National Park Service July 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The NPS is proposing to adopt a DO setting forth the policies and procedures under which NPS will develop and implement the Dam Safety Program. The NPS maintains an inventory of NPS owned and non-NPS owned dams that range greatly in size, complexity and potential for failure. This DO summarizes the NPS's policies and procedures for meeting Federal requirements as codified at 33 U.S.C. 467 and as required per Departmental Manual 245 and 753 and NPS Management Policies 2006. The DO will help ensure that all necessary actions are taken to identify NPS owned and non-NPS owned dams which impact parks, and inspect, operate, maintain, and reduce risk for NPS owned dams.

The National Park Service (NPS) announces the reopening of the comment period on the proposed rules to manage winter visitation and recreational use in Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2008.

Notice is hereby given that the boundary of Virgin Islands National Park is modified to include one tract of land adjacent to the park. This revision is made to include privately owned property that the landowners wish to donate to the United States. The National Park Service has determined that inclusion of the tract within the park's boundary will make significant contributions to the purposes for which the park was established. After the United States acquires the tracts, the National Park Service will manage them in accordance with applicable law.

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), the National Park Service (NPS) is announcing its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the modification/removal of the Canal Diversion Dam in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio. The Canal Diversion Dam on the Cuyahoga River is owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The NPS will be the lead Federal Agency for preparation of the EIS, and ODNR and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) will be cooperating agencies. The Canal Diversion Dam (alternatively known as the Brecksville Dam, Station Road Dam, SR82 Dam, or SUM-3253-1) on the Cuyahoga River is 183 feet long, nearly 8 feet high, and feeds water into the Ohio and Erie Canal that then drains north through Cuyahoga Valley National Park and into Cleveland Metropark's Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation. The watered portion of the canal and its historic features are a National Historic Landmark.

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 Governors Island National Monument, New York. On June 1, 2009, the Regional Director, Northeast Region, approved the Record of Decision for the GMP/EIS, selecting Alternative D, The Harbor Center, which was described as the preferred alternative in the Final GMP/EIS issued on April 26, 2009. As soon as practicable, the NPS will begin to implement the selected alternative. The National Monument will be developed as a Harbor Center with partners as a hub of activities and a jumping-off point for visitors exploring New York Harbor. This course of action and three other alternatives were presented and analyzed in the Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements. The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences was assessed, and appropriate mitigating measures were identified.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of a Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Fort Stanwix National Monument, located in the city of Rome, New York. Consistent with National Park Service rules, regulations, and policies, and the park's mission, the proposed federal action to establish a programmatic framework for park management in the form of a general management plan that is consistent with the purposes of the park as set forth in the park's enabling legislation An Act to Provide for the Establishment of a National Monument on the Site of Fort Stanwix in the State of New York (Pub. L. 74-291).

Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and National Park Service (NPS) policy in Director's Order Number 2 (Park Planning) and Director's Order Number 12 (Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision- making), the NPS announces the availability of a DEIS/GMP/WS/ORV Plan for the Big Cypress National Preserve Addition, Florida.

The National Park Service is proposing this rule to update its regulations for managing use of the Colorado River and adjoining federally owned lands administered by the National Park Service within Grand Canyon National Park. Changes to the current rule are necessary to implement portions of the park's recently revised Colorado River Management Plan. Current regulations govern boat trips on the Colorado River within the park upstream from Diamond Creek (approximately River Mile 226). In accordance with the new Colorado River Management Plan, the proposed rule will apply to the entire Colorado River within the park, including the reach of the river downstream from Diamond Creek to the boundary between the park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area (approximately River Mile 277).

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability of the Record of Decision for the White-tailed Deer Management Plan/ Final Environmental Impact Statement (Plan/FEIS) for Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland. The Plan/FEIS analyzed four alternatives. Alternative C, the selected alternative, includes two lethal actions that will be used in combination to reduce and control deer herd numbers. Qualified federal employees or contractors will conduct sharpshooting to reduce the deer population, and individual deer will be captured and euthanized in certain circumstances where sharpshooting is not appropriate.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park Service is preparing a General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for the Assateague Island National Seashore (AINS). The park comprises approximately 39,727 acres, located along the Atlantic coasts of Maryland and Virginia.