[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 179 (Friday, September 15, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47964-47967]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-23001]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------


DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Record of Decision for the General Management Plan/Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, 
Washington

ACTION: Ntoice of Approval of Record Decision.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190, as amended) and the regulations 
promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality in 40 CFR 1505.2, 
the National Park Service has approved the Record of Decision for the 
General Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement for Lake 
Chelan National Recreation Area, Washington. The National Park Service 
will implement the proposed action as described in the Final Impact 
Statement.

DATES: The Record of Decision was recommended by the Superintendent of 
North Cascades National Park Service Complex, concurred by the Deputy 
Field Director, Pacific West Area, and approved by the Field Director, 
Pacific West Area, on August 30, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Inquiries regarding the Record of Decision or the 
Environmental Impact Statement should be submitted to the 
Superintendent, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, 2105 
Highway 20, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284-9314; telephone: (360) 856-5700.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the Record of Decision follows: 
The Department of the Interior, National Park Service, has prepared 
this Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the General Management Plan for Lake Chelan National 
Recreation Area, Washington. This Record of Decision is a statement of 
the decision made, the background of the project, other alternatives 
considered, the basis for the decision, the environmentally preferable 
alternative, measures to minimize environmental harm, and public 
involvement in the decision making process.

Decision (Selected Action)

    The National Park Service will implement the proposed action as 
described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
    The National Park Service will manage visitor and resident use of 
the recreation area's resources in order to preserve the natural, 
scenic and cultural values of the area. The rustic setting of Lake 
Chelan National Recreation Area will be part of the transition from the 
downlake, primarily recreational and residential setting, to the wild 
and natural North Cascades National Park.
    The National Park Service will not manipulate the Stehekin river or 
its tributaries except to protect public roads and bridges. Woody 
debris could be trimmed or turned in the lower 9 miles of the Stehekin 
River to allow safer recreational use of the river for rafting, 
kayaking, and canoeing if it did not alter the function or stability of 
woody debris accumulations and was permitted by the appropriate 
regulatory agency. The Park Service will not remove woody debris from 
the river system except to protect public roads and bridges. The Park 
Service will discourage private landowners from manipulating the 
Stehekin River or removing woody debris. The active sand, rock, and 
gravel borrow pit will be maintained at less than or equal to its 
current size; no new borrow pits will be opened, and abandoned borrow 
pits will be restored. Gravel will be sold to the public at fair market 
value, with restrictions.
    Fire suppression, prescribed natural fire, management-ignited 
prescribed fire, and selective manual fuel reductions will be used to 
improve wildland fire protection for human life and property and to 
manage for late-succession stage in ponderosa pine/Douglas fir forest. 
The practice of woodlot cutting for firewood will be phased out. When 
available, firewood will be provided from administrative sources, at 
fair market value.
    The Golden West Lodge and the High Bridge Historic District will be 
rehabilitated and the Buckner homestead and orchard will be preserved. 
The airstrip will be operated under a special use permit with the 
Washington State Department of Transportation for private, 
noncommercial use. Some NPS and concession housing, maintenance, and 
related facilities will be consolidated beside the airstrip.

[[Page 47965]]

    The Stehekin Valley road between the Landing and Harlequin Bridge 
will remain a two-lane paved road; from Harlequin Bridge to 9-Mile, it 
will become a single-lane, paved road with pullouts; from 9-Mile to 
High Bridge, a single-lane, gravel road; and from High Bridge to 
Cottonwood, a high-clearance, shuttle vehicle road. Unconstrained 
private vehicle use will end at High Bridge. Private vehicle use from 
High Bridge to Bridge Creek will be allowed, but traffic flow will be 
regulated. Public shuttle service will be provided from the Landing to 
Cottonwood. Only the public shuttle service, hikers, horses, and 
bicycles will be allowed from Bridge Creek to Cottonwood. Company Creek 
road will be maintained in its current alignment, and will be protected 
from river erosion at two locations. Stehekin Landing will be 
redesigned to improve visitor flow and parking, and to relocate lodging 
and other facilities away from geohazards. The current capacity of 
concession services for food and lodging will increase somewhat.
    Land protection will emphasize high flood influence areas, 
wetlands, riparian areas, and high visual sensitivity areas.

