Notice of a Record of Decision; Monocacy National Battlefield, 19685-19686 [2012-7719]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 63 / Monday, April 2, 2012 / Notices
public interested in a particular agenda
item or discussion should schedule
their arrival accordingly.
Written comments may be filed in
advance of the meeting for the
California Desert District Advisory
Council, c/o Bureau of Land
Management, External Affairs, 22835
Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno
Valley, CA 92553. Written comments
also are accepted at the time of the
meeting and, if copies are provided to
the recorder, will be incorporated into
the minutes.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Briery, BLM California Desert
District External Affairs, (951) 697–
5220.
Dated: March 19, 2012.
Raymond Lee,
Acting Associate District Manager, California
Desert District.
[FR Doc. 2012–7785 Filed 3–30–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–40–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–NCRO–MONO–0811–7948; 3130–SZM]
Notice of a Record of Decision;
Monocacy National Battlefield
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice of a Record of Decision
on the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the General Management
Plan, Monocacy National Battlefield.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the
National Park Service (NPS) announces
the availability of the Record of
Decision for the General Management
Plan, Monocacy National Battlefield.
Maryland. As soon as practicable, the
NPS will begin to implement the
preferred alternative as contained in the
Final Environmental Impact Statement
issued by the NPS on August 27, 2010,
and summarized in the Record of
Decision. Copies of the Record of
Decision may be obtained from the
contact listed below or online at
www.nps.gov/mono.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Hayes, National Park Service,
1100 Ohio Drive SW, Washington, DC
20242, (202) 619–7277,
DavidHayes@nps.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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,
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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.
Alternative 4 is the Selected
Alternative. The following course of
action will occur under Alternative 4:
All historic structures will be
preserved and maintained, and the
historic farmlands will continue to be
leased to retain their use in agriculture.
The outbuildings on the Best Farm will
remain open. The Worthington House
will be rehabilitated inside and be open
to visitors with exhibits.
Monocacy National Battlefield
administration will be moved into the
rehabilitated Thomas House. The stone
tenant house on the Thomas farm will
contain exhibits and restrooms.
Monocacy National Battlefield
maintenance will continue to operate
from its current location in a
nonhistoric structure near the Gambrill
Mill and be redesigned to meet the
needs for office, vehicle storage, and
work space.
Three nonhistoric structures will be
removed from the landscape—two
structures are houses constructed of
cinderblocks, and the third is a historic
toll house that was moved to the site
from its original location. It is in
severely deteriorated condition and
lacks integrity, and its proximity to the
intersection of Araby Church Road and
Maryland Highway 355 (MD–355)
makes it a safety concern.
The entrance to the 14th New Jersey
Monument will be shifted south to
allow better sight distances entering and
exiting MD–355. An existing informal
parking area on the east side of MD–355
used by fishermen will be closed and
the area relandscaped. River access will
continue from the 14th New Jersey
Monument parking area. A landscaped
commemorative area will be created at
the site of the Pennsylvania and
Vermont Monuments as a location for
any new memorials that may be added
to the Monocacy National Battlefield in
the future.
Visitors will use their own vehicles to
drive around the Monocacy National
Battlefield using existing roadways
(Baker Valley Road, Araby Church Road,
and MD–355). The possibility of a
pedestrian deck spanning Interstate 270
(I–270) is being evaluated in
consultation with the Maryland
Department of Transportation (MDOT)
as mitigation for MDOT widening of I–
270 through the Monocacy National
Battlefield. If the deck proves feasible
and if an agreement can be worked out,
it will provide a trail spanning I–270
PO 00000
Frm 00076
Fmt 4703
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19685
that connects the Worthington and
Thomas farms.
A new trail extension of the Gambrill
Mill Trail will enable visitors to walk to
the railroad junction and on to the sites
of the Union entrenchments and
Wallace’s headquarters, all important
interpretive locations within the
Monocacy National Battlefield.
Upgraded interpretation using new
signs, wayside markers and brochures
will be developed. Natural resource
areas along rivers and drainages and
along the heights behind the
Worthington farmhouse will remain
undeveloped and protected.
This course of action and three
alternatives were analyzed in the Draft
and Final Environmental Impact
Statements. Three actions were key in
the decision to make Alternative 4 the
selected alternative.
