National Park Service September 18, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5 CFR Part 1320, Reporting and Record Keeping Requirements, the NPS invites comments on the need for gathering the information in the proposed survey (OMB 1024-XXXX).

The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (LEIS) on the potential harvest of gull eggs by the Huna Tlingit in Glacier Bay National Park. The purpose of the LEIS is to respond to Section 4 of the Glacier Bay National Park Resource Management Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-455) which requires the Secretary of Interior, in consultation with local residents, to assess whether sea gull eggs can be collected in the park on a limited basis without impairing the biological sustainability of the gull population in the park. The Act further requires that if the study determines that the limited collection of sea gull eggs can occur without impairing the biological sustainability of the gull population in the park, the Secretary shall submit recommendations for legislation to Congress. The proposed action alternative will include harvesting glaucous- winged gull (Larus glaucescens) eggs by tribal members of the Hoonah Indian Association (HIA) under a traditional harvest strategy cooperatively produced by NPS and HIA The traditional harvest strategy would outline the methods by which eggs could be harvested, harvest limits, and monitoring actions that would be implemented to ensure that park purposes and values would remain unimpaired. A second alternative will consider more limited egg harvest opportunities. A no action alternative, which would continue to preclude egg harvest throughout the park will also be included in the LEIS. Scoping: The National Park Service seeks input from interested groups, organizations, individuals and government agencies. Written and verbal scoping comments are being solicited. Further information on this LEIS process is available by contacting the National Park Service at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Our practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, home phone numbers, and email addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider withholding this information you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale for withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be released. We will always make submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. The LEIS is being prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 40 CFR part 1500 and the process for proposals for legislation (40 CFR 1506.8).

The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Environmental Impact Statement on the South Denali Implementation Plan, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. This Record of Decision documents the decision by the NPS, in cooperation with the State of Alaska and Matanuska-Susitna Borough to adopt the South Denali Implementation Plan. The Final South Denali Implementation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was prepared cooperatively by the National Park Service, the State of Alaska, and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to provide specific direction for expanded visitor facilities and recreational opportunities in the South Denali region until 2021. South Denali is defined to include the local communities, the Petersville Road corridor, the western section of Denali State Park, the northern part of the Peters Hills, lands east of the Peters Hills to the eastern boundary of Denali State Park, and the Parks Highway corridor from Rabideaux Creek north through the state park. The NPS selected Alternative C, as described in the FEIS. Of the two action alternatives, this alternative best meets the objectives of the plan for resource protection, increasing quality recreational and access opportunities, and preserving quality of life values in local communities. The ROD briefly discusses the background for the planning effort, summarizes public involvement during the planning process, states the decision and discusses the basis for it, describes other alternatives considered, specifies the environmentally preferable alternative, and identifies measures adopted to minimize potential environmental harm.