Record of Decision on Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, Fort Stanwix, National Monument, Rome, NY, 66670-66671 [E9-29852]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 16, 2009 / Notices
Dated: December 10, 2009.
Michael Long,
Regional Director, Region 8, Sacramento,
California.
[FR Doc. E9–29867 Filed 12–15–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Record of Decision on Final General
Management Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement, Fort Stanwix,
National Monument, Rome, NY
National Park Service,
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a
Record of Decision on the Final General
Management Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement for Fort Stanwix
National Monument.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to § 102(2)(C) of the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, the National Park
Service (NPS) announces the
availability of the Record of Decision for
the Final General Management Plan and
Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/
EIS) for Fort Stanwix National
Monument, New York. The Regional
Director, Northeast Region, has
approved the Record of Decision for the
GMP/EIS, selecting Alternative 2—
Preferred Action, which was described
as the preferred alternative in the Final
GMP/EIS which was issued for the
required 30-day no action period
beginning on July 31, 2009 and ending
August 31, 2009. The Record of
Decision includes a description of the
background of the project, a statement of
the decision made, synopses of other
alternatives considered, the basis for the
decision, findings on impairment of
park resources and values, a description
of the environmentally preferred
alternative, a listing of measures to
minimize environmental harm, and an
overview of public and agency
involvement in the decision-making
process. As soon as practicable, the NPS
will begin to implement the selected
alternative.
Copies of the Record of Decision may
be downloaded from the NPS Planning,
Environment and Public Comment
(PEPC) Web site (https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/fost) or a
hardcopy may be obtained from the
contact listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Debbie Conway, Superintendent, Fort
Stanwix National Monument, 112 East
Park Street, Rome, New York 13440;
315–338–7730.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:18 Dec 15, 2009
Jkt 220001
Fort
Stanwix National Monument has
needed a General Management Plan
(GMP) since it has been reliant on a
1967 Master Plan and a 1974
Development Concept Plan. The Fort
Stanwix National Monument GMP
describes and explains the resource
conditions that should exist and the
visitor experiences that should be
available at Fort Stanwix National
Monument. The GMP provides a
consistent framework for coordinating
and integrating all subsequent planning
and management decisions concerning
the park.
The selected alternative, Alternative
2, the Preferred Action, would broaden
interpretation to emphasize the role of
Fort Stanwix in the greater Northern
Frontier and Mohawk Valley regional
context; expand its interpretation of the
Six Nations Confederacy; and, within
available funding and authority, foster
programmatic coordination as well as
technical assistance to thematically
related sites within the Northern
Frontier and Mohawk Valley. Fort
Stanwix National Monument would also
use existing authorities to increase its
capacity to pursue community outreach
and regional partnership initiatives,
particularly in seeking hike and bike
trail linkages or shuttle vehicle
connections with related sites. Efforts
would be made to modify a limited part
of the lawn area near the reconstructed
fort to establish landscape conditions,
using native grasses and other
vegetation more evocative (not a
reconstruction) of the historic meadow
landscape while still maintaining
sufficient lawn area to support
community events. Certain fort
structures that have not been
reconstructed due to fiscal constraints
and that are important to interpreting
the history at Fort Stanwix, such as the
Ravelin, may be reconstructed if it is
feasible, fully funded by outside
sources, and meets with the Secretary of
the Interior’s Standards for the
Treatment for Historic Structures and
applicable Section 106 compliance
requirements. Vacated fort spaces would
be adapted for public use, relying on
enhanced interpretation to educate
visitors and provide for the essential
comprehension of the fort’s original
appearance.
In addition to the selected alternative,
a No Action alternative was presented
and analyzed in the Draft and Final
Environmental Impact Statements. The
No Action alternative describes current
management practices and conditions at
Fort Stanwix National Monument with
no major new actions. Current
management directions, practices, and
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
conditions would continue largely
unchanged. This alternative has an
interpretive focus on the siege of Fort
Stanwix during the Revolutionary War.
