[Federal Register: March 5, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 42)]
[Notices]               
[Page 9773]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05mr07-67]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

 
Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement 
for Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service announces the 
availability of the draft General Management Plan and Environmental 
Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Pipestone National Monument.

DATES: The GMP/EIS will remain available for public review for 60 days 
following the publishing of the notice of availability in the Federal 
Register by the Environmental Protection Agency. Public meetings will 
be held in the cities of Pierre and Yankton, South Dakota, and Marshall 
and Pipestone, Minnesota. Meeting places and times will be announced 
through the local media and on the park Web site at: http://www.nps.gov.gov/pipe
.


ADDRESSES: Copies of the GMP/EIS are available by request by writing to 
the Superintendent at Pipestone National Monument, 36 Reservation 
Avenue, Pipestone, MN 56164. The document is also available to be 
reviewed in person at the park. Finally, the document can be found at 
the following Web site: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/. This Web site 

allows the public to review and comment directly on this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Pipestone National 
Monument, 36 Reservation Avenue, Pipestone, MN 56164.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pipestone National Monument offers an 
opportunity to explore American Indian culture and the natural 
resources of the tallgrass prairie. Established by Congress in 1937 to 
protect the historic pipestone quarries, the site is considered sacred 
by many American Indians. Spanning centuries of use, American Indians 
continue to quarry pipestone, which they carve into sacred pipes.
    The GMP/EIS analyzes the impacts of a no-action and three action 
alternatives. The no-action alternative describes the existing 
conditions and trends of park management and serves as a basis for 
comparison in evaluating the other alternatives. The focus of 
alternative one is the removal of development from the heart of the 
national monument. Alternative two focuses on updating the existing 
facilities and increasing the interpretive emphasis on quarrying. 
Alternative three was developed to meld the most advantageous features 
of the other two action alternatives by removing some park operations 
from the national monument and updating existing facilities.
    Persons wishing to comment may do so by any one of several methods. 
They may attend the public hearing or open houses noted above. They may 
mail comments directly to Pipestone National Monument. They also may 
comment via the Web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/. Finally, they 

may hand-deliver comments to the Pipestone National Monument in 
Pipestone, Minnesota.
    Before including your address, telephone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comments please be aware 
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comments to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so. We will make all submissions from organizations or 
businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials or organizations or businesses available 
for public inspection in their entirety.
    The responsible official is Ernest Quintana, Regional Director, 
Midwest Region.

    Dated: November 29, 2006.
David N. Given,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. E7-3769 Filed 3-2-07; 8:45 am]

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