[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9168-9170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4480]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Record of Decision; Final General Management Plan/Environmental
Impact Statement; Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon
ACTION: Notice of Approval of Record of Decision.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the regulations promulgated by the
Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1505.2), the Department of the
Interior, National Park Service, has prepared a Record of Decision on
the Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for
Oregon Caves National Monument in Oregon.
DATES: The Record of Decision was recommended by the Superintendent of
Oregon Caves National Monument, concurred by the Deputy Regional
Director, Pacific West Region, and approved by the Regional Director,
Pacific West Region, on December 23, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Inquiries regarding the Record of Decision or the
Environmental Impact Statement should be submitted to the
Superintendent, Oregon Caves National Monument, 19000 Caves Highway,
Cave Junction, OR 97523, phone (541) 592-2100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the Record of Decision follows:
The Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), has
prepared this Record of Decision (ROD) on the final Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the General Management Plan for Oregon Caves
[[Page 9169]]
National Monument, Oregon. This ROD is a statement of the decision
made, other alternatives considered, public involvement in the decision
making process, the basis for the decision, the environmentally
preferable alternative, and measures to minimize environmental harm.
Decision (Selected Action)
Oregon Caves National Monument will implement Alternative C.
identified as the action that best satisfies the Monument and NPS
missions, as well as the Monument's long-term management objectives.
Some actions remain consistent with those presented in the draft EIS.
Others were modified in the final EIS to respond to public comments and
concerns. The selected action recognizes both the need to protect
natural and cultural resources and to provide appropriate opportunities
for visitors and area residents.
Specific actions to be implemented under the selected action are
summarized below:
Adequate administrative and collection storage will be provided at
the administrative site. Cave tours will be operated with NPS
interpretive rangers, and a cave tour reservation system will be
established and based at the Illinois Valley Visitor Center (IVVC). The
IVVC will continue to serve as a key point for initial visitor contact
and information.
Protection will be provided to the Lake Creek and upper Cave Creek
watersheds, the public water supply, and foreground and middleground
viewsheds as seen from the Monument through the transfer of 3,410 acres
to the Monument from the Siskiyou National Forest (SNF).
Additional hiking, horseback riding, and other recreational
opportunities will be provided to the public, and public road access
will be maintained to adjacent national forest lands. The cave will be
open to public use from the middle of March to mid-December.
Concession-provided lodging, food service and gift sales will continue,
and will be located at the Chateau. Use of the lower level of the
Chalet will be converted from the concession-operated gift shop to the
Monument visitor center and will be staffed with NPS and cooperating
association employees.
Other Alternatives Considered
Alternative A--The no-action alternative represents no change from
present management direction. This alternative, therefore, represents
the current situation, including retention of concession-contracted
services for cave tours, lodging, food service and gift sales. No
boundary change would be included, no change to current administrative
facilities would occur, and the Monument would remain open to cave
tours year-round under Alternative A.
Alternative B--This is the ``minimum requirements alternative'',
representing the minimum actions necessary to protect the natural and
cultural resources of the Monument and protect the health and safety of
the public. Alternative B includes the development of adequate
administrative and collection storage facilities in the Chateau. Cave
tours would be operated with NPS interpretive guides, and a cave tour
reservation system would be established and based at the IVVC. A
cooperative agreement between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and NPS
would set aside 3.410 acres as a protected area within the SNF. Under
this agreement, protection would be provided to the Lake Creek and
upper Cave Creek watersheds, the public water supply, and foreground
and middleground viewsheds as seen from the Monument. The caves would
be open to public use from mid-March to mid to late December. However,
no concession lodging, dining or gift sales would be provided. The
lower level of the Chalet would be used for an on-site visitor center.
Alternative D--Under this alternative, a new on-site visitor center
would be developed to provide interpretive services to the public.
Concession lodging, food service and gift sales operations would be
retained at the Chateau and the Chalet. The caves would be open to the
public on a year-round basis, and tours would be conducted by a non-
profit institute or similar organization. This alternative would also
provide adequate administrative and collection storage at the
administrative site, and the IVVC would be used for initial visitor
orientation, visitor contact, and cave tour reservations. Protection of
the Lake Creek and upper Cave Creek watersheds, the public water supply
and foreground viewshed would be accomplished through a transfer of
2,377 acres to the Monument from the SNF. In addition, protection of
portions of the middleground viewshed would be accomplished by the
establishment of a 1,033-acre protected area within the SNF through a
cooperative agreement between the USFS and NPS.