The issues explored through the
GMP/EIS planning process include
protection of cultural resources, visitor
services, partnership opportunities,
carrying capacity, and the lack of a
properly defined boundary. The
planning team established a set of
criteria and goals against which each
alternative was compared to determine
which alternative best fulfilled the
purpose and objectives of the GMP.
Resource Preservation Goals
• NPS addresses planning issues
associated with cultural resource
management of the fort structure,
grounds, collections, and archeological
resources. NPS should establish cultural
landscape conditions to make it more
evocative of historic era while
maintaining sufficient lawn area to
support community events.
Visitor Experience Goals
• Visitors understand the history of
Fort Stanwix during the 18th century,
particularly the events that occurred
there during the American
Revolutionary War in 1777. Visitors also
understand the significance of treaties
negotiated at Fort Stanwix between
1768 and 1790 with Indian Tribes.
• The visitor experience fully reflects
the park’s purpose, significance and
themes. This includes enhancing the
visitor experiencing and interpreting the
regional historical context of Fort
Stanwix to include Oriskany Battlefield,
Northern Frontier, and Mohawk Valley.
• Interpretation in broadened to
emphasize the role of Fort Stanwix in
the greater Northern Frontier and
Mohawk Valley regional context and
expanding interpretation of the Six,
Nations Confederacy.
• Interpretive media, exhibits,
wayside exhibits, and other programs
are updated to enhance visitor
understanding of interpretive stories.
Transportation Goals
• Fort Stanwix National Monument
works with local authorities to improve
traffic conditions and improve
pedestrian, bicycle, and shuttle vehicle
linkages with related sites, including the
Oriskany Battlefield.
Park Administration Goals
• Administrative, interpretive,
maintenance, and other staff, as well as
facilities and other infrastructure,
sustain the programs and operations of
the Fort Stanwix National Monument
and accomplish the NPS mission.
E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM
16DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 16, 2009 / Notices
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
• Fort Stanwix National Monument
staff enjoys healthy and safe working
conditions.
Collaboration and Partnership Goal
• Formal partnerships and informal
associations with other agencies and
organizations assist with the
preservation and public enjoyment of
the Fort Stanwix National Monument.
These partnerships and other
collaborative projects support the NPS
and Fort Stanwix National Monument
missions.
• Fort Stanwix National Monument
increases programmatic coordination
and offering technical assistance to
partners in the Northern Frontier and
Mohawk valley regions.
After careful consideration and
review of the purpose and significance
of Fort Stanwix National Monument and
its establishing laws and policies, as
well as input received from other
agencies and the public during the
planning process, Alternative 2 was
chosen by NPS as the alternative to be
implemented. The selected alternative
best fulfills the mandates of the
founding legislation, the purpose and
significance, and the other laws and
policies guiding the NPS and the
National Monument. The selected
alternative, which builds upon key
aspects of the 1967 Master Plan but also
recognizes current historical scholarship
and cultural resource management
practices, best supports the park’s
purpose, significance and goals, while
also providing management direction
that best protects resources, offers highquality visitor experiences, and takes
advantage of partnership opportunities.
The environmental consequences of
the selected alternative are fully
documented in the Draft GMP/EIS and
the Final GMP/EIS. All practicable
means to avoid or minimize
environmental harm that could result
from the implementation of the selected
alternative have been identified and
incorporated. After a review of the
potential environmental effects, the
alternative selected for implementation
will not impair park resources of values
and will not violate the NPS Organic
Act.
This decision is the result of a public
planning process that began in 1997. A
Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the
Fort Stanwix GMP was published in the
Federal Register in 1999. Throughout
the planning process, extensive research
and consultation was conducted with
many subject matter experts, local
community representatives, and
institutions. A public scoping meeting
was held on October 23, 2008, at the
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:06 Dec 15, 2009
Jkt 220001
Rome, New York City Hall, and 12
members of the public were in
attendance. Two studies were
undertaken to examine areas that are
geographically and thematically
relevant to Fort Stanwix National
Monument—Oriskany Battlefield State
Historic Site in Whitestown, NY, and
the Northern Frontier encompassing a
ten-county area of central New York.
