[Federal Register: October 25, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 207)]
[Notices]
[Page 65594]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25oc02-100]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the General Management Plan (GMP), Everglades National Park,
FL
SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969, the National Park Service is preparing a General Management
Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Everglades
National Park, Florida.
The park's current Master Plan, approved in 1979, is no longer
adequate to address the policy and operational issues now facing
Everglades National Park. Conditions have changed over the last 23
years, and that plan does not provide sufficient direction for
protecting natural and cultural resources and offering high quality
visitor opportunities. The Master Plan predates the Everglades National
Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989, which increased the park by
109,000 acres and directed further protection of valuable ecological
resources. The GMP/EIS will identify an overall direction for park
management for the next 20 years by clearly prescribing desired types
and levels of resource conditions and visitor experiences to be
achieved throughout the park.
Determination of what should be achieved will be based on review of
park legislation, purpose, significance and special mandates, and the
body of laws and policies directing park management.
The National Park Service is initiating the scoping process for the
GMP/EIS. In cooperation with Indian tribes, local, state, and other
federal agencies, and the public, the plan will correct existing
management deficiencies by determining: desired natural and cultural
resource conditions, management prescriptions for all areas of the
park, carrying capacities for resources and visitor use, appropriate
types and levels of development and recreational use, and new
opportunities for working cooperatively with neighboring communities.
Specific issues that will be addressed in the GMP/EIS will be
determined by analyzing input from the Indian tribes; public; local,
state and other federal agencies; public and private organizations with
an interest in Everglades National Park; and park staff. The issues
determined to be significant will guide development of alternatives for
future management of Everglades National Park and will provide the
framework for analyzing the impacts of the proposed alternatives.
DATES: To determine the scope of issues to be addressed in the GMP/EIS
and identify pertinent issues related to the project, an introductory
GMP newsletter that includes a public response form will be distributed
to the public in September 2002. In addition, public scoping meetings
will be held in the Fall of 2002. Public notice of the specific dates,
times, and locations of the meetings will be provided in the
newsletter, announced in local media, and posted on the Internet at
http://www.nps.gov/ever/planning/index.htm. At each public scoping
meeting representatives of the National Park Service will be available
to discuss issues, concerns, and other matters related to the GMP
project.
ADDRESSES: Additional comments or requests to be placed on the mailing
list should be addressed to Superintendent, Everglades National Park,
Attention: Fred Herling, 40001 State Rd. 9336, Homestead, Florida
33034.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred Herling, Supervisory Park
Planner, Everglades National Park, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead,
FL, 33034, telephone 305-242-7704. Email: Fred--Herling@nps.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The draft and final GMP/EIS documents will
be distributed to all known interested parties and appropriate
agencies. Full participation by Indian tribes, federal, state, and
local agencies as well as other concerned organizations and private
citizens is invited throughout the preparation of this document. At
least six public meetings will be held to initiate the gathering of
input for the GMP/EIS. The anticipated meeting locations are: Miami,
Florida Keys, Florida City/Homestead, Everglades City, Naples, and
Washington DC. Dates, times, and locations of the meetings will be
provided in the newsletter, announced in local media, and posted on the
Internet at http://www.nps.gov/ever/planning/index.htm.
Everglades National Park is the largest national park east of the
Rocky Mountains, encompassing 1,509,000 acres of land and water in
Dade, Monroe, and Collier counties, Florida. The park includes the
largest designated wilderness area in the Eastern United States,
totaling 1,296,500 acres. Congress called for the park to be
``permanently reserved as a wilderness,'' preserving essential
primitive conditions, including the natural abundance, diversity,
behavior, and ecological integrity of unique flora and fauna. Located
at the interface of temperate and subtropical environments, the park
has a great diversity of resources including our nation's largest
sawgrass prairie and mangrove ecosystem, the most significant breeding
ground for tropical birds in North America, and 21 federally-listed
threatened and endangered species. The park has over one million
visitors each year.
The GMP/EIS will identify alternative management approaches based
on the issues identified during the scoping phase of the project. The
GMP/EIS will disclose to the public and decision makers the
environmental consequences of implementing each alternative management
approach. After reviewing the consequences and listening to public
concerns, the decision-makers will select a preferred alternative that
will guide management of Everglades National Park for the next 20
years. The responsible official for the Environmental Impact Statement
is the Regional Director, National Park Service, Southeast Region, 100
Alabama Street SW., 1924 Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and home
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular
business hours. If you wish for us to withhold your name and/or
address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your
comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make
all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
Dated: August 1, 2002.
Patricia A. Hooks,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 02-27250 Filed 10-24-02; 8:45 am]
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