GMP for the North Unit was completed in 2006; the South Unit GMP 
will be the equivalent of Volume 2. Together, the two volumes will 
constitute the GMP for Badlands National Park.

    Dated: January 29, 2007.
Ernest Quintana,
Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 07-2020 Filed 4-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-AD-M

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