The Oriskany Battlefield study found it
to be nationally significant and suitable
to be added to the national park system;
however, the study did not find it
feasible at the time to include in the
national park system because of New
York State’s interest in continuing to
manage the battlefield site. The park
will continue to explore with New York
State officials the feasibility of a future
boundary adjustment and agreements to
manage the site cooperatively or include
the site in the national park system. The
Northern Frontier study addressed the
possible definition and designation of a
national heritage area but did not
recommend establishment of a new
national park system unit or a new
national heritage area. The
recommendations focused on broader
outreach efforts by Fort Stanwix
National Monument to better integrate
and affiliate with Northern Frontier
interpretive themes and related sites.
A Notice of Availability of the Draft
GMP/EIS was published on September
26, 2008 and the Draft GMP/EIS was
made available for public review
through December 1, 2008. A public
meeting was held on October 23, 2008
at the City Hall in Rome, NY, to solicit
public comments. Fourteen (14)
comments were received during the
comment period. The consensus of the
public comments received was that the
NPS was pursuing the correct path for
the park in Alternative 2, the Preferred
Action. Slight modifications to the
preferred alternative were made in
response to comments on the Draft
GMP/EIS. A Notice of Availability of the
Final GMP/EIS was published in the
Federal Register on July 31, 2009. The
Final GMP/EIS presents the modified
preferred alternative and includes
letters from governmental agencies,
substantive comments on the Draft
GMP/EIS, and NPS responses to those
comments. The no-action period on the
Final GMP/EIS ended on August 31,
2009.
The official primarily responsible for
implementing the updated General
PO 00000
Frm 00058
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
66671
Management Plan is the Superintendent
of Fort Stanwix National Monument.
Richard L. Harris,
Acting Regional Director Northeast Region,
National Park Service.
[FR Doc. E9–29852 Filed 12–15–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Availability of a Record of
Decision (ROD) for the Final
Environmental Impact Statement/
General Management Plan Amendment
(FEIS/GMPA), Elkmont Historic District,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice of Availability of a
Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final
Environmental Impact Statement/
General Management Plan Amendment
(FEIS/GMPA), Elkmont Historic District,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42
U.S.C. 332(2)(C), the National Park
Service (NPS) announces the
availability of the ROD for the FEIS/
GMPA for the Elkmont Historic District
in the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, Tennessee.
On June 30, 2009, the Regional
Director, NPS, Southeast Region,
approved the ROD for the project. As
soon as practicable, the NPS will begin
to implement the FEIS/GMPA,
described as the selected action (the
preferred Alternative C) contained in
the FEIS/GMPA issued on May 1, 2009.
Under the selected alternative, the NPS
will preserve a representative collection
of 19 historic buildings in the District of
the park. The District is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP). Within the District, the core of
the former Appalachian Club resort
community known as ‘‘Daisy Town’’
will be preserved including the
Appalachian Clubhouse and a cluster of
16 cabins. Fifteen of these cabins are
identified as contributing to the
significance of the District. An
additional non-contributing cabin will
be preserved to maintain the visual
continuity of the Daisy Town
streetscape. The exteriors of these
buildings will be restored to
approximate the appearance of this
portion of the District during its early
20th century period of significance. The
Appalachian Clubhouse interior will be
rehabilitated for public rental and day
use activities. The 16 cabins will be
retained for interpretive purposes.
E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM
16DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66670-66671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29852]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Record of Decision on Final General Management Plan and
Environmental Impact Statement, Fort Stanwix, National Monument, Rome,
NY
AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a Record of Decision on the Final
General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Fort
Stanwix National Monument.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the National Park Service (NPS)
announces the availability of the Record of Decision for the Final
General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS)
for Fort Stanwix National Monument, New York. The Regional Director,
Northeast Region, has approved the Record of Decision for the GMP/EIS,
selecting Alternative 2--Preferred Action, which was described as the
preferred alternative in the Final GMP/EIS which was issued for the
required 30-day no action period beginning on July 31, 2009 and ending
August 31, 2009. The Record of Decision includes a description of the
background of the project, a statement of the decision made, synopses
of other alternatives considered, the basis for the decision, findings
on impairment of park resources and values, a description of the
environmentally preferred alternative, a listing of measures to
minimize environmental harm, and an overview of public and agency
involvement in the decision-making process. As soon as practicable, the
NPS will begin to implement the selected alternative.
