Warner Valley Comprehensive Site Plan; Lassen Volcanic National Park, Plumas County, CA; Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 42914-42915 [E9-20437]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 163 / Tuesday, August 25, 2009 / Notices
procedures under which NPS facilities
will develop and implement Public Risk
Management Program. The Director’s
Order will help park staff do what is
possible consistent with the NPS
Organic Act and other applicable laws
to prevent visitor injuries. It is also
important that staff understand and
communicate, when possible, that
visitors are responsible for their own
safety when they come to enjoy parks.
DATES: Written comments will be
accepted until September 24, 2009.
Draft Director’s Order #50C
is available on the Internet at https://
www.nps.gov/policy/DO–50Cdraft.htm.
Requests for copies of, and written
comments on, the Director’s Order
should be sent to Sara Newman, Public
Risk Management Program Director,
Risk Management Division, 1201 Eye
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, or
to her Internet address:
sara_newman@nps.gov.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sara
Newman at (202) 513–7225.
When the
NPS adopts documents containing new
policy or procedural requirements that
may affect parties outside the NPS, the
documents are first made available for
public review and comment before
being adopted. The draft Director’s
Order covers topics such as the
elements, principles, and
responsibilities of staff for carrying out
a public risk management program.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Availability of Comments
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
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.
Dated: July 21, 2009.
Karen Taylor-Goodrich,
Associate Director, Visitor and Resource
Protection.
[FR Doc. E9–20433 Filed 8–24–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
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Jkt 217001
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
National Park Service
Warner Valley Comprehensive Site
Plan; Lassen Volcanic National Park,
Plumas County, CA; Notice of
Availability of Draft Environmental
Impact Statement
Summary: Pursuant to § 102(2)(C) of
the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (Pub. L. 81–190 as amended),
the National Park Service (NPS),
Department of Interior, has prepared a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) for the Warner Valley
Comprehensive Site Plan. This
conservation planning effort has four
main objectives: (1) Improving visitor
experience and enhancing public safety
through improvements to infrastructure
and relocating infrastructure so it is less
visible; (2) Ecological restoration of
Warner Valley fen and wetland areas;
(3) Removal or repair of Dream Lake
Dam and restoration of associated
riparian/wetland complex; (4) Protect
and enhance the Drakesbad Historic
District through removal of noncontributing structures and functions.
The DEIS evaluates alternative methods
for accomplishing ecological restoration
and cultural resource protection;
appropriate mitigation measures are
incorporated, and an ‘‘environmentally
preferred’’ course of action is identified.
The two ‘‘action’’ alternatives are based
upon information gained during
extensive public scoping, and adhere to
2006 Management Policies and
applicable laws.
Background: Warner Valley is located
in the south central part of the Lassen
Volcanic National Park and
encompasses a 400-acre project
planning area. The Warner Valley area
includes Dream Lake Dam, built in 1932
by Alex Sifford and which impounds an
approximately 2.7 acre lake. The center
of the valley features a large meadow
that contains one of the largest known
fens in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade
mountains. The upper valley area was
originally developed for cattle ranching
in the late 1800’s by E.R. Drake, who
initiated efforts to ditch and dry out the
wet meadow to improve the grazing for
cattle. In 1900, Mr. Drake sold Warner
Valley to the Sifford family who focused
on developing a summer guest ranch for
the next 50 years. The Siffords built the
10 historic structures which now form
the core of Drakesbad Guest Ranch
Historic District (both Dream Lake and
the meadow are contributing features).
This transformed the overnight
accommodations from tent camping
near hot springs into a guest ranch. The
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Siffords also developed or improved
trails, created a hot spring fed pool,
constructed corrals, dewatered the
meadow, and built the dam to enhance
recreational opportunities for their
guests. In 1958 the guest ranch and land
were sold to the NPS; the Guest Ranch
continues today as a concession
operated by California Guest Services.
The current Drakesbad wetland
conditions include a fen which is drying
out and ceasing to function as a fen, and
Dream Lake which has submersed a
natural wetland. The Historic District
has accumulated with features and
structures which diminishes its historic
character. Lack of clearly demarcated
parking impacts natural resources by
allowing car traffic to encroach in
sensitve areas. Hikers traveling the
Pacific Crest Trail must walk on the
unimproved Warner Valley Road, which
also bifurcates the nearby campground.
Range of Alternatives: This DEIS
describes and analyzes a No Action
alternative (Alternative 1, which would
continue current management practices)
and two ‘‘action’’ alternatives.
Alternatives 2 and 3 contain a varying
mix of three major components: (1)
Improving visitor experience and safety
through improving or relocating noncontributing infrastructure so it has less
impact on visitor experience and
historic district qualities; (2) ecological
restoration of wetlands including
Drakesbad fen, the larger Warner Valley
fen wetland, and Dream Lake riparian/
wetland complex; (3) Protect and
enhance the Historic District by
removing non-contributing structures
and functions. Both of the ‘‘action’’
alternatives include the following
‘‘common’’ elements:
• Move concession employee
housing, storage, generator, and propane
tanks out of the Historic District and
into a new service area.
