National Park Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Park Service (NPS), as co-leads in the environmental process, intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. The EIS will address environmental and related impacts that may result from actions to be proposed and alternatives to be developed to achieve the statutory mandate of Public Law 100-91 (``commonly know as the Overflights Act''); to provide for the substantial restoration of the natural quiet and experience of Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP). The Presidential Memorandum dated April 22, 1996, Earth Day Initiative, Parks for Tomorrow calls for substantial restoration of natural quiet in the GCNP to be achieved by 2008. ``Substantial restoration of natural quiet'' has been defined by the NPS to mean that 50 percent or more of the park will achieve natural quiet (i.e., no aircraft audible) for 75 to 100 percent of the day. This undertaking is a follow-on to previous actions taken by the FAA, in cooperation with the NPS, since December 1996. The FAA and NPS are inviting the public, agencies, and other interested parties to provide comments, suggestions, and input regarding: (1) The scope, issues, and concerns related to the development of proposed and alternative actions at Grand Canyon National Park that provide for the substantial restoration of the natural quiet and experience of the park and protection of public health and safety from significant adverse effects associated with all aircraft overflights; (2) past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions which, when considered with any alternatives, may result in significant cumulative impacts; and, (3) potential alternatives. The scoping process for this EIS will include three public meetings and a ninety-day comment period for interested agencies and parties to submit oral and/or written comments representing the concerns and issues they believe should be addressed. Please submit any written comments within ninety-days from the date of this Notice, or no later than April 27, 2006. Address your comments to: Docket Management System, Doc No. FAA-2005-23402, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room Plaza 401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. The purpose of this Notice is to inform Federal, State, local government agencies, and the public of the intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to conduct a public and agency scoping process. Information, data, opinions, and comments obtained throughout the scoping process will be considered in preparing the Draft EIS. To maximize the opportunities for public participation in this environmental process, the FAA and NPS will also publish notices in the major local newspapers in the vicinity of the study area.

Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Commission Act and 36 CFR Part 65 that a telephonic conference call of the Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board will be held beginning at 1 p.m. on March 20, 2006.

The National Park Service Director has determined that Ashfall Fossil Beds, located near Orchard in Antelope County, Nebraska, appears to meet the criteria for national significance and proposes to recommend the site for designation as a National Natural Landmark. The public is invited to comment on this recommendation. This proposal will be considered by the National Park System Advisory Board at a meeting to be held on March 21 and 22, 2006, at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, in the Ribault Club, 11241 Fort George Rd., Jacksonville, Florida.

The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Final Backcountry Management Plan, General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Denali National Park and Preserve. The document describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of a preferred alternative and three other action alternatives for managing the park and preserve's backcountry. A no action alternative also is evaluated.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the stream management plan, abbreviated final environmental impact statement (EIS) for Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Iowa.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C., Chapter 3507) and 5 CFR part 1320, Reporting and Record Keeping Requirements, the National Park Service (NPS) invites public comments on an extension of a currently approved information collection (OMB 1024-0009).

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C., Chapter 3507) and 5 CFR part 1320, Reporting and Record keeping Requirements, the National Park Service invites public comments on a submitted request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve an extension of a currently approved collection (OMB 1024-1018). The primary purpose of the Information Collection Request is to nominate properties for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the Nation's cultural resources worthy of preservation, which public law requires that the Secretary of the Interior maintain and expand. Properties are listed in the National Register upon nomination by State Historic Preservation Officers and Federal Preservation Officers. Law also requires Federal agencies to request determinations of eligibility for property under their jurisdiction or affected by their programs and projects. The forms provide the historic documentation on which decisions for listing and eligibility are based.

The National Park Service (NPS), in accordance with Section 9.52(b) of Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations has received from J.M. Huber Corporation a Plan of Operations and an Environmental Assessment for the re-entry of a natural gas well and the drilling of a lateral side track at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area.

