Environmental Impact Statements; Comprehensive Trail Management Plan for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH, 50241 [E9-23547]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• National Park Service

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 50241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23547]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Environmental Impact Statements; Comprehensive Trail Management 
Plan for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
for Comprehensive Trail Management Plan for Cuyahoga Valley National 
Park, OH.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the National Park Service 
(NPS) is announcing its intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for a comprehensive trail management plan (TMP) for the 
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Park). The TMP will evaluate 
alternatives for long-term development, management, sustainability, and 
accessibility of Park trails for current and new users as an integral 
part of a larger regional trail system. Two metropolitan park districts 
with significant park land holdings and trail networks--Cleveland 
Metroparks (CMP) and Metro Parks, Serving Summit County (MPSSC)--have 
agreed to be cooperators in the preparation of the TMP/EIS.

DATES: To be most helpful to the scoping process, comments should be 
received within 45 days from the date this notice is published in the 
Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Information will be available for public review at Park 
headquarters located at 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141, 
phone (216) 524-1497. The NPS will also make background information and 
information on the time and location of public meetings available to 
the public, formally solicit input on the TMP/EIS, and conduct public 
meetings through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment 
(PEPC) Web site at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/cuva, the Park's Web 
site at https://www.nps.gov/cuva, and local newspapers.
    To facilitate sound analysis of environmental impacts, the NPS is 
gathering information necessary for the preparation of the TMP/EIS. 
Suggestions on environmental issues to be analyzed and alternatives to 
consider are being sought from other Agencies, tribes, organizations, 
and the public. Comments and participation in this scoping process are 
invited and encouraged. Additionally, any input received from 
stakeholders or the general public regarding the comprehensive TMP 
prior to the publication of this notice will be fully considered during 
this planning process.
    If you wish to comment on the scoping materials or on any other 
issues associated with the TMP/EIS, you may submit your comments by any 
one of several methods. You may submit your comments online through the 
PEPC Web site provided above. Once on the PEPC Web site, click on the 
link titled ``Comprehensive Trail Management Plan.'' You may also mail 
comments to the NPS at the contact address provided above.
    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 comments 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.
    Interested Agencies and organizations are also invited to arrange 
meetings to provide input directly. Such meetings can be arranged by 
contacting the Park at the address and telephone below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: For information concerning the scope 
of the TMP/EIS and to arrange Agency meetings, requests should be 
directed to: Kevin Skerl, Ecologist, 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, 
Ohio 44141, e-mail: kevin_skerl@nps.gov; phone: 330-650-5071, Ext. 4.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Act of December 27, 1974 (16 U.S.C. 
460ff et. seq.), established Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area 
(now Cuyahoga Valley National Park; Pub. L. 106-291 Sec.  149) to 
preserve the scenic, natural, and historic setting of the Cuyahoga 
Valley while providing for the recreational and educational needs of 
the visiting public. The Park consists of approximately 33,000 acres 
located between the cities of Cleveland and Akron in Ohio. The Park is 
among the most visited national parks, with 3 million visitors per 
year. The primary recreational resource is the Park's trail system. 
More than 125 miles of trails are available for use. Hiking, biking, 
and horseback riding are common activities. The trail system includes 
the historic Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail that passes through the 
entire park and extends further into the Ohio & Erie Canal National 
Heritage Corridor. A portion of Ohio's Buckeye Trail also passes 
through the Park.
    The NPS has, for the most part, implemented a 1985 trail plan. A 
new, updated TMP is needed to reflect current issues and opportunities, 
including the need to: Reexamine trails proposed in the 1985 plan that 
have not yet been built; rehabilitate or replace trails that have been 
partially obliterated by severe flood events; modify trail alignments; 
implement new best management practices; address numerous calls for 
connections to community trail systems; and evaluate new trail segments 
and new trail uses.
    Only 60 percent of the Park is under federal protection; over 4,700 
acres are owned and managed by the CMP and over 3,300 acres are owned 
and managed by the MPSSC. Because the CMP and the MPSSC are public 
land-holding agencies within the boundary of the Park, close 
coordination with the Park on a broad range of cultural and natural 
resource management and visitor services activities has occurred over 
the past 30 years, including the development of the Park's first trail 
plan in 1985.

    Dated: September 21, 2009.
David N. Given,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. E9-23547 Filed 9-29-09; 8:45 am]
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