99-27700. Environmental Statements; Notice of Intent: Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, Alabama

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 205 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57481-57482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27700]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Environmental Statements; Notice of Intent: Selma to Montgomery 
National Historic Trail, Alabama

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
for a comprehensive management plan for the Selma to Montgomery 
National Historic Trail in Alabama.

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SUMMARY: In 1990, Congress directed the National Park Service (NPS) to 
study the route and events associated with the 1965 Voting Rights March 
from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, for potential designation as a 
National Historic Trail. Completed in 1993, the feasibility study 
recommended that the march route be designated as the Selma to 
Montgomery National Historic Trail, and be administered by NPS. ON 
November 12, 1996, Congress amended Section 5(a) of the National Trail 
System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244 (a) to establish the Selma to Montgomery 
NHT, and to designate 54 miles of city streets and U.S. Highway 80 from 
Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma to the State Capital building in 
Montgomery as the official trail corridor.
    In August 1995, at the request of Alabama Department of 
Transportation (ALDOT), Governor Fob James designated the U.S. Highway 
80 corridor between Selma and Montgomery as a state scenic highway. The 
Federal Highway Administration approved the route as part of the 
National Scenic Byways Program in December of the same year. In 1996 
the route was also designated as an All-American Road by the U.S. 
Department of Transportation.
    The ALDOT conducted a series of public meetings in 1997 and 1998 
and prepared a draft master plan for the National Scenic Byway/All-
American Road. This plan provides an overview of possibilities. The 
National Park Service is seeking to further coordinate the efforts of 
both agencies by preparing a Comprehensive Management Plan that will 
build upon the information and options presented in the ALDOT master 
plan. The Comprehensive Management Plan will provide strategies for the 
management, visitor use, and development of the National Historic 
Trail. Key management concerns will include preservation of significant 
cultural and natural resources including historic sites, structures and 
the march route. Other issues involve the story of the march and 
facilities and programs needed to convey this story to the visitor.
    The Comprehensive Management Plan shall identify a resource-based 
framework for the trail and describe future conditions, preferred 
alternative, and general strategies, consistent with the trail's 
significance and mandates. The alternatives and general strategies 
required to achieve desired future

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conditions would then be assessed for their environmental effects.

DATES: A public meeting(s) will be held in the surrounding community 
during this process. Please consult with local newspapers for the times 
and locations or call the park for this information. Comments provided 
during this process should be received within 45 days from the date of 
this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Selma to Montgomery 
NHT, P.O. Drawer 10, Tuskegee Institute, AL 36087, Telephone: 334-727-
6390.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Park Service is beginning this 
planning process and invites your comments. You may provide your 
comments in person at the public meeting or by mail to the 
Superintendent at the above address. Issues for evaluation may be 
suggested as well as alternatives for addressing the issues. A draft of 
the plan and environment impact statement is expected to be available 
for public review by mid-2000. Your input is appreciated.

    Dated: October 15, 1999.
W. Thomas Brown,
Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 99-27700 Filed 10-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M