In accordance with Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)), and the President's Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1500-1508), as implemented by Director's Order 12, the National Park Service (NPS) in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to analyze alternatives for resolving issues related to the North Shore Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). With the approval of the Department of Interior, the NPS is presenting the alternatives in the DEIS without identifying a preferred alternative. The NPS is seeking public comment on the alternatives before selecting a preferred alternative. This notice announces the availability of the DEIS and the locations of public hearings for the purpose of receiving comments on the draft document. The purpose of the proposed action is to discharge and satisfy any obligations on the part of the United States that presently exist as the result of the July 30, 1943, Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Tennessee Valley Authority, Swain County, North Carolina, and the State of North Carolina. The need of the project is to determine whether or not it is feasible to complete the road and to evaluate other alternative that would satisfy the obligation. The DEIS analyzes one no-action alternative and four action alternatives for meeting the purpose and need of the project. The no- action alternative would continue current management practices and policies into the future. One of the action alternatives would provide Swain County with a monetary settlement to satisfy and discharge the obligations of the MOA. Each of the other three action alternatives would allow various levels of development and/or road construction within the project study area of GSMNP. Under the Laurel Branch Picnic Area alternative a day-use area on the north side of existing Lake View Road would be constructed. Outdoor facilities would include a multi-use picnic shelter, picnic tables, several loop trails, drinking fountains, and restrooms. Under the Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell, up to 8 miles (12.9 km) of new roadway from the existing tunnel west to the vicinity of the former Bushnell settlement would be constructed. The alternative would provide a boat-launching ramp and restricted boat dock. Located near the terminus of the new roadway would be a multi-use picnic shelter and picnic tables, a backcountry permit station, an information kiosk, restrooms, and a parking area. Exhibit/museum space would be designed to highlight local heritage of the area and may include concession opportunities. Under the Northern Shore Corridor Alternative, 29 to 34.3 miles of new roadway to the vicinity of Fontana Dam would be constructed. It would connect Lake View Road to NC 28. This alternative would include provisions for the development of an auto-tour guide describing the historic and natural points of interest along the route. Also, restrooms would be built at appropriate locations. Dates: The DEIS will be available for public review and comments submitted until March 20, 2006. Public hearings will be held on February 2, 6, 7, 9, and 13, 2006. Hearings will be conducted from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. or later as needed to hear all comments. Representatives of the NPS will be available at the public hearings to receive comments, concerns, and other input from the public related to the DEIS. Specific information about the public hearings is as follows: February 2, 2006, 4:30-8 p.m., Swain County High School, Center for the Arts, Auditorium, 1415 Fontana Road, Bryson City, NC; February 6, 2006, 4:30-8 p.m., Robbinsville High School Auditorium, 301 Sweetwater Road, Robbinsville, NC; February 7, 2006, 4:30-8 p.m., Asheville Renaissance Hotel, One Thomas Wolfe Plaza, Asheville, NC; February 9, 2006, 4:30-8 p.m., Knoxville Marriott, 500 Hill Avenue, SE., Knoxville, TN; February 13, 2006, 4:30-8 p.m., Gatlinburg-Pittman High School Auditorium, 150 Proffitt Road, Gatlinburg, TN. Addresses: The complete DEIS and associated appendices are available for review or download on the Internet at https:// www.northshoreroad.info. Copies of the DEIS will also be available for review at the following locations: Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801; Marianna Black Library, 33 Fryemont Road, Bryson City, NC 28713; Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Main Library, 310 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202; Qualla Boundary Public Library, 810 Acquoni Road, Cherokee, NC 28719; Anna Porter Public Library, 207 Cherokee Orchard Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738; GSMNP Headquarters, 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738; Lawson- McGee Library, 500 West Church Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915; Cameron Village Regional Library, 410-200 Oberlin Road, Raleigh, NC 27605; Graham County Public Library, 80 Knight Street, Robbinsville, NC 28771. For Further Information Contact: North Shore Road EIS, Attn: Superintendent, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, Telephone: 865/436-1207 or Fax: 865/436-1220. Supplementary Information: In July 1943, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the DOI, the State of North Carolina, and Swain County, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that dealt with the creation of Fontana Dam and Reservoir and the flooding of lands and road within Swain County. As part of that agreement, 44,170 acres of land were ultimately transferred to the DOI and made part of GSMNP. The MOA also contained a provision by which the DOI was to construct a road through the Park, along the north shore of the newly formed Fontana Reservoir, to replace the flooded NC 288, contingent upon funds being appropriated by Congress. The DEIS evaluates potential environmental consequences, of implementing the action alternatives, on GSMNP and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Impact topics include the human environment, physical environment, natural and cultural resources, aesthetics and visual resources, visitor use and experience, and park operations. Direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts along with options to address potential impacts were evaluated and are described for each resource area. The public is advised that it is the practice of the NPS to make comments, including individual names and addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. There are circumstances in which a person prefers to have his or her name and other information withheld from the public record. Any person wishing to do this must state this prominently at the beginning of any correspondence or comment, and the request will be honored to the extent allowable by law. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be placed on the public record and will be made available for public inspection in their entirety. Anonymous comments will be included in the public record, however, the NPS is not legally required to consider or respond to anonymous comments. The DEIS is being mailed to appropriate Federal, State and local agencies and organizations which have been involved with the project, have expressed, or are known to have an interest or legal role in this proposal. After public review of the DEIS, the National Park Service will consider comments, and a Final EIS followed by a Record of Decision will be prepared. The Final EIS is scheduled for completion in November 2006. The responsible official for this Environmental Impact Statement is Patricia A. Hooks, Regional Director, Southeast Region, National Park Service, 100 Alabama Street, SW., 1924 Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

Pursuant to 36 CFR 51.23, public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service proposes to extend the following expiring concession contracts for a period of up to 1 year, or until such time as such a new contract is executed, whichever occurs sooner.