Background of the Project

    Preparation of the EIS was required by a consent decree entered in 
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, on April 22, 1991. 
The consent decree specified actions for resolving the dispute between 
the plaintiff, North Cascades Conservation Council, and defendants in 
the U.S. Department of the Interior. The consent decree resulted from a 
law suit filed by the North Cascades Conservation Council (Civil Case 
No. C-89-1342D). This Record of Decision is the last necessary action 
under the National Environmental Policy Act regulations regarding the 
consent decree.
Other Alternatives Considered

    Four other alternatives to the selected action were considered. 
Under the no action alternative, the recreation area would be a rural 
resort community where resources are used, within limits, by an 
expanding residential presence. This alternative was the 1988 General 
Management Plan and supporting implementation plans.
    Under alternative A, the area would be a wild, natural area where 
resources and natural processes would be largely undisturbed; natural 
forces would be allowed to slowly remove evidence of human occupation. 
The Stehekin River would not be manipulated, mining gravel would not be 
allowed, prescribed fire would be used to manage wildland fire risk, 
select cultural properties would be protected, the airstrip closed, and 
all roads restored to natural conditions as private property was 
acquired.
    Under alternative B, the area would be a rural, woodland gateway to 
the North Cascades; use of resources by visitors and residents would be 
limited in order to preserve natural, scenic, and cultural values. Some 
river manipulation would be allowed, mining gravel would not be 
allowed, wildland fire protection and cultural resource management 
would be similar to the selected action, the airstrip closed, and roads 
would be similar in character to existing conditions.
    Under alternative C, the area would be a retreat/refuge/resort 
where resources and natural processes are showcased for the enjoyment 
of visitors. All existing public and private improvements would be 
protected from river erosion, gravel mining would be maintained and 
expanded if necessary, wildland fire protection would be augmented 
using selective manual thinning, all cultural properties would be 
rehabilitated or preserved, the airstrip used for emergency landings 
only, and roads would be similar in character to existing conditions.

Basis for Decision

    As presented in the final EIS, the National Park Service's 
management objectives are numerous. Twenty seven individual objectives 
are identified, from natural resource management to land use and 
development. After evaluation of public comments on the alternatives 
presented in the draft EIS, the selected action best balances the 
statutory mission of the National Park Service to provide long term 
resource preservation while allowing for appropriate levels of visitor 
use and appropriate means of visitor enjoyment. The selected action 
provides for projected growth in visitation through the year 2007, 
while complying with provisions of law under the Endangered Species 
Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and Wilderness Act; policies 
of the National Park Service; the recreation area's purpose based on 
its enabling legislation; constraints imposed on the area's management 
under the same legislation; and the protection of its significant 
resources.

Environmentally Preferable Alternative

    A Record of Decision must identify the environmentally preferable 
alternative, which is that alternative which causes the least damage to 
the biological environment, and that best protects, preserves, and 
enhances resources. With its emphasis on preservation of the natural 
ecosystem of the valley, alternative A is the environmentally 
preferable alternative.

Measures to Minimize Environmental Harm

    All practicable measures to avoid or minimize environmental impacts 
that could result from implementation of the selected action have been 
identified and incorporated into the selected action. These include 
protection of high flood influence areas, wetlands, riparian areas, and 
high visual sensitivity areas; protection of threatened, endangered and 
rare species; protection of properties eligible for listing on the 
National Register of Historic Places; and the restoration of wetlands, 
disturbed sites in the river corridor, abandoned gravel pits, woodlots, 
old fairways, and road segments. The NPS would not manipulate natural 
river dynamics except, under certain conditions, to protect roads and 
bridges.
    Additional mitigating measures are identified in the implementation 
plans associated with the EIS. The implementation plans completed or 
amended in this EIS are the Sand, Rock, and Gravel Plan; Forest Fuel 
Reduction / Firewood Management Plan; Wilderness Management Plan; 
Transportation Plan; Stehekin Landing and Valley Development Concept 
Plans; and the Land Protection Plan. The environmental impacts of these 
plans were presented in the final EIS, by impact topic, on pages 274 
through 315. Impacts from these plans are incorporated into the impact 
analysis sections for each of the 13 impact topics. A range of 
management options for each of the implementation plans was integrated 
into each of the five alternatives considered in the EIS.
    Mitigating and monitoring measures in the implementation plan 
follow.
    Sand, Rock, and Gravel Plan: mining will only occur at the Company 
Creek borrow pit; this pit will be reclaimed as new mining occurs; 
sand, rock, and gravel will be conserved and recycled whenever 
possible; except for emergencies, the use of sand, rock, and gravel 
from the Company Creek pit will be limited to 1400 cubic yards per 
year--1200 cubic yards for NPS use and 200 cubic yards for private use; 
material beyond this limit or for new construction will be imported; 
material will be used only for maintenance activities listed in the 
plan; the reclaimed portions of the pit will be topsoiled, fertilized, 
seeded, and planted with plant stocks indigenous to Stehekin; the 
working face of the pit will be temporarily covered with native 
grasses; the pit will be monitored before, 

