Draft General Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, 77838 [E8-30135]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
77838
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 245 / Friday, December 19, 2008 / Notices
consultation with local residents, to
assess whether sea gull eggs can be
collected in the park on a limited basis
without impairing the biological
sustainability of the gull population in
the park. The Act further requires that
if the study determines that the limited
collection of sea gull eggs can occur
without impairing the biological
sustainability of the gull population in
the park, the Secretary shall submit
recommendations for legislation to
Congress. Sea gull eggs cannot be
collected absent legislation.
NPS commissioned ethnographic and
biological studies to inform the analysis
included in this draft LEIS. The draft
LEIS considers a reasonable range of
alternatives based on project objectives,
park resources and values, and public
input that include:
Alternative 1 (No Action): This
alternative would not propose
legislation to authorize the harvest of
glaucous-winged gull eggs in Glacier
Bay National Park. Glaucous-winged
gulls would continue to breed in Glacier
Bay without human disturbance.
Alternative 2: This alternative would
propose legislation to authorize harvest
of glaucous-winged gull eggs at up to
two designated locations on a single
pre-selected date on or before June 9 of
each year. Approximately 12 tribal
members would have the opportunity to
harvest eggs each year.
Alternative 3 (NPS Preferred
Alternative): Alternative 3 would
propose legislation to authorize harvest
of glaucous-winged gull eggs at several
designated locations in Glacier Bay
National Park on two separate dates.
The first harvest would occur on or
before June 9th; a second harvest at the
same sites would occur within nine
days of the first harvest. The logistics of
vessel transportation would limit the
number of sites that could be visited in
a given day. Depending on weather and
other conditions, as well as the sites
selected, harvest would likely occur at
three to four sites. Approximately 24
tribal members would have the
opportunity to harvest eggs each year.
Both action alternatives would
propose legislation authorizing the
management of harvest activities under
the guidelines of a harvest management
plan cooperatively developed by the
NPS and the HIA. NPS would conduct
monitoring activities to ensure that park
resources and values were not impacted.
The Superintendent would retain the
authority to close gull colonies to
harvest.
Public hearings are scheduled in
Alaska at the following locations:
Anchorage, Juneau, Gustavus, and
Hoonah, Alaska. The specific dates and
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:29 Dec 18, 2008
Jkt 217001
times of the meetings and public
hearings will be announced in local
media.
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 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.
Dated: October 17, 2008.
Sue E. Masica,
Regional Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. E8–30133 Filed 12–18–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–HX–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Draft General Management Plan
Amendment/Environmental Impact
Statement, Petrified Forest National
Park, Arizona
AGENCY: National Park Service,
Department of Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Termination of
Environmental Impact Statement for the
General Management Plan, Petrified
Forest National Park, in favor of an
Environmental Assessment.
SUMMARY: The National Park Service
(NPS) is terminating preparation of an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the General Management Plan
amendment, Petrified Forest National
Park, Arizona. A Notice of Intent to
prepare the EIS for the Petrified Forest
National Park General Management Plan
Amendment was published at 72 FR
159, pages 46244 and 46245, August 17,
2007. The National Park Service has
since determined that an Environmental
Assessment (EA) rather than an EIS is
the appropriate level of environmental
documentation for the plan.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Petrified National Park Expansion Act of
2004 (Pub. L. 108–430) added
approximately 125,000 acres in private
and other agency ownership to the
existing Petrified Forest National Park,
and directed the National Park Service
to develop a plan to manage the
addition lands. A general management
plan amendment will establish the
PO 00000
Frm 00248
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
overall management direction of the
addition lands for the next 15 to 20
years. The plan amendment was
originally scoped as an EIS. Publication
of the Federal Register Notice was
followed with a newsletter to affected
agencies and interested parties, and a
public meeting in Holbrook, Arizona.
However, few comments were received
during the scoping process. The NPS
planning team has developed two
alternative management concepts for the
addition lands. The ‘‘No-Action’’
concept would allow for the
continuation of existing conditions, and
the addition lands would remain a mix
of private, state, and NPS ownership,
with a small proportion of those lands
owned and managed by the NPS.
Current land uses, activities, and
structures would remain, and resources
would not necessarily be well protected.
The ‘‘Preferred’’ concept would allow
for cautious NPS management of
addition lands within NPS jurisdiction,
while gathering as much information
about them as possible. Resource
inventories, condition assessments, and
research would be conducted to
increase understanding of the addition
lands. This concept provides for a
higher level of resource protection than
the No-Action concept. These
management concepts will be expanded
upon and refined through the planning/
environmental assessment process.
DATES: The NPS will notify the public
by mail, Web site, and other means, of
public review periods and meetings
associated with the draft GMP
amendment/EA. All public review and
other written public information will be
made available online at https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/pefo.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cliff
Spencer, Superintendent, Petrified
Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217,
Petrified Forest, Arizona 86028;
telephone, (928) 524–6228, extension
225; e-mail cliff_spencer@nps.gov.
Dated: December 8, 2008.
Michael D. Snyder,
Regional Director, Intermountain Region,
National Park Service.
[FR Doc. E8–30135 Filed 12–18–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–7V–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Southern Delivery System, Colorado
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of
Southern Delivery System Final
E:\FR\FM\19DEN1.SGM
19DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 245 (Friday, December 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 77838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30135]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Draft General Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact
Statement, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Termination of Environmental Impact Statement for the
General Management Plan, Petrified Forest National Park, in favor of an
Environmental Assessment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) is terminating preparation of
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the General Management Plan
amendment, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. A Notice of Intent
to prepare the EIS for the Petrified Forest National Park General
Management Plan Amendment was published at 72 FR 159, pages 46244 and
46245, August 17, 2007. The National Park Service has since determined
that an Environmental Assessment (EA) rather than an EIS is the
appropriate level of environmental documentation for the plan.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Petrified National Park Expansion Act of
2004 (Pub. L. 108-430) added approximately 125,000 acres in private and
other agency ownership to the existing Petrified Forest National Park,
and directed the National Park Service to develop a plan to manage the
addition lands. A general management plan amendment will establish the
overall management direction of the addition lands for the next 15 to
20 years. The plan amendment was originally scoped as an EIS.
Publication of the Federal Register Notice was followed with a
newsletter to affected agencies and interested parties, and a public
meeting in Holbrook, Arizona. However, few comments were received
during the scoping process. The NPS planning team has developed two
alternative management concepts for the addition lands. The ``No-
Action'' concept would allow for the continuation of existing
conditions, and the addition lands would remain a mix of private,
state, and NPS ownership, with a small proportion of those lands owned
and managed by the NPS. Current land uses, activities, and structures
would remain, and resources would not necessarily be well protected.
The ``Preferred'' concept would allow for cautious NPS management
of addition lands within NPS jurisdiction, while gathering as much
information about them as possible. Resource inventories, condition
assessments, and research would be conducted to increase understanding
of the addition lands. This concept provides for a higher level of
resource protection than the No-Action concept. These management
concepts will be expanded upon and refined through the planning/
environmental assessment process.
DATES: The NPS will notify the public by mail, Web site, and other
means, of public review periods and meetings associated with the draft
GMP amendment/EA. All public review and other written public
information will be made available online at https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/pefo.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cliff Spencer, Superintendent,
Petrified Forest National Park, P.O. Box 2217, Petrified Forest,
Arizona 86028; telephone, (928) 524-6228, extension 225; e-mail cliff_
spencer@nps.gov.
Dated: December 8, 2008.
Michael D. Snyder,
Regional Director, Intermountain Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. E8-30135 Filed 12-18-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-7V-P
