[Federal Register: May 3, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 84)] [Notices] [Page 23666-23667] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03my99-83] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Grand Portage National Monument; Intent To Prepare a General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) will prepare a General Management Plan (GMP) and an associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota, in accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). This notice is being furnished as required by NEPA Regulations 40 CFR 1501.7. To facilitate sound planning and environmental assessment, the NPS intends to gather information necessary for the preparation of the EIS, and to obtain suggestions and information from other agencies and the public on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. Comments and participation in this scoping process are invited. Participation in the planning process will be encouraged and facilitated by various means, including newsletters and open houses. The NPS will conduct a series of public scoping meetings to explain the planning process and to solicit opinion about issues to address in the GMP/EIS. Notification of all such meetings will be announced in the local press and in NPS newsletters. ADDRESSES: Written comments and information concerning the scope of the EIS and other matters, or requests to be added to the project mailing list should be directed to: Mr. Tim Cochrane, Superintendent, Grand Portage National Monument, PO Box 668, Grand Marais, Minnesota 55604- 0668, 218-387-2788, tim____cochrane@nps.gov FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Grand Portage National Monument, at the address and telephone number above. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Grand Portage National Historic Site was designated September 15, 1951. It was redesignated Grand Portage National Monument when it was established September 2, 1958 (72 Stat. 1751). The park consists of three distinct contiguous areas: (1) The site of the Northwest Company's Lake Superior trading post where, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, trade goods were offloaded for transport by the voyageurs into western Canada and the United States and where furs from the interior were loaded for the return trip east, (2) the route of the nine mile portage that connected the trading post to Fort Charlotte, and (3) the site of Fort Charlotte at the northern end of the portage where goods were loaded into canoes for the trip into the interior and furs from the interior collected for shipment down the portage to Lake Superior. In all, the National Monument consists of 709.97 acres, all in Federal ownership. In accordance with NPS park planning policy, the GMP will ensure Grand Portage National Monument has a clearly defined direction for resource preservation and visitor use. It will be developed in consultation with servicewide program managers, interested parties, and the general public. It will be based on an adequate analysis of existing and potential resource conditions and visitor experiences, environmental impacts, [[Page 23667]] and costs of alternative courses of action. The environmental review of the GMP/EIS for Historic Site will be conducted in accordance with requirements of the NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.), NEPA regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other appropriate Federal regulations, and National Park Service procedures and policies for compliance with those regulations. The NPS estimates the draft GMP and draft EIS will be available to the public by November 2000. Dated: April 26, 1999. David N. Given, Deputy Regional Director, Midwest Region. [FR Doc. 99-10973 Filed 4-30-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-70-P