National Park Service November 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Park Service (NPS) is terminating the Wilderness Study and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a General Management Plan Amendment (GMPA) for Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The NPS published a notice of intent to prepare an EIS on a GMPA/Wilderness Study EIS for Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in the Federal Register (75 FR 4413) on January 27, 2010. Public scoping occurred in the spring of 2010, a preliminary alternatives newsletter was distributed to the public in the fall of 2010, and a Wilderness Study newsletter was sent to the public in the winter of 2011. One of the key areas of focus for the EIS was a Wilderness Study for lands in the preserve that are presently identified as eligible but that have not been proposed for wilderness designation. Under the enabling legislation, Section 201 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), Congress provided for a right-of-way across the Kobuk Unit of the preserve for access to an adjacent mining district (ANILCA Section 201(4)(b)-(e)). In 2011, the State of Alaska, at the request of a project proponent, began preliminary field studies in preparation for the application for a right-of-way. If a complete application is received, the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Transportation will jointly agree on the route for issuance of a right-of-way, after completion of an environmental and economic analysis prepared in lieu of an EIS which would otherwise be required under the National Environmental Policy Act. Funding by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to study the feasibility of a road has accelerated the schedule for potentially filing a right-of-way application. Due to the possibility that a right-of-way application may be filed, the NPS decided to defer the Wilderness Study and complete the GMPA with an environmental assessment. The GMPA will include a wilderness stewardship plan and update the GMP to reflect current planning standards, including zoning, capacity, and desired conditions for management. The alternatives under consideration in the GMPA do not include any new facilities or substantial staffing changes, and are not expected to have significant impacts on the human environment.

Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. Appendix 1-16) that a meeting of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House will be held at the White House at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2013.

Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 1-16, and Part 65 of title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, that a meeting of the Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board will be held beginning at 9:00 a.m. on December 17, 2013, in Washington, DC. The meeting will continue beginning at 9:00 a.m. on December 18, 2013.

The National Park Service announces the availability of a Draft General Management Plan (GMP)/Wilderness Study/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Channel Islands National Park. The document identifies and analyzes three alternatives. Alternative 1 (no action alternative) reflects current management direction and serves as a baseline for comparison with the other alternatives. Existing facilities, resource programs, and visitor opportunities would continue as they are. Currently the park is not designated as wilderness. Alternative 2 emphasizes ecosystem preservation, restoration, and preservation of large expanses in relatively pristine resource conditions. Resource stewardship including ecosystem preservation and restoration, and preservation of natural landscapes, cultural landscapes, archeological resources, and historic structures would continue to be emphasized. Increased recreational opportunities would be provided for visitors to enjoy and appreciate the park. Alternative 3 (agency-preferred) emphasizes resource stewardship, while also placing more attention on expanding education and recreational opportunities and accommodations to provide diverse visitor experiences on the islands. Both Alternative 2 and Alternative 3 propose 66,675 acres of the park be recommended to Congress for designation as wilderness, primarily on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands.

We (National Park Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. We may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The National Park Service is seeking public comments and suggestions on the planning of the 2013 National Christmas Tree Lighting and the subsequent 26-day event. The general plan and theme for the event is the celebration of the holiday season with the display of the traditional American symbols of Christmas.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service (NPS) has prepared the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Restoration of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias (Mariposa Grove FEIS). The primary purpose of the proposed restoration is to restore dynamic natural processes that support the giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park and increase the resiliency of the Mariposa Grove to withstand a range of environmental stressors, and to improve the overall visitor experience in the Grove.