[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 222 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63054-63056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30113]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement,
Comprehensive Management and Use Plan; Oregon, California, Mormon
Pioneer and Pony Express National Historic Trails
Introduction
The National Park Service has developed a Comprehensive Management
Plan / Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Oregon, California,
Mormon Pioneer and Pony
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Express National Historic Trails. The Final Environmental Impact
Statement presents alternatives and their environmental consequences
for the administration and protection of resources, visitor use and
interpretation, and agency cooperation among all the partners involved
in this project.
The purpose of this Record of Decision is to document the selected
alternative from those presented in the Final Environmental Impact
Statement. The Record of Decision highlights information contained in
the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Background
In 1978 Congress authorized the Oregon and Mormon Pioneer National
Historic Trails to commemorate these significant routes of travel and
to promote their preservation, interpretation, public use, and
appreciation. In 1992 it authorized the California and Pony Express
National Historic Trails. The National Trails System Act required that
comprehensive management and use plans be prepared. Plans for the
Oregon and Mormon Pioneer were approved in 1981, but need to be updated
to provide additional guidance on high-potential sites and segments,
resource protection techniques, site certification, visitor use,
interpretation, and cooperative management.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement is programmatic in that
the proposal does not call for any undertaking or action that would
result in ground disturbances. Any future development would require
additional environmental compliance to be carried out as required by
state and local regulations and the provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act.
Selected Alternative
The National Park Service selected alternative 2, the proposed
action as described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for
implementation.
Alternative 2 (enhanced conditions and a historic trails
partnership) focuses on enhancing resource preservation and visitor
use. To do so, it would be necessary to achieve the highest possible
degree of cooperation among the partners, increase awareness of the
need to work together, and communicate what is being planned and what
is actually being done. The alternative calls for an improved visitor
experience through integrated development and programming and a
comprehensive strategy for resource protection, including an ambitious
program to inventory and monitor resources that would bring together,
in one location, information that is currently dispersed.
Some components of this plan signal new approaches to the
management of historic trails. A geographic information system (GIS)
has been used to map most of the routes and the locations of the high-
potential sites and segments associated with the four trails. These
data, in conjunction with the computerized data set of the trail
resources generated during the planning process would become the
starting point for a systematic and coordinated effort to use the Salt
Lake City office as the central repository for all trail-related
resource information.
Other Alternative Considered
An additional alternative has been considered in addition to the
proposed action. Alternative 1 is a continuation of current management
practices. It reflects the wide variability in the administration and
management, resource protection strategies, and interpretation, visitor
experience, and use that exist today. The alternative notes how
resource protection, trail marking, and interpretation are ongoing
processes and how increasing levels of cooperation and coordination are
becoming more common among the various trail partners. However,
coordination among the different trail-managing agencies, or even
within the same agency is inconsistent. Furthermore, the various
existing plans that these agencies have developed seldom address trail
resources and measures for their protection and appropriate public use.
Basis for Decision
Alternative 2 is selected because it most fully satisfies the dual
purposes of the National Trails System Act--to ``provide for the
outdoor recreation needs of an expanding population,'' and ``to promote
the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and
appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of
the nation.'' The proposal focuses on attaining increased efficiency,
closer communication, and more strategic resource protection. It
fosters interagency cooperation that would result in greater resource
protection and make for a much more efficient cost-conscious
administration.
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
The environmentally preferable alternative is alternative 2. This
alternative best protects and preserves historic, cultural and natural
resource. The assessment of resource vulnerability, the resource
monitoring program and the increased coordination among the trail
partners will minimize any impacts from the increased visitation that
might result from this alternative. Enhanced trail education programs
and the resulting increase in public awareness will make visitors more
sensitive to the significance and fragile nature of trail resources, in
particular cultural landscapes. This in turn might have beneficial
impacts on cultural landscapes, as visitors would be more likely to
appreciate and respect resources.
Measures To Minimize Environmental Harm
The selected alternative establishes conceptual-level guidelines
for administering resource protection and visitor experience. Potential
impacts of implementation have been discussed for this level of
analysis and all practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental
harm have been identified. The Final Environmental Impact Statement is
a programmatic document that will require additional planning and
compliance if specific actions were to be implemented and would cause
any ground disturbance. At that time, NPS will consult with the partner
agencies and the public and will document compliance with all relevant
federal, state, and local laws, regulations and policies. Through this
process, all site-specific impacts will be identified and all
practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental harm will be
adopted.
Public and Interagency Involvement
Public involvement was extensive, including newsletters, public
reviews, and public meetings. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement
was available for a 60-day public review from August 21 to October 19,
1998. Close to 1,000 copies were distributed for review. Public
meetings were held in later September and early October at nine
locations throughout the west and were attended by approximately 180
people. Written comments were received from 32 federal, state, and
local agencies. The Final Environmental Impact Statement has been
revised in response to substantive comments on the draft document. In
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for
implementing NEPA, all written responses from public agencies are
reprinted as part of the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Substantive comments from individuals were summarized and included in
table format.
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Conclusion
Considering each alternative and its environmental impacts, the
public response, the purpose of the trails, and the administrative
objectives, the National Park Service concludes that alternative 2 is
the best course of action for preserving trail resources and for their
interpretation and public enjoyment.
Address
Copies of the Record of Decision can be obtained from the following
address: Superintendent, Long Distance Trails Office, 324 S. State
Street, Suite 250, PO Box 45155, Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155,
Telephone (801) 539-4095.
Recommended:
Dated: November 10, 1999.
Jere L. Krakow,
Superintendent, Long Distance Trails Office.
Approved: November 10, 1999.
Michael D. Synder,
Director, Intermountain Region.
[FR Doc. 99-30113 Filed 11-17-99; 8:45 am]
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