• Create a Pacific Crest Trail
connection so hikers may avoid using
the Warner Valley road.
• Renovate and slightly expand the
non-historic bathhouse adjacent to the
swimming pool.
• Reduce parking sprawl by replacing
inadequate wheel stops.
• Minor changes to the campground
and fee station location, including
relocation of the day use/trailhead
parking from a meadow to the
campground.
Alternative 2 (agency-preferred)
components include:
• Ecological restoration of Warner
Valley fen through permanently filling
ditches with appropriate soil and native
material.
• Creating a concession housing and
service center outside of the Historic
E:\FR\FM\25AUN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 163 / Tuesday, August 25, 2009 / Notices
District composed of tent cabins
surrounding a single-story bathroom
building.
• Removal of Dream Lake Dam and
allowing the area to revert to a riparian/
wetland complex.
Alternative 3 includes:
• Restoration of Warner Valley fen
through selective damming of ditches.
• Creating a concession housing and
service center outside the Drakesbad
Historic District composed of a twostory dormitory building with
bathrooms.
• Reconstruct Dream Lake Dam to
Bureau of Reclamation engineering
standards.
Scoping and Public Involvement: A
preliminary scoping effort for the
Warner Valley comprehensive plan was
initiated on June 1, 2004, with posting
of a request at the Drakesbad Guest
Ranch Lodge for comments about
potential future management options for
the upper valley area. Public meetings
for the Warner Valley Comprehensive
Site Plan were held during June 13–15,
2005, in Red Bluff, Chester, and
Vacaville. Meeting announcements were
printed in the Red Bluff Daily News,
Chester Progressive, Redding Record
Searchlight, and the Sacramento Bee (20
additional media outlets, including
newspaper, radio stations, and
television stations were also notified).
The formal scoping phase was initiated
on June 24, 2005, with publication in
the Federal Register of the Notice of
Intent to prepare an EIS. Approximately
700 public scoping announcements
were distributed including details of
date, time, and location of the public
open houses. These outreach activities
elicited information from individuals,
agencies, and organizations which aided
the alternatives formulation and
environmental impact analysis
processes.
Previously, public scoping meetings
were held for the Dream Lake Dam
Management Plan during November 4–
7, 2002, in the Chico, Red Bluff,
Redding, and Chester. The same media
outlets mentioned above were notified.
Formal public scoping for the original
Dream Lake Dam Management Plan was
initiated on April 4, 2003, with
publication of a Notice of Intent to
prepare an EIS in the Federal Register.
This initial conservation planning effort
was expanded into the broader Warner
Valley Comprehensive Site Plan as it
became apparent that separate planning
projects would be more time consuming
to accomplish. All comments obtained
throughout the extended scoping effort
have been fully considered in preparing
this DEIS.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
22:52 Aug 24, 2009
Jkt 217001
Comments: The DEIS will be sent to
affected Federal, Tribal, State, and local
government agencies, to interested
parties, and all those requesting copies
(specify compact disc or paper format).
The document will be available at park
headquarters and at local public
libraries, and will also be posted on the
Lassen Volcanic National Park Web site
(https://www.nps.gov/lavo) and on the
NPS Planning, Environment and Public
Comment Web site (https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/lavo). All written
comments must be postmarked or
transmitted not later than November 21,
2009. Periodically updated project
information will be announced via
regional and local press media and
posted on the project Web sites.
Written comments may be submitted
by letter to Lassen Volcanic National
Park, Warner Valley DEIS, P.O. Box 100,
Mineral, CA 96063 (or may be
transmitted electronically to https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/lavo). Public
meetings will be hosted in Chester,
Anderson and Vacaville during
September 2–9, 2009; details including
time and location will be posted on the
Lassen Volcanic National Park Web site
(see above). Questions regarding status
of project planning may be directed to
Sean Eagan (530.595.4444 ext 5176 or
via e-mail sean_eagan@nps.gov).
All comments are maintained in the
project’s administrative record and will
be available for public review at Lassen
Volcanic National Park Headquarters.
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 comments
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Decision Process: Following careful
analysis of all comments as may be
forthcoming in response to the DEIS, at
this time it is anticipated that the Final
EIS would be completed in November
2009. The availability of the final
document will be similarly announced
in the Federal Register, and also
publicized via local and regional press
media, direct mailings, and Web site
postings. No sooner than thirty days
after the distribution of the Final EIS a
Record of Decision may be executed. As
a delegated EIS the approving official
responsible for the final decision is the
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
Subsequently, the official responsible
for implementing the approved
Comprehensive Site Plan will be the
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Fmt 4703
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42915
Superintendent, Lassen Volcanic
National Park.
