[Federal Register: August 7, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 151)]
[Notices]
[Page 44178-44179]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07au07-86]
[[Page 44178]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for an Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan (ORV
Management Plan) for Cape Lookout National Seashore (Seashore), NC
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4332) and Council on
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1506.6), the U.S. Department
of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS) will prepare an ORV
Management Plan/DEIS. The ORV Management Plan/DEIS will be used to
guide the management and control of ORVs at the Seashore for
approximately the next 15 to 20 years. It will also form the basis for
a special regulation that will regulate ORV use at the Seashore. The
ORV Management Plan/DEIS will assess potential environmental impacts
associated with a range of reasonable alternatives for managing ORV
impacts on park resources such as threatened and endangered species,
soils, wetlands, wildlife, and cultural resources. Socioeconomic
impacts and effects on visitor experience and public safety will also
be analyzed. In addition, the plan will focus on issues that have a
direct bearing on ORV management, including management of threatened
and endangered species and species of special concern, as well as
predator management.
DATES: To determine the scope of issues to be addressed in the ORV
Management Plan/DEIS and to identify significant issues related to the
ORV management at the Seashore, NPS anticipates conducting public
scoping meetings in September 2007. The NPS is tentatively planning to
conduct one meeting in Charlotte, Raleigh and Morehead City or
Beaufort, North Carolina, respectively. Representatives of the NPS will
be available to discuss issues, resource concerns, and the planning
process at each of the public meetings. Once public meetings have been
scheduled, their locations, dates, and times will be published in local
newspapers and posted on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public
Comment (PEPC) Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/CALO.
ADDRESSES AND FURTHER INFORMATION: Written comments or requests for
information should be addressed to Wouter Ketel, Management Assistant,
Cape Lookout National Seashore, 131 Charles St., Harkers Island, North
Carolina 28531. Comments may also be hand-delivered to the attention of
Wouter Ketel. In addition, comments may be entered online in the NPS
PEPC Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/CALO. To comment using
PEPC, select the ``Cape Lookout National Seashore ORV Management Plan/
EIS project,'' select ``documents,'' select this ``Notice of Intent,''
and then select ``comment'' and enter your comments. Further
information about this project may also be found on the PEPC Web site
listed above, including links to information about the NEPA planning
process.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware
that our practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses,
home phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for
public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold
their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider
withholding this information you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your comments. We will always make submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives of or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ORV use on the Seashore predates
establishment of the park in 1966. The State of North Carolina turned
over the lands of Core Banks to the NPS in 1976. Shackleford Banks was
acquired from 1984 to 1986. Beginning in the 1940s, vehicles were
transported to the banks by shallow draft ferries, and were used to
provide access to productive commercial and recreational fishing spots
as well as for camping and sightseeing. Today ORVs are used to provide
vehicular access onto the Seashore beaches for recreational purposes,
including surf-fishing, surfing, sunbathing, swimming, bird-watching,
scenic driving, camping, etc. It is estimated that up to 5500 ORVs are
transported by ferry to the Seashore each year.
Executive Order 11644, issued in 1972 and amended by Executive
Order 11989 in 1977, states that Federal agencies allowing ORV use must
designate the specific areas and trails on public lands on which the
use of ORVs may be permitted, and areas in which the use of ORVs may
not be permitted. Agency regulations to authorize ORV use provide that
designation of such areas and trails will be based upon the protection
of the resources of the public lands, promotion of the safety of all
users of those lands, and minimization of conflicts among the various
uses of those lands. Executive Order 11644 was issued in response to
the widespread and rapidly increasing use of ORVs on the public lands--
``often for legitimate purposes but also in frequent conflict with wise
land and resource management practices, environmental values, and other
types of recreational activity.'' 36 CFR 4.10(b) requires that ``routes
and areas designated for off-road motor vehicle use shall be
promulgated as special regulations.'' In addition, such routes and
areas may only be designated in national recreation areas, national
seashores, national lakeshores and national preserves. Therefore, in
accordance with the Executive Order, the purpose of this Plan/DEIS is
to manage ORV use in compliance with the Seashore's enabling
legislation, NPS management policies, and other laws and regulations to
ensure protection of the natural, cultural, and recreational values of
the Seashore's dynamic coastal barrier island environment for present
and future generations.