Actions common to all alternatives include the continued
rehabilitation of the cave trail, the continued use of the IVVC for
orientation and information, protection of the Oregon Caves Historic
District, and ongoing regional cooperation on various issues such as
fire management and tourism.
Basis for Decision
After careful consideration of public comments throughout the
planning process, including comments on the draft EIS, the selected
action best accomplishes the legislated purpose of the Monument and
balances the statutory mission of the NPS to provide long-term
protection of the Monument's resources and significance, while allowing
for appropriate levels of visitor use and appropriate means of visitor
enjoyment. The selected action also best accomplishes identified
management goals and desired future conditions, with the fewest
environmental impacts.
Environmentally Preferable Alternative
The alternative which causes the least damage to the cultural and
biological environment, and that best protects, preserves, and enhances
resources is Alternative C.
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. Implementation of
the selected action would avoid any adverse impacts on wetlands and any
endangered or threatened species, or that would result in the
destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat of such
species.
Public Involvement
Public comment has been requested, considered, and incorporated
throughout the planning process in numerous ways. A Notice of Intent to
prepare an EIS was published in the Federal Register on January 23,
1996 (vol. 61, no. 15, pgs. 1783-1784). In early March 1996, NPS
produced a newsletter that was mailed to a list of interested
individuals and was inserted in the Illinois Valley Newspaper for
distribution to its circulation of 3,400 readers. The purpose of the
newsletter was to explain the planning process, provide information,
and encourage public participation in the process.
Two public scoping meetings were held in March 1996 in Cave
Junction and Grants Pass, OR, to assist in identifying issues to be
addressed in the GMP/EIS. A total of 23 people attended the two
meetings. Also in March, the planning team met with several interest
groups, at their request. The NPS received 88 written comments during
the scoping period.
[[Page 9170]]
More than 300 copies of the draft GMP/EIS were mailed to government
agencies, organizations and interested individuals in January 1998. In
addition, the document was posted on the Internet and mailed to local
libraries in Cave Junction, Grants Pass, and Portland, OR. The EPA
Notice of Availability was published in the Federal Register on January
16, 1998 (vol. 63, no. 11, pg. 2676). A Notice of Availability was also
published by NPS on January 15 (vol. 63, no. 10, pg. 2412). A second
newsletter was prepared that included a summary of the draft plan and
information on scheduled public workshops. Each newsletter included a
postage-paid response form for people to use in submitting comments if
desired. Approximately 3,500 newsletters were inserted into the
Illinois Valley News on January 14, and another 1,000 were made
available to visitors at the IVVC and the Chateau. In addition,
newspapers in Grants Pass and Cave Junction published the notices and
local radio stations announced locations and times for the public
workshops.
Four public workshops were held in Cave Junction and Grants Pass on
February 9 and 10, 1998. The purpose of the workshops was to offer the
public an opportunity to meet with the NPS planning staff and discuss
the draft GMP/EIS. A total of 111 people attended the workshops.
The final GMP/EIS was released to the public on November 10, 1998.
The EPA Notice of Availability of the final GMP/EIS was published in
the Federal Register on November 20, 1998 (vol. 63, no. 224, pg.
64473); the NPS also published a Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register. The final document included a summary of the comments
received at the public workshops and a summary of the comments received
from written responses.
Consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act was undertaken to identify
listed plant and animal species that may occur within the Oregon Caves
National Monument. In addition, a copy of the draft plan was sent to
the USFWS for concurrence that the broad-scale elements of the proposed
action would not adversely affect any listed species known or suspected
to be in the planning area.
Consultation also occurred with the Oregon State Historic
Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
A copy of the plan was sent to each of these offices to initiate and
plan for coordination of survey, eligibility, effect, and mitigation of
cultural resources in the Monument area.
During the comment period, 982 letters were received from
government agencies, businesses, special interest groups and
individuals. Of these, 735 were individually written letters,
individually signed form letters and postcards, 132 E-mail responses
through the Internet, and 115 response forms from the newsletter. In
addition, a petition with 102 signatures was received. Written
responses were prepared for more than 69 substantive questions and/or
comments requiring clarification of information contained in the draft
plan, changes to the text, or direct responses.
Dated: February 9, 1999.
William C. Walters,
Deputy Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 99-4480 Filed 2-23-99; 8:45 am]
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