Dated: May 13, 2009.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E9–20437 Filed 8–24–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
General Management Plan; City of
Rocks National Reserve, Cassia
County, ID; Notice of Intent to Prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
SUMMARY: In accordance with § 102(2)
(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et
seq.), the National Park Service (NPS) is
undertaking a conservation planning
and environmental impact analysis
process for creating a new General
Management Plan (GMP) for City of
Rocks National Reserve (Reserve),
Idaho. A Land Protection Plan would
accompany the GMP and provide
priorities for both cultural and natural
resource protection needs. The Land
Protection Plan is particularly needed to
guide future land acquisition strategies
for this unit of the National Park System
due to the complex ownership of
private, state, and federal land. The
GMP is intended to serve as a
‘‘blueprint’’ to guide management of
natural and cultural resources and
visitor use during the next 15–20 years.
One or more development concept
plans, which guide more detailed, sitespecific preservation and development,
may also be included with the GMP.
Consistent with NPS Planning Program
Standards, the new GMP will: (1)
Describe the Reserve’s purpose,
significance, and primary interpretive
themes; (2) identify the fundamental
resources and values of the Reserve, its
other important resources and values,
and describe the condition of these
resources; (3) describe desired
conditions for cultural and natural
resources and visitor experiences
throughout the Reserve; (4) develop
management zoning to support these
desired conditions; (5) develop
alternative applications of these
management zones to the Reserve’s
landscape (i.e. zoning alternatives); (6)
address user capacity; (7) analyze
potential boundary modifications; (8)
ensure that management
recommendations are developed in
consultation with interested
stakeholders and the public and
adopted by NPS leadership after an
adequate analysis of the benefits,
E:\FR\FM\25AUN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 25, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42914-42915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-20437]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
National Park Service
Warner Valley Comprehensive Site Plan; Lassen Volcanic National
Park, Plumas County, CA; Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental
Impact Statement
Summary: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 81-190 as amended), the National Park
Service (NPS), Department of Interior, has prepared a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Warner Valley
Comprehensive Site Plan. This conservation planning effort has four
main objectives: (1) Improving visitor experience and enhancing public
safety through improvements to infrastructure and relocating
infrastructure so it is less visible; (2) Ecological restoration of
Warner Valley fen and wetland areas; (3) Removal or repair of Dream
Lake Dam and restoration of associated riparian/wetland complex; (4)
Protect and enhance the Drakesbad Historic District through removal of
non-contributing structures and functions. The DEIS evaluates
alternative methods for accomplishing ecological restoration and
cultural resource protection; appropriate mitigation measures are
incorporated, and an ``environmentally preferred'' course of action is
identified. The two ``action'' alternatives are based upon information
gained during extensive public scoping, and adhere to 2006 Management
Policies and applicable laws.
Background: Warner Valley is located in the south central part of
the Lassen Volcanic National Park and encompasses a 400-acre project
planning area. The Warner Valley area includes Dream Lake Dam, built in
1932 by Alex Sifford and which impounds an approximately 2.7 acre lake.
The center of the valley features a large meadow that contains one of
the largest known fens in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains. The
upper valley area was originally developed for cattle ranching in the
late 1800's by E.R. Drake, who initiated efforts to ditch and dry out
the wet meadow to improve the grazing for cattle. In 1900, Mr. Drake
sold Warner Valley to the Sifford family who focused on developing a
summer guest ranch for the next 50 years. The Siffords built the 10
historic structures which now form the core of Drakesbad Guest Ranch
Historic District (both Dream Lake and the meadow are contributing
features). This transformed the overnight accommodations from tent
camping near hot springs into a guest ranch. The Siffords also
developed or improved trails, created a hot spring fed pool,
constructed corrals, dewatered the meadow, and built the dam to enhance
recreational opportunities for their guests. In 1958 the guest ranch
and land were sold to the NPS; the Guest Ranch continues today as a
concession operated by California Guest Services.
The current Drakesbad wetland conditions include a fen which is
drying out and ceasing to function as a fen, and Dream Lake which has
submersed a natural wetland. The Historic District has accumulated with
features and structures which diminishes its historic character. Lack
of clearly demarcated parking impacts natural resources by allowing car
traffic to encroach in sensitve areas. Hikers traveling the Pacific
Crest Trail must walk on the unimproved Warner Valley Road, which also
bifurcates the nearby campground.