[[Page 47966]]
during, and after active mining operations to identify sensitive 
resources, to ensure that operations minimize impacts, and to see that 
reclamation goals are met; the Rainbow Creek gravel pit will be 
actively reclaimed including topographic restoration, surface erosion 
control, nonnative species control, soil building, revegetation, plant 
irrigation, and monitoring; continued natural recovery at all other 
abandoned pits will be monitored.
    Forest Fuel Reduction/Firewood Management Plan: data from forest 
stand examinations in the forest fuel reduction areas, and in control 
plots, will be used as baseline information for monitoring forest 
changes through time; thirteen attributes, as identified in the plan, 
will be monitored using the NPS's Fire Monitoring Handbook in order to 
document the effects of manual thinning and firewood administration 
activities; except for two transitional woodcutter areas, no 
woodcutting or manual thinning will occur within any forest fuel 
reduction area until monitoring plots are established and measured; 
program effectiveness will be reviewed every five years; during 
woodcutting, soil compaction will be minimized by limiting skid trails, 
not allowing vehicle access by woodcutters, and hand raking tire/track 
ruts; stumps will be flush-cut and slash placed over them; the existing 
harvested woodlots, and associated access roads, will be rehabilitated; 
the Stehekin Landing, after mistletoe control and hazard fuel reduction 
work, will also be rehabilitated; as manual thinning is completed, old 
roads and log decks will be closed and rehabilitated including eight 
old road segments; revegetation will include mechanical ripping and 
recontouring soil, adding mulch, and scattering native plant seeds, 
litter, and coarse woody debris; if significant revegetation is not 
observed within five years, native seedlings may be planted.
    Wilderness Management Plan: the maximum backcountry party size in 
the NRA is six pairs of eyes (human or stock) in crosscountry areas, 
and 12 pairs of eyes otherwise; the existing commercial stock user may 
exceed this limit at historic levels (up to 30 pairs of eyes, four to 
six times per year); no oversized parties are allowed at Juanita Lake 
camp (12 pairs of eyes maximum); open campfires and gathering firewood 
in subalpine zones (and some other sensitive areas) is prohibited; 
grazing in the NRA is permitted only at three areas currently used--
Rainbow Meadow, Hidden Lake, and Juanita Lake basin; grazing is 
prohibited within 0.25 mile of Juanita Lake; all grazing will be 
regulated by monitoring soil moisture conditions, and will be 
restricted to the dry period of the summer which generally begins about 
July 15th; otherwise, only certified, weed-free, processed feed is 
allowed.
    Transportation Plan: between Harlequin Bridge and 9-Mile, the road 
will be paved and reduced to a single-lane (12-14 feet wide) with 
pullouts; the sides of gravel roads that have become excessively wide 
will be rehabilitated; unconstrained private vehicle use will end at 
High Bridge; private vehicle use from High Bridge to Bridge Creek will 
be regulated by season an/or hour of day; only the public shuttle 
service, hikers, horses, and bicycles will be allowed to use the road 
from Bridge Creek to Cottonwood; the road from High Bridge to 
Cottonwood will be maintained to sustain heavy-duty, high-clearance 
shuttle vehicles; erosion control systems along the upper Company Creek 
road will be removed and replaced, designed to keep the road from 
eroding during frequently recurring flood events (i.e., 10- to 25-year 
recurrence interval), and will be made from rock, soil, and native 
vegetation; public roads will be protected in active river erosion 
zones only if (1) there are no feasible alternatives, (2) funds are 
available, (3) the actions will have less impacts than other 
alternatives, and (4) the action are permitted by county, state, and 
other federal agencies; snowmobile use will be limited to existing 
roads below High Bridge; the airstrip will be retained and operated 
under a special use permit for noncommercial public use on a ``use at 
your own risk'' basis; the Washington State Department of 
Transportation, Aeronautics Division (the Division) will keep the 
airstrip and approaches equipped and maintained in accordance with 
requirements for state-operated emergency airstrips; there will be no 
expansion of the permitted area beyond that identified in the current 
permit; camping will not be permitted within the permit area; the 
Division will be required to prepare a plan and conduct noxious weed 
control measures within the area under permit, as approved by the NPS; 
an annual maintenance and operating plan will be prepared by the 
Division and submitted for review and approval by the NPS.
    Stehekin Landing and Valley Development Concept Plan: the ``outpost 
community'' image of the area will be encouraged using the 
Architectural Character Guidelines; the Golden West Lodge and High 
Bridge Historic District will be rehabilitated following the Secretary 
of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties; the 
Buckner homestead and orchard will be preserved, and items associated 
with the farming operation will be restored on a priority basis, if 
owned by the NPS; the genetic stock of the Buckner orchard will be 
maintained; the natural character of public lands within 200 feet of 
the lake and river shoreline will be restored; NPS structures will be 
removed from the shoreline, where appropriate, and no new NPS 
structures will be constructed on the shoreline; the ``fairways'' will 
be restored to natural conditions as appropriate; all abandoned 
vehicles will be removed from public lands; unnecessary powerlines will 
be removed and all others will be buried where appropriate, especially 
in areas with high visitor use; some campsites at Weaver Point 
Campground will be moved back from the shoreline; at the Landing, as 
the useful lives of existing structures are approached, new lodging 
facilities, grocery, and post office will be built away from 
geohazards, and existing facilities will be demolished and their sites 
restored; the current NPS headquarters building will be removed; the 
NPS will provide boat sewage disposal at no cost; visitors will be 
encouraged to use nonmotorized transportation through rental services.
    Land Protection Plan: incompatible uses of private property are (1) 
any subdivision of land that was not in effect prior to this Record of 
Decision, except as permitted through the Chelan County Subdivision 
Regulations and as consistent with Chelan County health standards, (2) 
the siting or construction of any building in an identified high flood 
influence area, wetland, riparian area, or highly unstable area, e.g., 
slopes greater than 20%, where potential impacts cannot be confined to 
the specific private ownership, (3) any dredging or filing of Lake 
Chelan or the Stehekin River without full compliance with the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers permitting process and/or appropriate authorization 
from the state, (4) the cutting of timber for sale or transport outside 
the Stehekin valley, (5) the cutting of timber by any means other than 
selective tree harvesting except as required by Washington State 
Department of Natural Resources regulations, and (6) the mining of 
sand, rock, or gravel for sale or transport outside the Stehekin 
valley; the NPS will not site any new building or structure in (1) the 
100-year floodplain, unless used for nonhuman occupancy and with 
conditions on specific uses or mitigation, (2) wetland soils, and those 
soils not conducive to building foundations, leachfield percolation, or 


