[Federal Register: July 10, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 131)]
[Notices]
[Page 38898-38899]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10jy06-76]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
General Management Plan for Lava Beds National Monument Siskiyou
and Modoc Counties, California; Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190) and Council on Environmental
Quality's implementing regulations (40 CFR 1502.9(c)), the U.S.
Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS), is initiating the
scoping phase of the conservation planning and environmental impact
analysis process for updating the General Management Plan (GMP) for
lava Beds National Monument (Monument). Following the scoping phase and
consideration of public concerns and other agency comments, a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the GMP will be prepared and
released for public review. The GMP will address desired conditions for
the Monument, uses or treatment needs for resource protection, visitor
use and other management goals; it will serve as a ``blueprint'' to
guide future management for the next 15-20 years. The purpose of the
scoping outreach efforts is to elicit early public comment regarding
issues and concerns, the nature and extent of potential environmental
impacts (and as appropriate, mitigation measures), and alternatives
which should be addressed in the plan update.
Consistent with NPS Planning Program Standards the updated GMP
will: (1) Describe the Monument's purpose, significance, and primary
interpretive themes; (2) identify the fundamental resources and values
of the Monument, its other important resources and values, and describe
the condition of these resources; (3) describe desired conditions for
cultural and natural resources and visitor experiences throughout the
Monument; (4) develop management zoning to support these desired
conditions; (5) develop alternative applications of these management
zones to the Monument landscape (i.e., zoning alternatives); (6)
address user capacity; (7) analyze potential boundary modifications;
(8) ensure that management recommendations are developed in
consultation with interested stakeholders and the public and adopted by
NPS leadership after an adequate analysis of the benefits,
environmental impacts, and economic costs of alternative courses of
action; and (9) identify and prioritize subsequent detailed studies,
plans and actions that may be needed to implement the updated GMP.
Scoping: Through the outreach activities planned in the scoping
phase, the NPS welcomes information and suggestions from the public
regarding resource protection, visitor use, and land management. This
notice formally initiates the public scoping comment phase for the EIS
process for the GMP update. All scoping comments must be postmarked or
transmitted not later than September 2, 2006. All written responses
should be submitted to the following address: General Management Plan,
Lava Beds National Monument, Attn.: Craig Dorman, Superintendent, 1
Indian Well Headquarters, Tulelake, CA 96134. As noted, a key purpose
of the scoping process is to elicit early public comment on matters
which should be considered in updating the GMP in order to inform the
development of the Draft EIS. At this time it is expected that three
public meetings will be hosted in towns near the Monument during June
5-8, 2006. Detailed information regarding these meetings will be posted
on the GMP Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/labe). All attendees
will be given the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments to
the planning team. The GMP Web site will provide the most up-to-date
information regarding the project, including project description,
planning process updates, meeting notices, reports and documents, and
useful links associated with the project.
It is the practice of the NPS to make all comments, including names
and addresses of respondents who provide
[[Page 38899]]
that information, available for public review. NPS will make all
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organzations
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
Individuals may request that the NPS withhold their name and/or address
from public disclosure. If you wish to do this, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your comments. Respondents using the
Web site can make such a request by checking the box: ``keep my contact
information private.'' NPS will honor such requests to the extent
allowable by law, but you should be aware that NPS may still be
required to disclose your name and address pursuant to the Freedom of
Information Act.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
This unit of the National park System was established in 1925 to
protect and interpret volcanic and natural features of scientific
interest, and evidence of prehistoric and historic human settlement,
use, and conflict. The 46,560 acre Monument covers 10% of the Medicine
Lake shield volcano which lies on the margin of the Cascade Range and
Great Basin Geologic Provinces. This remote landscape contains
outstanding, diverse, abundant and well-preserved lava flows, cinder
cones, Maar volcanoes, and other volcanic features associated with the
Medicine Lake shield volcano, including one of the largest
concentrations of lava tube caves in the continental United States. The
Monument's geologic resources provide many opportunities for
exploration and research of unique habitats.
The dramatic volcanic landscape served as the setting for the Modoc
War (1872-1873) and contains archeological evidence of over 11,000
years of human occupation. The lands are significant to Modoc people as
part of their traditional homeland. In addition, the Monument has two
designated units of the National Wilderness Preservation System
totaling 28,460 acres. Wilderness areas provide a primitive recreation
experience for visitors in a volcanic Great Basin landscape, as well as
invaluable scientific and educational opportunities as surrounding
landscapes and social conditions continue to change.
The Monument is primarily surrounded by public lands. The northern
edge is bounded by the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The western,
southern and eastern edges are bounded by the Modoc National Forest. A
small area on the northeast corner is bounded by privately owned lands,
and a commercial forest products inholding is adjacent to the Monument
to the south. Petroglyph Point, a detached unit of the Monument, is
surrounded by, or very close to, private lands.
The previous GMP, completed in June 1996, identified needed
infrastructure and other improvements. Most of the recommendations in
this prior plan have since been implemented, including construction of
a research center and a new visitor center. Resource management,
interpretation, visitor protection and other GMP components were not
addressed in the last plan. New inventories and research have been
completed since the last GMP including the discovery of additional
caves within the Monument, a macro-invertebrate study, and study of
fire effects on exotic plants. Drafts of a Wilderness Plan and a Cave
Management Plan have also been completed. Future management direction
is needed for staff to address changing patterns of visitor use and for
effective and long term management of natural and cultural resources.
Decision Process
Availability of the forthcoming Draft EIS for public review and
written comment will be formally announced through the publication of a
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, as well as through
local and regional news media, direct mailing to the project mailing
list, and via the Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/labe.
Following due consideration of all agency and public comment, a Final
EIS will be prepared. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for
the final decision on the proposed plan is the Regional Director,
Pacific West Region, National Park Service. Subsequently, the official
responsible for implementation of the approved plan is the
Superintendent, Lava Beds National Monument. It is anticipated that the
final plan will be available in winter 2009.
Dated: May 3, 2006.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 06-6074 Filed 7-7-06; 8:45 am]
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