Range of Alternatives: This DEIS describes and analyzes a No Action
alternative (Alternative 1, which would continue current management
practices) and two ``action'' alternatives. Alternatives 2 and 3
contain a varying mix of three major components: (1) Improving visitor
experience and safety through improving or relocating non-contributing
infrastructure so it has less impact on visitor experience and historic
district qualities; (2) ecological restoration of wetlands including
Drakesbad fen, the larger Warner Valley fen wetland, and Dream Lake
riparian/wetland complex; (3) Protect and enhance the Historic District
by removing non-contributing structures and functions. Both of the
``action'' alternatives include the following ``common'' elements:
Move concession employee housing, storage, generator, and
propane tanks out of the Historic District and into a new service area.
Create a Pacific Crest Trail connection so hikers may
avoid using the Warner Valley road.
Renovate and slightly expand the non-historic bathhouse
adjacent to the swimming pool.
Reduce parking sprawl by replacing inadequate wheel stops.
Minor changes to the campground and fee station location,
including relocation of the day use/trailhead parking from a meadow to
the campground.
Alternative 2 (agency-preferred) components include:
Ecological restoration of Warner Valley fen through
permanently filling ditches with appropriate soil and native material.
Creating a concession housing and service center outside
of the Historic
[[Page 42915]]
District composed of tent cabins surrounding a single-story bathroom
building.
Removal of Dream Lake Dam and allowing the area to revert
to a riparian/wetland complex.
Alternative 3 includes:
Restoration of Warner Valley fen through selective damming
of ditches.
Creating a concession housing and service center outside
the Drakesbad Historic District composed of a two-story dormitory
building with bathrooms.
Reconstruct Dream Lake Dam to Bureau of Reclamation
engineering standards.
Scoping and Public Involvement: A preliminary scoping effort for
the Warner Valley comprehensive plan was initiated on June 1, 2004,
with posting of a request at the Drakesbad Guest Ranch Lodge for
comments about potential future management options for the upper valley
area. Public meetings for the Warner Valley Comprehensive Site Plan
were held during June 13-15, 2005, in Red Bluff, Chester, and
Vacaville. Meeting announcements were printed in the Red Bluff Daily
News, Chester Progressive, Redding Record Searchlight, and the
Sacramento Bee (20 additional media outlets, including newspaper, radio
stations, and television stations were also notified). The formal
scoping phase was initiated on June 24, 2005, with publication in the
Federal Register of the Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS.
Approximately 700 public scoping announcements were distributed
including details of date, time, and location of the public open
houses. These outreach activities elicited information from
individuals, agencies, and organizations which aided the alternatives
formulation and environmental impact analysis processes.
Previously, public scoping meetings were held for the Dream Lake
Dam Management Plan during November 4-7, 2002, in the Chico, Red Bluff,
Redding, and Chester. The same media outlets mentioned above were
notified. Formal public scoping for the original Dream Lake Dam
Management Plan was initiated on April 4, 2003, with publication of a
Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register. This
initial conservation planning effort was expanded into the broader
Warner Valley Comprehensive Site Plan as it became apparent that
separate planning projects would be more time consuming to accomplish.
All comments obtained throughout the extended scoping effort have been
fully considered in preparing this DEIS.
Comments: The DEIS will be sent to affected Federal, Tribal, State,
and local government agencies, to interested parties, and all those
requesting copies (specify compact disc or paper format). The document
will be available at park headquarters and at local public libraries,
and will also be posted on the Lassen Volcanic National Park Web site
(https://www.nps.gov/lavo) and on the NPS Planning, Environment and
Public Comment Web site (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/lavo). All written
comments must be postmarked or transmitted not later than November 21,
2009. Periodically updated project information will be announced via
regional and local press media and posted on the project Web sites.
Written comments may be submitted by letter to Lassen Volcanic
National Park, Warner Valley DEIS, P.O. Box 100, Mineral, CA 96063 (or
may be transmitted electronically to https://parkplanning.nps.gov/lavo).
Public meetings will be hosted in Chester, Anderson and Vacaville
during September 2-9, 2009; details including time and location will be
posted on the Lassen Volcanic National Park Web site (see above).
Questions regarding status of project planning may be directed to Sean
Eagan (530.595.4444 ext 5176 or via e-mail sean_eagan@nps.gov).
All comments are maintained in the project's administrative record
and will be available for public review at Lassen Volcanic National
Park Headquarters. 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 comments to withhold your personal
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Decision Process: Following careful analysis of all comments as may
be forthcoming in response to the DEIS, at this time it is anticipated
that the Final EIS would be completed in November 2009. The
availability of the final document will be similarly announced in the
Federal Register, and also publicized via local and regional press
media, direct mailings, and Web site postings. No sooner than thirty
days after the distribution of the Final EIS a Record of Decision may
be executed. As a delegated EIS the approving official responsible for
the final decision is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
Subsequently, the official responsible for implementing the approved
Comprehensive Site Plan will be the Superintendent, Lassen Volcanic
National Park.
Dated: May 13, 2009.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E9-20437 Filed 8-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-60-P
