[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 171 (Friday, September 3, 1999)] [Notices] [Page 48419] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-22946] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service Draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Washington AGENCY: National Park Service. ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the General Management Plan, Whitman Mission National Historic Site. This notice also announces public meetings for the purpose of information exchange and receiving public comments on the DEIS. All comments received will become part of the public record and copies of comments, including names, addresses and telephone numbers provided by respondents, may be released for public inspection. DATES: Comments on the DEIS should be received no later than November 12, 1999. Public meetings, for the purpose of receiving comments and information exchange, will be held in Walla Walla, WA, on September 29, 1999, 7-9 p.m. at the Walla Walla Community College Administrative Building Dining Room, and in Mission, OR, on September 30, 1999, 6-8 p.m. at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Yellowhawk Conference Room. ADDRESSES: Written comments on the DEIS should be submitted to Superintendent, Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Route 2, Box 247, Walla Walla, WA 99362-9699, (509) 522-6360. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This DEIS for the General Management Plan presents a proposed action and three alternative strategies for guiding future management of the national historic site. Alternative A is a continuation of current management practices, often referred to as a ``no action'' alternative. Alternative B provides a minimum level of improvements regarding visitor facilities and interpretation in order to make the visitor experience more rewarding and informative. Alternative C is the ``preferred alternative'' and proposed action by the National Park Service. This alternative includes provisions for a three-dimensional delineation of the original structures, substitution of native grasses for the existing lawn at the Mission Grounds, a recreational trail along the riparian area of the Walla Walla River, construction of additional exhibit and administrative space in the visitor center, and possible acquisition by a non-profit land trust of conservation easements on visually sensitive properties adjacent to the national historic site. In addition, Alternative C contains a development concept plan to include reconfiguration of the main parking lot, addition of a group shelter to the picnic area, improvements to the visitor center entry, construction of additional administrative space on the administrative wing, and reconfiguration of pedestrian access to the Oregon Trail and the Mission Grounds. Alternative D goes beyond the preferred alternative, building on the initiatives of Alternative C. It would include establishing historic fence alignments and enlarging the orchard, conducting archeological research regarding the Whitman sawmill site, permitting cattle grazing in the pasture and river oxbow, replicating a Cayuse village on the Walla Walla River floodplain, constructing a new administrative building, and recommending an approximate 450-acre boundary adjustment to protect the foreground viewshed. The DEIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with the strategies comprising the four alternatives. Copies of the Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement can be obtained from Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Route 2, Box 247, Walla Walla, WA 99362-9699. They are also available at public libraries in the Walla Walla area and on the internet at www.NPS.gov. Dated: August 24, 1999. Rory D. Westberg, Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region. [FR Doc. 99-22946 Filed 9-2-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-70-P