Copies of the Record of Decision may be downloaded from the NPS
Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/fost) or a hardcopy may be obtained from the
contact listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debbie Conway, Superintendent, Fort
Stanwix National Monument, 112 East Park Street, Rome, New York 13440;
315-338-7730.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fort Stanwix National Monument has needed a
General Management Plan (GMP) since it has been reliant on a 1967
Master Plan and a 1974 Development Concept Plan. The Fort Stanwix
National Monument GMP describes and explains the resource conditions
that should exist and the visitor experiences that should be available
at Fort Stanwix National Monument. The GMP provides a consistent
framework for coordinating and integrating all subsequent planning and
management decisions concerning the park.
The selected alternative, Alternative 2, the Preferred Action,
would broaden interpretation to emphasize the role of Fort Stanwix in
the greater Northern Frontier and Mohawk Valley regional context;
expand its interpretation of the Six Nations Confederacy; and, within
available funding and authority, foster programmatic coordination as
well as technical assistance to thematically related sites within the
Northern Frontier and Mohawk Valley. Fort Stanwix National Monument
would also use existing authorities to increase its capacity to pursue
community outreach and regional partnership initiatives, particularly
in seeking hike and bike trail linkages or shuttle vehicle connections
with related sites. Efforts would be made to modify a limited part of
the lawn area near the reconstructed fort to establish landscape
conditions, using native grasses and other vegetation more evocative
(not a reconstruction) of the historic meadow landscape while still
maintaining sufficient lawn area to support community events. Certain
fort structures that have not been reconstructed due to fiscal
constraints and that are important to interpreting the history at Fort
Stanwix, such as the Ravelin, may be reconstructed if it is feasible,
fully funded by outside sources, and meets with the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for the Treatment for Historic Structures and
applicable Section 106 compliance requirements. Vacated fort spaces
would be adapted for public use, relying on enhanced interpretation to
educate visitors and provide for the essential comprehension of the
fort's original appearance.
In addition to the selected alternative, a No Action alternative
was presented and analyzed in the Draft and Final Environmental Impact
Statements. The No Action alternative describes current management
practices and conditions at Fort Stanwix National Monument with no
major new actions. Current management directions, practices, and
conditions would continue largely unchanged. This alternative has an
interpretive focus on the siege of Fort Stanwix during the
Revolutionary War.
The issues explored through the GMP/EIS planning process include
protection of cultural resources, visitor services, partnership
opportunities, carrying capacity, and the lack of a properly defined
boundary. The planning team established a set of criteria and goals
against which each alternative was compared to determine which
alternative best fulfilled the purpose and objectives of the GMP.
Resource Preservation Goals
NPS addresses planning issues associated with cultural
resource management of the fort structure, grounds, collections, and
archeological resources. NPS should establish cultural landscape
conditions to make it more evocative of historic era while maintaining
sufficient lawn area to support community events.
Visitor Experience Goals
Visitors understand the history of Fort Stanwix during the
18th century, particularly the events that occurred there during the
American Revolutionary War in 1777. Visitors also understand the
significance of treaties negotiated at Fort Stanwix between 1768 and
1790 with Indian Tribes.
The visitor experience fully reflects the park's purpose,
significance and themes. This includes enhancing the visitor
experiencing and interpreting the regional historical context of Fort
Stanwix to include Oriskany Battlefield, Northern Frontier, and Mohawk
Valley.
Interpretation in broadened to emphasize the role of Fort
Stanwix in the greater Northern Frontier and Mohawk Valley regional
context and expanding interpretation of the Six, Nations Confederacy.
Interpretive media, exhibits, wayside exhibits, and other
programs are updated to enhance visitor understanding of interpretive
stories.
