95-10545. General Management Plan/Development Concept Plans Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona; Notice of Availability, Draft Environmental Impact Statement

[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 82 (Friday, April 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21004-21005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-10545]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service


General Management Plan/Development Concept Plans Organ Pipe 
Cactus National Monument, Arizona; Notice of Availability, Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement

Summary: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (P. L. 91-190, as amended), the National Park 
Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a draft environmental 
impact statement (DEIS) that describes and analyzes a proposed action 
and an alternative strategy for the general management of Organ Pipe 
Cactus National Monument. The official responsible for a decision on 
the proposed action is the Regional Director, Western Region, National 
Park Service.

[[Page 21005]] Comments: Comments on the DEIS must be postmarked no 
later than July 10, 1995. Public meetings regarding the DEIS will be 
held in several communities in southern Arizona and northern Sonora, 
Mexico, and the Tohono O'odham reservation. Written responses to the 
DEIS should be submitted to the Superintendent, Organ Pipe Cactus 
National Monument, Route 1, Box 100, Ajo, AZ 85321.
    Public Meetings: Public meetings will be held May 8-11, 1995, in 
Sonoyta, Mexico, and Ajo, Phoenix, and Tucson, Arizona. Meetings to be 
held on the Tohono O'odham reservation will be scheduled before July 
10, 1995. Meetings will be advertised via local media including 
newspapers and radio. Information can also be obtained from the 
superintendent of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, or the Planning 
Team Leader, Organ Pipe Cactus General Management Plan, National Park 
Service, Denver Service Center-TWE, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225-
0287, [phone].
    Review Copies: Copies of the DEIS will be available for review at 
three locations: (1) Office of Public Affairs, National Park Service, 
Department of the Interior, 18th and C Streets, NW, Washington, DC 
20240, [phone]; (2) Western Regional Office, National Park 
Service, 600 Harrison St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107-1372, 
[phone]; (3) Headquarters, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, 
Route 1, Box 100, Ajo, AZ 85321, [phone]. A limited number of 
copies of the DEIS are available on request from either the 
superintendent or planning team leader.

Supplementary Information: The Draft General Management Plan/
Development Concept Plans/Environmental Impact Statement presents a 
proposed action and an alternative strategy for the management, use, 
and preservation of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The proposed 
action, designated in the DEIS as Alternative 1, The Preferred Future, 
recognizes the full range of scientific, wilderness, and recreational 
values of the Sonoran Desert. The proposal seeks to ensure the 
continued existence of threatened and endangered species and their 
habitat; reduce impacts to historic properties; provide facilities that 
would more adequately serve the needs of visitors and staff; establish 
trails that minimize impacts on natural and cultural resources; and 
reduce vandalism and the threat of vandalism, especially in the 
southern sections of the monument.
    Major features of the proposal include increased regional, tri-
national, and inter-agency cooperative efforts, preservation treatments 
for several significant cultural resources, new facilities and other 
improvements in the Twin Peaks, Lukeville, and Quitobaquito Springs 
areas, and redesignation of the monument to Sonoran Desert National 
Park. The National Park Service also proposes to facilitate a 
cooperative planning effort to make the portion of State Route 85 
within the monument more compatible with the wildland setting, enhance 
protection of monument resources, and increase visitor safety. Major 
consequences of implementing the proposal would be to enhance 
protection, understanding, and recognition of the Sonoran Desert and 
further strengthen relations with local communities, the Tohono O'odham 
Nation and Mexico. Implementing the proposed actions could also lead to 
an expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System by 2,130 
acres and help perpetuate the existence of endangered and sensitive 
species, including the Quitobaquito desert pupfish and Quitobaquito 
snail.
    Alternative 2, A Continuation of Existing Conditions, continues the 
present course of action as specified in approved documents guiding 
park management and development. Many actions are similar to 
Alternative 1, except that fewer developments and programs are 
proposed. In general, the consequences of this alternative are also 
similar, but with two major exceptions. The persistent degradation of 
the only known habitat for the Quitobaquito desert pupfish and 
Quitobaquito snail could potentially jeopardize their continued 
existence. Secondly, unregulated traffic along State Route 85 would 
continue to eliminate wildlife along this corridor. Although the 
National Park Service would work with the state of Arizona to reduce 
adverse impacts, this alternative would not result in a cooperative 
planning effort that addresses reductions in traffic speed and volume 
within the monument.
    The official responsible for a decision on the proposed action is 
the Regional Director, Western Region, National Park Service.

    Dated: April 18, 1995.
Stanley T. Albright
Regional Director, Western Region.
[FR Doc. 95-10545 Filed 4-27-95; 8:45 am]
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