[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]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P