Transportation Goals
Fort Stanwix National Monument works with local
authorities to improve traffic conditions and improve pedestrian,
bicycle, and shuttle vehicle linkages with related sites, including the
Oriskany Battlefield.
Park Administration Goals
Administrative, interpretive, maintenance, and other
staff, as well as facilities and other infrastructure, sustain the
programs and operations of the Fort Stanwix National Monument and
accomplish the NPS mission.
[[Page 66671]]
Fort Stanwix National Monument staff enjoys healthy and
safe working conditions.
Collaboration and Partnership Goal
Formal partnerships and informal associations with other
agencies and organizations assist with the preservation and public
enjoyment of the Fort Stanwix National Monument. These partnerships and
other collaborative projects support the NPS and Fort Stanwix National
Monument missions.
Fort Stanwix National Monument increases programmatic
coordination and offering technical assistance to partners in the
Northern Frontier and Mohawk valley regions.
After careful consideration and review of the purpose and
significance of Fort Stanwix National Monument and its establishing
laws and policies, as well as input received from other agencies and
the public during the planning process, Alternative 2 was chosen by NPS
as the alternative to be implemented. The selected alternative best
fulfills the mandates of the founding legislation, the purpose and
significance, and the other laws and policies guiding the NPS and the
National Monument. The selected alternative, which builds upon key
aspects of the 1967 Master Plan but also recognizes current historical
scholarship and cultural resource management practices, best supports
the park's purpose, significance and goals, while also providing
management direction that best protects resources, offers high-quality
visitor experiences, and takes advantage of partnership opportunities.
The environmental consequences of the selected alternative are
fully documented in the Draft GMP/EIS and the Final GMP/EIS. All
practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental harm that could
result from the implementation of the selected alternative have been
identified and incorporated. After a review of the potential
environmental effects, the alternative selected for implementation will
not impair park resources of values and will not violate the NPS
Organic Act.
This decision is the result of a public planning process that began
in 1997. A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for the Fort Stanwix GMP was published in the Federal
Register in 1999. Throughout the planning process, extensive research
and consultation was conducted with many subject matter experts, local
community representatives, and institutions. A public scoping meeting
was held on October 23, 2008, at the Rome, New York City Hall, and 12
members of the public were in attendance. Two studies were undertaken
to examine areas that are geographically and thematically relevant to
Fort Stanwix National Monument--Oriskany Battlefield State Historic
Site in Whitestown, NY, and the Northern Frontier encompassing a ten-
county area of central New York. The Oriskany Battlefield study found
it to be nationally significant and suitable to be added to the
national park system; however, the study did not find it feasible at
the time to include in the national park system because of New York
State's interest in continuing to manage the battlefield site. The park
will continue to explore with New York State officials the feasibility
of a future boundary adjustment and agreements to manage the site
cooperatively or include the site in the national park system. The
Northern Frontier study addressed the possible definition and
designation of a national heritage area but did not recommend
establishment of a new national park system unit or a new national
heritage area. The recommendations focused on broader outreach efforts
by Fort Stanwix National Monument to better integrate and affiliate
with Northern Frontier interpretive themes and related sites.
A Notice of Availability of the Draft GMP/EIS was published on
September 26, 2008 and the Draft GMP/EIS was made available for public
review through December 1, 2008. A public meeting was held on October
23, 2008 at the City Hall in Rome, NY, to solicit public comments.
Fourteen (14) comments were received during the comment period. The
consensus of the public comments received was that the NPS was pursuing
the correct path for the park in Alternative 2, the Preferred Action.
Slight modifications to the preferred alternative were made in response
to comments on the Draft GMP/EIS. A Notice of Availability of the Final
GMP/EIS was published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2009. The
Final GMP/EIS presents the modified preferred alternative and includes
letters from governmental agencies, substantive comments on the Draft
GMP/EIS, and NPS responses to those comments. The no-action period on
the Final GMP/EIS ended on August 31, 2009.
The official primarily responsible for implementing the updated
General Management Plan is the Superintendent of Fort Stanwix National
Monument.
Richard L. Harris,
Acting Regional Director Northeast Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. E9-29852 Filed 12-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-02-P
