[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 146 (Thursday, July 30, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 40733-40734] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-20367] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan, Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet, MA AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior. INTRODUCTION: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, (P.L. 91-190 as amended), and specifically to regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1505.2), the Department of the Interior, National Park Service has prepared this Record of Decision following the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan for Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable County, Massachusetts. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the environmental impact statement was prepared to assess the impacts of implementing the general management plan. The purpose of the General Management Plan is to guide the overall management, development, resource conservation and public use Cape Cod National Seashore. Presented are alternatives for the preservation, public use and management of the National Seashore and the impacts of implementing each alternative. SUMMARY: The Record of Decision concludes compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act for decision making to approve a General Management Plan for Cape Cod National Seashore. This compliance was initiated upon a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement published in the Federal Register on April 24, 1992. A second Federal Register notice announcing the schedule for public scoping meetings in the six Outer Cape towns and Barnstable, Massachusetts was issued on June 11, 1992. Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and announcement of two public forums was made in the Federal Register on August 5, 1996. The comment period of about 75 days was scheduled to end October 31, 1996. This period was extended twice to December 31, 1996 by subsequent Federal Register notices on October 7, 1996 and November 20, 1996. The October 7, 1996 Federal Register notice also announced two additional public meetings. The Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact Statement was published in the Federal Register on March 2, 1998. The Record of Decision is a concise statement of the decisions made, other alternatives considered, the basis for the decision, the environmentally preferable alternative, the mitigating measures, and the public involvement in the decision making process. The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the General Management Plan describes alternatives for management actions at Cape Cod National Seashore, the environment that would be affected by those actions, and the environmental consequences of implementing alternative actions. Three alternatives were presented, including the proposed general management plan, the selected action described in the Record of Decision. Alternative 1 is a continuation of current management, often referred to as the ``no-action'' alternative. Under this alternative the Park Service would continue to manage the National Seashore to protect natural and cultural resources, while allowing for appropriate public use related to those resources. Essentially no new development for public use would be undertaken. Alternative 2, the selected action, would guide the overall management of Cape Cod National Seashore for the next 10 to 15 years. The emphasis of the plan is on the management of natural and cultural resources; public use and interpretation; coordination with nonfederal landowners within the National Seashore; administrative, maintenance, and operational concerns; and working with local residents, town and county officials and interested agencies and persons to resolve problems of mutual concern. The plan is programmatic in that it gives guidance and criteria for day-to-day decision making and for producing more specific future action and development plans. It would seek to maintain an appropriate balance between resource protection and public use. More opportunities would be provided for the public to experience the resources of the National Seashore. Existing public use facilities and attractions would be improved. No major new development, however, is proposed, and the built environment or impacts from development would be reduced where possible. Under Alternative 2 there would be more emphasis on preserving the ``timeless'' character of Cape Cod in terms of natural and dynamic landscapes, historic architecture and cultural landscapes, and customary activities. The National Park Service would work in partnership with local communities and officials to more effectively further [[Page 40734]] educational and interpretive opportunities and resource stewardship on the Outer Cape and to more successfully address mutual problems and concerns, such as water supply, coastal processes, and traffic congestion--concerns that transcend political boundaries. Alternative 3 builds on the approach of Alternative 2, proposing that National Seashore managers play a more formal role in directing efforts to protect and manage resources on the Cape through more structured partnerships. Included are other reasonable actions that could be implemented but that are significantly different from those presented in either Alternative 1 or 2, and they are often more costly. The Park Service would initiate and enter into more formal agreements with state and local agencies to improve collaboration and consistency in day-to-day resource management. These actions are specific to selected management topics only, not to each subject area. The National Park Service will now commence to implement action features of the selected alternative from the Final Environmental Impact Statement as described in the Record of Decision and set forth in the General Management Plan. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the Record of Decision are available upon request from: Superintendent, Cape Cod National Seashore, 99 Marconi Site Rd., Wellfleet MA 02667. Telephone: (508) 349-3785. Dated: July 10, 1998. Marie Rust, Regional Director, Northeast Field Area (215) 597-7013. [FR Doc. 98-20367 Filed 7-29-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-70-P