An ORV Management Plan is needed because lack of an approved plan
over time has led to inconsistent management of ORV use. Related to the
need to provide consistency in ORV management is the need to provide
consistency in resource protection in areas of ORV use, particularly as
required under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Compounding these
issues, the Seashore is also subject to dynamic weather-related events
that continually change the beach, and sometimes limit the area that
can be accessed safely by ORVs. Therefore, an ORV Management Plan is
needed to: (1) Comply with Executive Orders 11644 and 11989 respecting
ORV use, and with NPS laws, regulations (36 CFR 4.10), and policies to
minimize impacts to Seashore resources and values; (2) Establish an
approved plan incorporating public input that reduces the potential for
inconsistent management of ORV use, user conflicts, and safety
concerns; (3) Provide for sustainable recreational use; (4) Protect
natural and cultural resources from potential effects of ORV use; and
(5) Provide for protected species management in relation to ORV and
other uses that replaces the Cape Lookout National Seashore Interim
Protected Species Management Plan/EA and associated Biological Opinion.
The ORV Management Plan/DEIS will cover lands administered by the
NPS on North Core Banks, South Core Banks, Middle Core Banks, Ophelia
Banks, and
[[Page 44179]]
Shackleford Banks. Of the 56-mile long Seashore, about 47 miles
spanning North and South Core Banks were identified by the Seashore
General Management Plan (December 1982) as appropriate for controlled
ORV use; the remaining 9 miles on Shackleford Banks is a proposed
wilderness and is closed to vehicle use. However, other potential
aspects of the ORV Management Plan, such as species and predator
management, will also be addressed for Shackleford Banks, where ORVs
are not allowed.
During initial internal scoping the NPS interdisciplinary team
identified a number of draft objectives for the ORV Management Plan/
DEIS, including:
Management Methodology
Identify criteria to designate ORV use areas and routes.
Establish ORV management practices and procedures that
have the ability to adapt in response to changes in the Seashore's
dynamic physical and biological environment.
Continue an ongoing and meaningful dialogue with the
multiple public groups interested in/affected by ORV management.
Establish procedures for prompt and efficient public
notification of beach access status including any temporary ORV use
restrictions for such things as resource and public safety closures,
storm events, etc.
Build stewardship through public awareness and
understanding of NPS resource management and visitor use policies and
responsibilities as they pertain to the Seashore and ORV management.
Natural Physical Resources
Minimize adverse impacts from ORV use to soils and
topographic features, e.g., dunes, ocean beach, wetlands, tidal flats,
etc.
Threatened, Endangered, and Other Protected Species
Provide protection for threatened, endangered, and other
protected species (e.g., State-listed species) and their habitats,
minimize adverse impacts related to ORV and other uses as required by
laws and policies, such as the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act, and NPS laws and management policies.
Other Vegetation and Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat
Minimize adverse impacts to native plant and animal
species and their habitats related to ORV and other uses.
Cultural Resources
Protect cultural resources such as shipwrecks,
archeological sites, and cultural landscapes from adverse impacts
related to ORV use.
Visitor Use and Experience
Manage ORV use to allow for a variety of appropriate
visitor use experiences.
Minimize conflicts between ORV use and other uses.
Ensure that ORV operators are informed about the rules and
regulations regarding ORV use at the park.
Visitor Safety
Ensure that ORV management promotes the safety of all
visitors.
Park Operations
Identify operational needs and costs to fully implement an
ORV management plan.
The draft and final ORV Management Plan/DEIS will be made available
to all known interested parties and appropriate agencies. Full public
participation by Federal, State, and local agencies as well as other
concerned organizations and private citizens is invited throughout the
preparation process of this document.
Authority: The authority for publishing this notice is 40 CFR
1506.6.
The responsible official for this ORV Management Plan/DEIS is
Patricia A. Hooks, Regional Director, Southeast Region, National Park
Service, 100 Alabama Street, SW., 1924 Building, Atlanta, Georgia
30303.
Dated: July 13, 2007.
Patricia A. Hooks,
Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 07-3837 Filed 8-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-XR-M