Pursuant to the terms of existing concession contracts, public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service intends to request a continuation of visitor services for a period not-to-exceed 1 year from the date of contract expiration.

Pursuant to the terms of existing concession contracts, public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service intends to request a continuation of visitor services for a period not-to-exceed 1 year from the date of contract expiration.

Pursuant to the terms of existing concession contracts, public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service intends to request a continuation of visitor services for a period not-to-exceed 1 year from the date of contract expiration.

Pursuant to the terms of existing concession contracts, public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service intends to request a continuation of visitor services for a period not-to-exceed 1 year from the date of contract expiration.

The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing to designate areas where personal watercraft (PWC) may be used in Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina. This proposed rule implements the provisions of the NPS general regulations authorizing park areas to allow the use of PWC by promulgating a special regulation. The NPS Management Policies 2001 directs individual parks to determine whether PWC use is appropriate for a specific park area based on an evaluation of that area's enabling legislation, resources and values, other visitor uses, and overall management objectives.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, January 1, 1970, as amended), and the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508), the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement for an new Fire Management Plan for Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), Muir Woods National Monument and Fort Point National Historic Sitethe latter two parks being under the administration of GGNRA. The Fire Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) evaluates fire management options for approximately 15,000 acres of GGNRA's nearly 75,000 legislated acres in Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. The Fire Management Plan FEIS describes and analyzes three alternative strategies to replace the 1993 GGNRA Fire Management Plan with a plan that conforms to current Federal wildland fire management policy and National Park Service (NPS) management policies. Potential impacts and mitigating measures are described for the two action alternatives and a no action alternative. The alternative selected after this conservation planning and environmental impact analysis process will serve as a blueprint for fire management actions for the GGNRA over the next 10-15 years. The FEIS fire planning and analysis area does not include the following lands: 1. The northern lands of GGNRA, comprising 18,000 acres north of the Bolinas-Fairfax Road in western Marin County, which are managed by Point Reyes National Seashore under an agreement between the two park units. Fire management responsibilities for these northern lands are addressed in the Point Reyes FMP (approved October 29, 2004). 2. Lands within the jurisdictional boundary of GGNRA that are not directly managed by the National Park Service. This includes the San Francisco Watershed, managed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (with overlays of NPS easements) and the interior portion of the Presidio of San Francisco which is managed by the Presidio Trust, a Federal corporation. The coastal portion of the Presidio managed by the GGNRA, is included in the planning area. In addition to lands currently under the management of the NPS, the subject FMP planning area includes those lands within the legislative boundary that may pass to NPS management in the near future. These areas, all in San Mateo County, include Cattle Hill and Pedro Point. Purpose and Need for Federal Action: The 1993 FMP for GGNRA focused primarily on natural resource management issues and needs to be updated to more fully address cultural resource concerns, provide guidance for parklands acquired since 1993, and provide more guidance on effectively reducing fire risk along wildland urban interface (WUI) areas in the park. The new FMP is needed to reflect the emphasis of recent years on fuel reduction projects that effectively reduce wildfire risk to natural and cultural park resources and to private property along the WUI zone. In addition, the new FMP will address the role that fire management actions can have on ecosystem changes to parklands such as the spread of more flammable, invasive, nonnative plant species, dense second-growth forests with high fuel loads, conversion of plant community type in the absence of wildland fire, alteration of important cultural landscapes through overgrowth of vegetation, and the decline of certain fire-adapted plant species. The FMP will provide a framework for all fire management activities in a manner responsive to natural and cultural resource objectives while reducing risks to developed facilities and adjacent communities and providing for public and staff safety. The purposes of this conservation planning and environmental impact analysis process are: To prepare a new FMP that is consistent with Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and conforms to agency guidelines for fire management plans and programs; and To help achieve resource management objectives consistent with the park's cultural resource, natural resource, and land management plans, and to be responsive to safety considerations for park visitors, employees, and resources. Proposed Fire Management Plan. Alternative C is the alternative preferred by the NPS and has also been determined by the NPS to be the ``environmentally preferred'' alternative. The three FMP EIS alternatives differ in the number of acres proposed for treatment through prescribed burning or mechanical treatments in the park interior versus the outer parklands that border residential development in the WUI zone. Each alternative has an upper limit set on the number of acres that could be treated annually as shown in Table 1. Alternative C allows for the greatest number of acres to be treated on an annual basis to achieve fire management and resource objectives through the use of a broad range of fire management strategies. Mechanical treatment and prescribed burning would be used throughout