[Federal Register: August 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 155)]
[Notices]
[Page 47225-47226]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12au05-97]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
National Park Service
[ID 231 1610 DQ 051D]
Notice of Availability of the Proposed Management Plan and Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Craters of the Moon
National Monument and Preserve
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service
(NPS).
ACTION: Issuance of a Notice of Availability of a Final EIS for a
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP)/General Management Plan
(hereinafter, Proposed Plan/Final EIS), for the Craters of the Moon
National Monument and Preserve. The Monument is located in Blaine,
Butte, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Power Counties, in Idaho.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
of 1976, the National Park and Recreation Act of 1978, and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the BLM and the NPS have jointly
prepared a Proposed Plan/Final EIS for the Craters of the Moon National
Monument and Preserve. The Proposed Plan would provide direction for
the management of approximately 740,000 acres of federally-managed land
in Blaine, Butte, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Power Counties in south-
central Idaho. In would replace the NPS' Craters of the Moon National
Monument General Management Plan and portions of the following BLM
plans: Big Desert, Big Lost, and Sun Valley Management Framework Plans;
and the Monument RMP.
DATES: No decision on the Proposed Plan will be made for at least 30
days after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its
notice of availability of this final EIS in the Federal Register. BLM
regulations (43 CFR 1610.5-2) state that any person who participated in
the planning process and has an interest that may be adversely affected
may protest those proposed decisions that would be implemented on BLM-
administered lands. The protest must be filed within 30 days of the
date that the EPA publishes its notice of availability.
The NPS regulations do not provide a formal protest process.
Persons wishing to communicate with the Regional Director of the NPS
during the 30 days after the EPA's notice is published may do so,
however, by writing to Jonathan B. Jarvis, Regional Director, National
Park Service, 1111 Jackson Street, Oakland CA 94607. Instructions for
filing protests with the BLM are included in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this notice.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed Plan/Final EIS is posted on Web sites at http://www.id.blm.gov/planning/craters/index.htm or http://www.nps.gov/crmo
ps.gov/crmo
and has been mailed to those who have indicated that they want to
receive it in hard copy or on a compact disk. Additional copies in both
paper and digital format are available in limited numbers. To receive a
copy, write or call one of the individuals identified in the next
paragraph.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard VanderVoet, Monument Manager,
Bureau of Land Management, Shoshone Field Office, 400 West F Streets,
Shoshone, ID 83352-1522, phone (208) 732-7200; or Jim Morris,
Superintendent, National Park Service, P.O. Box 29, Arco, ID 83213,
phone (208) 527-3257.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Established in 1924, the Craters of the
Moon National Monument was expanded by Presidential Proclamation 7373
on November 9, 2000, for the purpose of protecting the entire Great
Rift volcanic zone and associated lava features, all objects of
scientific interest. On August 21, 2002, Public Law 107-213
redesignated the National Park Service portion of the expanded Monument
as a National Preserve. The BLM and NPS are managing the National
Monument and Preserve cooperatively and are preparing one management
plan to be implemented by both agencies.
The Final EIS discusses public and agency comments received on the
draft EIS, and describes and analyzes four alternative management
strategies, each presenting a different approach to resolving issues
identified through public scoping. Alternative A is the ``no action''
or continuation of present management alternative. Alternative B would
promote more travel and accesses within the Monument. Alternative C
would emphasize retention and enhancement of the Monument's primitive
character. The Proposed Plan is Alternative D, the agency preferred
alternative from the draft Plan/EIS, refined by public comment.
Alternative D, which emphasizes protection and restoration of physical
and biological resources, is also considered to be the environmentally
preferred alternative.
The key components of the Proposed Plan are as follows:
Promotes use of partnerships at off-site facilities such
as visitor centers and state parks to provide Monument information and
interpretation.
Emphasizes protection of vegetation resources in North
Laidlaw Park.
Maintains a road network suitable for aggressive fire
suppression and restoration activities within the Monument.
Encourage outfitter and guide services in the expanded
portion of the Monument, instead of new agency-provided services and
facilities.
Promotes a proactive Integrated Weed Management Program.
Proactively protects and restores sagebrush steppe
communities.
Continues to focus visitor experience within the Monument
on the existing lands and facilities located at the north end of the
Monument.
Continues management of the wilderness area within the
original National Monument boundary and the wilderness study areas that
are awaiting Congressional action. Proposes a joint NPS/BLM wilderness/
WSA management plan.
Protests regarding proposed decisions affecting BLM-administered
lands must be in writing and filed with the BLM Director. Protests may
raise only those issues that were submitted for the record during the
planning process. E-mail and faxed protests will not be accepted as
valid protests unless the protesting party also provides the original
letter by either regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close the
protest period. Under these conditions the BLM will consider the e-mail
or faxed protest as an advance copy, and it will receive full
consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance
notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM
Protest Coordinator at (202) 452-5112 and e-mails to
Brenda_Hudgens-Williams@blm.gov. Please direct the follow-up letters to the
appropriate address provided below. To be considered complete, your
protest must contain at minimum, the following information:
(1) The name, mailing address, telephone number and interest of the
person filing the protest; (2) at statement of the issue or issues
being protested; (3) A statement of the part or parts of the plan being
protested; (4) a copy of all documents addressing the issue or issues
that were submitted during the planning process by the protesting party
or an indication of the date the issue or issues were discussed for the
record; and (5) a concise statement explaining why the State Director's
decision is believed to be wrong. A protest merely expressing
disagreement with the State
[[Page 47226]]
Director's proposed decision without providing any supporting data will
not be considered a valid protest.
All written protests must be mailed to one of the following
addresses:
Regular Mail: Director, WO-210/LS-1075, Bureau of Land Management,
Attn: Brenda Hudgens-Williams, Department of the Interior, P.O. Box
66538, Washington, DC 20035
Overnight Mail: Director, WO-210/LS-1075, Bureau of Land
Management, Attn: Brenda Hudgens-Williams, Department of the Interior,
1610 L Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036
To be considered timely, your protest must be postmarked no later
than the last day of the protest period. Though not a requirement, it
is suggested that protests be sent by certified mail, return receipt
requested. You are also encouraged, but not required, to forward a copy
of your protest to the Monument Manager at the address listed above
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. This may allow the BLM to
resolve the protest through clarification of intent or discussion with
the protestor.
Please note that protests, including names and street addresses,
are available for public review and/or release under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA). Individual respondents may request
confidentiality. Respondents who wish to withhold their name and/or
street address from public review or from disclosure under FOIA must
state so prominently at the beginning of the written correspondence.
Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representing organizations or businesses,
will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.
Following resolution of any protests of the proposed decision, a
joint record of decision will be signed by the Regional Director of the
Pacific West Region of the National Park Service and the State Director
of the Bureau of Land Management for Idaho. A notice of availability of
the record of decision will be published in the Federal Register and
through local news media.
Dated: April 20, 2005.
K. Lynn Bennett,
Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Director.
Dated: April 27, 2005.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
National Park Service, Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 05-15936 Filed 8-11-05; 8:45 am]
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