National Park Service November 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c)) and the regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR Part 1505.2), the Department of the Interior, National Park Service has prepared and approved a Record of Decision for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final SEIS) for Elwha River ecosystem restoration at Olympic National Park. The Final SEIS supplements the 1996 implementation EIS, and will serve as a blueprint in guiding implementation of the Elwhat River ecosystem restoration initiative as called for in the 1992 Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act. The Environmental Protection Agency's Federal Register published notification of the filing of the Final EIS on September 2, 2005. Decision: As soon as practical Olympic National Park will begin to implement the restoration strategies, mitigations, and projects identified and analyzed as the Preferred Alternative contained in the Final SEIS. This course of action and alternative options were addressed in the Final and Draft SEIS (the availability of the latter for public review was announced in the Federal Register on November 16, 2004). The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences were assessed, and appropriate mitigation measures identified. Both a No Action alternative and ``environmentally preferred'' options were identified and analyzed. Copies: Interested parties desiring to review the Record of Decision may obtain a copy by contacting the Superintendent, Olympic National Park, 600 East Park Ave., Port Angeles, WA 98362; or via telephone request at (360) 565-3000.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail Comprehensive Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (CMP/EIS). The ROD provides the background of the CMP/EIS, other alternatives considered, the basis for the decision, the environmentally preferable alternative, and public involvement in the decision-making process. The ROD was approved by the Southeast Regional Director on August 30, 2005. The CMP/EIS provides a framework for the management, use, and development of the National Historic Trail by the NPS and its partners over the next 15 to 20 years. Beginning at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama, the trail follows the route of the March 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights march, traveling through Lowndes County along U.S. Highway 80, and ending at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. The CMP/EIS describes four management alternatives for consideration and analyzes the environmental impacts of those alternatives. As soon as practicable, the NPS will begin to implement the plan and the preferred alternative, known as Alternative C. Of the four alternatives presented in the plan, Alternative C stresses the broadest range of interpretive themes relating to the events of March 1965 and provides an extensive plan for resource preservation, protection, and commemoration. Among its priorities is the coordinated protection of historically intact viewsheds along US Highway 80, the most extensive certification of commemorative sites and streetscapes, design proposals for new park spaces, and marked walking and biking rails. Alternative C also outlines a strategy for establishing interpretive centers and development of corresponding interpretive programs in Selma, Montgomery, and Lowndes County.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, Public Law 91-190, 83 Stat 852, as codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability of a record of decision on the abbreviated final environmental impact statement for the Boston Harbor Islands general management plan. On October 17, 2005 the Northeast Regional Director approved the Record of Decision for the project. The Record of Decision concludes the environmental analysis of the first general management for Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area and adopts the plan. The plan defines the park's mission and management direction and establishes a basic foundation for decision making in consultation with stakeholders. The primary action of the plan is to designate specific ``management areas'' for each area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. An extensive participatory process has characterized the development of the general management plan, including consultation with American Indian tribes. Implementation of the proposed general management plan would not result in the impairment of park resources and would enable the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership to protect park resources and provide for their enjoyment by visitors. The National Park Service commits to take all practicable measures to avoid or minimize environmental impacts that could result from implementation of the general management plan.