the park as a means to reduce fuel loading and achieve resource enhancement goals. Mechanical treatments, complemented by prescribed fire, would be employed to assist with restoration and maintenance of the park's natural and cultural resources. An expanded research program would examine the role of fire and mechanical treatments in enhancing natural resources, reducing fuel loading, and specific impacts of fire on key natural resources; research would also be used to adaptively guide the fire management program and help to maximize the benefits to park resources. Project planning will favor projects that integrate natural and cultural resource goals and objectives into the design and implementation of fuel reduction projects. The three alternatives share many common elements that do not vary from one alternative to the next. For example, the fire management approach for Muir Woods National Monument, using prescribed fire and mechanical fuel reduction to reduce invasive species, reduce fuel loading and restore the role of fire in the redwood old growth coast redwood forest. Other actions common include participation in the WUI Initiative funding program for outside agencies and groups, continued maintenance of the park's fire roads, trails, and defensible space around park buildings, suppression of unplanned ignitions, provision to the public of fire information and educational materials, monitoring of the effects of fire management actions, construction of a new fire cache structure and fuel reduction treatments for San Francisco parklands. Alternative A, Continued Fuel Reduction for Public Safety and Limited Resource Enhancement, is the No Action alternative required by NEPA. Alternative A is based on the 1993 GGNRA FMP updated to include the current planning area and current national fire management policies. The focus of the 1993 FMP program is on vegetation management through the application of prescribed fire to perpetuate fire-dependent natural systems. In recent practice, many fire management actions have been mechanical fuel reduction projects (e.g., mowing, cutting to remove non-native shrubs and trees, and selective thinning in forested stands) funded through the Wildland Urban Interface Program. This alternative would rely on the continued implementation of the 1993 FMP supplemented by mechanical fuel reduction projects in the WUI zone and suppression of all wildfires. Current research projects would continue and would focus on the role of fire to enhance natural resources and the effects of fire on key natural resources to determine the effectiveness of various fuel treatments. Alternative B, Hazard Reduction and Restricted Fire Use for Research and Resource Enhancement, emphasizes the use of mechanical methods to reduce fuel loading in areas with the highest risks. Compared to Alternative A, Alternative B would increase the number of acres mechanically treated each year, with a focus on the reduction of high fuel loads in the WUI area. Limited use of prescribed fire could occur for research purposes within the park interior. Research projects would examine the role of fire to enhance natural resources and the effects of fire on key natural resources to determine the effectiveness of various fuel treatments. Natural and cultural resource goals and objectives would be integrated into the design and implementation of fuel reduction projects. Planning Background: A notice of availability for the Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register (March 21, 2005) and the document made available for public review and comment through May 27, 2005 (extended from the original May 17, 2005 date to provide additional time for review). The park also announced availability of the DEIS through a mass mailing and posting on the park's Web site.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332 (2)(C), and the Wilderness Act of 1964, 16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq., the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a general management plan/wilderness study (GMP/WS) for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan. The EIS will be approved by the Regional Director, Midwest Region. This planning effort is a new start, not a restart of the planning effort that ended in 2002. With the publication of this notice of intent, the earlier planning effort has been terminated. The GMP will establish the overall direction for the park, setting broad management goals for managing the area over the next 15 to 20 years. The plan will prescribe desired resource conditions and visitor experiences that are to be achieved and maintained throughout the park based on such factors as the park's purpose, significance, special mandates, the body of laws and policies directing park management, resource analysis, and the range of public expectations and concerns. The plan also will outline the kinds of resource management activities, visitor activities, and developments that would be appropriate in the park in the future. The wilderness study will evaluate portions of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Lakeshore) for possible designation as wilderness. The study will be included as a part of the general management plan. A range of reasonable alternatives for managing the Lakeshore will be developed through this planning process and will include, at a minimum, a no-action and a preferred alternative. Major issues the plan will address include access to the Lakeshore, wilderness, management of areas new to the Lakeshore since the current 1979 general management plan, changes in visitor use patterns, adequacy and sustainability of existing visitor facilities and park operations, and management of natural and cultural resources. The environmental impact statement will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the alternative management approaches and the possible designation of wilderness within the Lakeshore. As the first phase of the planning process, the NPS is beginning to scope the issues to be addressed in the GMP/WS/EIS. All interested persons, organizations, and agencies are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions on issues and concerns that should be addressed in the GMP/WS/EIS, and the range of appropriate alternatives that should be examined.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability of a final Environmental Impact Statement for the Oil and Management Plan, for Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas.