National Park Service November 7, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Schoodic General Management Plan Amendment, Acadia National Park, Maine. Acadia National Park includes 2,366 acres on the Schoodic Peninsula, which offers exceptional views of the rocky coast and surrounding islands in an uncrowded environment and attracts approximately 250,000 visits a year. The Schoodic District contains two ``Rare Natural Communities'' (Jack Pine Woodland and Maritime Shrubland), several rare plant species, and significant wildlife habitat, as identified by the Maine Natural Areas Program. Schoodic also protects pristine intertidal areas, exemplary geologic features, and extraordinary scenery. In addition, much of the Schoodic District is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places because of its historically significant cultural landscape. In 2002, the NPS acquired a former navy base located within the Schoodic District. The former base contains 36 major buildings, totaling approximately 206,000 square feet. Only two buildings on the former navy base, the Rockefeller Building (a 1935 apartment and office building) and its powerhouse, are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This ROD documents the decision by the NPS to implement the preferred alternative (Alternative CCollaborative Management) of the Schoodic General Management Plan Amendment as the selected action. Under this alternative, the NPS will develop the Schoodic Education and Research Center (SERC) at the former navy base to facilitate research and education that promotes the understanding, protection, and conservation of natural and cultural resources of the National Park System and advance related research and education at the regional, national, and international levels. The NPS will enter into a long-term cooperative agreement with an independent nonprofit organization to assist in carrying out the mission of SERC. The cooperative agreement will include the assignment of real property to the nonprofit organization for its direct use and possible reassignment to tenant partners. The nonprofit organization will, among other responsibilities, promote appropriate research and education, cultivate and facilitate partnerships, and manage facilities and services at SERC. The nonprofit organization will have sufficient autonomy to be creative and flexible in developing and managing SERC consistent with NPS laws, regulations, policies, and management documents. A full range of revenue-generating and fundraising approaches will be used to support SERC to ensure that its programs and activities are financially viable. The NPS will collaborate with the nonprofit organization and other partners at SERC to provide research and educational opportunities. The NPS will provide security, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and fire protection for the SERC campus, and maintain its roads, grounds, building envelopes, and utility systems. The NPS and nonprofit organization will share responsibilities for site renovation and construction to convert buildings to research and education use and facilitate the efficient reuse of the site. The NPS will redesign the landscape of the former navy base to create a suitable setting for research and education activities, minimize impervious surfaces, and improve its appearance. Incompatible elements that diminish the safety, appearance, or efficient use of the campus will be mitigated or removed. The NPS will manage resources and visitor use consistent with the management zone in which they are located. The NPS will implement management actions to ensure that natural, cultural, and scenic resources and values are protected, and the character of the Schoodic District is preserved. The NPS will encourage compatible land use adjacent to the park on the Schoodic Peninsula and surrounding islands through acquisition of conservation easements and participation in the land use planning and regulatory processes of the State of Maine and neighboring jurisdictions. The NPS will also cooperate with the State of Maine, local governments, and others to achieve collective goals, such as land protection, mutual aid for emergency medical services and fire protection, and management of the Schoodic National Scenic Byway. The ROD briefly discusses the selected action, other alternatives considered, basis for decision, and measures to minimize impacts and address public concerns.