National Park Service May 6, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Park Service (NPS) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the General Management Plan (GMP) for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii Volcanoes NP) in the State of Hawaii. The proposed GMP also includes a wilderness study (WS) which analyzes wilderness suitability of park lands and includes a recommendation for wilderness designation. This DEIS describes and analyzes three GMP alternatives that respond to both NPS planning requirements and to public concerns and issues identified during the scoping and public involvement process. Each alternative presents management strategies for resource protection and preservation, education and interpretation, visitor use and facilities, land protection and boundaries, and long-term operations and management of Hawaii Volcanoes NP. The potential environmental consequences of all the alternatives, and mitigation strategies, are analyzed, and the ``environmentally preferred'' alternative is identified. The wilderness study recommends wilderness designation of lands found eligible in the Kahuku Unit. This GMP will replace the 1975 Master Plan for the park.