National Park Service January 20, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2) (C), the National Park Service (NPS) is releasing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Dog Management Plan (Draft Plan/EIS), Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), California. Current dog management in GGNRA is based on a number of factors. Areas covered by the GGNRA Citizens' Advisory Commission's 1979 pet policy are managed in accordance with the June 2, 2005, decision by U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (U.S. vs. Barley, Kieselhorst, and Sayad) affirming that the NPS may not enforce the NPS-wide regulation requiring on-leash walking of pets (36 CFR 2.15(a)(2)) in areas that were included in the 1979 pet policy until notice and comment rulemaking under Section 1.5(b) is completed. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be published for notice and comment after comments on the Draft Plan/EIS have been received, evaluated, and addressed. A final rule will be published after the Final Plan/EIS has been published and a Record of Decision signed. The purpose of the Draft Plan/EIS is to provide a clear, enforceable policy to determine the manner and extent of dog use in appropriate areas of GGNRA. This plan will promote the following objectives: preserve and protect natural and cultural resources and natural processes, provide a variety of visitor experiences, improve visitor and employee safety, reduce user conflicts, and maintain GGNRA resources and values for future generations. The Draft Plan/EIS evaluates impacts of six alternatives for dog management in 21 areas of GGNRA. The range of alternatives includes the consensus recommendations of the GGNRA Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Dog Management, the 1979 Pet Policy, 36 CFR 2.15, and voice-control dog walking. The preferred alternative combines site-specific treatments from multiple action alternatives and allows for a balanced range of visitor experiences, including areas that prohibit dogs and areas that allow on-leash and voice-control dog walking. It includes the following key elements: the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee's consensus agreements; on-leash and/or voice-control dog walking in certain, specific areas of GGNRA where impacts to sensitive resources and visitor experience are minimized; no dogs in areas of GGNRA where impacts are unacceptable and cannot be mitigated; a compliance-based management strategy measuring compliance in on-leash and voice-control dog walking areas which directs a range of management responses, including further restrictions or elimination of a use where compliance is not achieved; permits for more than three dogs in limited areas of GGNRA; and new lands closed to dog walking, but opened for on-leash dog walking by compendium if certain criteria are met.

The Lake Clark National Park SRC will meet to develop and continue work on National Park Service (NPS) subsistence hunting program recommendations and other related subsistence management issues. The NPS SRC program is authorized under Title VIII, Section 808 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Public Law 96- 487, to operate in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Public Availability of Comments: This meeting is open to the public and will have time allocated for public testimony. The public is welcome to present written or oral comments to the SRC. This meeting will be recorded and meeting minutes will be available upon request from the park superintendent for public inspection approximately six weeks after each meeting. Before including your address, telephone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire commentincluding your personal identifying informationmay be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Lake Clark National Park SRC Meeting Date and Location: The Lake Clark National Park SRC will meet at the Pedro Bay Village Council Office, 907-850-2230 in Pedro Bay, Alaska on Saturday, February 12, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. If the meeting date and location are changed, a notice will be published in local newspapers and announced on local radio stations prior to the meeting date. SRC meeting location and dates may need to be changed based on lack of quorum, inclement weather or local circumstances. For Further Information on the Lake Clark National Park SRC Meeting Contact: Joel Hard, Superintendent, and Michelle Ravenmoon, Subsistence Manager, (907) 781-2119, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, 240 West 5th Avenue, Suite 236, Anchorage, Alaska 99501, or Clarence Summers, Subsistence Manager, NPS Alaska Regional Office, at (907) 644- 3603. Proposed SRC Meeting Agenda: The proposed meeting agenda includes the following: 1. Call to order. 2. SRC Roll Call and Confirmation of Quorum. 3. Welcome and Introductions. 4. Approval of Minutes. 5. Administrative Announcements. 6. Approve Agenda. 7. Review SRC Purpose. 8. SRC Member Reports. 9. Public and Other Agency Comments. 10. Federal Subsistence Board Update. 11. Alaska Board of Game Update. 12. Old Business. a. Subsistence Uses of Horns, Antlers, Bones and Plants EA Update. b. SRC Chair's Workshop 2010. 13. New Business. a. Subsistence Manager Report. b. Ranger Report. c. Resource Management Program Update. 14. Public and other Agency Comments. 15. SRC Work Session. 16. Set Time and Place for next SRC Meeting. 17. Adjournment.