[[Page 47967]]
site drainage, (3) geohazard areas, (4) areas with slopes greater than 
20% and (5) areas of high visual sensitivity, except where specific 
design mitigation can successfully be used; ensure that applicable laws 
and policies of the state of Washington are followed, including health 
and safety regulations and Washington Growth Management Act provisions; 
continue willing buyer/willing seller acquisitions for properties with 
areas that have a high priority for resource protection, or for which 
public needs have been identified; emphasize opportunities for easement 
purchases and other less-than-fee interests for resource protection and 
public use.
    The conclusion on impacts to the northern spotted owl in the final 
EIS is modified by this Record of Decision. After formal consultation 
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), it is the biological 
opinion of the FWS that the impacts from the General Management Plan 
for Lake Chelan NRA are not likely to jeopardize the continued 
existence of the threatened northern spotted owl. Incidental take of 
one pair of spotted owls or resident single owl is anticipated. The FWS 
concurs with the NPS determinations that the General Management Plan 
for Lake Chelan NRA will have ``no effect'' on the bald eagle and 
peregrine falcon and will ``beneficially affect'' the gray wolf, and 
``may affect,'' but will ``not likely'' ``adversely affect,'' the 
grizzly bear.

Public Involvement

    Public comment has been requested, considered and incorporated into 
the planning process during four major planning stages, and has also 
been considered in numerous other ways. Initial public scoping meetings 
were held in June 1991, in Stehekin, Chelan and Seattle. Public comment 
was again requested on the primary data set used in planning in April 
1933; in a preliminary alternatives document distributed in May 1993; 
and in public hearings on the draft EIS in October 1994. Additionally, 
four newsletters were distributed during the planning process, 
including an extensive data summary booklet. Consultation was also 
completed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Advisory Council 
on Historic Preservation, the Washington State Historic Preservation 
Office, and Native American tribes.
    About 750 copies of the draft EIS were distributed. Written 
comments were accepted for 60 days, and over 1000 comment letters or 
testimonies were recorded. Responses to substantive comments on the 
draft EIS were published in Volume II of the final EIS, distributed in 
July 1995. All substantive comments were addressed by either providing 
clarification of information, modifying the test, or directly 
responding in the final EIS.

    Dated: September 7, 1995.
Rory D. Westberg,
Acting Deputy Field Director, Pacific West Area, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 95-23001 Filed 9-14-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M