First, moving the maintenance and
administrative functions from the park
into rental space in nearby Frederick, as
would have occurred in Alternative 2,
would have allowed the removal of the
existing metal maintenance structure
from the battlefield landscape and the
commercial leasing of the Thomas
House. However, this would have
increased the amount of driving by park
staff on busy MD–355 and would have
unduly separated park staff from the
resources managed and interpreted. It
would also have placed a commercial
use within the heart of the national
battlefield (the lease of the Thomas
House).
Second, an alternative transportation
system in Alternative 2 would have
decreased visitor driving within the
park, made visitor access to park areas
safer by obviating the use of busy MD–
355, and decreased the size of parking
areas at each site. This system weighed
heavily in the selection of Alternative 2
as the environmentally preferable
alternative. However, current visitation
does not make such a system financially
feasible as a commercial operation and
there is no guarantee that such a system
would be financially feasible in the
future. Both Alternatives 3 and 4 utilize
personal vehicles to access the park.
Third, Alternatives 2 and 4 include a
connection of the Thomas and
Worthington farms via a deck over I–
270, while Alternative 3 does not. A
connection of the two farms is an
important interpretive tool allowing
visitors and park staff to easily move
back and forth between the two
properties.
As a result Alternative 4 was selected
to better connect park staff to the
resource, (2) to more fully consider the
financial feasibility of alternative
transportation at this time, and (3) to
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19686
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 63 / Monday, April 2, 2012 / Notices
ensure the connection of the Thomas
and Worthington farms both physically
and interpretively.
The full range of foreseeable
environmental consequences was
assessed, and appropriate mitigating
measures were identified.
The Regional Director, National
Capital Region approved the Record of
Decision for the project on November
16, 2010. The official primarily
responsible for implementing the
General Management Plan is the
Superintendent of Monocacy National
Battlefield.
Dated: July 22, 2011.
Stephen E. Whitesell,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 2012–7719 Filed 3–30–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–57–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[2253–665]
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S.
Department of Defense, Army Corps of
Engineers, Walla Walla District, Walla
Walla, WA, and Alfred W. Bowers
Laboratory of Anthropology, University
of Idaho, Moscow, ID
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The United States Department
of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers,
Walla Walla District, has completed an
inventory of human remains and
associated funerary objects, in
consultation with the appropriate
Indian tribe, and has determined that
there is a cultural affiliation between the
human remains and associated funerary
objects and a present-day Indian tribe.
Representatives of any Indian tribe that
believes itself to be culturally affiliated
with the human remains and associated
funerary objects may contact the U.S.
Department of Defense, Army Corps of
Engineers, Walla Walla District.
Repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects to the Indian
tribe stated below may occur if no
additional claimants come forward.
DATES: Representatives of any Indian
tribe that believes it has a cultural
affiliation with the human remains and
associated funerary objects should
contact the U.S. Department of Defense,
Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla
District, at the address below by May 2,
2012.
ADDRESSES: LTC David Caldwell, U.S.
Department of Defense, Army Corps of
Engineers, Walla Walla District, 201
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SUMMARY:
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17:42 Mar 30, 2012
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North Third Ave., Walla Walla, WA
99362, telephone (509) 527–7700.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3003, of the completion of an inventory
of human remains and associated
funerary objects under the control of the
U.S. Department of Defense, Army
Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District
(Corps), Walla Walla, WA, and in the
physical custody of the Alfred W.
Bowers Laboratory of Anthropology,
University of Idaho (UI), Moscow, ID.
The human remains and associated
funerary objects were removed from
Clearwater and Nez Perce Counties, ID.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The determinations in
this notice are the sole responsibility of
the museum, institution or Federal
agency that has control of the Native
American human remains and
associated funerary objects. The
National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by U.S. Department
of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers
and University of Idaho professional
staffs in consultation with
representatives of the Nez Perce Tribe,
Idaho.
