[Federal Register: November 29, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 228)] [Notices] [Page 66641-66642] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29no99-86] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft General Management Plan/ Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the availability of the Draft General Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DGMP/DEIS) for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. This notice also announces public open houses for the purpose of receiving public comments on the DGMP/DEIS. DATES: There will be a 60-day public review period for comments on this document. Comments on the DGMP/DEIS must be received no later than January 19, 2000. Public open houses for information about, or to make comment on the DGMP/DEIS will be held at the following times and locations: Tuesday, November 30, 1999, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Chase County Community Building (Swope Park), Walnut and County Road, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas; Wednesday, December 1, 1999, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 E. 29th Street North, Wichita, Kansas; and Thursday, December 2, 1999, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 200 McDonald Drive, Lawrence, Kansas. ADDRESSES: Copies of the DCMP/DEIS are available by request by writing the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, P.O. Box 585, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas 66845, by phone 316-273-6034, or by e-mail from TAPR__Superintendent@nps.gov. The document can be picked-up in person at the Tallgrass National Preserve administrative headquarters, 226 Broadway, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. The document also can be downloaded via the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/tapr/. If you wish to comment, you may submit your comment by any one of several methods. You may attend one of the open houses noted above. You may mail comments to Superintendent, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, P.O. Box 585, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas 66845. You also may comment via e-mail to TAPR__Superintendent@nps.gov. If you attach a file to your e-mail, please ensure the file is in ASCII format avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please also include your name and return address in your e-mail message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your e-mail message, contact the Superintendent directly at 316-273-6034. Comments also may be submitted electronically through a form on the Preserve's website (http://www.nps.gov/tapr/). Finally, you may hand- deliver comments to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve administrative headquarters at 226 Broadway, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a respondent's identify, as allowable by law. If you wish 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. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, at P.O. Box 585, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas 66845 or at telephone number 316-273-6034. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the General Management Plan is to set forth the basic [[Page 66642]] management philosophy for the Preserve and to provide the strategies for addressing issues and achieving identified management objectives. The DGMP/DEIS describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of a proposed action and four action alternatives for the future management direction of the Preserve. A no action alternative is also evaluated. Alternative A is the no-action alternative. It provides a baseline for comparison of the other alternatives. Each of the action alternatives would strive to achieve all desired futures for the preserve, including those related to prairie enhancement, natural and cultural resources protection, and visitor experiences. The primary difference between alternatives is their central focus. The Preferred Alternative (Proposed Action) would focus on the integrated management of the natural and cultural resources of the Preserve. The alternative is based on the ideas that the Preserve was established to preserve, protect, and interpret a remnant of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and that the remnant prairie exists today because of a complex history of interaction between people and the land. Alternative B would focus primarily on the preservation, protection, and interpretation of the Preserve's cultural resources, although the prairie ecosystem would be enhanced and natural resources protected. Alternative C would emphasize visitor experience goals. This alternative would provide the broadest range of visitor experiences over the largest area of the Preserve. Alternative D would center on the story of ranching in the Flint Hills region, along the story of human interaction with the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Finally, Alternative E would more fully focus on management of the natural landscape, including unplowed prairie and associated creeks, springs, and seeps. The responsible official is Mr. William Schenk, Midwest Regional Director, National Park Service. Dated: November 15, 1999. William W. Schenk, Regional Director, Midwest Region. [FR Doc. 99-30857 Filed 11-26-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-70-P