History and Description of the Remains
In 1963, human remains representing,
at minimum, three individuals were
removed from site 10CW1, an open
fishing camp located on the east side of
the North Fork of the Clearwater River
at Bruce’s Eddy, in Clearwater County,
ID. Site 10CW1 is located within the
Dworshak Dam and Reservoir Project on
the Clearwater River. The Dworshak
Dam and Reservoir Project is managed
by the Corps, who initiated the land
acquisition processes for the Project in
1963. Idaho State College surveyed site
10CW1 in 1961, but did not collect
anything. In 1963, the same institution,
which had been renamed the Idaho
State University (ISU), returned to the
site for excavation, at which time three
burials were discovered on the hills
flanking the north end of the site.
Burials 1 and 2 were marked by a semicircle of rocks measuring approximately
12 feet in diameter and contained
human remains and a large amount of
copper funerary objects. Burial 3 was
disturbed and contained human remains
without funerary objects. The human
remains and associated funerary objects
were removed and transferred to the ISU
PO 00000
Frm 00077
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Museum. In 1976, the collection was
transferred to UI for study and analysis
(UI accession number 76–2).
The human remains from Burial 1
include an adult female around 40 years
old, placed on its left side in a loosely
flexed position with the head positioned
to the northwest, found with associated
funerary objects. The human remains
from Burial 2 include the remains of an
infant under 1 year old, placed with its
head oriented to the west and found
with associated funerary objects. The
human remains from Burial 3 were of an
adolescent of indeterminate age or
gender and did not contain associated
funerary objects. No known individuals
were identified. The 586 associated
funerary objects are: 44 copper tubular
beads; 1 antler digging stick handle; 222
copper tubular beads with cordage; 1
bracelet fragment; 16 copper bracelet
fragments; 2 seed husks; 193 glass
beads; 1 lot red ochre; 6 copper
pendants; 7 copper tubular beads with
cordage and dentalium; 9 copper bead
fragments; 15 copper tubular beads with
cordage, hair, fur, leather, and dentalia;
7 copper tubular bead pieces with
cordage, hair, fur, cloth, and dentalia; 4
dentalium shell; 3 copper pendants with
tubular beads and cordage; 1 chert flake;
9 copper tubular beads with cordage
and cut dentalium shell; 8 copper
tubular beads with cordage and cut
dentalium; 3 copper tubular beads with
cordage and dentalium; 20 pieces
mixture of soil, cord, beads, hair, fur,
and copper; 12 copper tubular beads
strung with a leather thong; 1 metal
fragment; and 1 pestle.
Burials 1 and 2 from site 10CW1 may
date to the protohistoric period due to
the presence of copper, glass and cloth.
Based on an analysis of the copper
objects, the burials likely date to A.D.
1780–1810. Burial 3 may date to the
prehistoric period based on the lack of
funerary objects. The human remains
have been examined by a physical
anthropologist. One individual was
noted to exhibit signs of fronto-occipital
deformation, a common trait found in
Native American remains. The
archeological assemblage from site
10CW1 indicates that it was continually
occupied from the Tucannon Phase
(B.C. 5000–3000) to the historic period.
The site is located at the traditional Nez
Perce salmon fishing weir called ti
mi:mara wispayka:s. A petroglyph
consisting of three parallel lines on a
basalt boulder at the waters’ edge
verifies this location as a Nez Perce
fishing site, as these ‘‘lines served as
guides to the construction of the fish
trap.’’ According to Henry Wheeler, a
Nez Perce informant consulted during
the 1961 investigation at the site,
E:\FR\FM\02APN1.SGM
02APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 63 (Monday, April 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19685-19686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7719]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-NCRO-MONO-0811-7948; 3130-SZM]
Notice of a Record of Decision; Monocacy National Battlefield
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of a Record of Decision on the Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the General Management Plan, Monocacy National
Battlefield.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces
the availability of the Record of Decision for the General Management
Plan, Monocacy National Battlefield. Maryland. As soon as practicable,
the NPS will begin to implement the preferred alternative as contained
in the Final Environmental Impact Statement issued by the NPS on August
27, 2010, and summarized in the Record of Decision. Copies of the
Record of Decision may be obtained from the contact listed below or
online at www.nps.gov/mono.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Hayes, National Park Service,
1100 Ohio Drive SW, Washington, DC 20242, (202) 619-7277,
DavidHayes@nps.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
Alternative 4 is the Selected Alternative. The following course of
action will occur under Alternative 4:
All historic structures will be preserved and maintained, and the
historic farmlands will continue to be leased to retain their use in
agriculture. The outbuildings on the Best Farm will remain open. The
Worthington House will be rehabilitated inside and be open to visitors
with exhibits.
Monocacy National Battlefield administration will be moved into the
rehabilitated Thomas House. The stone tenant house on the Thomas farm
will contain exhibits and restrooms. Monocacy National Battlefield
maintenance will continue to operate from its current location in a
nonhistoric structure near the Gambrill Mill and be redesigned to meet
the needs for office, vehicle storage, and work space.
Three nonhistoric structures will be removed from the landscape--
two structures are houses constructed of cinderblocks, and the third is
a historic toll house that was moved to the site from its original
location. It is in severely deteriorated condition and lacks integrity,
and its proximity to the intersection of Araby Church Road and Maryland
Highway 355 (MD-355) makes it a safety concern.
The entrance to the 14th New Jersey Monument will be shifted south
to allow better sight distances entering and exiting MD-355. An
existing informal parking area on the east side of MD-355 used by
fishermen will be closed and the area relandscaped. River access will
continue from the 14th New Jersey Monument parking area. A landscaped
commemorative area will be created at the site of the Pennsylvania and
Vermont Monuments as a location for any new memorials that may be added
to the Monocacy National Battlefield in the future.
Visitors will use their own vehicles to drive around the Monocacy
National Battlefield using existing roadways (Baker Valley Road, Araby
Church Road, and MD-355). The possibility of a pedestrian deck spanning
Interstate 270 (I-270) is being evaluated in consultation with the
Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) as mitigation for MDOT
widening of I-270 through the Monocacy National Battlefield. If the
deck proves feasible and if an agreement can be worked out, it will
provide a trail spanning I-270 that connects the Worthington and Thomas
farms.
A new trail extension of the Gambrill Mill Trail will enable
visitors to walk to the railroad junction and on to the sites of the
Union entrenchments and Wallace's headquarters, all important
interpretive locations within the Monocacy National Battlefield.
Upgraded interpretation using new signs, wayside markers and brochures
will be developed. Natural resource areas along rivers and drainages
and along the heights behind the Worthington farmhouse will remain
undeveloped and protected.
This course of action and three alternatives were analyzed in the
Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements. Three actions were key
in the decision to make Alternative 4 the selected alternative.
First, moving the maintenance and administrative functions from the
park into rental space in nearby Frederick, as would have occurred in
Alternative 2, would have allowed the removal of the existing metal
maintenance structure from the battlefield landscape and the commercial
leasing of the Thomas House. However, this would have increased the
amount of driving by park staff on busy MD-355 and would have unduly
separated park staff from the resources managed and interpreted. It
would also have placed a commercial use within the heart of the
national battlefield (the lease of the Thomas House).
Second, an alternative transportation system in Alternative 2 would
have decreased visitor driving within the park, made visitor access to
park areas safer by obviating the use of busy MD-355, and decreased the
size of parking areas at each site. This system weighed heavily in the
selection of Alternative 2 as the environmentally preferable
alternative. However, current visitation does not make such a system
financially feasible as a commercial operation and there is no
guarantee that such a system would be financially feasible in the
future. Both Alternatives 3 and 4 utilize personal vehicles to access
the park.
Third, Alternatives 2 and 4 include a connection of the Thomas and
Worthington farms via a deck over I-270, while Alternative 3 does not.
A connection of the two farms is an important interpretive tool
allowing visitors and park staff to easily move back and forth between
the two properties.
As a result Alternative 4 was selected to better connect park staff
to the resource, (2) to more fully consider the financial feasibility
of alternative transportation at this time, and (3) to
[[Page 19686]]
ensure the connection of the Thomas and Worthington farms both
physically and interpretively.
The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences was
assessed, and appropriate mitigating measures were identified.
The Regional Director, National Capital Region approved the Record
of Decision for the project on November 16, 2010. The official
primarily responsible for implementing the General Management Plan is
the Superintendent of Monocacy National Battlefield.
Dated: July 22, 2011.
Stephen E. Whitesell,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 2012-7719 Filed 3-30-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-57-P
